The Canadian ISIS Threat - courtesy of Sun News.

So I have a troll friend that is first off a pretty decent guy despite being on the right wing of the world political spectrum. He's from Prince Edward Island (formerly GreenGablesland until 1982). I will call him Mr. Pink. He's a good guy, respected husband and pilot (don't hold that against him) and like I said, he's a Maritimer and it's hard to find a more patriotic bunch. When people I meet out west say they are patriotic I nod but think 'yeah, but you aren't Maritime patriotic - that's a completely different level.'

Because you are a bad tipper. 

While Mr. Pink doesn't know Anne personally he knows and supports his fear-mongering media. He subscribes to Canada's version of the Fox Network- called 'Sun News' and it's goal from quick skimming of its main headlines is to continually push the mandate of the reigning the Conservative party while making Justin Trudeau, the Liberal leader look to be a pot-smoking school boy with no understanding of how to play with the big boys. It also like to boast an irrational fear against Canadian Muslims yet has no hockey-dedicated department in its sports section.It doesn't even have a hockey pool. And yet it calls itself Canadian. 

Mr, Pink likes to occasionally link posts like this on Facebook, which has made me block all sun news articles. So he now links me to these posts, giving me little choice but to read it and ask him if he has any clue how he is letting media manipulate or re-enforce what he thinks. I think he enjoys pissing me off like this. 

I talked a few blog posts ago that everyone should have opinions but that we should also be free to admit (and embrace) that our opinions evolve. Sometimes we are wrong; Columbus wasn't a hero, AIDS can't be caught from toilet seats, an isolated Ebola victim shouldn't be called an 'outbreak of Ebola' and for media to do that is negligent and sensationalist which of course, is what sells advertising on news programs and websites. 

I'm Getting Old - Politics and Wordy Words

Or... [Why Am I Talking Politics? - I don't...know]

Canada's #1 entertainment export, owned by America.

First, let me say I say I believe in Evolution; not just in the Darwinian sense but in the Opinionated Matters Sense. People are born to form opinions and if we are lucky, we are given the ability to evolve those opinions into other opinions. Then those opinions evolve into other opinions. The same goes with Values, Morals, Codes of Conduct, Religion, Politics, Cheating.

At its most base level at one time we all thought it was okay to pick our nose whenever we felt like it; hopefully that time was in elementary school. Then as we grew social ostracizing made us evolve our opinion that it was best to pick one's nose discreetly. Then it evolved again into 'just around family' until we get so old we just say 'fuck it, I'll pick my nose where ever the damn hell I want to.'.

That said, I've been a Canadian Conservative supporter for over a decade - primarily for their focus on Western Provinces in their early years; Preston Manning (great name) was a solid person in those early years and I respected that. I respected the party, laughed at the Conservative Reform Alliance Party (CRAP for short) and that they were the underdog for many years trying to unhook the claws of Liberal dominance in the Canadian Parliament.

But things change, people and opinions evolve. I've been having lots of issues with the way the government has been run since the Conservatives have gained majority power; our nationality is being sold and chipped away through the guise of 'foreign investment'. Our major natural resources are being plundered by other nations with minimal investment in Canada as a country. Privacy issues, the attempt of rebranding Canada as a military power on the national stage and of course, the direction we are taking in persecuting non-Christian based religions both inside our borders and overseas is well...making my opinions evolve into what I want my Canada to be come next election.

This is a piece of propaganda posted by a Conservative Wannabe MP. It reads indicatively of why my opinion is evolving from pro-con to pro-next party please. It's a small speech but to me, representative of a government that is no longer acting in the best interests of Canadians. There is no pledge to national ownership and patriotism but a hastily assembled dubious claims made up by a speechwriter who seems to have a generic template on his Microsoft Office software for these occasions. 

Right/wrong? Feel free to add your comments.

On the Difference Between Being Selfless and Selfish

Just a short rant that's been bugging me over the weekend.


This is the line that has been drawn in the BC Teacher's Dispute (it's gone way past just being a 'strike' in my opinion).

Its that line between being selfish and selfless.

Teachers, by their definition are selfless - they, along with the thousands of others in health care, social services and non-profit volunteer agencies are selfless. Its an admirable trait we say. I could never do it, say others.

Yet look at them, out on strike - being selfish. They should be ashamed of themselves, holding the future of our children hostage.

You know who says that? Selfish people.

Don't get me wrong. We need selfish people - they are the ones that see the Big Picture in a different way. They see the necessity of pain and sacrifice (usually for others, not themselves). They are the ones that think the other person is the asshole and stopping the evolution of progress. Selfish people are the ones that cause change immediately, they shout and scream and break things, such as contracts, laws, weaker people. Selfish people are the ones that expect to be paid first and wouldn't have it any other way. They might contribute to charity; if you don't know, don't worry- they will tell you. They are the politicians, the financial wizards, the ones that are in mid-management positions and won't risk a thing for the betterment of all because they have everything to lose, which in reality is nothing truly tangible; it's an intangible. It's their sense of self.

If those selfish people were to suddenly become selfless, they would lose their sense of identity, the anchor of their entire value system.

It's a rare person who can balance the selfish side of the ego with the selfless side; Jim Iker has that in spades. Fassbender and Clark don't. They are selfish-heavy. While they may believe that they are doing what's best for BC, the enormity of the situation and the facts against them, the other options they have, the lack of selflessness in their decisions showcase not only the crutch of this dispute but also the values system that we are leaning towards; a values system leaning on individuality, not society.

 So while Clark and Fassbender and their sheeple tell you that the teachers are being selfish; be mad. They represent those members of society that lead by their selflessness. Your nurse is underpaid and overworked in comparison to your doctor. Your welfare worker is underpaid and overworked compared to the middle manager formulating budgets and cutting services. Your teacher is underpaid and overworked in comparison to your financial adviser.

It is time for the selfless to start being selfish. Being selfless is now no longer an honorable trait to have, only a trait for the selfish to exploit.

And once the selfish see that you no longer care what they think; that you too are willing to be selfish for the Big Picture, then things will change. Just don't look in the mass media for your messiah - they can only be found in the mirror.

Russell Brand. Who'd uh thunk?

This will be a blog about how much I respect Russell Brand. If you are someone who will never change their opinion about someone or respects Fox News mouthpieces like Sean Hannity (the reason why I'm writing this) or that the Canucks will win the Stanley Cup next year then you probably should stop reading this as of now. There will be nothing here that you agree with.

If you are someone who is interested slightly in why i think Russell Brand is one of the most important celebrities out there today then please feel free to read on and agree with me. Fair warning, this blog will have a fair number of clips of Brand in action so give yourself 30 minutes or so to really have your mind blown by this former heroin-junkie, Katy Perry marrying, C-List Hollywood actor who has evolved into one of the most important advocates in pointing out Media Manipulation and the Willful Following of the Masses through public forums, stand-up routines, media discussion panels and most importantly his youtube channel; The Trews. 

Brand came to attention in Britain on television, hosting a few shows and even having his own talk show for a brief time. He was charismatic and engaging, enduring trademarks that haven't been washed away by Hollywood, Katey Perry or heroin. Here in North America Brand first made an impression Aldous Snow, the greasy rock star husband of Sarah Marshall in the entertaining yet also forgettable date movie which also starred Jason Siegal's penis "Forgetting Sarah Marshall". 

The 2013 List of Reviewing The Best/Worst things From 2013

Ogie's 2013 Top 10 List of Things That Happened for Better or Worse in 2013

10 List-based Articles

My kids can't remember to flush the toilet, never mind 70 other things...

2013 seems to be the year that 'list-based' articles really went viral. Who am I to complain? I accomplished a giant step in my writing by having over 20 articles published by a webzine that specializes in the fan-based list format without the high bar of objective opinions or relative current subject matter.

Despite my success and their low standards, I have grown to hate List-Based Articles. It is a sneaky way to drive website traffic to make said website more attractive to the hated pop-up advertisers (which this website is becoming increasingly annoying for). Every time a reader clicks 'next' or 'continue' on a webpage that counts as another hit for that website. So although you are one person reading a list of 20, the web traffic control thingy reads it more as 20 people reading one list. 

Lists tend to be highly subjective and really pointless (says a guy with about a dozen published lists). Lists tend to dumb down a thought-provoking subject into a basic subjective opinion-orientated argument. Do I really care that #3 on Miley's worst fashion mistakes is not #1? According to the comments, some people actually care enough to argue why TDKR is a good movie, despite all the evidence to the contrary. 

Yet, list-based articles are here to stay. They are mind-entertainment for your eyeballs. Giving a set limit to your subject creates a count-down of such, where readers are more than likely to finish off a list of 10 if they are already on #7 than if it was just a long, well-researched article on why The Dark Knight Rises sucked donkey balls. Lists state automatically that there is a limited commitment involved, depending on how high you wish to count.