Happy Halloween – not ‘black and orange day’!

October 31, 2008 — xanthippa

Today is October 31st – HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

It is a most fun day – kids (young and old) plan fun costumes for weeks and decorate their houses.  Yet, the ‘Politically Correcet Creeps’ have started casting their shadow over even this innocent fun.

Schools have started to ‘replace’ Halloween with ‘black and orange day’!

Children are discouraged (or actively forbidden) from wearing costumes, Halloween-related activities are not happening, the spark of joy is being choked out of yet another beautiful tradition.

Why?

Because, we are told, some ‘Wiccans may be offended because it is a religious holiday for them’….

Well, I know many active Wiccans – and every single one of them is offended that Halloweeen should be replaced by ‘black and orange day’!!!  It may be a cross-quarter day – but the fun festivities and celebrations that everyone partakes in according to their taste and likes enriches the holiday experience for everyone, not takes away from it – in the eyes of Wiccans. 

After all, it is not a religious holiday for others, so why should it bother Wiccans how they celebrate it?  They’re happy people are finding time to have a little fun, because Wicca teaches that joy and sharing and finding pleasure in the ‘big and little things’ is a very important part of life!

‘Sanitizing’ all forms of fun  – THAT is offensive!

Deciding FOR the Wiccans that they ‘ought to’ be offended – then censoring everyone else to spare them this offence –THAT is offensive!

Sorry, I just loose it when I see bullies, banning and censoring everyone around them, claiming to do it ‘on behalf of’ someone else….without actually caring what that ‘other one’ thinks, because it really is just a convenient vehicle to drive their own agenda and nothing else…  Ok, so I don’t like bullies in any shape or form…and people who bully others and are not even aware they are doing it (or try to dress the bullying up so that they hope you will not realize you are being bullied) – well, they drive me mad.

So, what about other reasons being used to sour this sweet holiday?

Bad nutrition….  Yeah, pull the other one! 

My kids LOVE ‘getting’ candy on Halloween!  It is fun, exciting and they spend hours with their friends trading this tid-bit for that one….  and, I usually throw 90% of it out during Christmass cleaning…  I honestly don’t know anyone who actually eats ALL the Halloween candy and chips they get! 

Though, I have seen many kids donate sealed ‘semi-nutritious’ snacks to their schools’ ‘forgotten lunch pantry’ – where kids who forget their lunch can get someting to tide them over.  And, since my older son is too old to trick-or-treat, but he does walk his brother through the neighbourhood for safety, my younger son automatically splits his loot between them when they get home!  So, in effect, getting rid of ‘trick-or-treating’ is going to reduce our kid’s ability to be charitable and sharing, from things that are their own.  ‘Wonderful’ lesson…

Oh, but costumes are too expensive for some families.

OK, here is what I paid for my son’s costume:  $1.99 for face paints (Enough for a few kids’ faces), $2.00 for 2m of fabric (bought on sale at a fabric store for $1.00/m).  $0.99 for an elastic waistband.  That’s it.  I already owned some thread, a needle, some scissors….   And, some years in the past, we used ‘outgrown clothes’ for materials to make the costumes out of.  One year, we made a fancy cape by ‘borrowing’ a tablecloth and 2 pillows….once through the wash, all were ‘good as new’! 

Plus, sewing costumes is ‘OK’ for boys, as well as girls!  So, now my boys have acquired a skill… not that they boast of it.  But, they HAVE it!

My first Halloween in Canada (I was too old to ‘trick-or-treat’, but a few of us dressed up to chaperone my friend’s younger brother as he went around.  I was MOST impressed that my friend’s step-mom had also dressed up – and unabashedly had fun!  That was most excellent – it was OK to be silly!

I had a ball!  But, my family was VERY short of cash then….so I had to borrow some makeup (my friend’s step-mom had fun ‘doing me up) and I used our curtains and drapes to make a ‘fancy ghostly gown’ for an evening, uning clips (no cutting, no sewing, no pin-holes allowed)!  Cost?  $0.00.  Fun?  100%!

Which brings me to the last major objection:  immigrants might be unfamiliar and alienated.

As an immigrant, who was completely unfamiliar with this Halloween custom prior to arriving in Canada, let me put these fears to rest.  THEY ARE NONSENCE!

Halloween was EXCELLENT for me!  By teaching me about it, and helping me get my costume together, I got WAY closer to the people who would eventually grow to be my friends!  It was ‘an opening’ to talk to me – an opportunity to talk about more than just math homework…  My classmates felt good telling me all about Halloween.  Doing this, they were including me – all the while they were proud to show off this most fun holiday – and now I was PART of ‘IT’! 

It was just what was needed for this awkward, shy immigrant kid was to no longer just keep her head burried in a textbook and watch everyone from the sidelines – people MADE me PART of the celebrations!  I had fun!

I truly felt included! 

If anything, NOT celebrating Halloween will REDUCE the oppotunities for newly arrived immigrants to socialize, to make friends, to successfully integrate!  And it will suck another bit of enjoyment out of living…

So, what do I have to say to those who would erode yet another cultural icon?

Quoth Xanthippa:  NEVERMORE!

Posted in education, freedoms, human nature, immigrants, opression, politics, religion, society. Tags: , , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

Steal this post!

October 16, 2008 — xanthippa

With the upcoming conference ‘The Media’s Right to Offend: Exploring Legal and Ethical Limits on Free Speech’ in Halifax (Yes, Ezra will be speaking), I cannot but make the connections between the limitations on the freedom of speech the government on one hand and corporate interests on the other.

This is not meant to distract from the one – rather, it is to call attention to the connections between the two, and to make sure we don’t get side-swiped by corporate censorship just as we will have won the legal battle against the government.  And, it seems clear to me that corporate censorship is as much of a threat to our freedoms as government censorship is.

xkcd’s ‘Steal this comic’

If you dont like this, demand DRM-free files
xkcd says:  … I have lost every other piece of DRM-locked music I had paid for. 

While I have too much respect for the rule of law to advocate piracy, I do think that we need change bad laws.  And laws which turn the majority of the population into criminals (even without their knowledge) are bad laws – in my never-humble-opinion.

If you want more info on this – and missed my earlier rant on this, please, watch ‘Steal This Film’!  It is important that we understand how these laws can affect us….and what USED to be perceived as ‘piracy’:

  • in the 1970’s, network TV fought against Cable, saying putting their content onto a cable that ran to people’s home was ‘piracy’
  • when the VCR was invented, Hollywood movie studios predicted that this would be the end of them, as this ‘piracy’ would rob them of revenue.
  • the ‘sheet music’ people – as well as many musician unions – resisted ‘recorded music’, because they perceived it as ‘piracy’
  • the 1st mp3-player out there (long before ipod) was met with lawsuits for ‘facilitatin piracy’

Traditionally, copyright violation was a matter for civil courts.  In order for a criminal prosecution to occurr, there had to be more than just simple copyright violation.  But that is no longer the case, as corporations are forcing criminal charges to be laid agains simple, non-commercial copyright violation….that is something we need to pay attention to!

So, please,

Steal This Film

Posted in freedoms, human nature, opression, politics, society. Tags: , , , . 3 Comments »

‘We SO pwned them!’

October 15, 2008 — xanthippa

I am dreading Wednesday morning.

Why?

Because tonight, my kids got to stay up later than ‘New Year’s Eve’, in order to follow our Canadian election coverage.  And, tomorrow morning, it will be I who has to drag them out of bed and get them on the school bus – and I am NOT a morning person at the best of times!

But it was worth it!

This Canadian election may have seen the lowest voter turnout in history (58%, if one can rely on the preliminary numbers), but this apathy was NOT descriptive of the atmosphere in our home.  We went to vote as a family – with both kids observing and learning.  My younger son’s class really got into the mechanics – not the politics (well, not officially, though he did seem to come away with the opinion that the guy who sat beside the lady was the only one with the wrong ideas during the debate) – of the election, and he was eager to see it up close and real.  I must admit his enthusiasm was infectious.

He was aware that his hero, Ezra Levant, supported the Conservatives – that was all the leadership he needed.  From the moment the results began to trickle in, he felt sad – the Conservatives were trailing.  I explained that Atlantic Canada (especially Newfoundland) was a bastion of Liberals, and that as the results  go West (perhaps with the exception of Toronto), we would see the Liberal numbers be overtaken by the Conservative ones.

We went over a graphic example how ‘higher popular vote’ could actually result in ‘fewer seats’, if some ridings were won by a slim minority while others lost by a landslide.  And we discussed how having many (5, this time) political parties affects results, and how this can put an incredible amount of power into the hands of the few ‘independant’ candidates who got elected, and who would be wooed in a minority government where they just might hold the few deciding voices!

As the poll results were coming in, the Conservative numbers – both the number of seats and popular vote (and the popular vote seemed more important to him) – were rising.  When they both rose above the Liberal ones, there was no holding back! 

‘We’re pwning them!’  he called out and started punching the sofa, because he could not hold his excitement in any longer.  As the hour got later, and the sofa looked quite defeated, we compromised.  He would be allowed to stay up to see the results, as long as he limited himself to punching the air and stopped taking his excitement out on the furniture.

It was during Prime Minister Harper’s victory speech that he finally drifted off to sleep – but not before saying:  ‘Mom, we SO pwned them!  And our Prime Minister – he’s an Aspie like we are, isn’t he?’

While I am dissapointed that the Conservatives did not win a majority, I never really expected that they would.  And with both the Liberal Party and the Green Party (like THEY really count now…still they failed to elect a single member) quite openly plotting the removal of their respective leaders – combined with Mr. Harper’s excellent ability to run a minority governmen (having run THE longest lasting minority government in the history of our lovely country) – I do have to agree with my son:  ‘We SO poned them!’

It’s just the process of getting everyone up and off to school/work tomorrow morning that I dread!  Perhaps I should try to fall asleep – if only I could get the adrenaline out of my blood stream…

 

Note:  this post has been edited for spelling, as per a reader noticing my error (see comments).

Posted in human nature, society. Tags: , , . 3 Comments »

Island of Merzy – part 2

October 11, 2008 — xanthippa

A few days ago, I posted part 1 of this story, in order to demonstrate that we, Aspies, do indeed have a most excellent sense of humour.  If you liked it (or the comment by EBD – which, by the way, is brilliant and which I intend to use as ‘my witty anecdote’ during this weekend’s Thanksgiving dinner – you might enjoy this one.

When the explorer landed on the island of Merzy, he was amazed by so many
things…one of them was just how healthy and youthfull looking all the natives were.
Once he was accepted, he learned the secret: they had a special tea that they
brewed in a particular way, according to ancient rituals….

What was neat about it was that the tea was made from some special buds that grew
very high up in these trees that grew only on the island of Merzy. There was no way
humans could collect them from the fragile tips of branches…. The Merzians had a unique solution: trained Koalas!!!

The Koalas collected the buds – we don’t want to know the detais – then return to the villabe.  There they were (eventually) collected, and processed in a secret way – then, they were brewed into a tea.

When the explorer had to leave the island of Merzy, the chief’s daughter was very sad (the two had fallen in love). He promised to return to her as soon as his duties allowed – and she gave him (secretly) a sack of the Koala tea for his journey.

When our explorer returned to his Queen (who had funded the expedition), he wanted to repay her in the best way possible. Since his love had taught him to brew the Koala tea, he prepared it exactly right, to serve it to the queen.

During his audinece, a servant was bringing the tea in – and noticed there ‘bits’ floating in it – and, mindful of court etiquette, the servant strained the chunks out, returened the tea to the pot, and brougt it in.

The explorer served the tea to the queen and her court: they all drank of it – and mmediatelly died!

Why, do you ask?

Because the Koala Tea of Merzy is NOT strained!

Posted in Aspergers, human nature, Humour. Tags: , , . 1 Comment »

Island of Merzy – part 1

October 8, 2008 — xanthippa

While I was reading up on famous Aspies, I came across an assertion that Albert Einstein could NOT have been an Aspie, because he had a sense of humour!!!

This came from someone who is apparently considered to be an ‘expert’ on Asperger’s syndrome….  How sad.  It sounds like one of those ‘experts’ who only considers a very small percentage of Aspies and – proverbially – sweeps the rest of us under the rug.

Just for the record, I would like to repeat:  Aspies have a sense of humour!!!

If you don’t believe me, read xkcd (apparently, they picked the name so it could not be pronounced as a single word…but I was only told that after I HAD been pronouncing it that way…my native tongue can have sentences that are gramatically correct and make sense – yet contain no vowels…and YES, I DO love ‘tongue-twisters’!)

Alternately, let me tell you a story about the island of Merzy….

Once, long ago, when the Earth was smaller than it is today – well, at least the ‘KNOWN’ world (i.e. known to the Europeans who KNEW they were at the centre of the Universe), there was a small, unchartered island somewhere in the tropical band about the world. This island was called Merzy.

It was inhabitted by a wonderful peoples. One day, a European explorer happened upon that island and immediatelly fell in love with it, the people, their culture – or, perhaps, just the
Chieftains’ daughter.

Either way, he feared that as more Europeans would come, they would consider the natives to be ‘savages’, because they did not display the ‘European trappings of power’. The best way to protect them, her reasoned, was to -within the frame of their culture – also teach them how to emulate some of the things that would force the Europeans (who were bound to follow there, now that the paradise-like island had been discovered) to treat the islanders with respect – and not like the other indigenous cultures they had encountered while ‘discovering’ the globe.

It would not be as difficult as all that, our explorer thought…

First, the Chieftain had to be referred to as a ‘King’. That is what all the Europeans called their leaders.

Second, he had to appear ‘kingly’. That meant a proper, golden throne, and that sceptery thingy and the apple-gold-bally thingy. (I love technical terms!)

Third, they had to do something about the architecture….since all the buildings on the island were really just straw huts, the Europeans might not take them seriously, after all.  So, they had to ‘Europeanize’ the buildings – you know, they had to put up a fancy facade…

Getting everyone to call his beloved’s father ‘King’ was easy. At least, he taught them that the word ‘Chieftain’ translates into multiple European languages as ‘king’ – same thing, really.

Then, they set about building a huge, multi-story straw hut.  Yes, a ‘proper’ building would have been better, but, well, you had bamboo and much straw – and little else for building materials, so the plans had to be adjusted a bit from ‘palace’ to ‘big, two-story hut’.  (Please, note that I did NOT say ‘hutlace’.)

But – they did it! It was magnificent! It was very large, so most of the natives from the tribe could gather inside for celebrations. It had two stories around the edges, and the middle was open to the tall ceiling.

And, in the place of honour – the centre of the hut/palace, they placed the masterpiece – a magnificent, golden throne! Yes, it was not easy to make the throne, but it really was magnificent:  inlaid with mother-of-pearl and all kinds of precious thingies.  A real throne!

The King even got a crown, sceptre and the roundy-bally thingy, which matched the style and look of the throne: golden with pearls all over.

Now, they would be ready for any Europeans to come!

The explorer, sadly, had to return home. After all, even though he wanted to stay, he owed a debt of honour to the Queen (it is ALWAYS queens who fund the most excellent explorers – I think it has to do with longing and the mystique of the unknown) to come back and give his report.  With him, he brought many specialities from the island… and he promised that as soon as possible, he would seek permission from his Queen to return to the island and seek the hand of the Merzian princess (chifetain’s daughter) in marriage.

Time passed, but nobody came.

More time passed, and nobody came.

When it became clear that something had gone wrong with the explorer, and he was not coming back – and nor were any other Europeans (the island was rather well sheltered and hidden from major shipping routes), the islanders slowly put away the’European trappings of power’ – except that they did like the big hut! It was an AWESOME party place!

But that big throne was always getting in the way….so, to keep it a bit out of way, the islanders decided to shove it up to the second story of the hut – the whole second floor had, really, become one big storage space.

One day, they had a most excellent party!

Lots of dancing, tea-drinking, singing, and coconut-clapping…..and then, suddenly, with horrid, tortured creaking and cracking, the floor under that heavy throne gave out!!!

The whole hut started collapsing, caught on fire from the party torches, and EVERYBODY DIED!!!!!

And WHAT, do you ask, is the moral of this story???

PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN GRASS HOUSES SHOULD NOT STOW THRONES!!!!!!!

… and they say us Aspies have no sense of humour!!!!  We can make things funny AND follow the rules of how humour works!!!

Posted in Aspergers, human nature, Humour. Tags: , , . 3 Comments »

‘Right’ versus ‘left’: not a telling distinction

October 3, 2008 — xanthippa

Many people are having a difficult time deciding how to vote, because it seems like we are having to decide between bad and worse….a discouraging proposition at best.  We see the ‘left’ as wanting to raise taxes and we can see how this will cripple the economy – and make us poorer.  We see the ‘right’ as ‘in bed’ with big business, not concerned with the well-being of the little guy, namely us.  And the ‘middle’ – we have seen the corruption there and it turns our stomachs…

What to do?

Big part of the problem is that we have been lookning at ‘politics’ as ‘left’ and ‘right’.  But, that only captures one aspect of the political spectrum, and not a very good one at that.

We need to re-define the way we view political party platforms and policies, but according to a different set of criteria.  Namely:  individualism versus collectivism. 

Collectivism is correct in recognizing that together, we can achieve more that each one of us could alone.  We should pool all our resources, and ‘the collective’ decides how we use them together in the best way. 

Of course, this is true – to a degree. 

The problem is that when ‘everything’ is decided by the collective, there is no longer such a thing as an individual – only ‘member of the collective’.  Thus, the good of the collective is placed above the good of any member.  The voice of the collective is placed above the voice of any member.  The will of the collective is placed above the will of any member.

The difficulty with this is obvious. 

There is an old saying that the ‘collective intelligence’ of any group of people is defined by the average intelligence of each person in the group – divided by two. 

‘Collective decisions’ are usually stupid – there is no denying it.  And in a setup where individuals are not heard, nobody can sound a warning against stupid decisions or doing counterproductive things.  To the contrary – anyone attempting to sound a warning will be perceived as opposing the collective and mercilessly torn to bits by a collective which transforms itself into the mob it inevitably becomes.

Individualism is correct in recognizing that every single one of us has a will and the ability to use it.  It places the individual as the ‘responsible’ ‘decision-making’ unit.  Sometimes, individuals may come together to pool their efforts and resources, but these are all voluntary arrangements and any individual has the right to opt out of them at any time.  In other words, there is no coersion to pool one’s resources with others.

Again, there is an obvious difficulty with ‘total individualism’.

We do not live in isolation.  We may be a group of individuals, but we are still a group and, as such, need the means of acting as a group.

We are a nation, a political entity – we need to pool our resources to protect ourselves and maintain order, etc.  And if most of us contribute towards maintaing order which all enjoy, those who ‘opt out of contributing’ are getting ‘free ride’.  This sets up a bad precedent and a bad dynamic.  Eventually, the ‘free loaders’ become resented… and could become just as torn to bits as the ‘member of the collective who speaks up’ in the ‘collectivism’ example, but this time by a bunch of individuals who ‘voluntarily’ form a ‘temporary mob’.

So, what we need to do is find a balance:  to form a sufficient collective to allow us to pool our resources and achieve those things we need to do ‘together’, but still retain enough individualism to not get lost in the process.  Achieving this balance is the difficult part. 

Before you protest that these are the same distinctions as ‘right’ and ‘left’, take a moment to look at history.  Yes, it is true that traditionally, ‘left wing’ idealizes ‘collectivism’.  But, just as having a ‘red square’ does not mean that a ‘circle’ must be ‘blue’, ‘right wing’ parties can – and often do – also embody the principles of ‘collectivism’:  Nacism, for example, is perceived as being ‘right wing’ – but it is very much ‘collectivism’.   It’s long name is ‘national socialism‘ – and socialism is a form of collectivism.

Similarly, George W. Bush’s policies are more collectivist than individualist – yet he is perceived as ‘right wing’!

This was the difference between the Canadian ‘right wing’ parties:  ‘Reform Party/Canadian Alliance’ were no more ‘right wing’ than the ‘Progressive Conservative Party’.  But where Progressive Conservatives were collectivists, the Reformers were fiercely individualist.  After the parties merged, the resulting party is somewhere in between…

Yet that is the difference between the current Conervatives in Canada and the current conservatives in the US – despite the US emphasis on the individual, it is the Canadian Conservatives who are actually (and very slowly) returning some of the decisionmaking to the individuals.  THAT is why the current financial crisis sweeping the US is not nearly as bad up in Canada – there simply aren’t enough individuals who had made as bad choices as some of the groups south of the border.

OK, this IS an oversimplification – and an intentional hyperbole.  But the principle meant to be demonstrated by it is the correct one – and ONE of the factors in this. 

So, if the ‘individualist’ ways are so much better, why are most successful political parties ‘collectivist’? 

In order to succeed in the political arena, a party has to present a unified image, stand for one thing that voters across the country can recognize and identify with.  A ‘Party Brand’, if you will.  This is easily achieved with a group of people who believe their individual voices are nowhere near as important as the voice of the collective.

If you have a group of people who are fiercly individualist, this becomes much more difficult.  The term ‘herding cats’ comes to mind!  The individualist will not hesitate to speak up when the party’s policy does not reflect their personal view of something.  That is what makes them individualists!

And that is what makes the ‘individualis’ parties look disorganized, not ‘together’.  That is why it is difficult for people to figure out what they stand for. 

And THAT is why most parties that value ‘individualism’ tend to be less successful than parties made up of collectivists. 

So, when you go to vote this time around – and if you are not sure whom to pick – take a look at the policies and ideas from this, slightly different point of view:  who will allow you the most individual freedom?  Who will respect you as an individual?  Is it the right ‘balance’ you seek – or as close to it as you’d like?

Perhaps if you do, you may arrive at a decision you will be happy with.

Posted in freedoms, human nature, opression, politics, society. Tags: , , , , . 2 Comments »

There is more than one way to stop ‘free speech’

September 29, 2008 — xanthippa

Many of us who are 100% ‘free speechers’ wave our hands dismissively and tune out when somebody raises the issue of ‘fair use rights’ on copyrighted materials.  This is a mistake. 

Just as ‘free speechers’ are not just a bunch of racists and rednecks, no matter how loudly their opponents laber them as such, ‘fair use rights’ advocates are not just a bunch of ‘pirates’ and ‘thieves’.  If they were, they would simply steal the content – and certainly not bother to stand up and fight for their rights.

What we need to recognize that these issues are connected:  both revolve around finding the ‘right’  balance of rights versus limitations.  Once we recognize the similarities between these two seemingly separate issues, we can better understand how to arrive at a balance we can all be satisfied with – at least a little bit.

Just like we are willing to put limits onto ‘free speech’ – the proverbial ‘yelling ‘FIRE!’ in a crowded theatre’, and similar limits – it is also justifiable to place limits on the use of ‘music’, ‘movies’, books’ and other intellectual content meant for consumers.  In the first case, ‘public safety’ is threatened.  In the second case, the rights of the creators of this ‘IP content’ need to protect their investment and their ability to reap a fair compensation for having created it.

This does make sense.  The trick is, and always has been, in finding acceptable balance of rights. 

The problem arises when the laws are written so as to only protect one side’s rights, at the expense of the other.  It is no less oppressive than having unreasonable limits placed on one’s freedom of speech, in order to protect some from ‘hurt feelings’. 

But there is another connection, a very fundamental one, between these two issues:  both seek to restrict communication.  Limiting freedom of speech imposes limitations on an individual as to what they are, or are not, free to communicate.  So called ‘fair use’ laws seek to control the means of communication….

Recently, I watched a program that drove home the difference.  It is one-hour long (and part 2 of a 2-part series), but it is well worth watching.  Here, in brief, is the background…

In Sweden, there used to be different ‘fair use’ laws than in North America.  Under Swedish laws, it was legal to set up a company called ‘Pirate Bay’ – even though this was, at that time, illegal under US laws.  The ‘Hollywood industry’ used its influence to pressure the White House, which, in turn, pressured the Swedish government, into police raids and materiel confiscation against ‘Pirate Bay’, even though their own attorneys advised the government that the operation was perfectly legal…..  Part 1 of the show, ‘Steal This Film’ deals with this.  I found the segments of it on YouTube here, here, here, and here.

Part 2 discusses the very interesting issue of how these ‘fair use’ laws are (and are not) balanced – and why.  And yes, how this directly impacts ‘freedom of speech’.  Very interesting, the whole lot of it.  The links for the YouTube version are here, here, here, here, here and here.

While Part 2, section 2 has a comprehensive history of ‘copyright’ and its implications from book printing on (and thus VERY much worth watching), it is Part 2, section 4 that sums up – in my mind – the essence of this debate.  It is not just about IP – it is about the control of the means of delivering ‘culture’ to us all…  And whoever controls the means of delivery also controls which voices will be heard.

I suppose one could see the ‘fair use’ battle as the corrollary to the ‘free speech’ battle.  While one is a battle to allow one to speak freely, the other one is the battle to allow one to be heard freely.  After all, if one is allowed ‘free speech’ – but only in isolation, where what one says is not actually heard by any other human being – it is a hollow victory…

It’s something to think about.

Posted in debate, freedoms, human nature, opression, philosophy, politics, society. Tags: , , , , , . Leave a Comment »

A new ‘page’ is added

September 28, 2008 — xanthippa

While I may be interested in all kinds of things, the most regular hits my blog gets is from people looking for advice and help in dealing with Aspergers’ Syndrome.

I have made no secret of it:  I am an Aspie!  My hubby is an Aspie!  And, predictably enough, our kids are Aspies!!!  It is therefore not too surprising that I have tried to share some of the more successful methods used by ‘us’ to successfully integrate into the social mainstream.  Not only am I proud of our successes, I am also motivated to help others who are experiencing similar things – as well as helping ‘the society at large’ learn to understand ‘us Aspies’.  Though I may not be one of the ‘exceptional ones’, many of the humans who DID change the course of human societies WERE Aspies…so the need for understanding runs both ways.

Therefore, I have written a bit about Aspergers and Aspies.  After a bit, even I was getting confused between what posts I had finished and published, and which ones I started and got distracted from….there are just so many distractions around!!!   Have I shown you the……

You get the picture.

So, I have made up a nifty page where I have listed my ‘Aspergers’ posts – with a little summary for each one.  It is not much, but I do hope it will serve as a useful tool for people who are seeking help and understanding.  I do hope to edit it often to include all future post on this topic, too (but, no promises – I am ADD, too….)

Anyhow, I do hope this page will prove useful.

Posted in Aspergers, education, human nature, society. Tags: , , , . Leave a Comment »

Let’s Roll

September 11, 2008 — xanthippa

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6Mfq7z_vHc

 

Despite the horrible things that happened that day, this fills me with hope.  Why?  Because when these people – whom I imagene to be ‘like you and I’ – were in that unthinkably horrible situation, they chose to do the right thing.  It fills me with hope that ‘you and I’ really are like they were.

Posted in freedoms, human nature, opression, society. Tags: , , , . Leave a Comment »

Email I got about ‘carbon tax’

September 9, 2008 — xanthippa

With the election call up here in Canada, we have been just bombarded with opinion polls, telling us what we think.  Do we really think what the pollsters tell us we think?

I was rather surprised that today, my very ‘I’ll have nothing to do with politics – don’t tell me about it – I cant’ hear you -la-la-la-la’ mom actually sent me a political email!  It is one of them that are circulating about…

Since I don’t know the ultimate source, I do not know if it is correct, I don’t even know if the alleged author is a real person – it seems to me there are at least two authors here:  that is not really my point.  My point is more about the very fact that apolitical Canadians, those ‘sit-back-and-tax-me-I-won’t-complain’ Canadians, are actually passing around this (and similar) emails and believing them.

 As in, this may or may not be ‘right’, but it is what many ‘apolitical Canadians’ are thinking…

 

Carbon Tax  
 
The author of this, John Coates, lives in Nova Scotia. He would be even more disgusted if he lived here in BC where we already have a Carbon Tax .

The Liberals Carbon Tax

Politicians have, in the past, used that old bullshit phrase of ‘cutting taxes’ to get you to vote for them.  
 
Now, Stéphane Dion, has come up with a new wrinkle on that old lie :  

  • Tax your heating oil and anything else you burn to move your food and everything else that you have always had in your life… but, he’ll lower your income taxes.

CONSIDER THIS from one person who has bothered to do the homework:

When a politician’s lips move, I know he’s probably lying. Mr. Dion says his carbon tax will be revenue neutral. So, I went online and found a carbon calculator and keyed in the annual energy consumption for our household and learned we produce 17 tons of greenhouse gas. Fully 60% of this usage is for electricity which we use to heat our home.

I have already improved insulation in my walls and replaced my windows and doors; use the new ‘twirley’ lights and ensured that my appliances are all Energy Star products. In the past 20 years, these measures reduced my electricity usage from 24,000 Kw Hrs per year to 16,000 Kw Hrs per year last year.  
 
What is my reward for this improved efficiency?

  • My power bill is unchanged from what it was 20 years ago.  
  •  But, my power bill would  attract  a carbon tax of $104 in year one of Mr. Dion’s plan  
  •  and $ 416 in year four.  
  • My power bill would rise from $166 per month to $210 per month in year four.

Since I live on a fixed income consisting of CPP and Old Age Security, my income tax bill runs at less than $200 per year. So, for my household, Mr. Dion’s ‘revenue neutral’ carbon tax will cost me $416 per year less income tax reductions of about $10 per year.

Revenue neutral? In a pig’s eye! This is a tax on seniors living on fixed incomes.  
 
Well, Mr. Dion, you haven’t got a snowball’s chance in hell of ever getting my vote. I hope everyone else takes five minutes to run the same calculations I did and vote to send this joker to the political boneyard.

 SIGNED:   Jon C. Coates – 70 Ridgevalley Rd. – Halifax, N.S. – B3P 2J9

Factual data substantiating this:

  • 16.96 tons
  •  60% of this is for electricity or 10.4 tons/year
  •  @ $10/ton in year 1 = $104 or $9/mo
  •  @ $20/ton in year 2 = $208 or $18/mo
  •  @ $30/ton in year 3 = $312 or $27/mo
  •  @ $40/ton in year 4 = $416 or $40/mo
  •  Income tax paid is $110/yr.

DON’T BUY INTO THE CARBON TAX !
DON’T BELIEVE ANY POLITICIAN FROM ANY PARTY!
PASS THIS ON TO EVERYONE IN YOUR ADDRESS BOOK IN CANADA.


At first I thought this was funny…then I realized the awful truth of it.
Be sure to read all the way to the end
 

The Tax Poem
 
Tax his land,  Tax his bed,
Tax the table,  At which he’s fed.
Tax his tractor,  Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes,  Are the rule.

Tax his work,  Tax his pay,
He works for peanuts,  Anyway!
Tax his cow, Tax his goat,
Tax his pants, Tax his coat.

Tax his ties, Tax his shirt,
Tax his work, Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco,  Tax his drink,
Tax him if he  tries to think.

Tax his cigars, Tax his beers,
If he cries, Tax his tears.
Tax his car,  Tax his gas,
Find other ways  to tax his ass.

Tax all he has, Then let him know,
That you won’t be done, Till he has no dough.
When he screams and hollers, then tax him more,
Tax him till he’s good and sore.

Then tax his coffin,  Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in which he’s laid.
Put these words, Upon his tomb,
‘Taxes drove me to my doom…’

When he’s gone,  Do not relax,
Its time to apply…..

The Inheritance Tax
Accounts Receivable Tax
Airline Surcharge tax
Airline Fuel Tax
Airport Maintenance Tax
Building Permit Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Death Tax
Dog License Tax
Driving Permit Tax
Employee Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment (UI)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Gasoline Tax ( too much per litre)
Gross Receipts Tax
Health Tax
Hunting License Tax
Hydro Tax
Inheritance Tax
Interest Tax
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Mortgage Tax
Personal Income Tax
Poverty Tax
Prescription Drug Tax
Property Tax
Provincial Income Tax
Real Estate Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Retail Sales Tax
Service Charge Tax
School Tax
Telephone Federal Tax
Telephone Federal, Provincial and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Water Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax …..

 
STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?

  • Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago,  
  • our nation was one of the most prosperous in the world.
  • We had absolutely no national debt,  
  • had a large middle class,  
  • and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What in the hell happened????

Can you spell ‘politicians’????

I hope this goes around CANADA at least 100 times!!!!!  
YOU can help it get there!!!!

GO AHEAD – – – be a CANADIAN !!!!!!!!!!  
 
SEND IT AROUND TO EVERYONE AND CHANGE IT !!!!

 

So, have we, Canadians, finally been taxed out of our complacency?
 

Posted in human nature, perceptions, politics, society. Tags: , , . Leave a Comment »
« Older posts
Newer posts »