My Rant today comes on the heels of a blockbuster news story out of Montreal that actually had me stay up later than I wanted to just so I could hear it. A newspaper in Montreal released a tidbit of information to a bunch of different media outlets saying that they had a news story that was running tomorrow (Friday Feb 20th) that would rock Montreal and the Canadiens organization.
Well it turns out that after having the entire internet and press corp running with wild accusations that it was nothing more than a couple players were acquainted with a guy arrested in a sweep of organized crime a week ago. The charges have been laid against said players and there is no proof they did anything illegal.
This got me thinking about several news outlets and the way they report stories. Everything in today's news is sensationalized and very tabloid orientated due to the fact that the more viewers/readers they get the more advertisers they get and the more money they ultimately make. This to me is a major problem, the news is supposed to be unbiased and based on facts so that people become informed and not about making the most money. When their focus changes from just reporting the news to sensationalizing it, I think they start to lose credibility and perhaps even cause the world to ignore real problems because they are constantly reporting that the sky is falling.
How do we end this? I really don't know. The problem is if you manage it by the government or just let one body fund the media they will control the content which is no better. Perhaps we must take it as a civilized world to not buy or watch news programs that we know are becoming to tabloidish and hope that real news organizations (if there are any left) survive and get us the real news and not the fake Lochness monster, alien babies, and stars screwing everything is site stories.
Friday, February 20, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Why are people so dumb when driving?
Driving as much as I do everyday I run into just about everything you can imagine and it raises the question as to why people are so stupid when they get behind the wheel of a car?
I by no means am a patient man or a perfect driver but there are just some common sense things that people seem to not know what to do.
How can you get a driver's license and keep it if you can follow the rules of the road? A yeild is a big triangle that is red and white, a merge is the big yellow triangle with the word MERGE on it. Is that really difficult to figure out?
When changing lanes is that hard to reach over and turn on the little turn signal switch? I seem to have no problems with it but it would seem most cars don't come with turn signals as no one else uses them. The other issue I have with this is when I do put on my turn signal and the guy that is about a car length behind in the lane I want to go to speeds up when he see's my turn signal. Are you really in that much og a hurry that one car length will cause you to be late?
Speed limit signs. They are there to let us know the max speed you are to go, however, it doesn't mean you should go 30 under that in the left lane (which in most civilized countries is considered the fast lane). I have no problem if people are driving the speed limit, I can slow down and drive that limit if I have to but come on do you really have to drive 20-30 below on a clear sunny day?
Finally, and I know I am guilty to a certain extent, why the hell do people feel they have to do everything while driving in there cars? I look at the odd email or will send a quick text (most of the time when stopped at a red light) but do you really need to smoke a cigarette, put on your lip gloss, drink your coffee, talk on your phone and read the newspaper all at the same time while driving 80km down a main road with lights always turning red?
People need to wake up a few minutes earlier in the morning so they can be fully awake and ready when they get in their cars, that way they can focus on driving and following the rules of the road. If everyone did that I am sure that instead of 20 - 30 accidents in every city every day there would only be the odd one. Do you think it will happen? Me either but hey we can always hope right?
I by no means am a patient man or a perfect driver but there are just some common sense things that people seem to not know what to do.
How can you get a driver's license and keep it if you can follow the rules of the road? A yeild is a big triangle that is red and white, a merge is the big yellow triangle with the word MERGE on it. Is that really difficult to figure out?
When changing lanes is that hard to reach over and turn on the little turn signal switch? I seem to have no problems with it but it would seem most cars don't come with turn signals as no one else uses them. The other issue I have with this is when I do put on my turn signal and the guy that is about a car length behind in the lane I want to go to speeds up when he see's my turn signal. Are you really in that much og a hurry that one car length will cause you to be late?
Speed limit signs. They are there to let us know the max speed you are to go, however, it doesn't mean you should go 30 under that in the left lane (which in most civilized countries is considered the fast lane). I have no problem if people are driving the speed limit, I can slow down and drive that limit if I have to but come on do you really have to drive 20-30 below on a clear sunny day?
Finally, and I know I am guilty to a certain extent, why the hell do people feel they have to do everything while driving in there cars? I look at the odd email or will send a quick text (most of the time when stopped at a red light) but do you really need to smoke a cigarette, put on your lip gloss, drink your coffee, talk on your phone and read the newspaper all at the same time while driving 80km down a main road with lights always turning red?
People need to wake up a few minutes earlier in the morning so they can be fully awake and ready when they get in their cars, that way they can focus on driving and following the rules of the road. If everyone did that I am sure that instead of 20 - 30 accidents in every city every day there would only be the odd one. Do you think it will happen? Me either but hey we can always hope right?
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Global Warming truth or fiction?
Everyday there are several articles on the Internet about Global Warming and it makes one wonder is it really happening or not?
Yes, I believe we are having Global Warming. Whether or not humans are the cause of this is what I have a problem with. You look at most studies and they show a couple hundred years of statistics. Really, a couple hundred years is your proof? If we had been around in the ice age (which we are technically still coming out of) would you blame man kind for it or for the warming that has been occurring since? Do people not realize the Arctic used to be a tropical rain forest?
The Earth changes and yes we have some control over it but once again man is thinking they are greater than this entire planet that has been around for billions of years.
Do I think we need to change?
Yes, but not Global Warming, lets spend the billions being wasted right now on things like recycling, removing real pollutants (not CO2) from our atmosphere, water ways and our soil. Stop blaming every weather pattern, temperature change and anomaly on CO2 (hell in the 70's they predicted we were entering another ice age and to produce more).
What really pisses me off is when people take a disaster (such as the Australian wildfires) and blame it on weather change the same day that hundreds of people are killed while they slept. The worlds scientists (which are paid based on how quickly they can get funding for something) need to grow up and instead of fighting for funding actually spend their time using real science to come up with real solutions.
Remember not everything on the internet you read is the truth.
Yes, I believe we are having Global Warming. Whether or not humans are the cause of this is what I have a problem with. You look at most studies and they show a couple hundred years of statistics. Really, a couple hundred years is your proof? If we had been around in the ice age (which we are technically still coming out of) would you blame man kind for it or for the warming that has been occurring since? Do people not realize the Arctic used to be a tropical rain forest?
The Earth changes and yes we have some control over it but once again man is thinking they are greater than this entire planet that has been around for billions of years.
Do I think we need to change?
Yes, but not Global Warming, lets spend the billions being wasted right now on things like recycling, removing real pollutants (not CO2) from our atmosphere, water ways and our soil. Stop blaming every weather pattern, temperature change and anomaly on CO2 (hell in the 70's they predicted we were entering another ice age and to produce more).
What really pisses me off is when people take a disaster (such as the Australian wildfires) and blame it on weather change the same day that hundreds of people are killed while they slept. The worlds scientists (which are paid based on how quickly they can get funding for something) need to grow up and instead of fighting for funding actually spend their time using real science to come up with real solutions.
Remember not everything on the internet you read is the truth.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Autism and Vaccines
Today's blog is all about a news story I just watched tonight about a court ruling in the states that said there was no link between the Autism Spectrum and vaccinations.
I have no problem with people looking to find the reason for diseases but the only reason these people are looking at vaccinations as the cause is so they can sue someone. If 1 in 160 children have some form of the Autism Spectrum can you really say that something all 160 kids get is the cause of it? They also say that Autism is on the rise since vaccinations have started? Really since Autism and the spectrum is a fairly new diagnoses of course it's on the rise because before they lumped everyone into the same category as Mentally Retarded. Now they actually have created more defined reasonings for things so with every new discovery it will automatically cause it to increase in numbers.
I am all for finding reasons for disease so we can cure it but as I have a child in the Autism Spectrum, I personally think that is a hereditary type disease and not caused by anything given to the child. I am also working on dealing with it and getting him the help he needs not trying to find someone to sue, which is what all parents should be doing.
Today's society is to set in trying to find someone to blame instead of looking for solutions or ways to make the world a better place. Instead of suing everyone for every stupid little problem or finding someone to blame for nature, or an accident. Grow up, learn to live with it and make the best of the way life is.
I personally would not change anything with my son, he is loving, affectionate, and very unique in the way he looks at the world. It makes me look at things differently and brings a smile to my face when I am with him. Yes things are sometimes difficult and frustrating, but we are grownups and we learn to deal with the problems in life instead of looking to blame someone.
I have no problem with people looking to find the reason for diseases but the only reason these people are looking at vaccinations as the cause is so they can sue someone. If 1 in 160 children have some form of the Autism Spectrum can you really say that something all 160 kids get is the cause of it? They also say that Autism is on the rise since vaccinations have started? Really since Autism and the spectrum is a fairly new diagnoses of course it's on the rise because before they lumped everyone into the same category as Mentally Retarded. Now they actually have created more defined reasonings for things so with every new discovery it will automatically cause it to increase in numbers.
I am all for finding reasons for disease so we can cure it but as I have a child in the Autism Spectrum, I personally think that is a hereditary type disease and not caused by anything given to the child. I am also working on dealing with it and getting him the help he needs not trying to find someone to sue, which is what all parents should be doing.
Today's society is to set in trying to find someone to blame instead of looking for solutions or ways to make the world a better place. Instead of suing everyone for every stupid little problem or finding someone to blame for nature, or an accident. Grow up, learn to live with it and make the best of the way life is.
I personally would not change anything with my son, he is loving, affectionate, and very unique in the way he looks at the world. It makes me look at things differently and brings a smile to my face when I am with him. Yes things are sometimes difficult and frustrating, but we are grownups and we learn to deal with the problems in life instead of looking to blame someone.
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