Rage against the machine - part 1 · Saturday May 5, 2007 by colin newell
Imagine a convention of men. All one color. Let’s say white… for the sake of argument.
They are all jockeying for the position to be the future president of a country.
See if you can guess the country by the following hints.
1.) They do not believe women should have domain over their bodies or be able to make informed decisions about their reproduction.
2.) They wish to limit a doctors right to attend to their female patients by offering severely limited medical options for women.
3.) Virtually all of them are religious extremists.
4.) Some of them do not believe in evolution.
5.) Some of them would have homosexuality criminalized.
6.) Most, if not all of them, want the state in the bedrooms of the nation.
7.) Most, if not all of them, want Chuch and State unified.
Ok. Any guesses?
The Taliban you say!
Nope. Try again.
Uhm. The Mullahs of Iran!
Close, but not quite.
Give up?
It was the GOP leadership debate in Simi Valley this weekend at ten white men debated the future of the Republican party.
“Former Arkansas governor and Baptist pastor, Mike Huckabee repeated his position endorsing intelligent design on Saturday, but joked that he would allow for his own evolution if it gives him a better shot at winning his party’s nomination.”
And he wants to be President!
What would a successful President and member of the dangerous religious right do with the Sciences in America?
Pray tell.
Whoops. Maybe pray is the wrong word.
Welcome aboard... papers please! · Wednesday April 4, 2007 by colin newell
Random security checks of B.C. Ferries passengers and vehicles are a possibility as the corporation continues to beef up security measures, says Ferry CEO David Hahn.
Random security checks
On a public highway system?
Performed by staff from the B.C. Ferries, a private partnership?
In the meantime, B.C. Ferries has already embarked on a program of enhancing security at terminals.
“We’ve installed cameras. We’ve put on more locks. We’ve got a stronger and more enforced employee identification program. We’ve got new uniforms for our employees so they stand out. We’re going to do a lot more around general security measures.”
New uniforms huh? My my, I am feeling so much more safe now.
Fact is, I never felt in danger on any B.C. Ferry.
The only fear I have is the headlong rush towards Orwellian attacks on our civil liberties we seem to be making.
Now that is the real terrorism.
I can tell you my response when asked at a B.C. Ferry terminal… to look in the trunk of my car:
“No search warrant? Then up yours!”
Randomly picking out cars for inspection is like buying a lottery ticket once a week hoping the windfall will sustain you throughout your life.
It’s bad enough that I pay for the privilege of actually getting a space on the Ferry to Vancouver (the fee based reservation system) – but to hear that I may be subject to random search:
That is complete and utter bullshit (not to mention a charter rights violation.)
Anyway – for those who love giving up their civil liberties, all I can say is…
Papers please! Papers!
The wonderful world of online... · Thursday March 22, 2007 by colin newell
Is there anyone out there that buys their beans exclusively online? I am curious.
Photo-left – There is no such company as funkie-coffee. I whipped this up with Photoshop
And I am not looking for names of online vendors – just information on consumer practices.
I hit someones nerve a couple of days ago when I did some research on people who spam or seed guestbooks and forums, promoting one online vendor or another…
What I found surprised and amused me.
Now I know some of you think I get a little obsessed by spammers and forum taggers (and I do…) but you have to remember: Time taken to clean defacements off this forum take time away from me responding to e-mail and writing articles. It is that simple.
Anyhow – what I did find was (after search Google with a couple of keywords based on the spam I was encountering) was that there were over 3000 websites marked with this perculiar spam — promoting one particular online coffee vendor.
In addition, the english or writing style of all the form entries was the same – the writer was obviously not from North America, English was not their first language AND they learned how to write English from a textbook over 75 years old!
Examples: Vendor-X is a fantastic coffee with magical smooth taste. You don’t need sugar or milk to enjoy it. And it is really madly popular now
Vendor-X is for special occasions too. When I make it my family has festive mood. Have you tried it? And I never use milk. ——- has too pure taste to be spoiled by milk or sugar. My husband likes to add it, me – never. I think that “elite” coffee doesn’t need it.
Vendor-X went down a bomb at the party we had last week. I can’t forget this godlike taste.
Vendor-X, zested with a peculiar bouquet, is really can be compared with nectar
I vote for Vendor-X. So rich taste… Amazing. I agree that Starbucks is bitter and it is the grave disadvantage. Vendor-X is smooth. You feel only taste of coffee.
Magical smooth taste? godlike taste? So rich taste?
Peculiar bouquet? Madly popular!
Other references go on to tell how Vendor-X coffee calms stirred nerves… or is a wild and healthful drink.
This is ad copy right out of the 40’s!
When I approached the vendor about this, I was threatened with legal action — so I removed the references to the company. Fair enough. For all I know, the spammer is working for a competing company to discredit this company. For all I know, their coffee is truely wonderful, a godlike drink, that calms flustered coffee nerves.
I do not know. What do you think?
Comment [2]
Roll up the rim... to pollute! · Thursday March 8, 2007 by colin newell
An Ottawa inventor has created a “labour-saving device” to help Canadians effortlessly “Roll Up the Rim to Win” at Tim Hortons.
Paul Kind, 62, spent three years developing the Rimroller — a plastic device the size of a bottle opener that cleanly slices open and unrolls a rim in one fluid motion.
“Do you know that Tim Hortons (sells) close to 300 million cups every year?” Mr. Kind said yesterday. “When you think of all the effort expended by these different people rolling up their rim, you realize what a labour-saving device this is.”
Uhm. Hello!?
300 million empty cups that get thrown in the trash… the land-fill… the sidewalk…
The trees!
I have been in Tim’s and I steadfastly refuse this stupid and polluting practice. Hello! Does anyone else get this? The waste? The blight on our landscape?
Mr. Kind said he purchased “hundreds” of Tim Hortons coffees over the last three years to conduct rim-rolling experiments.
“I always asked them for a double cup every time,” he said. “They probably wondered why, but there certainly was a good reason.”
Tim Hortons Coffee is a Bad corporate citizen.
Bad. Bad. Bad.
Enough of this freaking pollution already…
and as you know… Tim Horton’s Coffee sucks.
Supplemental reading — The Story of Stuff
Comment [9]
