Religion on Parade

The American education system continues its attempts to sink to the bottom of the international credibility scale. The most recent method is to launch yet another attack against evolution.

On the bright side, Americans won't really be competing for Canadian jobs for all that much longer. Unfortunately, there won't be many Canadian jobs to compete for once the North American economy collapses under the twin pressures of debt and undereducation.

Bus Bombing in Jerusalem

I don't really have all that much to say beyond the obvious. This is a war, a war where Israeli civilians are being purposefully targetted. Some quotes of interest, from an article in the Jerusalem Post:

Islamic Jihad and Hizbullah welcomed the bombing but did not accept responsibility.

For those who are not aware, Hezbollah is the Lebanese terrorist group that already "won" what they were fighting for. They always claimed that once Israel pulled out of Lebanon, they would cease their fight and begin farming the land or whatever it is that ex-terrorists do. Israel pulled out of Lebanon, and the fight didn't stop.

Why does that matter? It counters the very widely held view that terrorism will end once Israel carries out a certain set of actions, usually involving withdrawing from the West Bank. Sadly, that will not be true, Israel will be at war for generations at least.

In a refreshing change though, from the same article:

Many family members said they opposed militant attacks against Israelis. "These operations are not only not good for us, but really bad for us. They only hurt us," said his 26-year-old sister, Ola.

Its nice to not hear the family of a suicide bomber jumping up and down at their new "relatives of a Shahid" status. I hope to see more of this trend in the new year.

Free Speech Confusion

Some people just don't understand the point of free speech. Some yutz decided to physically assault a guy who was heckling Dean, democratic presidential contender. Said the intrepid defender of our rights:

"I'm neutral in this race but I'm for freedom of speech, which means people should be able to assemble and speak without being shouted down."

Wrong. People have the right to assemble and speak, thats for sure, but that does not mean they have the right not to be shouted down. If you want to keep outsiders away, rent a private venue. Otherwise, hecklers have free speech rights that are just as valid as those of anyone else.

(from CanadianComment)

Will the baby boomers clean up their mess?

A hundred years ago, countries didn't really have deficits. They would float a few bonds or issue some worthless script, but otherwise they generally worked on the idea that you didn't spend what you didn't have.

Then, WW2 came around, and it was expensive, very expensive. Countries had to run a deficit, but it was all for a good cause. Later generations would benefit from the war, so it was reasonable to expect later generations to help pay for the war.

Next came the baby boomers, and they weren't quite like the other generations. They had a brilliant plan. They would live the vida loca, and their children would foot the bill. The basic idea was that the baby boomers would spend the money, and our generation would pay for it.

Now of course, the boomers are a little pissed off that they might have to start paying off the debt instead of being able to retire gracefully. They have been fighting tooth and nail against it, demanding that we pay for their health care first and deal with the deficit once they are dead.

Thankfully, our new federal finance minister might not cave in completely to the boomer demands. In particular, a promising quote:

The finance minister also said Ottawa's promised C$2 billion payment this year to the provinces to shore up the public health-care system was not a "done deal," indicating he would only know for sure when the federal books close in August or September.

It had better not be a done deal. The boomers can have their health care once they have paid us back for the good times they had in the 60's and 70's. Until then, they should start eating more veggies.

From the Stupid PC File

In Simon Fraser University, they want to have gender inclusive bathrooms. Trangendered people and others in similar situations are apparantly bothered by the gender dichotomy of washrooms in our society.

The bathroom committee is recommending that the facilities be identified by the word “washroom,” rather than any pictogram.

Give me a break. Universities are under severe funding shortages. Physics students often have to make do with computers that were created about the time of the Atari game system. Biology students now get to do virtual labs on computers since the real labs cost too much.

And we are going to waste money on bathrooms?

Frankly, if you find the pictogram of your public gender offensive, there is nothing stopping you from voiding at home. Don't make me or anyone else pay for your offended sensabilities.

American Sex Education

Among the many right things Bush has done...

Ok, I was going to go with a double entendre on the word "right", but there was really no point. Part of the social conservative agenda is that sex education should promote abstinence as the only reasonable method of birth control and/or avoiding STD's.

For example, from the MN ENABL site (Minnesota Education Now and Babies Later) they have a reasonable question.

How do you avoid pregnancy and STIs?

A good question, with many answers. The best of course is the use of condoms, but birth control pills are fairly effective in terms of avoiding pregnancy. There is room for discussion on the drawbacks of the vaunted "withdrawal" method and other such techniques (eg. Vatican-friendly rhythm).

But no, the answer given is:

A: The only 100% way to avoid pregnancy and STIs is to not engage in sexual activity. While abstinence costs nothing, it does require you to plan carefully, to set limits, and to clearly say no to sexual pressures.

That's just great, a very informative answer that is probably news to those who are oblivious to the obvious. I think though that the MN ENABL people realize that their answer is kinda screwy, since they finish off with a bit of a whimper:

For more information about how to avoid pregnancy and STIs (sexually transmitted infections), you may wish to talk to you parents, a school nurse or counselor, or another trusted adult.

In other words, don't ask us, since we are not allowed to tell you any useful information.

So where is Hasselhoff now?

Making videos it would seem. You might think it bottoms out with the angels or the snowsuit, but then he bites the fish.

The Martians are at it again

It seems that they really don't want us exploring their planet.

So, what is art?

The Israeli diplomat to Sweden was touring an art museum when he saw a display he didn't like, so he tried to destroy it. (In the linked site, there actually is a little picture of the exhibit, first one I was able to find!)

Before we say anything else, we have the remember that this was a really stupid move by any diplomat representing any country. If something bothers you, you give a strongly worded letter of protest, you don't launch a physical attack. If a transgression requires a physical correction of some sort, you get the intelligence agencies of your nation to handle it.

However, the bigger question remains to be answered, what should our response be to an "art" exhibit that glorifies suicide bombings?

The answer, of course, is public ridicule. Shame the museum into withdrawing the exhibit. Criticize the author in public and explain why his vision of the middle east is hopelessly warped. Use the display as a reminder to the international community of why Israel must continue to protect itself, since the enemies are so willing to glorify violence.

However, all that said, the exhibit was put on display by the museum, and the museum has the right to house that display if it so chooses. The cardinal rule of civilized society is that when you disagree with someone, you act against them verbally, not physically.

When the diplomat decided to assault the artistic display, he was using all the finesse of a 3rd world strongman. He should be fired, and Israel should apologize for actions, saying that while the exhibit is insulting and inappropriate, the Israeli diplomat had no business engaging in some vigilante art justice.

A nice commercial

The winner of moveon.org's anti-Bush commercial contest. I actually approve, the message of the ad is dead on.

For a variety of reasons, CBS is refusing to run this ad during the superbowl. I can't imagine that moveon.org is complaining, they just saved millions of dollars and people will still see the ad.

Bitterness

I'm feeling a little annoyed at humanity at the moment. So take the 4 or so posts that appear after this with a little grain of salt :).

Speaking of sexism

I'm still wondering when they are going to open the Men's Only Goodlife Fitness club.

Oh wait, they won't, that would be against the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Its only ok to discriminate against males, and only if they are minorities. Jews and chinese men are fair game for discrimination though, they aren't real minorities

Mothers who kill

I don't have much to say about it, but it deserves at least a mention. A Palestinian woman and mother of two blew herself up at a Gaza border crossing. I just wonder why we never hear about how many children the male suicide bombers have. Perhaps its because it doesn't matter?

Near death experience

I nearly died on the highway yesterday.

I had been driving for about 10 minutes, the car was already warm but I still had the heater going because when I said "warm" what I really meant was "warm for penguins". That said, my windows were clear, traffic was heavy but moving, and Fefe Dobson was playing on the radio with that catchy "Take me Away" song.

Then, suddenly, out of the blue, every single one of my windows got a layer of ice plastered on the inside. There was absolutely no warning at all, my vision went from perfect clarity to nothing in under a second. This was while I was going at about 110km in the left lane.

I immediately moved over to the right shoulder, but it was tricky given that all I really saw were vague blurry shapes through the ice on my window. I've tried to duplicate the situation, but I really have no idea what happened.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Just to recap the facts, the heater was definately not on recycle, the car was already warm and the windows were already clear, so this wasn't normal ice/fog. The ice was definately on the inside of the windows, not the outside, and all 6 windows on the car got frosted over simultaneously.

I'm hoping that this never happens again, if I die violently I'd rather do it skydiving than commuting to work.

Children's Art Critique

The language is slightly offensive, but it is an excellent critique of some children's art work.

If you like that, there's even a second page!

Reality TV Moment

All-star survivor starts in a few weeks! A number of previous winners are on (eg. Richard Hatch, Jenna) and other than that a healthy number of good schemers who for one reason or another never won.

I think its going to be a good season... I'm especially excited about the fact that there are 18 contestants who are going to be broken into 3 tribes instead of the usual 2. I've always thought that the dynamic of 3 tribes would be much better, and it seems like now we will have a chance to find out.

My only worry is that Amber will win, since nobody will consider her to be enough of a threat to vote off...

Consequences

The separation wall in Israel just got finished around Jerusalem. There were some interesting paragraphs in the news article.

Israelis have brushed off criticism even from their main ally the United States over the looping route of a barrier through the West Bank that they say has already helped to keep more than two dozen suicide bombers from Israeli cities.

I wish there was more proof of that. The standard argument of course is that the fence around the Gaza Strip has essentially stopped all attacks from that area, so it is reasonable to expect that a fence around the West Bank would be similarly effective. However, I wish they would give more details on how the fence stopped attacks... I think it would increase the support for the fence.

The second paragraph of interest, from the mouth of Arafat of course

"This is the biggest Nakba (Catastrophe) of all Nakbas," Arafat told reporters, using a word which evokes the exodus of Palestinians who fled their homes during the 1948 Arab-Israeli at Israel's creation.

A wall protecting Israelis is the biggest Nakba of all Nakbas... yet more evidence in the towering pile demonstrating how peace is such an unlikely scenario in the near future.

More Carrots for Martin

The title of the article in Yahoo news was "Bush, Martin vow cooperation on Mad Cow". You would have never seen that under the Chretien years.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that we should be towing the American party line. They have many horrible policies, and I would be horrified if we started adopting them. However, it seemed that Chretien went out of his way to piss off the States, and that really wasn't something we needed. I'm glad thats over and done with.

Carrots for puppies

Its seems like Paul Martin's philosophy of having close and friendly relations with the States is already paying off. Remember, I thought it was very appropriate for the States to cut Canada off from the reconstruction contracts given that we didn't help out in the war at all, but that was under Chretien. I'm glad that Bush (or his puppet masters) realize that Paul Martin is a completely different individual, and are more prepared to work with him.

Who knows, maybe the States will stop arbitrarily hitting us with trade sanctions... Unlikely of course, but possible.

Enough is enough

I took a shower and then went outside... bad move. My goatee froze. I think cold sunny days are wonderful, but I'm looking forward to the balmier temperatures on Sunday.

Cute kids

A very touching picture of some innocent children throwing rocks. They don't means to hurt a soul... we swears it!

(From the Link messageboards)

Enough with the Hitler Comparisons

The big news by now of course is that moveon.org withdrew their advertisements that compared George Bush to Hitler. Well, actually, they claim that they didn't even make them in the first place, they just had them made and placed on their website "accidentally".

Meanwhile, with the republicans screaming bloody murder, they overlook the fact that many in their own rank insist on consistently comparing Howard Dean to Hitler.

Dean wants to muzzle his Democratic competitors, too. He believes the Democratic National Committee should shut them up....These are the techniques employed by Hitler's Brownshirts.

Ok, they weren't stupid enough to make official ads with the comparison, but I see it constantly in the republican commentary, and it is sickening as well.

Comparing democratic prominent political figures to Hitler alters our perception of history. The events set in motion by Hitler and the Nazi party before and during WW2 are among the most despicable atrocities ever committed by our species. The events in Germany must be remembered for what they were, a unique occurence in human history that must never be repeated under any circumstances. Creating flippant connections between these atrocities and almost any current world leader causes us to forget just a bit how extraordinarily despicable Hitler truly was.

Can we ever make the comparison? If it is warranted, certainly. However, it should be used with great caution. Imagine if someone lost their family to an axe murderer, and you went up to them and said "I know what you feel, I lost my wallet the other day". That is clearly unacceptable, and I think that the current spate of Hitler comparisons comes under a simliar rubric.

Pressed for time?

You can now download the internet as a zip file! Read it offline later on at your leisure...

Security Stupidity

They now have fighter jets tailing high risk flights as the enter US airspace, presumably to shoot them down should they try to do something sneaky like crash into a building.

I thought of another idea that would be equally as effective, but a bit cheaper. Instead of sending out fighter jets that cost tens of thousands of dollars a flight to run, just hire some people to monitor about 5 planes each by radio. Hook up the pilots to a heart-rate monitor as well. If the pilots scream or suddenly die, send out the fighter jets. Otherwise, stop with the military airshow and let people fly in peace.

Of course, it won't happen. The security measures are not actually there to improve security in any way, because they don't. The security measures are there as a PR exercise, designed to convince the joe shmoe voting american public that they are being taken care of.

Earthquake aid for Iran

As we are all aware by now, Iran got hit with a fairly deadly earthquake last week. They called for aid from the international community... with the exception of Israel.

Government spokesmen said that foreign aid workers would not need entry visas and that aid would be welcome from everywhere but Israel. In a televised address, President Mohammad Khatami urged on rescue efforts, thanked the nations that were sending aid and said he was preparing to leave for Bam.

Now, this didn't bother me much at first. Everyone knows that the arabs are heavily prejudiced against Israel in all regards, and this was just one more example. So what.

However, the more I think about it, this refusal of aid is a big deal. This was a chance for Israel and Iran to develop some ties that did not revolve around war or the palestinian situation. It was a chance for a few Iranians to see Israelis as humans, not just as some stereotyped zionist entities... and the opportunity was completely destroyed by Iran.

It would not have cost them a thing, except maybe they might have been forced to reciprocate if Israel ever got hit by an earthquake... but thats how peace really forms... in small steps.

It just puts another nail into the coffin of the idea that the arabs ever actually want to come to a peaceful agreement with Israel. If you are not even willing to accept help during a time of crisis, why would you ever accept peace when there is no crisis?