Saskboy's Abandoned Stuff and Insights

Jordon Cooper's weblog: The Rick Mercer Report Liberal Leadership Kit on eBay
Rick Mercer is offering advice on how to become the next Prime Minis...err Liberal leader of Canada.
The bid price is already in the thousands after starting at a tempting $15, so I wrote in a question instead of bidding.
Good Morning RMR,
I'm afraid your kit is a bit too expensive, even given the possibility it would lead to me being the Prime Minister of Canada. Do you have a kit planned for obtaining the leadership of a "lesser" party, assuming it would be a fraction of the final bid price for Liberal leader?
Do you have a Democrat kit planned for our American friends?
Thank you,
[Saskboy]
Yorkton, SK

CBC has asked if I'd like to give eBay advice to Rick on the Noon Edition in SK . I said sure, so listen for me talking to Rick Mercer briefly at 12:40pm on Thursday. I'm pretty excited, I don't get to speak with an international celebrity very often. In fact, I can't think of another international celebrity I've spoken with, since Ralph Goodale doesn't meet the international criteria, and my radio interview in Springfield IL wasn't broadcast internationally or with a celebrity. This ought to be more fun than going to a Bill Clinton speech in a blue dress.
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grrrl meets world: Saskatoon Cartoon Reveals Bafoons
writes:
"Last week the campus newspaper The Sheaf published a rather controversial cartoon -- namely, one that had a cartoon Jesus performing a sexual act on a capitalist pig. [Tasteless, yes. Interesting commentary on the unholy merging of religion and capitalism/consumerism? Hmmm, maybe.]"

It seems I'm far from alone in the idea that this cartoon has a message to go along with its shocking facade.
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SK Liberal leader David Karwacki has a good chance of winning when he runs in Weyburn-Big Muddy [PDF]. In 1995 the Liberals got as many votes as both the NDP and PC parties, and only in '99 after the meltdown from the defection of SK Liberal members to the Sask Party, that they got fewer votes than the NDP.

1995 G.E. – June 21
Judy Llewellyn Bradley............................................................................................ NDP 3506
Hugh M. Kimball ...................................................................................................... Lib 2373
Brenda Bakken........................................................................................................ PC 2434

1999 G.E. – September 16
Brenda Bakken ....................................................................................................... SP 4015
Judy Llewellyn Bradley............................................................................................ NDP 2899
Joseph F. Weisgerber ........................................................................................... Lib 1373

On the CKOM.com Reality Check, 79% said Harper is right to not decriminalize Pot. I said No, but I'm not sure they counted my vote because I didn't hear my "no" voice played on the radio when they called "Line 5". Why did I say no, even though I don't think people should not smoke? Because the criminalization of pot hinders "no THC" hemp acceptance as a textile industry that Saskatchewan could be making money from, and it's a waste of police resources to break up the pot trade that could be making blood money for the government in a legal market instead. There could still be fines for smoking pot in public, or driving while impaired, so it's not like decriminalization would be carte blanche for the public to go out and get high.
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I sent John Gormley this email today, to signify that not all of his listeners are pleased with his overeager reporting on The Sheaf Cartoon.

Today was interesting on the radio. I got rather riled up as I listened to John Gormley announce he'd not let the issue die until every sitting member of The Sheaf was fired and/or brought before the human rights commission for their poor taste political cartoon satirizing the non-publication of the Muslim cartoons the previous week. It seems obvious to me that the cartoon authors were doing what one caller to the radio show described, and that was satirizing capitalists who exploit the divisive potential of religion for monetary gain. Rawlco radio easily fell for this trap, and Mr. Gormley's view is about as hypocritical as the paper's since he last I heard was in favour of the publication of the Muslim cartoons which in many countries were considered more vile than this Jesus cartoon was.

I thought it was really irresponsible of Mr. Gormley to suddenly pick up on a caller's opinion that this cartoon was illegal hate literature, and started calling it that too. That's as good as an accusation of a crime, which I thought he had more class than to do that, especially since he should know his spin can affect opinions in the province. I can see how the comic is offensive to Christians, Jews, and Muslims, since Jesus is a figure in all three, and sex acts with animals equally offensive. Especially since pigs are considered unclean in Judaism and Islam, it could be seen in a completely differently offensive way depending on the person. That's why it's so easy to realize that there could be a perspective where the cartoon isn't solely offensive, only vile in a Howard Stern way, and in the context of the paper not printing the Muslim Cartoons it's possibly a protest against that decision.

Was it right to publish the cartoon of Jesus in a sexual act with the capitalist piglet? No, it was not the best thought out form of protest, or political statement because it will likely see the authors dragged before a tribunal of some sort to satisfy the hypocrites that condemned Muslim reaction to a set of cartoons they found offensive. At no time did Mr. Gormley or his callers bemoan the fact that Muslims had no human rights tribunals to punish the cartoonists with, yet here they are chomping at the bit to use the harshest legal punishments they can devise for rebellious activists who managed to get published in a STUDENT newspaper. It was not a good idea to publish the cartoon, because a lot of people just feel it's not right to be that crude in print, and that's a fair enough opinion. I prefer a well worded protest or rant to an in-your-face cartoon, but the odds of being noticed are a lot better with an offensive cartoon than just another weblog/editorial rant.

Here's a response to the cartoon that I feel is the most appropriate for a Christian to have:

"The following is a submission to Life of Turner from an anonymous source:

I've been trying to figure out what the publishing of the "Capitalist Piglet" means to me, and I realize the answer is not much. Did the Sheaf have the right to publish it? Yes. Did Yiph have the right to create it? Yes. Do I have to like it? No. As a Christian, I am taught that that which is permissible is not always beneficial. This cartoon is obviously not beneficial to me, but I have to respect the permissibility of it. Furthermore, I am taught that where I am weak, God is strong. Looking at the cartoon makes me want to be outraged and yet I can find peace. Part of this peace is knowing that my outrage is superficial at best, as this cartoon does not hinder my salvation or the salvation of anyone else. My outrage is based either in the fact that their own editorial policy was broken, or that my fees have paid for this to be published. Peace comes in knowing that Christ has been here already. He was sworn at and spat on during his march to Calvary, and this is no different. If I am to be an ambassador of peace, then why should I be up in arms? My role is to spread truth and to help find resolution rather than to point blame. Mistakes were made, and now forgiveness is to be had. As a Christian the best thing I can do now is to love those who need it. When dealing with an issue in the Bible, Jesus would often use wit to turn a situation around and to bring something beneficial to light. Our wit is this: the staff at the Sheaf need to be encouraged. They need support, but mostly they need forgiveness. The University community needs to put this issue down and to have something productive come from it. We all have a part to play in being Christ to the world and it all starts with forgiveness."

I was most disturbed by the caller to CJME that claimed Ahenakew's anti-semitic comments about the holocaust were in some way comparable to this cartoon [the Jesus cartoon can be seen on Small Dead Animals]. I can't see how claiming "Hitler was right to fry 6 million of those guys" in any way mirrors the satirical cartoon depiction of a divine saviour [from ancient literature and regarded as the son of God to many North Americans] in a sexual act with a cartoon representation of capitalist greed. In the context of the recent battle over whether or not to publish "vile" depictions of the Muslim prophet Muhammad, the cartoon is simply a misjudged attempt at satire. If it had been published two months ago when it wouldn't be as clear why someone should think it to be satirical, then I acknowledge the "hate literature" charge could possibly stick. In Canada for a crime to be committed you need both the criminal act and the intent. I honestly don't think the intent of the cartoonists was to tell people to hate Christians, Muslims, and Jews. But that's just my opinion, and in the coming days the authors' comments might shed some further light on the whole issue.

My blog's experiencing growing pains over the next couple days. If you can't reach my site through abandonedstuff.com, try again with http://sask.sasktelwebsite.net instead.

There have been no sunspots visible on our sun through most of February and into March.
"What's going on? NASA solar physicist David Hathaway explains: "Solar minimum has arrived." Sunspots come and go with an 11-year rhythm called the sunspot cycle. At the cycle's peak, solar maximum, the sun is continually peppered with spots, some as big as the planet Jupiter. But for every peak there is a valley, and during solar minimum months can go by without a single sunspot. "That's where we are now—at minimum," says Hathaway." You can track daily sunspot activity using SpaceWeather.com. It's not a good time to see the aurora borealis, also known as northern lights. The aurora depend on solar activity present when sunspots are facing the earth.

A friend of mine asked if I knew the learners test for a motorcycle license is only 3-5 questions.
$10 to write a 5 question test.
Here's my best guess as to the questions:
1.Can you ride a bike
2. Do you have a bike
3. Do you have a helmet
4. Do you know the number for 911
5. Have you signed your organ donor card?
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PM Harper is looking at some trouble from Canada's Ethics Commissioner, for allowing and perhaps even encouraging MP Emerson to cross the floor and join the Conservative cabinet. It's about time Harper's outright deceit during the election campaign is brought to widespread attention. The problem is that the Commissioner hardly seems fair in investigating when he's made comments before stating he couldn't in between parliament sitting.
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The planet Jupiter is growing a new red spot. Jupiter is already well known for its Great Red Spot storm which is visible through modest backyard telescopes, so it will be interesting if this newer spot sticks around and grows. "The official name of this storm is "Oval BA," but "Red Jr." might be better. It's about half the size of the famous Great Red Spot and almost exactly the same color. Oval BA first appeared in the year 2000 when three smaller spots collided and merged. A similar merger centuries ago may have created the original Great Red Spot, a storm twice as wide as our planet and at least 300 years old."
This was submitted to Slashdot and accepted. I've now had 10 stories accepted and about 10 rejected.
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The EpiPen costs about $100CDN and is still effective says the coroner investigating the death of a teen who reportedly got a "kiss of death" from a peanut eating smoocher. The EpiPen involved wasn't used properly [or at all it sounds like], and nut oil from a kiss wasn't the cause of death either. The big media got the story wrong? Oh my that never happens...
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President Bush lied yet again! He knew the levees could breach and was more concerned about SOUNDING prepared than actually doing anything. What could he do, the national guard was in Iraq on his oil war mission. Why is this man still president, don't Americans in government have any self respect? Are they saying a chronic liar and warmonger is the best the country can pick as their head of government?
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David Karwacki the energetic leader of the Saskatchewan Liberal party is going to be the SK Liberal candidate in the next provincial byeelection.

This is good news for Saskatchewan, as they can add a new dynamic to the otherwise fruitless legislature. Let's hope that Weyburn voters decide they too want an alternative to the disasterous NDP government and the lackluster Sask Party.
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You can thank Saskatchewan for your day and night

Sask Smartest Radio Listener: In July 1886 the first stagecoach robbery in the Canadian west occurred near Humbolt.

Latimer should get his sentence reduced. It's a crime in itself that a stressed out mercy killing father got 10 years in jail after fighting for a fair trial, and Karla Holmoka got essentially 9 to 12 years for murdering at least 3 people.

Slashdot published another of my article summaries today:
Translations of medical questions posed by doctors to their patients were provided by a new Canadian designed computer called MedBridge. "Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, Portuguese, French, and Russian," are some of the languages the MedBridge can work with. CBC reports, "If a patient is deaf, the system can also translate into American Sign Language using video. The MedBridge system is already in use at hospitals in New York, Toronto and Halifax." Pre-translated questions are stored in the computer and the doctor chooses from the list of questions to ask. It's not quite a Universal Translator, but it should improve doctor-patient communication.
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In the news, Utah voted down an anti-science bill questioning the validity of the theory of evolution because there are "scientists" who don't think it works. In other news, Crest has fought off a push to include the following warning on their toothpaste tubes:
Only 9 out of 10 Dentists agree that fluoride toothpaste reduce cavities. Since there are dissenting Dentists, you're probably better off gargling with Coke.

I watched "Sideways" [5/10] today. It was a boring romp through southern California filled with drunk driving, cheating, and a smattering of redeeming funny scenes. If there was a category for Depressing Comedy, it'd qualify.

I also got a kick out of the warning that plays automatically at the start of DVD movies, telling us not to pirate the legitimate movie we're watching. The irony is that you can buy a movie with a built in lecture, or you can download the same movie that doesn't force you to watch warning screens and previews you don't want. I watched this movie "legally", but I'd have had wasted less time doing it "illegally".

    It's been a while since I wrote any poetry
    I'm writing one now though as you can see
    Sure the meter's not right, and the tune is too slow
    But a good line is coming before you will go
    It's not this line though, you'll have to keep reading
    It's almost here now, I'm not being misleading
    OK, you caught me, I had nothing special planned
    With writing like this, my poetry should be banned.
- By Saskboy

    I watched the rebroadcast of the Olympics closing ceremonies, and CBC switched to different shots of the stage as a protester or drunk person ran up to the podium before Jack Rogge was speaking. There was only one microphone after he tore it away when he was dragged off the stage which you could see in the rebroadcast if you knew what to look for.
    Who the man was with, I have no idea.

Update: Here's a media mention. CBC Sunday Report also did a segment on the prankster who tore off the microphone. [It seems he was advertising for Gold en palace casino.]

Bode Miller a US alpine skiier went to the games to have fun, not to "win medals" as he revealed in an interview. And the USA wonders why they didn't do as well as they expected they would? Miller didn't even, "get drunk the night before races." Well shucks, that's good to know.
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    Don Knotts died on Friday. He played Barney Fife on the Andy Grifith Show.

The actor who played G'Kar on Babylon 5, has died at age 59 of lung cancer. He had also appeared in Star Trek: The Next Generation as a Romulan, and in The Fugitive as a one armed murderer. A reunion of the origional B5 cast now would be difficult with both Dr. Franklin and G'Kar's actors dead.

Today I'm in Moose Jaw. I watched live Olympics including several medals from speed skating. Last night I watched "Galaxy Quest" [8/10] for the first time since I saw it in 2000 in Saskaton. "Crash" [7/10] was an odd movie that almost got a lower rating because of its very confusing plot, if you can call it a plot.

But in Sask. the average guy spends only $60 on his sweetie on the big day of romance. I'm happy to have brought that average way down. Birthdays and Christmas are the "big" gift times, or just any time for a little gift.
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Who's better Barbie or Ken?
Ken's better, because even though he's unable to remove his underwear, at least he has room for his internal organs.

What would it take to get you into a glittery dress and a bra? $1 Million Dollars, and it would have to be at Halloween.

Compare your IQ to a Simpsons character, and which one do you think has an IQ closest to yours. My IQ would be closest to Principal Skinner's, and to compare myself to another Simpson's character, I'd choose Homer because there is no way I could come out dumber, because I am so smrt.

If Puff the magic dragon flew by your window tomorrow night and invited you to a party in his cave with the teletubbies and Catherine Zeta Jones, would u accept and why?

I'd have to say no, because I don't like the teletubbies, and I'd be concerned that Jones' husband Michael would get jealous.

Marjory at the Provincial Library won the Sask. Smartest Radio Listener contest this week. 1905-1911 American blacks from Oklahoma settled in Shilo, SK to escape racism in their home state.
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CCD Image Sensor Inventors Win $500,000 Award

CCD inventors were honoured this week. According to CBC News, "Willard Boyle, a Canadian scientist who helped invent the light-sensitive chip, accepted [the prestigious Charles Stark Draper Prize] in the U.S. on Tuesday. Boyle and George Smith will share the $500,000 US award for the invention of the "Charge-Coupled Device (CCD), a light-sensitive component at the heart of digital cameras and other widely used imaging technologies," the U.S. National Academy of Engineering said." Those other devices include the Hubble Space Telescope, and orthoscopic medical instruments. "Boyle and Smith came up with the idea for the device while working at Bell Laboratories in 1969. 'It was after maybe an hour's work,' Boyle recalled. 'We went over to the blackboard and we had some sketching there. We went down to our models lab and made one.'"

I had this posted to Slashdot's front page today. I didn't double check that "orthoscopic" is the right word for when they stick a camera inside your body, either through the back end, or an incision in your gut/whatever.

Someone lost their camera in Hawaii, or did they have it stolen? It seems it was taken by a Canadian family who decided to smuggle it into Canada and keep it after telling the victim what they did!
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CBC was saying "our hockey hopes went down the drain". Err, we won GOLD in women's hockey, the men don't count for all of hockey. It's a shame the loser men hockey players will get more press than Cindy Klassen who's won her 4th medal, a gold today. The second place in that race was also Canadian, and we got a Gold in ski sprint as well from Chandra Crawford.

...more entries at blog archives linked below...

November 9, 2004 Nov 9 lights

Early morning I took this Northern Lights photo, looking north west.

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CCD Image Sensor Inventors Win $500,000 Award

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