Let's play "Definition".

Some of the same people who think "marriage" or "personhood" are open to endless debate are suddenly very rigid when it comes to the term "feminist".  Apparently it has an iron-clad definition in perpetuity and throughout the universe.

Andrea Mrozek has drawn a pretty accurate picture of certain public figures who claim to be the only authentic feminists. Except she forgot "humorless".

Video Hits

I've seen some funny videos in the last few days, via Mark Shea and Pat Madrid. (Thank you to loyal reader Ted Blurn for sending in the latter. How's Home Ec. going?) Here they are, for your enjoyment.

This one is dedicated to all lovers of LOTR and haters of soccer:



I've never been to a megachurch but I thought these were pretty funny:





One commenter at Patrick Madrid's blog mentioned how funny it would be to send up some of the zany "liturgies" some progressive Catholic churches come up with, but another quickly pointed out that many of them are beyond satire. Having experienced a "homily" which consisted of the priest slapping a ghetto blaster down on the pulpit and turning on an ABBA song, I must agree.

Dick. Profit.

Is that really the name of the school superintendent, or is it Planned Parenthood's mission statement?

Dobrú Noc, Italia!

This makes me hate soccer just a little less, just for a little while. Or, as they say in Slovak,


                      Hurrayawallah!!

While we're on the subject, Don, who "needs" the CBC?

 Rob Breakenridge contemplates the sudden allergy to diverse viewpoints in Canadian television. I didn't "need" to hear what Don Newman thinks about the proposed new channel - does that mean he should be prevented from saying it? Certainly I shouldn't be forced to pay for his opportunity to say it, but that's another post.

"The last thing Canada needs" pronouncement sounds a little too much like  "What benefit can there be in allowing him to speak?"   And we all know how great it turns out when plodding bureaucrats start deciding what opinions are fit for Canadian consumption.

You felt it here first.

When it comes to natural disasters, I could not stand to be outdone by my western relatives. I'll see your washout

 and raise you an EARTHQUAKE!

Dramatic photos? Uhhhh....okay. See these dishes?

They were rattling like crazy!

Ottawa's last big quake came in February of 2006. That night I was sitting on my couch and felt the wall rumbling behind me. At first I thought it was a very large truck going by.

"Probably the furnace starting up," Mr. Beazly remarked. (We do have a very noisy furnace.) He changed his mind when the "furnace" continued to rattle the windowpanes and our walls for the next 30 seconds.

When it was all over, all I could say to him was, "Good thing you're not a seismologist. Or a furnace repairman."

In keeping with Mrs. P's theme

Here is a lovely bouquet especially for those who most need to hear something beautiful today.

Wanted: a music CD of these women

Romanian singers (and sisters!) soprano Irina Iordachescu and mezzosoprano Cristina Iordachescu. Gorgeous and amazing, but not available on Amazon.

Okay, some of the excitement is finally wearing off.

I have been to see "Toy Story 3", and I urge you to run, not walk, to your nearest theater and get yourself a ticket...unless you live in a smaller city or town where it hasn't yet opened; in that case you might as well walk very slowly because if you get there now they'll still be showing "Sex and the City 2" and you'll just have to wait around for a week or so.

I concede that some of the critics have a point: TS3 is not covering new territory or exploring new themes. I can understand why one opined that this third installment is "welcome yet nonessential" (h/t Greydanus. And here's his review). But when is art essential? We could exist without it - just in a world that would be less beautiful.

I'm glad that Pixar has added to the beauty of our world with the many worlds they have created. "Toy Story 3" is a delight and a fitting farewell to Woody and the gang. Essential it may not be, but it was a nice way to say good-bye.

And yes, it did make me cry. Near the end of the film Andy's mom begins to tear up as she surveys her son's room, stripped of all his boyhood belongings. Every mom knows she'll stand in that doorway one day, too.

Can't blog! Too excited!

I'm ready to try this one:

The "Cookie Diet". I wonder if Dr. Siegal is related to Orville Redenbacher. The popcorn diet is pretty good too.

Something tells me this family has issues...

that go FAR beyond haggling over the remote control.

A South African man who wanted to watch a World Cup match instead of a religious program was beaten to death by his family in the northeastern part of the country, police said Thursday. [...]

Makoeya got up to change the channel by hand after being refused the remote control and was attacked by his 68-year-old wife Francina and two children, 36-year-old son Collin and 23-year-old daughter Lebogang. Malefo said he was not sure what the family used to kill Makoeya.
"It appears they banged his head against the wall," Malefo said.

You know the moral of the story, of course: RELIGION IS EVIL. Note that the murderous melee was started because of a "gospel show." Oy vay.

And speaking of great teachers...

...Mr. Beazly and I both wondered what kind of uplifting inspiration this principal was expecting from a reading of Sir Fartsalot Hunts the Booger. Was she unaware of what was being presented to her students? I haven't read the book either, but judging by the title (and the brief Amazon preview) I'm getting the faint vibe that it's not exactly Shakespeare.

In a written statement, Mr. Bolger said he respected that a principal had not only a right, but also a responsibility to determine what was and wasn't appropriate for students.

This is indeed a responsibility which parents confer upon all teachers by sending their children to school, but perhaps the principal's veto should have been exercised a little earlier. I also hope Mr. Bolger thanked her profusely for the free publicity bonanza.

Mrs. Pinkerton weighs in: I want to cash in on that publicity too. I'm going to apply for a Canada Council grant and write some quality children's literature. My story will be a light-hearted romp about an angst-ridden Canadian children's author named Robert-Kevin P. Phart-Imadorque who feels  persecuted by the fundamentalist Christians next door because they have a "Jesus loves you" sign in their living room window. (He will lodge a complaint with the local Human Rights Commission and win.) Oops, better not give anyone ideas.

Politician Says Something Truthful!

...and is, of course, roundly abused for it.

"If the Minister of Health said our doctors and nurses were crap, that Minister would be fired. If the Minister of Education said our teachers were crap, that Minister would be fired. If the Minister of Energy said that the oil sands were crap, you can bet that Minister would be sitting on the backbenches faster than the Minister of Culture and Community Spirit can think of something stupid to say,"

I don't know anything about the oil sands, but if our health care system was prone to "curing" patients by letting them die on a waiting list, or if our schools were turning out kids who can't string words into a coherent sentence, a minister would be well justified in calling them....oh, wait. Never mind.

No wonder some people don't know crappy "art" when they see it. Fish don't know they're wet, either.

I have finally seen "Avatar"

I watched it at a private viewing, so it didn't cost me anything (besides the beer, chips and salsa, which I would have eaten anyway). I refuse to surrender any of my hard-earned cash for that thing.

The film can be summed up in three words (just not sure which to use):

-Festival of Cliches
-It Was Stupid
-Smurfs on Dragons (that was Mrs. Beazly's)
-Shut Pandora's Box
-Worst Movie Ever
-Not Worth Suicide

I don't need to review it, because that's been done a thousand times, but I agree with all who said that while the graphics/computer animation were truly stunning, everything else was predictable, silly and one-dimensional (I did not see it in 3-D, heh). Note to James Cameron: next time you go looking for a story idea and/or screenplay, hire someone who can write one--please avoid the Hollywood Cliche Vending Machine. And consider giving us a happy ending. The comedy was abruptly cut short when (spoiler alert!) the hero was killed.  (I speak, of course, of the sadistic war-mongering Marine/corporal). I laughed, I cried, I wanted to shout "TiiiimmmBerrrrrrr!" when (spoiler alert!) the HomeTree came crashing down in splinter and flame.

It might have been the most wasted 2.5 hours of my life, if not for the beer and the company (which were both very good).

Politician says something sensible

In wake of horrible tragedy. Yahoo news: Police probe family feud link to British massacre

Money quotes:

Police confirmed Bird had valid licences for both weapons.

And this:

Prime Minister David Cameron [...]  warned against a "knee-jerk" reaction to calls for tougher gun laws in the wake of the killings. "You can't legislate for a switch flicking in someone's head," said Cameron, who is due to visit the region on Friday.