cool rants
This entry comes to us from my Saturday Friend, though it's only Friday I thought it was worth sharing,...
So last night I watched a few minutes of the European Music Awards and was struck by the irony of one award. The Free Your Mind Award went to a european group that helps soviet slaves/prostitutes get free. I thought the award and group were both great, and Alicia Keys was an appropriate announcer of the award, but felt that it was a bit out of place at a ceremony whose opening MC threatens the crowd by demanding they buy his "purfume" - twit doesn't know it's called cologne when it's for men, "because it ain't tested on animals, but it is tested on the bitches!" How can you support pimping culture and the degradation of women on the one hand, but give an award for women's rights 10 minutes later. It's baffling that they don't see the parallel.
Friday, December 31, 2004
Saturday, December 25, 2004
Extreme gaming...
cool rants
It's Christmas, whereby you can always count on producers of kids toys to come up with something completely mad. This year is no exception. I happened upon two new video games, Tony Hawks Underground 2 and Call of Duty, which set me wondering...Why are these makers trying to perpetuate an already serious problem in the world? I suppose I have to see sense, that violence for entertainment purposes has become the norm. When watching the adverts for Tony Hawks game I became seriously uncomfortable. There's a skateboarder, Viva La Bam, who most kids are familiar with, that recruits other kids for this psych-fest adventure. The "chosen one" wears a mask a la Jason from the horror flicks, is carrying a lamb, no doubt meant for the slaughter at some point and looks like a member of the band Slip Knot. What ensues, I can only imagine. As I don't actually own an X-box or whatever machine might be required to watch this mess, I may never know. Call of Duty is even more disturbing in that it's meant to accurately simulate the days of battle during world war II. I watched about 2 minutes of this at a local store and was immediately struck by the graphics, the noise and the imagery. I was stood there recalling scenes from Saving Private Ryan, which this looked almost identical to. I remember thinking at the time of watching the film, this is not for kids! The level of emotion that the film conjures up makes you heart sick. Yet, there is no regret or feeling for kids who play these games. They get off on killing, fighting or wounding anything that moves on the screen. To desensitize kids by video today is as acceptable as putting them on Prozac or Ritilan to curb their wild ways....Does anyone else here see the connection?
It's Christmas, whereby you can always count on producers of kids toys to come up with something completely mad. This year is no exception. I happened upon two new video games, Tony Hawks Underground 2 and Call of Duty, which set me wondering...Why are these makers trying to perpetuate an already serious problem in the world? I suppose I have to see sense, that violence for entertainment purposes has become the norm. When watching the adverts for Tony Hawks game I became seriously uncomfortable. There's a skateboarder, Viva La Bam, who most kids are familiar with, that recruits other kids for this psych-fest adventure. The "chosen one" wears a mask a la Jason from the horror flicks, is carrying a lamb, no doubt meant for the slaughter at some point and looks like a member of the band Slip Knot. What ensues, I can only imagine. As I don't actually own an X-box or whatever machine might be required to watch this mess, I may never know. Call of Duty is even more disturbing in that it's meant to accurately simulate the days of battle during world war II. I watched about 2 minutes of this at a local store and was immediately struck by the graphics, the noise and the imagery. I was stood there recalling scenes from Saving Private Ryan, which this looked almost identical to. I remember thinking at the time of watching the film, this is not for kids! The level of emotion that the film conjures up makes you heart sick. Yet, there is no regret or feeling for kids who play these games. They get off on killing, fighting or wounding anything that moves on the screen. To desensitize kids by video today is as acceptable as putting them on Prozac or Ritilan to curb their wild ways....Does anyone else here see the connection?
Sunday, December 05, 2004
complaint department...
cool rants
Why is it that I can detect even the slightest bit of ignorance in others? It's a curse, really. Why, after years of education, can people not distinguish the difference between the use of the words "their" and "there" in a sentence?!. I just read on someones webpage, "I am looking forward the seeing there part of the world". WHAT??? Furthermore, is it too much to ask that people use the words " know" and "no" in the right way?! "I don't no the difference"....Am I in some parallel universe where spelling has simply gone to the dogs? WHY DO PEOPLE NOT USE SPELL CHECK? After years of college, people still insist that " irregardless" is still a word! Some jackass in conversation actually said the phrase "it was the biggest peice of ironicness I had ever witnessed". Are people devoid of grammar, semantics and syntax? How dare I even pose the question, these words would be impossible to explain to most. I am no snob, no elitist, but aren't these kinds of things unacceptable or is it simply me? Say it ain't so.
Why is it that I can detect even the slightest bit of ignorance in others? It's a curse, really. Why, after years of education, can people not distinguish the difference between the use of the words "their" and "there" in a sentence?!. I just read on someones webpage, "I am looking forward the seeing there part of the world". WHAT??? Furthermore, is it too much to ask that people use the words " know" and "no" in the right way?! "I don't no the difference"....Am I in some parallel universe where spelling has simply gone to the dogs? WHY DO PEOPLE NOT USE SPELL CHECK? After years of college, people still insist that " irregardless" is still a word! Some jackass in conversation actually said the phrase "it was the biggest peice of ironicness I had ever witnessed". Are people devoid of grammar, semantics and syntax? How dare I even pose the question, these words would be impossible to explain to most. I am no snob, no elitist, but aren't these kinds of things unacceptable or is it simply me? Say it ain't so.
Friday, December 03, 2004
Jebus, save me.....
cool rants
I don't know about the rest of you folks out there, but I work in an environment where the proverbial office etiquettes have simply been forgotten or tragically ignored. Now, we don't actually have any walls up in our office space, it's more a wide open concept with cubicle styles sporadically showcased throughout. There are moments, when I am unfortunate enough to have to be in the office (I am usually out on the road)and I am made painfully aware of the noise levels. There are some exceptionally loud people who are in direct ear shot. These people are sat in directly opposing places in the office, so inevitably, their pitch is met somewhere in the middle and subsequently render me mad! The twitching to which my ears are slowly and involuntarily becoming accustomed to, must stop. I know I am hyper sensitive, but only to voices and what I deem "negative over stimulation". I can handle a concert, I listen to loud music regularly, I watch tv that's quite audible, but when it comes to being subjected to others shrills, language quirks and pronunciations, I completely lose the plot. Then there are the constant interruptions. I can always sense when someone is standing at the side of my chair or worse, behind me, waiting to pounce on me with yet another inane question or comment. I know, we're all are guilty of it (I am not immune to this behavior either). I like to think that I am much more keyed into this "faux-pas" and try my best to curb it. It clearly isn't easy. Everyone has so much to do and so little time in which to accomplish it. What is it about time management? Have we no skills left? Are we incapable of meeting deadlines without involving the whole world or asking for extensions? What happened to independence and self assurance in the work place? Jebus, what would you do?
I don't know about the rest of you folks out there, but I work in an environment where the proverbial office etiquettes have simply been forgotten or tragically ignored. Now, we don't actually have any walls up in our office space, it's more a wide open concept with cubicle styles sporadically showcased throughout. There are moments, when I am unfortunate enough to have to be in the office (I am usually out on the road)and I am made painfully aware of the noise levels. There are some exceptionally loud people who are in direct ear shot. These people are sat in directly opposing places in the office, so inevitably, their pitch is met somewhere in the middle and subsequently render me mad! The twitching to which my ears are slowly and involuntarily becoming accustomed to, must stop. I know I am hyper sensitive, but only to voices and what I deem "negative over stimulation". I can handle a concert, I listen to loud music regularly, I watch tv that's quite audible, but when it comes to being subjected to others shrills, language quirks and pronunciations, I completely lose the plot. Then there are the constant interruptions. I can always sense when someone is standing at the side of my chair or worse, behind me, waiting to pounce on me with yet another inane question or comment. I know, we're all are guilty of it (I am not immune to this behavior either). I like to think that I am much more keyed into this "faux-pas" and try my best to curb it. It clearly isn't easy. Everyone has so much to do and so little time in which to accomplish it. What is it about time management? Have we no skills left? Are we incapable of meeting deadlines without involving the whole world or asking for extensions? What happened to independence and self assurance in the work place? Jebus, what would you do?
Thursday, December 02, 2004
observations...
cool rants
On a cool, clear day, it's said that you can see forever. Well, I am here to tell you that you can see a lot more than that, and it's not always pleasant.
Why is it, whenever I am stuck in traffic, I come upon the most disgusting displays of human depravity? First I spy a man on his bike cycling along when all of a sudden, he stops mid cycle mind you, to blow his nose without a tissue, right onto the sidewalk and subsequently, all over the front of his jacket.
Further into the sinking of my obvious abyss, is a couple on the corner ramming their tongues down each others throats...Aren't PDA's against the law? (those are "public displays of affection")...If they aren't yet, they damn well should be!
I screamed, in my head of course, "get a room!"...
A little further into my journey, I came upon a gaggle of smokers standing outside a building on Mount Royal. They were going on about how cold it was and how unfair it is that they can't stand inside the building to do their thing. I wanted to say, "this is an outrage", but from my vantage point, I was out numbered and they had FIRE to defend themselves if needed!I quietly thought to myself, "is there no place sacred left where we can go without worrying about catching other peoples toxins, cancers or inane comments?" (present company excluded, of course). Not to mention the garbage! The mounds of soiled crap you see on that street is simply deplorable. I even side stepped dirty diapers, mattresses with suspicious stains on them and what looked like a syringe, but ask me to prove it, I think not... Mine fields of junk are not my thang! What do you think?
On a cool, clear day, it's said that you can see forever. Well, I am here to tell you that you can see a lot more than that, and it's not always pleasant.
Why is it, whenever I am stuck in traffic, I come upon the most disgusting displays of human depravity? First I spy a man on his bike cycling along when all of a sudden, he stops mid cycle mind you, to blow his nose without a tissue, right onto the sidewalk and subsequently, all over the front of his jacket.
Further into the sinking of my obvious abyss, is a couple on the corner ramming their tongues down each others throats...Aren't PDA's against the law? (those are "public displays of affection")...If they aren't yet, they damn well should be!
I screamed, in my head of course, "get a room!"...
A little further into my journey, I came upon a gaggle of smokers standing outside a building on Mount Royal. They were going on about how cold it was and how unfair it is that they can't stand inside the building to do their thing. I wanted to say, "this is an outrage", but from my vantage point, I was out numbered and they had FIRE to defend themselves if needed!I quietly thought to myself, "is there no place sacred left where we can go without worrying about catching other peoples toxins, cancers or inane comments?" (present company excluded, of course). Not to mention the garbage! The mounds of soiled crap you see on that street is simply deplorable. I even side stepped dirty diapers, mattresses with suspicious stains on them and what looked like a syringe, but ask me to prove it, I think not... Mine fields of junk are not my thang! What do you think?
Wednesday, December 01, 2004
cuteness factors...
cool rants
There's a laydee (I know, it's not spelled correctly, it's just my way!) who lives round the corner from me who owns a pug. This dog is possibly the cutest thing I have ever seen. You know, it's frightening what "cuteness" factors can compel people to do. I give out an audible squeal every time I drive past. I could swear that dog smiles at me too.
As an aside, but clearly on the same level, has anyone seen those Serta commercials? They are pure genius. I read today that those loveable little meniacle sheep are the creations of the Wallace and Grommit masters. Gotta love those blokes!
Here's an imponderable to chew on a while:
Do penguins have knees?
Bye!!!!! Until next time, stay real and rant until the cows come home!!!
There's a laydee (I know, it's not spelled correctly, it's just my way!) who lives round the corner from me who owns a pug. This dog is possibly the cutest thing I have ever seen. You know, it's frightening what "cuteness" factors can compel people to do. I give out an audible squeal every time I drive past. I could swear that dog smiles at me too.
As an aside, but clearly on the same level, has anyone seen those Serta commercials? They are pure genius. I read today that those loveable little meniacle sheep are the creations of the Wallace and Grommit masters. Gotta love those blokes!
Here's an imponderable to chew on a while:
Do penguins have knees?
Bye!!!!! Until next time, stay real and rant until the cows come home!!!
Say it loud, say it proud!
Yo yo yo...
It occured to me, well, some time ago, that we all have things to share. Things that won't leave your brain until they are shared (or screamed) at the world.
These brain-rants come to you from my Saturday friend (she knows who she is)...I had to put them down for all to read....
Things I hate this morning:
That F*#ging Old Navy jingle that has been burned into my
brain...especially the line "hey there Katie(or Stacey - who cares!)
what is up. The cadence is almost as annoying as their saccharine
faces. The fact that it's off-key makes it a winner for this holiday
season.
O magazine. Someone left a pile of them in the lobby for the
taking....and I bit. It was a total trap. What a load of shite. I
really can't believe how bad it is. Joy, love yourself, you go girl!
Aren't we beyond this?
Grading
Most of all, I hate site grading. What a pain in my keester. 10 hours
later I'm still uphill without a rope.
It occured to me, well, some time ago, that we all have things to share. Things that won't leave your brain until they are shared (or screamed) at the world.
These brain-rants come to you from my Saturday friend (she knows who she is)...I had to put them down for all to read....
Things I hate this morning:
That F*#ging Old Navy jingle that has been burned into my
brain...especially the line "hey there Katie(or Stacey - who cares!)
what is up. The cadence is almost as annoying as their saccharine
faces. The fact that it's off-key makes it a winner for this holiday
season.
O magazine. Someone left a pile of them in the lobby for the
taking....and I bit. It was a total trap. What a load of shite. I
really can't believe how bad it is. Joy, love yourself, you go girl!
Aren't we beyond this?
Grading
Most of all, I hate site grading. What a pain in my keester. 10 hours
later I'm still uphill without a rope.
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