What the heck? A few more.

funny | No Comments »

…root of all mischief, and all that.

Since I finished my paper, and I was so inspired by the lol terrorists, I made some of my own and sent them in. I don’t know if they’ll post them, but, I thought I would post them here anyway. After all, I worked so hard on them…

How did I do?

I really need to start my next paper…

funny | 2 Comments »

Heard of lolcats? I really hope not, because it is the stupidest thing in the universe (ok, maybe some are pretty funny).

But now, we are given lolterrorists…because really, if you can’t laugh at these losers, who can you laugh at?

My favorite so far:

(via: RightGirl)

internet, funny | No Comments »

Toronto certainly is As Gay As It Gets, according to Tourism Toronto’s new slogan!

Is it just me, or is that dude on the right totally Sanjaya? I think so.

Anyway, as if to prove the marketers right, this past weekend saw Toronto’s 2007 Pride Parade. This year, living at the corner of Yonge and Bloor, I had the perfect view of the, um, action, from my balcony, without having to brave the naked crowds. With my zoom lens, I was able to capture some of the action, as well as an exciting Scrotum Man sighting!

Now, I am not going to post all of my photos from the day, just a few. But, I will tuck some of them behind the fold because of their, let us say, revealing nature. So, here’s your content warning: Full nudity beyond the fold. Not a lot of it, and none of it pretty. But, just so you know what you are getting into!

The one’s not so revealing:

Dykes Against Israeli Apartheid! An interesting convergence, especially since Israel is the only nation in the Middle East that accepts homosexuality, honors same-sex marriage, and where conferences of lesbians can meet together without fear of being killed. But, whatever:

And, of course a gay pride parade is the superb occasion to push all sorts of leftist political crap - US War Resisters, for instance:

A happy couple:

The rest, including Scrotum Man!, below the fold.

(more…)

pop culture, canada, Toronto | 3 Comments »

I’m late to the table with this one, but, here it is anyway.

On June 6, there was a concerted effort to protest Chapters/Indigo here in Canada. The pro-Palestinian folks seem to think that the owners sponsor the IDF. Even if they did, I would still shop there - maybe all the more reason. Story: here and here.

All I have to offer are the photos of the Indigo at Bay and Bloor, and maybe a couple of observations. The first of which is that it was finally good to see the counter-protest outnumber the Palestinian protesters.

Also, it was good to RightGirl there.

To the photos. As you can see the anti-Israel group was weak:

The pro-Israel group had quite a turnout, with a lot of good signs. They pulled no punches:

Suicide Bombing is from Hamas:

Suicide Bombers are not Born to Kill:

C.A.I.A. stands for: Coalition Against Israeli Apartheid. They are the one’s who put on these lame protests, and sponsor Israeli Apartheid Week at the University.

I really liked this one:

With all that has gone on between Hamas and Fatah over the past month, I can’t see how anyone could support these movements.

There were also a few flyers that the pro-Israel side had that would be worth posting. I will try to scan them tonight.

politics, Toronto, protest photos | 8 Comments »

I have been under a rock recently, trying so hard to finish this major paper that I’ve had in the works. It is the first of my Comprehensive Exams, on interpreting Paul from within a narrative paradigm. When I met with the paper supervisor about it, we agreed on a 30-40 page paper, which would make it a good candidate to go into my thesis at a later date

It turned out as 72 pages. It has been a beast to finish, but finished it is…for now anyway.

So, I am off to finish the next paper. But, I do have some things I’ve been saving up for the ole blog here. I will get to the over the next few days, and then hopefully be a bit more consistent when it comes to blogging.

site maintenance | 4 Comments »

During worship no less!

TORONTO - A Toronto pastor has asked worshippers to avoid tight shirts and revealing clothing while at church.

Parishioners at the Holy Cross Catholic Church have twice received notes in their weekly newsletter promoting more conservative clothing for Sunday Mass. The note, titled “Dressing for Church,” asks women to “dress in a ‘modest’ way — a way that does not draw undue attention to your beauty or physique, so that you will not be upstaging God, who gave you these gifts.”

“When we get distracted by the female figure, we’re going to be less likely to be praying than noticing who’s sitting nearby,” Father William Swift, the church’s pastor, said yesterday in an interview.

He had to put it in the bulletin twice.

And it isn’t just Christian churches with this novel attitude:

Fr. Swift’s call for less distracting clothing during worship was echoed by other Christian leaders and rabbis yesterday.

One Toronto rabbi described appropriate dress for worship as a “perennial problem” in synagogues as well.

“We’re not going to throw anybody out. But if a woman came in with a completely see-through top on, one of the ushers at the door would say, ‘You really need to cover those things up,’ ” said Rabbi Robert Rhodes.

This dude thinks the request is over the top. But, he’s a tool. Skip it and and check out the commentary here which, responding to criticism of the minister, offers some intelligent insight:

I have been amused by the spate of letters – the indignant ones, that is – in reaction to a cleric’s plea for sartorial modesty in church. Those who take umbrage seem to feel that it is both hypocritical and patriarchal to expect women to modify their taste for tight and/or revealing clothing that has been specifically designed by the fashion industry for sexual distraction: hypocritical because God presumably does not care what one wears to worship him, and patriarchal because – well, isn’t it obvious that any time a man presumes to dictate behaviour to a woman, it can only be because he is a typical male control freak and wants to repress women’s sexual nature in the name of some, like, totally archaic concept of public sexual apartheid?

One offended reader asks, why not go all the way and make us wear burkas? That’s finally what motivated me to respond, because that very same letter-writer, if asked – no, told - to cover her head and shoulders in a mosque, or if informed she must remove her shoes before entering a Japanese temple would no doubt feel a charming frisson of pleasure in being part of such a multicultural moment. It is only her own heritage clerics that irritate, even when this humble request for proprietary is echoed in every religious culture in the world.

…

Immodest dressing in church is more than indifference to the institution and the occasion, it is an aggressive show of disrespect for its history and its message, what is known in sociological jargon as “contested space” – an attempt to coopt the traditional symbols of reverence and subvert them , so that their own anti-religious message de-sanctifies the space.

Anyone who would object to an appropriate amount of modesty in church, or places of worship in general, must not understand the nature or purpose of worship in the first place. It is to place one’s own preference for revealing clothing over the purpose of the community in worshiping God, as that person is trying to draw attention to one’s self.

I’m not sayin’ don’t look good. I’m just sayin’ why try to upstage God?

news, Toronto, church | 1 Comment »

Received in my inbox, from my blog:

Hi Casey,

Remember me? I am your blog. I reside at rainfallsoneveryone.com. I’ve been lonely lately. I know you’re busy, and I know you’ve been thinking of me, but you haven’t come to see me. Won’t you please fire up your keyboard and write something for me? I don’t ask for much - a few quick links to other things would be fine.

I have enjoyed our time together. Please come back.

Sincerely,

RFOE, your blog

I am such a loser.

Thanks RightGirl.

site maintenance | No Comments »

Is it evil that I am laughing while I am reading this?

The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM), which is supposed to offset greenhouse gases emitted in the developed world by selling carbon credits from elsewhere, has been contaminated by gross incompetence, rule-breaking and possible fraud by companies in the developing world, according to UN paperwork, an unpublished expert report and alarming feedback from projects on the ground.

One senior figure suggested there may be faults with up to 20% of the carbon credits - known as certified emissions reductions - already sold. Since these are used by European governments and corporations to justify increases in emissions, the effect is that in some cases malpractice at the CDM has added to the net amount of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere.

(via Hot Air Headlines)

news, politics, global warming | No Comments »

Priest fires organist saying, “her sale of sex toys was not ‘consistent with Church teachings.’” The headline is gold: Musician canned after focusing on wrong organ.‘”

Context:

Linette Servais, 50, played the organ and sung with the choir for 35 years. Much of her work as choir director and organist was done without pay. When her parish priest asked to meet with her, she thought it was to say thank you.

Instead, she was told to quit her sales job with company known as Pure Romance or she would lose her position in the church.

…

She said her decision was not hard: She began working with Pure Romance after a brain tumor and treatment left her sexually dysfunctional. The job allows her to help other women who have similar problems.

“After I got over the initial shock, I prayed over this a long time,” she said. “I feel that Pure Romance is my ministry.”

I respect that.

(via)

pop culture, church | No Comments »

This is beautifully ironic. Both stories via relapsed catholic.

First, let’s look at the outrage on teh ghey side: eHarmony sued for excluding gays, lesbians, bi-sexuals

The suit alleging discrimination based on sexual orientation was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of Linda Carlson, who was denied access to eHarmony because she is gay.

Lawyers bringing the action said they believed it was the first lawsuit of its kind against eHarmony, which has long rankled the gay community with its failure to offer a “men seeking men” or “women seeking women” option.

eHarmony was founded in 2000 by evangelical Christian Dr. Neil Clark Warren and had strong early ties with the influential religious conservative group Focus on the Family.

…

The company said the allegations of discrimination against gays were false and reckless.

“The research that eHarmony has developed, through years of research, to match couples has been based on traits and personality patterns of successful heterosexual marriages,” it said in a statement.

So, to summarize, homosexuals are suing because they see their exclusion from this service is discriminatory and exclusionary.

But wait, here’s the beauty of it: Can Minorities Discriminate? Woman’s complaint to Human Rights Commission for being kicked out of gay bar stirs debate

MONTREAL — When she wandered past the flowery terrace of Bar Le Stud one afternoon last week, 20-year-old Audrey Vachon thought the sunny spot was the perfect place to enjoy a beer with her father.

What she failed to anticipate was that her presence violated the gay bar’s male-only rule. She was turfed out by a waiter who said the bar was reserved for men - and promptly landed in the middle of a debate about whether it’s okay for minorities to discriminate.

…

“I knew we were in the Gay Village but it never dawned on me that in 2007, a woman could be thrown out of a bar,” she said, adding that the waiter addressed himself to her father and didn’t look at her. “I was raised to respect the rights of others. In my head, women, blacks or gays are all equal.

“When this happened, I was shocked.”

Her complaint set off a vivid discussion amid the bars, barbers and bistros of Montreal’s Gay Village. Patrons say most gay bars accept women, while others have designated “women’s nights” - including Le Stud on Wednesdays, which may be why the patrons grudgingly allowed a female reporter inside its dimly lit premises yesterday.

…

Montreal lawyer Julius Grey, a Charter expert and veteran on discrimination and civil rights cases, says that while the Le Stud incident clearly violates Sections 10 and 12 of the Quebec Charter, he considers the case “borderline.”

“The bar’s refusal in no way affected the girl’s dignity or devalues her as a person. It doesn’t seriously affect her status in society, whereas gays face constant discrimination,” he said.

In no way devalued her as a person? The dude wouldn’t speak directly to her, only to her father, and she was asked to leave, essentially, because she has a vagina. Doesn’t affect her status in society? She is not allowed to eat where she wants because of the fact she is a woman. But, all of that is erased based on the plight of homosexuals in our community. Hmmm. Nope, according to gay logic, I guess that there is no devaluation going on there.

In sum - eHarmony, a Christian founded website that researches compatibility between heterosexual couples, is bad when they “exclude” same-sex relationships. Bar Le Stud is totally cool when it boots a woman for, well, being a woman. Ahhh. The hypocrisy of the homosexual left? Has it no bounds?

See also: lululemon embraces and alienates during pride week

news, politics | No Comments »