Rational Radical

In a recent blog I wrote about the sad tendency of many people to care more about fictional or semi-fictional characters than real people in their lives. One related issue is people neglecting their mate/partner/lover/girlfriend/boyfriend/spouse for online sex, whether it’s masturbating to free porn, chatting with an (anonymous) cyber-mate (and doing whatever else while “chatting”), etc.

Now don’t get me wrong: I don’t think there’s anything wrong with cyber-porn (depending on what it is). The problem is when people devote too much time to these virtual endeavours, to the point that they are actually neglecting a real-life intimate partner. Yeah, long-term relationships can become boring or stale IF you don’t put enough effort and creativity into them.

But if you take a trip to Canada’s first and longest running erotica boutique, Lovecraft, or visit Lovecraft’s online store, you should be able to find the right items to help spice up your relationship (there’s gotta be a less cliched way to say that…).

The great thing about this store is that it was opened in 1972 by two women who were simply trying to feed their respective families. One of them, Anne Amitay, has remained the sole owner for many years and can even be seen in the store today, still helping out customers 36 years later. You can read a bit about Anne and Lovecraft in this Elle article.

All other stores in Toronto, Ontario, or all of Canada that sell similar items owe their livelihood to Anne, since she was the one who had to fight many laws, politicians, bureaucrats, and other overly conservative no-goodniks who wanted to shut down Lovecraft or ban most of its products. Like Alfred Kinsey before her, I’m a huge fan of anyone who dares to challenge the establishment despite the huge personal and professional risks often involved.

I don’t know how many people are honest enough to take this challenge:

For every second you’ve ever spent wasting your time worrying about “problems” of some “celebrity”–or worse yet, celebrity wannabe such as anyone who’s ever appeared on a “reality show”–how much time have you spent worrying about real problems of people you actually know?  Better yet, have you tried to help people close to you, even if it means simply listening to them?  By the way, just listening to someone non-judgmentally and compassionately is probably the best help you could ever offer most people.

Most of those idiots who hang around outside court rooms, jails, hospitals, etc., pledging their love, support and allegiance to some narcissistic, spoiled, self-centered, clueless, vapid “celebrity” criminal would give up their beating heart to one of these mannequins–who would charge them for the saliva they would spit at them to get them out of their way–sooner than they would give up an hour of their time to a friend or family member in need.  (Wow, that was an intense run-on sentence…)

I hope my blog doesn’t attract such sycophants (look it up and feel free to use it in your next conversation).  But the truth is, many if not most North Americans these days seem to know and care more about the lives, triumphs and “hardships” of fictional characters and “reality stars” than they do of real people in their lives.

Why do you think _____ Idol, Survivor, etc. are such hits?  I’ll have more to say about the psychology of watching such programs in a later blog.  But now I have to go watch Arrested Development…

I am not a “bleeding heart” and I think that people who do the crime need to do the appropriate time, regardless of their race (although we need to consider extenuating circumstances, once again regardless of race).  Here is a story about some CRAZY examples of INjustice, meted out by the same judge.

I forget how I came across this, but here is a story about two black men (at least one of them is black, I can’t say for certain about the other one) assaulted by a gang of white men at McDonalds. Here’s a videotape of the attack (I’m not crazy about the narration, but…here is a shorter version with no narration and I think it’s easier to see the apparently unprovoked assault), which the DA saw. There are apparently also witnesses who can testify that the black men did nothing to provoke the attack, according to the only man charged (seen here with his lawyer on Hannity and Colmes).

Who was the one man charged, as of September 2007, one month after the attack? One of the victims, Mr. Aloysius Staton, because he somehow managed to get a bottle and defend himself with it.  I’m trying to find an update to this disgusting travesty of justice but have had no luck thus far. If anyone else can provide an update, please let me know.

You can skip the first minute of this link–there is a shorter version available but the quality isn’t as good. My personal favourite is #2. For #1 you have to watch carefully…you can’t see it on the poorer quality videos.

Oh what the heck…Here are a few others: This one and this one.

And here is a really funny updated version of Abbott and Costello’s classic, “Who’s on First?” starring Bush and Rice (here’s the original version, and here’s a creepy version with Bush and Cheney, and this is a short but good one with Yoda and Jar-Jar Binks).

And one of the better impersonations of Bush can be found in this link. (If you watch the entire three minutes, he’s got some pretty good jokes to go along with the impressions, especially around the 1:15-minute mark).

Okay, I know, easy target. But the fact is, many of his gaffes, lies, scandals, etc. happened during his first term, yet he was re-elected (at least that’s the official story). Scary sh*t…

Anyone who thinks Cameron Diaz was so “brave” for allowing herself to look “ugly” (i.e., she didn’t wear make-up) in “Being John Malkovitch” is inhabiting some Bizarro world different from mine. I respect the true heroes of this world, such as Dr. Nancy Olivieri and Dr. David Healy (and so many more).

The critically acclaimed book/movie, “The Constant Gardener,” deals with the same issues: Namely, pharmaceuticals have got their dirty, nasty hands into the pockets of universities, hospitals, and governments, so that millions (billions?) of people suffer, while the big drug companies make trillions of dollars in profits.

Most people do not know this, but about 10 years ago an agreement was struck that states that those who fund research have ownership of that research. Therefore, drug companies, cell phone makers, etc., who pay scientists, doctors, professors, and other researchers to study the effects of their products, are able to block any publication of results that show their products are harmful. Yes, you read that correctly. Read it again and let that terrifying fact sink in.

You might also want to learn about “ghost writing,” whereby drug companies write up a research report and pay “respected” psychologists/psychiatrists/doctors/scientists/researchers to attach their name to the paper. Many of these “respected” professionals barely read the report; those who have integrity and try to make changes typically find that the changes are ignored or distorted if they go against the drug company’s agenda, or they find their contract with the drug company is suddenly revoked. Think I’m making this all up? Keep reading:

Here is one article on Dr. Olivieri’s story and here is another, which is, in a nutshell, a story about how she wanted to go public with the fact that a blood-thinning drug she was researching was harmful–sometimes fatally so–to the children who would receive it. The drug company, Apotex, refused to let her go public for obvious reasons. Dr. Olivieri persisted due to her ethics, morals, and humanity. Plus, she believed the Hospital for Sick Children that employed her (and the affiliated University of Toronto), would support her.

She was very wrong. Not only did these institutions refuse to support her–since they were prostituting themselves out to Apotex and other drug companies–but they actively engaged in a campaign to smear Dr. Olivieri and ruin her life. This has been PROVEN and Dr. Olivieri was ultimately vindicated, as you can see in the previous link.

I was fortunate enough to hear Dr. Olivieri speak in person last year. During that speech, I heard even more horror stories about this terrifyingly ugly case, including the fact that the half-dozen colleagues–from among thousands at the U of T and Sick Kids Hospital–who stood up for her had their personal and professional lives ruined by the same scum who tried to destroy Dr. Olivieri’s career.

Here is the story on Dr. David Healy. He didn’t go through the same hell that Dr. Olivieri did, but the same type of scum were involved. Here is the evidence. Read if you dare. Most people won’t. Hell, most people won’t even have made it this far.

And that’s just what the drug companies want. And that’s the reason drug companies (and other scum) know they can get away with the crap they pull–crap that seems like it came from George Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four” novel” or any other future-oriented tale of citizens allowing their “rulers” to commit atrocity after atrocity against them. That’s what comes from fear, ignorance, apathy, and/or weak wills.