StevetheClub
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Posts posted by StevetheClub
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On 7/11/2016 at 8:01 PM, wbbfan said:
< wow nerd. Never played pokeman seems like the biggest thing in a long time though. Any thing that gets kids out side and movin is a great thing in my books.
Agreed. It's also been great to hear how it has been helping people with mental health struggles. Remarkable.
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17 hours ago, johnzo said:
Gotta be impressed by Brenda Tracy -- hopefully her story reaches some men, changes some behavior. What she does cannot be easy, to put it lightly.
To be honest, I thought it was a little unfortunate that this element of the story seemed to be overshadowed by Riley rather than the other way around, so thank you for posting this.
- BigBlueFanatic, Tracker, bb1 and 2 others
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It's mentioned numerous times throughout the report that the type of material found is consistent with material that is used "to lower the inhibitions of their intended victims and facilitate the molestation of said victims". I haven't done near enough research to take a position on the case, but if the documents are legitimate than that is awful concerning.
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On 6/13/2016 at 10:54 AM, The Unknown Poster said:
Comments from the shooters father (from rolling stone):
The father also addressed his son's actions in a video posted on Facebook. "I don't know what cause this," he said, according to a translation from The New York Times. "I did not know and did not understand that he has anger in his heart." In addition, The Washington Post reports that the elder Mateen declared, "God himself will punish those involved in homosexuality. This is not for the servants [of God]."
Yup, sure is a mystery where the shooter learned his beliefs.
Which beliefs are those?
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2 hours ago, Adrenaline_x said:
why?
I'll be honest. After the way Hefney left this was my first response too and i think a valid question.
After reading the Tait article, though, it's good to hear he looks back fondly at his time here. He was a great one in his time.
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9 minutes ago, Mark H. said:
I have been teaching for over 10 years and have also chaired collective bargaining for the local association. I'm very much aware of those issues and have wrestled with them. However, not negotiating to improve working conditions wouldn't be fair to those who are dedicated. It's a tough balancing act.
Totally fair. The same could be said for most unionized workplaces; I know it could be for mine.
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30 minutes ago, kelownabomberfan said:
Both my parents were teachers, so I know from personal experience that its not an easy job. But that being said, there are a lot of teachers who give that extra effort, and some lazy ones who don't. What I don't like in the unionized model (and my parents didn't like it either) was that those lazy teachers are pretty impossible to dislodge. My mom always said one of the harder parts of the job was the parents, not the kids, as the parents can be total jerks sometimes.
Mark - I think we' ve gone back and forth enough on this topic regarding the BCTF. I do throw up in my mouth a bit when you use verbiage like "BC has the fourth lowest paid teachers in Canada". That's just propaganda. If a lawyer is the fourth lowest paid lawyer in his firm, and still takes home $200K a year, vs another lawyer who makes $250K, that $200K lawyer is hard to feel sorry for. Canada as a whole has some of the highest paid teachers in the world. And I think that's awesome. It's a tough profession, and deserves to be rewarded. I also think that if BC is so bad off salary-wise for teachers, you would wonder why there are thousands of unemployed teachers here in BC right now. Teaching pays well, and so it's hard for me to feel sorry for anyone who says that its not enough.
And inherent in your argument is the flawed assumption that if the BCTF hadn't been given the right to decide class size and composition, they would have received huge raises. I don't think the BCTF would have gotten those huge raises. But that's also assuming that the BCTF would be negotiating with a government that wasn't in a giant conflict of interest, and in the pocket of the unions. So it is hard to say what they would have gotten. In a perfect world, our government isn't in the pocket of any special interests, but I know that will never happen.
Couldn't agree more. I don't know enough to have a stand on unions in general but it definitely seems (admittedly from the outside) that in some professions, like teaching, unions can sometimes protect poor workers. I work in a field in which I often either hear about the impact of or interact directly with teachers and there are many who I think should be paid more and many who I think should find a new job. In a lot of ways teachers are co-parents and I think that when they embody that role - which many do - they earn every penny; the problem is there are too many that don't and they are far too secure in their jobs.
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45 minutes ago, 17to85 said:
See my problem with the carbon tax is that they talk about it doing one thing (helping climate change) when the reality is that it's simply a wealth transfer scheme. Call it what it is and stop pretending that implementing that is saving the world. Just say it's wealth redistribution and stop trying to bullshit everyone that it's actually something to help with carbon emissions. This government really hasn't done anything, that's my problem. They are so worried about being electable next election they are afraid to actually tackle the issues. Half measures and sleight of hand won't do anything to help this province so for that reason alone I will not give them credit for doing a good job. All they're doing is trying not to rock the boat, trouble is the boat is currently upside down so it could use some rocking.
I can see what you mean on the carbon tax, I'm also in favour of calling things what they are. I'm in favour of the economics of it, not the rhetoric.
I do think they should be given credit for a measured response, which is particularly difficult in times of crisis. I will agree the boat is upside down.
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8 minutes ago, Rich said:
I agree with the bold part.
My personal experience with health care is that the ER absolutely sucks, but if you can ever can convince them that what you have is legit or they finally get around to looking at you, especially if it is really a life and death type of emergency, once you get in, the service is fantastic.
I like the idea of these quick care clinics to handle a lot of what people go to the ER for. The problem is there isn't enough education around them, and people don't really know of them.
If you could expand them to also handle broken legs and things, it would take a strain off of ERs, where ERs could be saved for true emergencies.
Agreed.
With respect to the bolded, I would include mental health staff who could respond to mental health issues that don't require forming (i.e., significant risk is not an issue).
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3 hours ago, 17to85 said:
No they're not really doing that at all. The Carbon tax they put in is supposed to be revenue neutral so it's not like they're trying to combat a deficit that way. It doesn't even really do anything about greehouse gas emissions if that's the goal of such things, all it does it take money from the people with more and give it to people with less, the ultimate socialist wet dream. They raised taxes a bit but they're still increasing the deficit spending. They should have kept rolling back the public service wages like the PCs intended to do because Alberta is paying too much as they had to pay salaries that were able to compete with the oil and gas industry, except everyone has taken a cut in that industry (if they're lucky it was just a cut) so why should the government keep paying artifically inflated wages? If they really wanted to make an attempt at doing the best in a bad situation they would have bit the bullet and put in a PST. Something that could actually raise revenue for the government, but nope they're just doing half measures hoping that people won't turn on them next election but it's not going to happen unless the oil and gas industry turns around in a hurry.
I've been happy with the NDP government so far. Don't get me wrong, they haven't been perfect, but I do think they are doing a good job in a rough situation. What you see as "half measures" I see as being responsible; agree to disagree.
With respect to carbon tax, if the money goes where it should it sounds like a good idea to me and I have no problem with it being revenue neutral. I have no problem with rebates for those with lower incomes. "Take money from the people with more and give it to people with less" (which is hardly an exclusively socialist practice) oversimplifies its purpose for the sake of derisively drawing unfair socialist parallels.
As for public service wages, I agree (this coming from an AHS employee).
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16 hours ago, iso_55 said:
The NDP are killing us here in Alberta.
I'll be honest, I don't follow politics terribly closely, but I do try to keep informed. So far what I've seen is the NDP doing a good job at making the best of a horrible situation (that they had no part in) and setting us up so we can manage these situations better in the future.
I guess I keep asking myself, "would we be better off if any of the other parties were in power?" and I don't think we would be.
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While I agree with TUP that it oversimplifies a complex situation to say "they knew what they were getting themselves into so too bad for them", I think there are better arguments. That being said, I do think it's a systemic issue but I don't have the energy or time to get into that so I won't.
One, when I think of hockey at it's best, when it's appointment viewing and the rest of the world stops while I watch, I think of international tournaments and the playoffs. In both, I think, you see hockey the way it was meant to be played, with speed, skill, and little to no fighting. I want less fighting, I'd even be fine with no fighting, so I can watch more hockey like that.
Second, I firmly believe (biased, perhaps) Laroque when he says that the vast majority of fighters with they don't want to fight. I take that to mean that they would rather be in the league for their hockey skills rather than their fighting skills. I think that is very telling and indicates to me that hockey, at its purist, is about skating and stick-handling, goals and assists, and not what you do with your fists. For those of you in favour of fighting, I would be very interested in how you would define hockey IQ prior to this conversation if asked. I would be very surprised (though I could be wrong) that if unprompted, that fighting or references to it would be a part of your response.
All this being said, I do find fighting entertaining, but I think that's what it is: entertainment. I know some of you will argue fighting's place on that basis and that fine. It's not that it doesn't have any value - I know it can get a team and a crowd going (I'm not convinced it does anything to clean up the game) - it's just that I think I'm ready to watch real hockey and not something that needs fighting to make it more entertaining.
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59 minutes ago, Taynted_Fayth said:
In reading about the publication ban on the physicians involved, it had me wondering if physicians can refuse to be involved if they dont agree with. They are ppl too with their own morals and opinions on the matter
It's my understanding, and in my opinion rightly so, that physicians can refuse to be involved.
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2 hours ago, The Unknown Poster said:
That's not what it sounds like to me at all.
I know. You shared your thoughts, I shared mine. I'm happy to have more of a conversation about it or we can agree to disagree, either works for me.
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2 hours ago, The Unknown Poster said:
So, security replaced for enforcing company policy equally. If an Aboriginal security officer asks me to abide by company policy can I claim racism?
Six weeks after he was unceremoniously kicked out of Portage Place, indigenous elder and military veteran Joseph Meconse was honoured and received a formal apology during a press conference Friday to announce changes to the downtown mall’s operation.
“Today is a beautiful day and everybody around me is significant,” said the 74-year-old Meconse, who was kicked out the mall’s food court for loitering in late January despite having just sat down with a plate of food. “I’m just happy to be alive and happy to be here to stand up for our people and stand up for everybody.”
Meconse was honoured Friday as the mall’s official Ogichidaa, an indigenous ambassador and liaison. Bear Paw Security will replace the former security firm, to bring indigenous values to the mall, and a new aboriginal music series is being launched this spring and summer in co-ordination with Manyfest.
“Today, Portage Place will reach out to those we have wronged and in return we will ask for forgiveness,” said Portage Place general manager David Stone, who met with Meconse and Manito Ahbee Festival executive director Lisa Meeches following the incident to apologize.
“I think the incident with Joe, I could call it a tipping point. But I think more of what came out of that incident with Joe was conversation: Conversation with Joe, conversation with Lisa and some of the leaders in the indigenous community.”
In early February, Stone apologized for Meconse’s treatment and announced the elimination of the policy limiting patrons to only 30 minutes in the food court. In response to the incident, protests were held including a flash mob involving about 200 people.
“This is a very important and significant day,” said Meconse. “I finally got what I was working for: to get the people to gather together to be friendly, be friends with everybody.”
During the press conference Friday, Stone also took the opportunity to apologize to Annie Henry, a then-79-year-old from Roseau River First Nation who suffered similar treatment from Portage Place security in March 2013.
“Most importantly, we would like to start the process of moving forward but apologizing for the errors of our past,” said Stone.
A pipe ceremony and a round dance involving members of the downtown’s business and indigenous communities was held following the press conference.
In his role as the mall’s Ogichidaa, Meconse would like to work with Portage Place to make it the welcoming place he feels it should be. He said he would like to see the mall add comfortable furniture its elderly shoppers to use.
“My plan is to continue what I’m doing right now,” said Meconse. “At 74, as long as I can get something done today, that’s good enough. We don’t try to strive to get something (done) that we know we can’t handle. We have to know our boundaries and how far we can go.”
It looks like what happened spurred a conversation that will hopefully be the first steps in transforming what has been a place so many people avoid to a place where a sense of community could develop. That sounds good to me.
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Found Dr. Sanjay Gupta: The epidemic of gun violence is treatable also enlightening.
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I think its important to reiterate that no one (as far I know) is suggesting that all Muslim's are bad or that the religion per se is bad. One could argue all organized religion is a problem (Maher). That's not the point of these discussions though.
I think most people that suggest radical Islam is a problem are not bigots. Speculating about motives is fair game as humans but it seems its politically incorrect to speculate when it's a potential Islamic motivation. And I find people are quick to defend Muslim's when for the most part Id like to think the discussion of radical Islam is not an attack on Muslims.
You never want to have to pause to remind everyone you're not a racist or bigot. Its a sensitive subject, I know.
A very good point I was trying to construct but you've articulated it better.
I think motivation is of primary importance. In a lot of ways those who are radicalized are people who already struggle and just found a cause to attach their own struggle to. See this for a good, though short, interview on the profile of mass killers.
I think, given the profile, why interventions such as the CureViolence approach find such success.
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You can disagree meaning your naïve.
If you're actually interested in moving forward on a conversation about it then great, I'd just ask that you leave the name-calling behind.
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I'd still disagree.
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The hypocrisy is more than interesting. It is stunning. But completely expected. Also to be expected, all of the anti-Harper faction to remain silent and just lump it, even though if it had been the other way around, they would be screaming for blood. Politics, in general, makes everyone into hypocrites, eventually.
It doesn't have to.
Sure it does. When one go from criticizing to defending everything in a hateful rage which is what the lefties did. It has to because now one is trying to justify every decision made by the leader you support..
Again, it doesn't have to. I actually think politics could be about issues and not leaders and discussion can be civil and rational and not about spewing rage at each other.
Well, it never is. That is like saying Fantasy Land at Disneyworld is real life.
Your opinion, I disagree.
*edit: about politics, not Disneyworld.
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Well their ethnicity and immigration status might be relevant to the topic of their seemingly low pay. But that would require evidence not available (or revealed).
I think a chef is more akin to an asset expense in this scenario. Im curious if the PM pays for groceries as the President does. I won't eat his lunch over it. But the nanny thing is pretty obvious.
And Steve, you said you don't think he planned to use the budget to pay for nannies. But it was his decision to hire them on taxpayer pay roll. He knows they're nannies. So he clearly intended them to be paid by the taxpayer.
First of all, their pay is not low according to the president of the Association of Caregiver and Nanny Agencies Canada.
Second, we can disagree, fine by me.
Third, I meant he wasn't intending to use taxpayer money to pay them when he made the comment about the child tax credit last July, not when he re-hired them.
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The hypocrisy is more than interesting. It is stunning. But completely expected. Also to be expected, all of the anti-Harper faction to remain silent and just lump it, even though if it had been the other way around, they would be screaming for blood. Politics, in general, makes everyone into hypocrites, eventually.
It doesn't have to.
Sure it does. When one go from criticizing to defending everything in a hateful rage which is what the lefties did. It has to because now one is trying to justify every decision made by the leader you support..
Again, it doesn't have to. I actually think politics could be about issues and not leaders and discussion can be civil and rational and not about spewing rage at each other.
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I think all of the questions in your (TUP) first paragraph are important and I think a greater priority needs to be placed on childcare for everyone, not just the PM. I think society is increasingly organized in a way that compromises one of our most basic needs - secure attachments - and that this needs to change (but that's a whole other topic). Anyway...I think that some of the positions that have been mentioned that are paid for out of that budget support the PMs well-being and we deem them acceptable in light of the demands of the job (cooks, for example). Simply put, this is how I think of child care.
Agreed, museum visits and whatever other fun family stuff should be out of pocket.
Given Trudeau's previous comments I'm leaning towards thinking he should pay for the nannies, but that's not the same as saying every PM should. It's just because of the stance he took. Hypocrite seems to fit but not liar in my opinion, not because of the strength of the word but because I don't think he planned to use the budget to pay for nannies and I think intention is important when talking about lying.
I also don't think their ability to pay for it matters and I also don't think having a "National Nanny" matters. Not every PM has young children that require extra care and if a budget for items is provided I don't see any reason why he shouldn't use it.
GDT: Edmonton @ Winnipeg
in Blue Bomber Discussion
Posted
And that is a well-articulated argument as to why his time as our starting QB is up.