kimmy

Just the other day I was hearing on the radio how the "economic downturn" has been harder on men than women. "Men identify with their jobs," the man said, "and when they lose their jobs, it's like losing a piece of their identity." Perhaps women just don't have the sense of identity now. I could believe that women are less happy today than 40 years ago, I suppose. I'm skeptical that men today are happier, however. Most of the married men I know are worried that they'll have to live to be 150 years old to pay their mortgages and car loans and so-on, even with wives working full time too. On the way home from work they pick up their kids who've spent 2 hours in after-school care. There's a whole houseful of work to be done. I don't know if this is really working out very well for anybody. Personally I am filled with joy all day while I'm at work. I spend my workday in the company of handsome, virile men. I get to hit things with a hammer. I get to destroy things with a crowbar. I get to order peons around. What could be more fulfilling? Then when I get to the grocery store, I can barely restrain myself from beating people senseless. Fat stupid slobs who block the whole aisle with their shopping carts as they pick their nose and ponder which brand of diet pop will be more ineffective in combating their hideous obesity. Withered old idiots who take 32 items through the express line and pay with dimes and pennies. Jerks who squish every loaf of bread in their fat stupid meathooks before choosing one for themselves and leaving everybody else with squashed bread. Clueless dipshits who ram their shopping cart into you because they were too busy text-messaging their BFF to pay attention to anything around them. I don't know what grocery store you shop at, Jerry, but where I shop, the moms I see look like they're on their last nerve, at their wits end, staring up at the ceiling as if hoping that one of the giant mercury lamps will fall and end the suffering. Screaming, spoiled kids whose pathetic parents will give them whatever they want, just to get them to shut up. Glowing faces? I'd feel more fulfilled if I had some of those little monsters to scream and cry at me all day? -k { That's Gold, Jerry! Gold! }

People who've never really been part of the church no longer feel guilty about putting a check in the "None/Other" box instead of calling themselves "uh, Protestant or something." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_...2C_2001.2C_2008 (the None column plus Refused to Reply column add up to almost all of the decline in Christian...) Regardless, I think that religious conservatives in America are as numerous, well-organized, and well-funded as they've ever been. Big fat deal. The heart-warming images of happy little fetuses have been with us for decades. The arrival of a brand new means of showing happy little fetuses to people makes little difference. People have known for a very long time that fetuses look like tiny little people. Personally, no, I wouldn't have any problem with it. I believe that when Canada's Progressive Conservatives tried to provide a compromise on abortion that would have banned late-term abortions, it was the pro-lifers who screamed the loudest against it, arguing that it would prevent almost no abortions at all. That was before my time, of course; I don't know the full history of Mulroney's attempt at abortion legislation. But trying to paint the pro-choice side as being inflexible and dogmatic is about the worst case of the pot calling the kettle black that I can think of. So for you, it's not "life begins at conception", but rather "life begins at implantation"? Writing "posotion" once is a typing error. Typing "rapid" over and over again when you mean "rabid" is ... tell you what, I'll get a spell-checker if you get a thesaurus. I'm sure you recognize that the debate is not over whether the fetus is genetically human. -k

To me the explanation is more likely the ongoing rise of evangelicals in the US. Who is "non-partisan" on this issue? The ultrasound has been around for many years. As have those full-color "uterus-cam" pictures that the Pro-Life crowd like to wave around on placards. This is not exactly news. You're calling WIP "anti-science" because he suspects that there is more to the issue of what constitutes a human life than a beating heart and a happy little face? Personally, I'd call him "anti-simplistic" for staking out that turf. ("rapid"? You ought to find yourself a thesaurus...) How many people on the pro-choice side of the debate believe in unrestricted access right up to 9 months? I suspect it's a pretty tiny portion of the pro-choice movement, and I suspect very few doctors would perform abortions in such circumstances except in the case of extreme medical emergency. I believe statistics have been posted here before that show that the large majority of abortions are performed within the first trimester, and only a miniscule percentage is performed in the second. What about you? Is there a point at which you feel abortions are acceptable, or are you as black and white as the "rapid anti-life" crowd you're up in arms about? You feel that ultrasounds of fetuses with beating hearts and happy little faces prove they're human lives. If that's the foundation of your posotion, then what about abortions performed before they have beating hearts and happy little faces? Is it still murder if there's no beating heart and happy little face?l -k

Thanks, Shakey, that's hilarious. -k

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Yes, it's ridiculous. You can't cure people of having different values than your own. I abhor what they stand for, but at least I can say this for them: they hold their beliefs and stand up for them. Hopefully, so do we. If replying to your posts is the "cure", I can't imagine what the "disease" could possibly be. Does it have a brass pole? -k

I have asked repeatedly for him to elaborate on his ideas. If you've noticed, he has not disagreed with my interpretation of what he said at all: he really does want to bring terrorists to Canada to provide them with psychological treatment. If by "predictable" you mean "intelligible", and by "pseudo-logic" you mean "logic", then yes, I am more comfortable with that than with trying to delve into Benny's realm of fortune-cookie replies searching for meaning that just isn't there. That's what you *wish* he had said. What he *actually* said was that he wants to bring terrorists to Canada to provide them with psychological treatment. -k

I would have to believe in your theory to not find it ridiculous? It seems to me that if a theory can only be explained to people who already believe in it, it can't have much merit. It's perfectly reasonable: you can't cure people who aren't ill. They're wrong, but they're not ill. Perhaps you should explain your ideas better. Perhaps you should explain what kind of psychological treatment you would provide to terrorists once we have brought them to Canada. I am open-minded, but I am not willing to accept every goofy idea that someone comes up with. Bringing terrorists to Canada to provide them with psychological treatment is a goofy idea on the face of it; you will have to work very hard to convince people otherwise. -k

The conventional wisdom, that Green voters take votes from NDP, may not apply as much as usual. Carol James' position on the carbon tax may have cost her support among environment voters. -k

The fact that he recognizes it would have deeply divided the country shows that Ignatieff is a far more sensible man than his oblivious predecessor and his NDP counterpart. The country would have never recovered from the coalition, had it come to pass. -k

I put "cure" in quotation marks because I do not believe they are ill. Believing in extremism is not a recognized disorder. It is simply a fact that not everybody believes the same things. If someone believes that women should not be allowed to go to school or leave the home, that doesn't necessarily mean he has any condition that can be "cured". It does make him my enemy, but it doesn't mean he requires psychological treatment. It means that we have deeply opposed values. These Ann Coulter, FOX News barbs you keep throwing at me highlight how little substance you have to offer. Let's recall what he actually wrote: That's pretty straightforward. He thinks Canada could bring terrorists here and provide psychological treatment for them. His only objection to my interpretation was that I put "curing" in quotation marks. I'm not telepathic. I can only interpret what he wrote. If he meant something other than what he wrote, he will need to learn how to express his ideas better. If one sentence answers are not adequate to adequately express his ideas, perhaps he can move up to 2 sentences, or even whole paragraphs. Since you feel I did not understand his statement, why don't you provide us *your* interpretation? You volunteered to act as his interpreter earlier on; you're certainly doing a piss-poor job of it so far. -k

The phrase "status quo" has been used over and over by the analysts tonight. The percentages haven't changed much, the seat totals haven't changed much, most of the incumbents have been reelected. -k

Well, it appears that STV has been soundly defeated. It looks like we are stuck with FPTP for a very long time. -k

Well, the Canucks are still among the league leaders in excuses, at least. -k

Bill Barilko ... fishing trip... I heard a song about this once... -k

"Crazy" is a poor choice of words in this instance, August. People suffering from clinical depression are no less functional than anyone else. (a controversial study a few years ago suggested that in technical-analytical occupations, depressed people tend to exceed their "well" counterparts, if I recall.) In short, one needn't be rich to "afford" to be clinically depressed. I suspect manic depression is similar. I have known a couple of manic-depressive people (and likely more...) and both were highly functional and successful people who did not even believe they were ill until their personal lives began to fall apart. As with depressed people, I believe manic-depression has little effect on one's competency or ability to work, but significant impact on one's personal life and overall enjoyment of life. Margaret Trudeau might be classified as mentally ill, but this type of illness is not the sort that tends to leave people pushing around a shopping cart full of bottles and ranting about Reptillian Overlords. -k

I only skimmed the article; I think Segnosaur and Wilber have pointed out some key points. On a more general note, I would point out that there's not actually such a thing as "digital broadcasting" in a literal sense. Radio waves are by definition analog; one can not broadcast "ones" and "zeroes"; digital data is modulated into analog waveforms that have been around since Marconi. Digital data is transmitted on analog waveforms just like your AM or FM radio, except that the changes in frequency, phase, and amplitude represent data bits rather than notes or tones. Amplitude modulation has been with us for many many years; as has frequency and phase modulation. The notion that these techniques have suddenly started causing an outbreak of illness seems nonsensical. I believe "digital broadcasting" will be in frequency bands that have already been in use for years as well, so the theory that these are dangerous new frequencies seems likewise far fetched. "Digital" refers to what information is being transmitted, not how it is being transmitted. -k

Indeed; the Blackhawks are very Canadian even by hockey standards. The goalie is a Russian, and that nifty Patrick Kane is American, but most of the remainder are Canadians, and Western Canadians in large measure. The Vancouver Canucks, by contrast, might as well be the Vancouver Ikeas. -k

What other possible response could one have to the suggestion that we could create world peace by bringing more people like the Khadr family to Canada? I thought I was the model of restraint. If people don't wish to be ridiculed, they should stop posting ridiculous things. So you're saying that we could create world peace by bringing terrorists here and developing psychological means of "curing" them? I take it back, that's not ridiculous at all. -k

Great idea! Let's end overseas wars... by bringing our enemies right to Canada! -k

A great Canadian team advances to the conference finals! Congratulations, Blackhawks! -k

Because they chose to take up smoking. Peer pressure might be an explanation, but it doesn't absolve anyone of the choices they make. Spare me. You just can't bring yourself to concede that maybe they were just bad people, can you. Your mind requires some kind of rationalization, because you can't accept it at face value. Oh, maybe it was because they were on Prozac! Hey, maybe they were influenced by Marilyn Manson, or violent video games! Well, millions of people own Marilyn Manson records. Millions of people play violent video games. Millions of people have used Prozac. When such an infinitesimal portion of people who've done any of these things go on to commit violence, one can not rationally concluded that these are root causes. Only a lawyer would grasp at those straws. Sure he was. Re-read his message. How can you volunteer to act as his interpreter when you don't even read what he's saying? I don't recall saying that *all* 15 year olds should be in adult court or receive adult sentences. However, by the time you're 15 you have been instilled with values, you've formed the faculties to choose right from wrong. You may lack the wisdom or maturity to make good choices, but if your moral compass has gone so far astray by the time you're 15 that you're willing to commit murder, there are deeper problems than a lack of maturity. Things would obviously have worked out much better for Omar if he had been raised by a better family. However, he wasn't, and we must deal with what is, not what would have been. -k

Regardless of when he went to Afghanistan, his parents have extreme views. Surely you don't think a kid raised by a woman who thinks Canadians are homosexuals and drug addicts, or whose dad decides "Taliban school" in wartime Afghanistan would be better for his son than public school in Toronto, is being raised with anything other than extremist ideology? -k

You can't possibly believe that the situation you've described would be *improved* by removing party names from ballots. The major parties *do* have comprehensive positions about most major topics. Electing a candidate who promises bone-deep loyalty to his constituency matters little if his own position is out of step with his party's position on that platform. Rural Liberal candidates in the past federal election, for example, probably deeply appreciate the importance of gasoline in their daily lives; that would have mattered little in the overall context of Stephane Dion's "Green Shit" platform. People are best served by choosing the party whose positions most match their own views on issues they feel are important. There might be exceptions, where a high profile MP or MLA can bring particular attention to a cause, for example, but generally in our system of government things get done by parties, not by individuals. While that might not be an optimum answer for people whose needs fall outside the mainstream, that's not a situation that can be remedied by removing party names from ballots. -k

Since when is peer pressure an excuse for anything? Yes, there must be some excuse for their actions, because people never choose to do bad things of their own accord. It would be ...bad of them. I did not claim Khadr has killed anyone. Your buddy Benny just claimed that 15 year olds are not capable of choosing to kill, and that believing otherwise is to be a traitor to humanity. (link) You must recall that, since you agreed with him. (link) I disagree, I believe that 15 year olds are capable of making choices, and I provided a list of some teenagers who certainly appear to have chosen to kill. Whether Omar Khadr has himself taken a life is strictly irrelevant to the claim made by Benny that 15 year olds aren't capable of choosing to kill. -k