tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-73239242024-03-12T21:36:30.336-06:00Five of FiveSkepticism, Politics, Atheism, Science, Canadiana, Technology, Dark Humour.Robert McBean.http://www.blogger.com/profile/03785114322799288514noreply@blogger.comBlogger587125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323924.post-5050254102288692062012-11-25T23:47:00.002-07:002012-11-25T23:49:44.468-07:00Calgary Centre By-Election
I don't live in Calgary Centre and I don't have a preference for who wins tomorrow - as long as it's not Joan Crockatt. Calgary is more politically diverse than it used to be, but still has some ways to go. It is not as bad as portrayed in convenient national stereotypes. As I see it, the main challenge to Progressives are the intense partisan dislike of each other along party lines, and Robert McBeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635243141745018756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323924.post-57195868264231172522012-10-13T23:33:00.002-06:002012-10-13T23:33:52.487-06:00Excellence in Blog Commentingvia Comments thread at Butterflies and Wheels:
I’ve been accused by atheist men of not caring about Muslim women when talking about a completely unrelated subject, it’s happened so many times I’ve lost count. I’ve been told all feminists are selfish bitches and support Muslim women wearing burqas and don’t ever talk about FGM. Christopher Hitchens once wrote that “the silence is deafening” fromRobert McBeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635243141745018756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323924.post-33341292015856601112012-10-13T23:27:00.000-06:002012-10-13T23:28:52.384-06:00The King of YouTube's Atheist Slime Pit
There are so many triggers here I wouldn't know where to start in listing them all.
From Manboobz:
Amanda’s story illustrates what can happen to young girls when sexualized images of them floating around online, whether they’ve put these pictures up themselves in a moment of poor judgement or whether someone has stolen them from password-locked private photo albums, or whether someone has Robert McBeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635243141745018756noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323924.post-88140039714150957752012-10-13T23:18:00.002-06:002012-10-13T23:20:35.299-06:00Amanda Marcotte: Reddit and CreepshotsMarcotte:
If women have to be in your porn whether they like it or not, you can hardly complain if your real identity is outed
To which a commenter replies:
Candid pictures do not make pornography. Sitting on the bus is hardly like being on a porno set. Sure it is creepy but men taking candid pictures of mostly clothed women is hardly the end of the world as long as they dont provide Robert McBeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635243141745018756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323924.post-16019194065269706942012-10-11T02:18:00.001-06:002012-10-12T18:54:35.042-06:00Rebecca Watson on Harassment
Rebecca Watson speaking at the Humanists of Florida 2012 Conference.
The talk discusses sexism, harassment and threats directed towards many visible women in the atheist and skeptic communities. Youtube comment threads are one of the last warm refuges for complete asshats.Robert McBeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635243141745018756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323924.post-48659912309165036022012-10-11T01:50:00.000-06:002012-10-11T15:03:50.169-06:00Alberta Business Leaders Prefer RomneyAlberta Business leaders have expressed a preference for Mitt Romney in the upcoming Presidential election:
The online survey of 241 business leaders favoured Romney, with 42 per cent of support, over Obama, with 34 per cent. The support for Romney was higher in Calgary (45 per cent) than in Edmonton (40 per cent).
This isn't news it's opinion shaping. The poll was conducted exclusively Robert McBeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635243141745018756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323924.post-8134069232150870552012-10-08T17:11:00.002-06:002012-10-08T17:16:42.147-06:00Solving the Saudi Lust Problem
via BBC:
A Muslim cleric in Saudi Arabia has called on women to wear a full veil, or niqab, that reveals only one eye.
Sheikh Muhammad al-Habadan said showing both eyes encouraged women to use eye make-up to look seductive.
I've always wondered why the burden lies with women to dissuade men of their improper biological urges, commonly referred to in religious jargon as lust. (I miss that Robert McBeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635243141745018756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323924.post-85737495307200536362012-10-06T01:31:00.001-06:002012-10-06T01:32:37.950-06:00"Calgary Muslims to campaign against controversial film"
A local Muslim organization is speaking out against a controversial anti-Muslim film.
The group will be out this weekend, going door to door in a campaign to enable Calgarians to understand why the film has offended so many.
It's good that they're trying to communicate about the Muslim communities view of this problem. I just don't know if Calgarians will be receptive to their message. &Robert McBeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635243141745018756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323924.post-59493946240266553652012-10-06T01:13:00.001-06:002012-10-06T01:13:38.041-06:00"Feminist blogger calls iconic World War II kissing photo ‘sexual assault’"
A feminist blogger is taking serious heat for suggesting that Alfred Eisenstaedt’s famed photograph V-J Day in Times Square depicts anything but a jubilant embrace.
Last week, the London-based blogger known only as “Leopard” wrote the post “The Kissing Sailor, or ‘The Selective Blindness of Rape Culture.’”
Alternate post title: The Globe & Mail blows Robert McBeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635243141745018756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323924.post-82241144747666767892012-10-05T00:57:00.003-06:002012-10-05T00:57:37.102-06:00Anti Gay Hate Group Steals Wedding Photo
The engagement photograph showed Brian Edwards and Tom Privitere at their happiest, celebrating their love and upcoming marriage. Two years later, they were shocked to see it used in an advert opposing same-sex union.
This hate group (Public Advocate) grabbed the photo off Facebook and altered it, then used it in a massive pre-election mail-out to discredit a candidate who supported Robert McBeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635243141745018756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323924.post-62760292487124722812012-10-05T00:49:00.000-06:002012-10-05T00:49:48.866-06:00Anders Pushing Transgender Hysteria
Calgary MP Rob Anders has once again drawn criticism for controversial comments, this time about the transgender community.Anders wants to stop Bill C279, a private member's bill that would amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and hate crime section of the Criminal Code to include "gender identity" and "gender expression" as grounds for discrimination.He says the bill's goal is to give Robert McBeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635243141745018756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323924.post-84167288049278462062012-10-03T23:29:00.000-06:002012-10-03T23:29:20.771-06:00The Eat More Alberta Beef Campaign
Alberta’s Agriculture Minister Verlyn Olson makes a pouty face while stocking up on Alberta Beef in a Camrose store. Good thing there was a Sun Media photographer right there to capture the moment for the front page. What serendipity! You can’t pay for that kind of luck.
http://www.camrosecanadian.com/2012/09/29/ag-minister-olson-still-buying-beef
Robert McBeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635243141745018756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323924.post-87915065417402032352012-10-02T22:52:00.002-06:002012-10-02T22:52:31.490-06:00John Bolton + Brian Lilleyvia Facebook ads:
Ambassador John Bolton's is one of America's leading minds in foreign relations. His experience has earned him numerous accolades. President George W. Bush called Bolton "a stalwart defender of freedom and peace." Senator Jesse Helms (then chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee) referred to Bolton as "the kind of man with whom I would want to stand at Armageddon." We Robert McBeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635243141745018756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323924.post-1664148982963566122012-10-02T22:05:00.002-06:002012-10-02T22:06:29.709-06:00"France Bans Public Protests Over Cartoons"
Jason Ditz:
“There will be strictly no exceptions,” cautioned Interior Minister Manuel Valls, saying that any demonstrations will be broken up by security forces. France had previously closed a number of embassies across the Muslim World fearing protests.
The position of the government is odd, however, as they had publicly spurned calls to censor the magazine, saying free speech is Robert McBeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635243141745018756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323924.post-92156050772881393192012-10-02T00:57:00.000-06:002012-10-02T00:58:07.693-06:00Mr. Fish Netanyahu Cartoon
Mr. Fish Cartoon:
Benjamin Netanyahu at the U.N. General Assembly explaining how easy it used to be to beat the absolute shit out of cookie monster back before he obtained a cookie recipe from 1945, which immediately turned him into a fucking lunatic sugar junkie prone to crazy outbursts and spooky ululations about cookies and nobody knowing what the fuck to do about all the Robert McBeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635243141745018756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323924.post-79881486289910979372012-10-02T00:53:00.001-06:002012-10-02T00:54:14.496-06:00Alberta Skies
Alberta skies near Ellerslie.Robert McBeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635243141745018756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323924.post-84932174616646378302012-09-27T19:44:00.000-06:002012-09-27T20:01:28.395-06:00Spoken Word Homophobia
This is just...awful, weird and creepy, and full of the usual lies about sexuality. The up camera angles are very 1984. I'm sure the young peoples of the hood were deeply touched.
Update: wrong video...Robert McBeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635243141745018756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323924.post-25251910531467427672012-09-27T19:38:00.002-06:002012-09-27T19:38:50.150-06:00Mixed Message. Selective Listening
Likewise, we condemn any type of extremism. Of course, what took place was ugly. Offending the Holy Prophet is quite ugly. This has very little or nothing to do with freedom and freedom of speech. This is the weakness of and the abuse of freedom, and in many places it is a crime. It shouldn't take place and I do hope the day will come in which politicians will not seek to offend those whom Robert McBeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635243141745018756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323924.post-30204320661252191132012-09-26T20:22:00.000-06:002012-09-26T20:23:04.805-06:00Motion to examine definition of human being defeated in CommonsToronto Star:
OTTAWA—A Conservative MP’s pro-life bid to have Parliament study the definition of a human being has gone down to defeat in the House of Commons.
Stephen Woodworth’s motion was voted down 203-91.
Eight cabinet ministers voted in favour of the motion, including Status of Women Minister Rona Ambrose, government House leader Peter Van Loan and Trade Minister Ed Fast.
Prime Minister Robert McBeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635243141745018756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323924.post-80958403717891542022012-09-25T20:13:00.000-06:002012-09-25T20:13:01.346-06:00The Churchill Bust: Outrage on Demand
Barack Obama and UK Prime Minister David Cameron discuss a little head.
This story about the sculpture of Winston Churchill given to the White House has so many weird (partisan) angles it would baffle Pythagoras.
No one likes a dirty fork.
Robert McBeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635243141745018756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323924.post-92155498743905240742012-09-25T20:03:00.001-06:002012-09-25T22:35:17.322-06:00Calgary Diabetic Pressuring Ab Govt on Promises
A local man suffering from diabetes is hoping a facebook page will start a movement to hold the government accountable.Brent Whitford has dealt with the Type 1 diabetes since he was three years old, and remembers clearly when premier Alison Redford promised to include insulin pumps as part of Alberta Healthcare during her campaign.Whitford says he wants the province to address the promise, and Robert McBeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635243141745018756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323924.post-21377734572155138612012-09-25T00:27:00.000-06:002012-09-25T00:46:54.147-06:00Is ‘Jesus’ Wife’ papyrus fragment a forgery?
Stephen Emmel, a professor of Coptology at the University of Muenster who was on the international advisory panel that reviewed the 2006 discovery of the Gospel of Judas, said the text accurately quotes Jesus as saying “my wife.” But he questioned whether the document was authentic.
“There's something about this fragment in its appearance and also in the grammar of the Coptic that strikes me as Robert McBeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635243141745018756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323924.post-26774092338216810232012-09-24T16:37:00.003-06:002012-09-25T22:33:39.779-06:00Karaoke Nationalism
Lips Karaoke Calgary, on 10th St SW made the news by putting up a sign which translates as:
"Diaoyu Island belongs to China. Japanese are not welcome."
I've been there a couple of times. What they probably don't realize is that the average Calgarian won't want to go there if they are displaying this kind of hostility to their fellow Canadians. It's really a bad business move.
The Robert McBeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635243141745018756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323924.post-40184125143867444122012-06-29T16:34:00.001-06:002012-06-29T16:34:52.867-06:00Aristotle, Homer, Rembrandt and Joseph Heller
Aristotle Contemplating a Bust of Homer, Rembrandt van Rijn. (1653) Apparently Joseph Heller wrote his novel Picture This about this painting. The only Heller novel I haven’t read yet.
Heller concludes that we don’t learn from history (and in fact so
much of history may be nonfactual that learning may be impossible).
Being a pessimist Robert McBeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635243141745018756noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7323924.post-61206771501910900962012-06-29T16:31:00.000-06:002012-06-29T16:31:44.597-06:00Calgary, Shakespeare In the Park
Shakespeare in the Park in Calgary is back this summer with A Midsummer Night's Dream:
After one summer’s hiatus, Mount Royal University’s summer offering, Shakespeare in the Park, is returning to Prince’s Island Park in a new — and improved — form.
Theatre Calgary now shares the reins with the university in presenting the 25-year tradition, which remains a pay-what-you-can venture.
Robert McBeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14635243141745018756noreply@blogger.com0