Like It Is

My question initially on this whole  sorry saga was, why is this even news? Because Alec Baldwin shouted at his daughter?

Well, because he called her a little pig. Oh please. Who cares?

On a childfree forum I frequent where it was suggested that Alec Baldwin is a horrible parent (and, in not so many words not fit to be on the planet) I suggested that we perhaps shouldn’t be quite so swift to stand in judgement when we really don’t know the whole story. I’m not saying he was right, and of course he should be contrite – but I wouldn’t want to be in his shoes as a parent, as it seems ex-wife is doing her best to ensure daughter knows that father is a Very Bad Man un-deserving of access to his only child. And while he was thoughtless and perhaps not very wise in letting his anger and frustration get the better of him, he’s human. His ex-wife, in leaking that voicemail was mean and spiteful.

Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: Alec Baldwin

I found this very interesting article on the BBC News website. The aftermath of the recent (and senseless) killings at Virginia Tech has generated, yet again, a heated debate about guns and gun ownership in the US.

Everybody has a view. On one hand, some think there are no gun controls at all (actually there are some) and many  feel there are simply too many guns in circulation in the US. There are also, rather chillingly, those who feel that far from being too many guns, there aren’t nearly enough.

Like Larry Pratt:

“All the school shootings that have ended abruptly in the last 10 years were stopped because a law-abiding citizen - a potential victim - had a gun,” said Larry Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America. “The latest school shooting at Virginia Tech demands an immediate end to the gun-free zone law which leaves the nation’s schools at the mercy of madmen.”

More guns.That’ll stop the shootings. Right.

The article does address some interesting facts. Check it out and see what you think.

For example: Read the rest of this entry »

Technorati Tags: Virginia Tech, guns

Tits, blood and tragedy sells.

I call it the Sun Factor (or American Idol, or Canadian Idol or Pop Idol – it’s all the same thing). Be it the Sun in the UK, any Sun in Canada, or the New York Post in the US - tits, blood and tragedy invariably sell more newspapers and gets more viewers than anything else. And it never, ever fails. It can’t fail. Why? Because people are sensation junkies. And the more they have the more they want. Read the rest of this entry »

Or, Blogger beware! There were two big stories about bloggers and blogs today. Here’s the first.

Blogger Sued Over Topless Aniston

This reminded me that, even though we can “do what we like and say what we like” on our blogs… there are certain boundaries. Step beyond them and someone could be after your livelihood big time. Sometimes just because they can. And before you know it, you have a “donate here” button on your blog to help pay for the court case.

Mr Lavandeira’s lawyer says his client has “done nothing wrong” while the legal action claims Mr Lavandeira “posted all or parts of the stolen footage” from the film “The Break-Up”. My English translation is (which, since I’m no liar lawyer may be flawed) that he probably infringed copyright. The studio wants an injunction and a jury trial (bit over the top, that one) but clearly they are trying to make a point make an example of this blogger.

Moreover, his lawyer claims that: Read the rest of this entry »

Conservatives Suddenly Defending the Childfree?

Ultra conservative Rush Limbaugh defending women without children?? WTF? I actually found myself agreeing with what he is saying. It all erupted from what is now being called “The Barbara Boxer Thing” where on Jan 12, Democratic Senator Barbara Boxer apparently attacked Condolezza Rice for being single and childless. Read the rest of this entry »

That is the only thing I can call these people, or rather this “movement.” What else do you call having kids by the bucketloads, with the excuse that “It’s What God Wants” I’d never heard of them, but according to the article on ABC News A Full Quiver the group is, apparently growing in America. I would take that with at least a pinch of salt, however I thank Carisa, who brought Quiverfull (link below) to my attention.

In short, the Quiverfull group is about having as many kids as possible. Actually, that’s not quite how the group describes it. For them it’s about having as many kids as “The Lord blesses them with.” Which to me, is having as many kids as possible. This could be six, seven, or even 15. There are no limits. This particular family has eight kids. And if more “come along” then they’ll be added to the tally.

Needless to say,to breed consistently on this basis, the Quiverfull group is against all forms of contraception. Unsurprisingly, they also have a problem with the rhythm, or “natural” method of contraception. To them contraception is unnatural and Read the rest of this entry »

Why, oh WHY do women put up with this crap? What happened to self respect? She’s rich, she’s beautiful. She’s talented (o.k. maybe she sucks as an actor, but she is a singer…). She was rich and beautiful before she met this surly-looking toe-rag (even if he’s a rich surly-looking toe-rag). So it can’t be his money. Can it? Maybe it’s his magnetic personality. Not.
Yet if the stories are true, and if the letter is true, (check out the link) she’s content to let him push and shove her around. How much further before it becomes a smack? It is a slippery slope, Beyonce. Get real girl! The writings long been on the wall! He just cannot be worth it.

Jay-Z Will Smack a Bitch Down - at yeeeah!

I came across this sad news today.

“The only child of the songwriter Burt Bacharach and actress Angie Dickinson has committed suicide after a lifetime struggling with a form of autism, a spokeswoman for her parents said.

Nikki Bacharach, 40, suffered from Asperger’s disorder. The spokesperson said that “She quietly and peacefully committed suicide to escape the ravages to her brain brought on by Aspergers”.

Yet, as we know, there are still some who would say that taking her own life was a sin – which means that she would have to continue to struggle with a brain-ravaging disease. At least this way she made her own decision – while she was still able to.
May she find rest from her struggles.

You can read the full story from the Independent Online here:

Bacharach’s Daughter Commits Suicide

Reading (and writing) about Nancy Pelosi’s appointment yesterday and the media reporting of women appointed to positions of power reminded me of this article I wrote back in August 2006 on the appointment of Katie Couric to CBC, the first anchor woman and the highest paid news anchor of any gender. This is the article:

And Now For Katie Couric - Gender Bias Is Alive And Well in The US

I referred to it today and thought, for those who hadn’t had the opportunity to read it back then, it’s worth revisiting. It remains one of my most popular articles, but the reason I think it’s important is to once again remind ourselves of how differently from men women are treated in the media when they achieve positions of power. And it isn’t even subtle. Bringing your kids along to a political appointment doesn’t help, but Katie did not do that. I said then and I say now, that the media should be, collectively, ashamed. While this continues, articles like this can never be old news.
But I also wonder, don’t women read and watch the same media? Maybe we should be demanding equal treatment when reporting on our female counterparts. Perhaps then there’ll be a change. Here’s an excerpt:

And it’s bordering on the ridiculous on USA Today where the focus of recent stories on Katie Couric have been on how she’ll wear her makeup, her hair colour, her toned legs, the merits of her “over-bubbly personality” and whether she’ll be wearing stillettos. Not a word about her accomplishments as a reporter. However old, handsome or balding her male counterparts are, I hardly think this would be the focus had one of them been appointed.

She will have to not only perform, but outperform her predecessors. If ratings at CBS News don’t increase, we know who’s getting the blame. You wait, it’ll all be the fault of her hair. Or the fact that she’s beautiful.

Good luck Katie Couric. Looks like you’re going to need it in buckets since your myopic peers still seem to believe your ability to do your job is wholly dependent on your hair, your legs, and your personal life.

Parents of a severely disabled girl in the US have revealed that they are keeping her child-sized in order to give her a better life.

The nine-year-old, named Ashley, has the mental ability of a three-month-old baby and cannot walk or talk. Along with hormone doses to limit her growth, Ashley’s parents also opted for for surgery to block breast growth and have had her uterus, breast buds and appendix removed.

They say the treatment will help to improve her quality of life.

Ashley’s parents, Seattle residents who have not given their names, went public over their daughter’s treatment in a blog launched on 1 January. Their decision came after information about Ashley’s case was published in a US medical journal last year, triggering considerable debate and criticism. Read the rest of this entry »