things i learned instead of doing homework

1. The Swedes now have a prescription heroin for addicts. I interpret it as an extension of a needle exchange, and personally my possition is 'pro'.

2. The NDP does not like Harper's new budget. Not a surprise but maybe you are interested in why. Well because it does not adequately deal with the ever present concern of most Canadians 'stimulating the economy'. In other political news if the NDP and the Bloc over through the current minority government Dion will be PM. now sure how that works, but i trust fakejacklayton to tell me the truth.

3. Some peoples priorities are; have a baby, call JJ GO!, eat a sandwich to regain strength.

4. Humans can do amazing things...
seriously SO amazing!

5. One could still have a career as a Pirate.

6. Some interesting person's thoughts on the forced end to the Kinder Cafe.

7. i was to lazy to learn about why i should not continue to be 'in love' with Obama. Can someone else read it and summarize? I have homework to do.

Feminist Songs!

proposition 8

Art Blog

Acey Thompson's Almost Phony Art Blog

I found this while looking for some ink wash inspiration, and I really, really like her art. She's doing one of those drawing-a-day projects I've been kind of tempted to do myself, and I'm impressed by how much variety of style she shows. If I ever do it, I expect it to be 365 ballpoint pen doodles.

She can also draw dogs! Wow!

Maybe I just enjoy shouting

I haven't been this annoyed by TV in a while.

I think the last time I spluttered with so much indignation was around the time of the first Bazillion $ bailout, when that ass Lou Dobbs kept complaining about 'foreign meddling' and 'an outrageous threat to U.S sovereignty' when some leaders in the EU or something had the audacity to express their concern that America was flushing the world's economy down the shit hole.

"SHUT UP LOU DOBBS. STOP BEING A BLUSTERY, XENOPHOBIC JERK," I believe I shouted.

Today's annoyance was actually on a similar theme. My mother has a disturbing addiction to Home and Garden television. I don't know why she enjoys watching boring people buy boring houses. The only show I like on that channel is EXTREME HOMES, because they are sometimes unique. Usually not all that EXTREME, but they generally have at least one slide in the place of a staircase to capture my attention. I'm also fond of that Phil Spencer, but even his show is a bit dull.

Tonight I saw some show about a young woman purchasing her first home. I tuned in just as she was saying something to the effect of "Normally I wouldn't even look at this house because it's out of my budget, but this time I'll put in a low offer and see what happens."
Now, I've seen enough of these shows to know that this is a stupid plan, because the idiot is going to omg totally fall in looooove and have to buy this overpriced house, at any cost. And, of course, this happened. The woman went on to purchase the house for $385, 000, absolutely no money down, with monthly mortgage payments of $2, 800. And I exploded with rage.

While the show played life-affirming music, while the agents and woman smiled and signed the papers, while the voice-over told me to never settle and that we all deserve our dream house, I sat in my chair fuming that THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HAS RUINED THE FINANCIAL SYSTEM AND SADDLED US ALL WITH THIS RECESSION. Jerks like her who think they need and deserve a huge house right off the bat, the greedy banks who would give someone such a large loan without any down payment, the television shows that encouraged this attitude of reckless materialism, and chumps like me who watched the damn shows and accept them as entertainment and a reasonable portrait of reality

I'm going to live in a gypsy caravan, paid for in cash.

Cheerleaders gone WILD!

Loved this article! read and comment here, or there.

Today i discovered a woman who might freak me out more than Sarah Palin!

"if you forget everything i say today, if there is only one think you take from me today let it be this, this is what i want you to here, if you have sex outside of marriage, one permanent, monogamous, (and monogamy does not mean one at a time) one partner, who has only been with you, if you have sex outside of that contact you will pay, there is a cost, no one has ever had sex outside of marriage and not paid!"
Pam Stenzel



I am too angry to even talk about her. What a... so frustrated!
I don't even know if can watch more video's or read the website. comment?

"I'd Come For you!"

Last week, at my friend Evan's Birthday Party, (probably the most entertaining party ever!) Evan informed me that he has been specially asked by his boss at Chart magazine to write the review of the new Nickleback album! I think it might have been the best birthday present ever for Evan.
Evan Dickson is a hilarious man and i think you should all take a gander. Its enlightening to know what persistently is being consumed by the mass of population, and what music represents Canada to the world.

Evan also interviews my friends Bryan and Corey for an article about their group, and the changing Toronto music scene called Dreaming in Binary Code. They are two of the members in the group Opopo. It was a wile back now, but i believe the statements are relevant and humorous.

Word up

pavonine. adj.
Of, relating to, resembling,
or characteristic of a peacock.

Horrifying Collectibles

Reborn Dolls.

My Fake Baby.

I wish I weren't aware that these things existed, but now that my innocence has been destroyed, you must share the knowledge.

BEHOLD! Dolls altered to look like "real" newborn babies! Newborn babies who have subsequently died and been laid out for burial, in my opinion.

It seriously looks like a sad little baby morgue.

I'm also creeped out by the store's F.A.Q:

Q) What do you weight your babies with?

A) I weight my babies with baby fat and small glass beads.

Aiee! Baby fat!!

I just looked them up on wikipedia and found this information:
"A purple color wash is applied to the inside of each vinyl part to give the appearance of realistic baby skin undertones. (This was commonly done until recently when it was found that the blue or purple has the tendency to bleed or seep through the vinyl, causing a 'bruised' appearance.)"

Yeah... probably not good for your dolls to look like murder trial recreations.

Apparently people also might add "a battery powered heartbeat simulator, breathing simulator, and heat packs."
WHY? Newborns are generally hideous (props to some of those artists for staying true to that, at least), but those crazy hormones we have and the promise of cuteness to come at least make them bearable. This, I just don't understand.

But I do like the idea of offering to sell babies in a grocery store...

"its so Gay"

there seems to be a large attempt to eliminate that phrase from common colloquial language. As i posted earlier their is a advertising campaign, and now a highschool campaign, where students can be penalized for using derogatory words.

in theory this seems a like good idea. It should help student think about the consequences of the language they use and reevaluate their motives behind them. I fear that since is it peers and adult doing the centering it is likely to back fight when students feel another part of their life is being controlled and monitored by adults.

the intention is to monitor students, and edit their behavior eventually leading to self censorship where students stop themselves from being derogatory before the words come out of their mouth.

I hope it works.

perhaps it is okay?

Attractive Girls Union Refuses To Enter Into Talks With Mike Greenman

this video from the Onion, brightened my day, until at the end of the video there was an advertisement that i found offensive. disappointing.

Abortions could be Healthy? apparently this could be a legitimate argument. Molly discovered on Jezebel.com that pre-eclampsia is reduced the more abortions a woman has. The study suggests that women who have had two or more induced abortions reduced their risk for pre-eclampsia by 60 percent! turns out pre-eclampsia is an increasing risk for women during pregancy. I think it is what happened to my mom when i was born, we both came super duber close to death! I guess i can possibly draw the conclution that my mother had not had an abortion prior to her pregancy with me. Based on the way my parents discribe the ordeal of my birth, pre-eclampsia is scary, and idealy avoided.

I don't want to advocate randome abortion but it does give reason for debate and conversation. Maybe one could argue "Dear Christian Right, abortion is okay, God doesn't mind, it protects future wanted Babies" or something. Maybe not.

Feminist Songs!

But first a Rasputin song!



and now for some Feminist Songs! i totally took this list from Feministing.com. a personal favorite would be "Everyone Else" by S.

Queen Latifah, UNITY



Bikini Kill, Suck My Left One



Nellie McKay, Mother of Pearl



Salt n Pepa, None of Your Business



Beastie Boys, Song for the Man

Overheard on a train

"He looks cool, but he's kinda bad. But good is better than bad. And he's gooder than he is bad."

- Young boy, describing the complexities of a Yu-Gi-Oh! character


"I see the mountain of doom!"

- Same boy, looking out the window at Montreal

"I see the mountain of history!"

- His twin sister

These kids were great, until about half an hour into the ride, at which point I wanted to gag their mouths.

Poster Boy NYC

there is a guerrilla graffiti artists in New York city, named Poster Boy. anyone heard anything about him?
Personally i feel a lot of it is crap, but sometimes i think they are need and have interesting political statements. Here are a couple i liked.

STAR TREK!

thinkB4youspeak.com

another reason i love Hilary Duff!

is it wrong that at the end of the ad, i really want them to show the jeans. what jeans? are they actually cute? ug.

the exchange.

the internet was not being as entertaining this evening, so molly and i were attempting to come up with things to do. Eating might solve the problem. and with that went started our mission to 'the corner store". We bundled and set out around the corner. Upon arriving we realized it was closed. We had not gone to our regular corner store, knowing it would be closed, but the equity close, but much more sketchy. Standing outside for a few second, the man from the corner store asked through the bars on the door, "what you want?", "chips", we replied! "what kind?" "all dressed" after negotiating the prince through the bars, "the corner store man" met us at the side wall and did the exchange. it was dark and exciting. lots of giggling n our side. I hope people saw, and wondered what was up.

oh Jesse Thorn

goodnight

MarsPhoenix

we will miss you. Sadly MarsPhoenix will nologer be entertaining me with adventures in science on twitter. read about the legend.

SuperPost

Rachel and I have set up a heck of a lot of categories in this here blog. Time to cram them all into one SUNDAY SUPER POST, random point-form style.

AFRICA

• As much as I agree with Palin that her fellow republicans are jerks for spreading rumours about her dumb questions during her debate prep, I have to profusely thank Americans for not electing a V.P with such a pitful understanding of Africa.

ART

• Hey! art’s great! Am I right?

BOOKS

• Currently reading Watchmen, thanks to Rachel. It’s starting up pretty slowly so far, and I’m looking forward to more action. I have to say that Rorschach was a great idea for a character, visually.
  

CAILIN

• I wonder how many people are actually called Cailin in Ireland? (It’s Irish for “girl”)

COMEDY


COMIC

• If it is at all possible that you are not yet aware of The Perry Bible Fellowship, get reading.

ENGLISH

• I had NO IDEA James Joyce was such a dirty, dirty man. If you’ve seen his love letters to Nora Barnacle, you know what I’m talking about.

ENVIRONMENT

• I wonder if the fact that my new low-flow shower head requires me to take about three times as long to wash my hair as it used to cancels out the water I’m supposed to be saving in the first place...

FASHION

• You know how JFK destroyed the hat industry by strutting around bare-headed? I’m hoping Obama also makes some huge male fashion impact. At the moment, I’m rooting for him just bringing the hat back.

GOSSIP GIRL

• haven’t seen the show yet, but that one brunette looks like a doll. This is my insightful observation!

JAMIE TUBBS

• I just accidentally typed “Jamir Tibbs.” That would make a great alter ego.

JOKES

• D.L Hughley’s are not funny.

LOGO

• At least if you got McCain's campaign logo tattooed on your body you can pretend you were in the navy or something...

MOVIES

• Anybody seen that “Nick and Nora” Micheal Cera one? How was it? I can’t see it because the title alone enrages me. Nick and Nora Charles forever!

MUSIC

• It’s been pretty great listening to civil rights movement music this week.

POLITICS

• I missed the last Liberal leadership convention since I was abroad at the time, so I never saw how handsome that Gerard Kennedy is. I mean, he’s no Justin Trudeau, but you take what you can get.

• Also, did anyone ever chant Hur-RAE, Hur-RAE for Bob Rae?

POLL

• Ah, how I will miss CNN’s POLL of POLLS.

QUOTES

• “ Just had a great lunch. Wham, bam, thank you ham!” - Jordan Morris, via twitter. He makes me laugh.

RACHEL

• What a pal! What an asset to civilization!

ROMANCE

• So many great romantic tales seem to hedge on circumstances that could have been altered by the slightest thing, like missing a certain bus or leaving a party early. Makes one wonder if, say, an ill-timed Steve Irwin impersonation might have cost one one’s soul mate. One would feel like a real jackass if that were true. One would indeed.

Good thing God doesn’t ever confirm such things. "THOU HAST TOTALLY BLOWN THY ONE CHANCE FOR TRUE LOVE, THOU IDIOT.”


SARAH PALIN

• She should get to keep the clothes. Come on!

TELEVISION

• I miss Mad Men.

TRAVEL

• I just watched a video of Obama playing basketball, and it looks like his buddies are letting him win. Unless he is the best at all things?

• The travel connection: I’m pretty sure traveling is something basketballers do.

VIDEO GAMES

• I could go for some treasure mountain.

ZIMBABWE

• is Ewbabmiz backwards!

Phew, this was difficult. Good Night.

Birthday

It is rather disappointing but since early november is Election season, almost everything that has happened today is "someone got elected"

On Nov. 6, 1860, former Illinois congressman Abraham Lincoln defeated three other candidates for the U.S. presidency.

1879 Ottawa Ontario - The Canadian Thanksgiving Day is officially observed for the first time on this day. The holiday is moved to the week of Armistice Day after World War I, then fixed as the second Monday in October in 1957.

1962 - Apartheid: The United Nations General Assembly passes a resolution condemning South Africa's racist apartheid policies and calls for all UN member states to cease military and economic relations with the nation.

links i found this information;

BBC, Wikiipedia, sympatico, on this day,

Ivory

A large, legal sale of stockpiled ivory is going on in South Africa today. Sanctioned by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the money raised is supposed to help fund conservation efforts in southern Africa. Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe have already sold off their stock of tusks in the last two weeks, and CITES plans to monitor buyers so that they don't mix the legal ivory with that gained from poaching. 45% of the ivory comes from elephants culled for population control in Kruger park during the eighties and nineties, and the rest died of natural causes. South Africa expects to raise $8m from the sale.

Even with all the rational arguments in favour of this sale, and the good intentions behind it, something just doesn't sit well with me. At first I was under the impression that these were confiscated tusks being sold, which gave me the easy protest that it's akin to say, police confiscating child porn and then selling it to raise money to fight child abuse. That comparison is of course a bit silly and, now that I have more information, unusable. I think my compulsion to make the comparison in the first place is simply because it seems morally wrong. People fighting to protect elephants shouldn't be dealing with the sick market that caused their slaughter in the first place. It's tainted money, even if it doesn't actually encourage the illegal market, like some animal protection groups have argued.


(Thank goodness China won't run out of ivory cellphones, though! )



(P.S. Happy Birthday Rachel! A happy post for a happy day!)

USA Election 2008 (a.k.a possibly the only post in which I will be entirely sincere and sentimental)

It completely goes without saying, but what an amazing, beautiful thing this US election has been. Today (yesterday) feels like a bizarro 9/11 in which the world is finally facing good rather than evil.

BBC's North America editor says:

On every level America will be changed by this result - its impact will be so profound that the nation will never be the same. In a sense the policy changes could be the least of it. It's the way the nation sees itself that will change. And the way outsiders see America.

Precisely! It's incredible how much power attitude and perspective has on the lives of nations and their people. Sometime around the year 2003 I think we all looked at America and despaired. Where were the rational, confident people we thought would have the sense to see through a sham war and a shitty president? How could America so ignore the protestations of the world, the reason and value of the United Nations, and just trample over truth in favour of warfare? Why was America suddenly a bigoted, insane theocracy on a medieval-style crusade? How could a man who had the heads of his enemies delivered to his office be in charge of the most powerful nation in the world? And then to be elected AGAIN in 2004!

Bad times. Bad years to grow up in, absorbing the overwhelming negativity and pessimism the era.

This election, however, will go a long way to calming that despair and wiping away the manure smeared on America's reputation.

And what this means for African-Americans is beyond words, of course. It was so touching to see the tears on Rev. Jesse Jackson's face, and to hear Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter speak at Obama's church. Thinking about MLK jr today makes me wish that there really is an afterlife and that all the people who've suffered and died because of their skin colour can somehow enjoy this moment.

I can't say I actually believe that's so, and I know racism will continue, and that Obama now has the worst job in the world and probably won't do things perfectly, and that America will make me shout in rage again, but at least for now, I think we've finally joined Martin Luther King Jr on his mountain top.

Smart Girls at the Party

Amy Poehler is my Hero. Amy is coming out with a new digital series with ON networks that celebrates young girls who are changing the world by being themselves. The show - Smart Girls at the Party - aims to help girls find confidence in their own aspirations and talents, and to prove that you don't have to be famous to be interesting.This is super cute and inspiring. Let us get our children to watch this great online show.

America Votes

cbc is doing a great job with the election coverage check it out.

Fashion from the Hill

one of the original intentions for this blog was to occasionally talk about fashion, but i have not said much, so here is a short update.

has anyone seen either the Lauren Conrad, or Heidi Montag fashion lines? Lauren, boring as hell. Heidi, sluty as hell. Even the name is sluty, Heidiwood. yuck. Heidiwood is priced from $10-$60, where Lauren Conrad is in the tripple digits. Also has everyone heard her song Fashion. It is as bad as it sounds, perhaps worse. Turns out according to Dose magazine, Heidi has given up her fashion line "in order to concentrate on her shudder - music "career." I enjoyed when during the second season of the Hills they would pop-up-vidio the disirers they were wearing during the aftershow.

also i totally love Bona Drag, currently i want the feature dress.

OUTRAGES UPON OUTRAGES

I am steaming mad!

I just saw an ad saying that if you walk into a Starbucks in the USA on Tuesday and tell them you voted, you'll get a free tall coffee.

EXCUSE ME, WE HAD AN ELECTION HERE TOO, YOU KNOW. Where the hell was MY free coffee on October 14th?

Hardly anyone voted, so it wouldn't have cost much anyway. (Just 59.1%, or 13,832,972 people. That's like, Pennsylvania, for any American readers.)

This is the straw (or absent stir-stick) that broke this camel's back. We put up with a lot from our friends down south, and purchase many coffee-related products in this country. Why will no massive coffee merchants, be they Starbucks or Tim Horton's, step up to the plate and reward me for doing my civic duty? Americans are all charged and excited to vote without the incentive. Canadian voters, however, are so damn lazy that they were probably all in coffee shops that day anyway. If dear Starbucks cared so much about democracy, it would have been nice if they had encouraged those who were actually appallingly apathetic this election season, instead of those who are already having all the fun.

But seriously, I'd like a free coffee.

emails from mothers.

after molly shared with me a silly email from her mother, we wondered if there was a database of emails from mothers to children. Success! thanks goggle!
the website was called Postcards From Yo Momma!

some choice posts are:

Obama’s favourite food is pie…just like you.
Mummy

We have been in the woods almost every weekend working on the camp. Murdering trees, shredding the evidence, splitting murdered trees, stacking split murdered trees, burning murdered trees. Generally the whole tree murdering cycle.
And drinking at the bar.

Me: I’m watching the employee screening of High School Musical 3, so be really jealous…
Mom: Slap urself, ur not a high schooler anymore…it’s illegal to look at those kids like that.
Me: I’m not interested in zac efron
Mom: you should be he’s a cutie

Obama on the left, McCain on the right.

Obama on the left
McCain on the right
We can talk politics all night
And you can vote however you like
You can vote however you like, yeah

Democratic left
Republican right
November 4th we decide
And you can vote however you like
You can vote however you like, yeah

(McCain supporters)
McCain’s the best candidate
With Palin as his running mate
They’ll fight for gun rights, pro life,
The conservative right
Our future is bright
Better economy in site
And all the world will feel our military might

(Obama supporters)
But McCain and Bush are real close right
They vote alike and keep it tight
Obama’s new, he’s younger too
The Middle Class he will help you
He’ll bring a change, he’s got the brains
McCain and Bush are just the same
You are to blame, Iraq’s a shame
Four more years would be insane

Lower your Taxes - you know Obama Won’t
PROTECT THE LOWER CLASS - You know McCain won’t!
Have enough experience - you know that they don’t
STOP GLOBAL WARMING - you know that you won’t

I want Obama
FORGET OBAMA
Stick with McCain and you’re going to have some drama
We need it
HE’LL BRING IT
He’ll be it
YOU’LL SEE IT
We’ll do it
GET TO IT
Let’s move it
DO IT!

Obama on the left
McCain on the right
We can talk politics all night
And you can vote however you like
You can vote however you like, yeah

Democratic left
Republican right
November 4th we decide
And you can vote however you like, I said
You can vote however you like, yeah

I’m talking big pipe lines, and low gas prices
Below $2.00 that would be nice

But to do it right we gotta start today
Finding renewable ways that are here to stay

I want Obama
FORGET OBAMA,
Stick wit McCain you gone have some drama
MORE WAR IN IRAQ
Iran he will attack
CAN’T BRING OUR TROOPS BACK
We gotta vote Barack!

Obama on the left
McCain on the right
We can talk politics all night
And you can vote however you like, I said
You can vote however you like, yeah

Democratic left
Republican right
November 4th we decide
And you can vote however you like, I said
You can vote however you like, yeah