'sA-dE . com

It's not hormones

I've been feeling kind of bitchy lately, and while there is empirical evidence that it could be the direct result of PMS, I don't think it's the hormones. I really think that everyone else has the problem. What the hell is going on in the world?

Lebanon

Average man-on-the-street Canadians (read: white guys who read The Sun newspapers) are pissed off that there are 50 000 people who hold dual Lebanese-Canadian citizenship. Their already low opinion of "hyphenated Canadians" is served particularly well by the number of images the media has chosen to show portraying Lebanese citizens fleeing from Southern Lebanon and complaining about the slow response from Canadian and other governments to get them out of the country. Let's put this into perspective Canada: First, these people, our fellow Canadians, are fleeing a god-damned war zone. They are probably not at their best when they appear on camera. They are scared, they are confused, and they are worried. Showing pictures of calm evacuees would make for some pretty boring 6 o'clock news, and would probably have you complaining that we're spending so much money on an evacuation from somewhere that looks so peaceful on TV. Second, Canada's response was pretty darn slow. Even the Prime Minister didn't know what to say. If you tried to call the embassy in Beirut to find out what to do, or where to go, you got no answer. The airport was destroyed. Roads were being destroyed. How the hell were people supposed to evacuate without international assistance? Third, why do you have a problem with dual citizenship anwyay? If Canada became unstable and engulfed in a civil war, I'd get the hell of out here. I'd be one of the first people on a plane to a new home. I'd probably take up citizenship there, and dutifully pay my taxes, contribute to society, and even serve jury duty when called. But as nice and kind as my adoptive country might be (I would hope I would be treated a little more nicely than the average New Canadian is currently treated by Joe Redneck), I would always hope that some day I could return to my home and native land when it became safe again.

Declining numbers in gym class

A recent study has shown that fewer and fewer high school students are enrolling in gym class after completing their mandatory single-course requirement in grade 9. People are saying it's because it's too hard to balance gym, a class that requires 0 homework, with all of the courses required to graduate now that we have no Grade 13 in Ontario. People... before the abolition of grade 13, students in Ontario had to complete 30 course credits between grades 9 and 12. After the abolition of grade 13, students still have to complete 30 credits between grades 9 and 12. The course load is the same. Students are just lazy. And the best cure for laziness? Physical activity! I took gym every year during high school completely voluntarily. I managed to do so while balancing advanced courses above my grade level and maintaining an A+ GPA. I wasn't great at gym. I wasn't an athlete. But I relished having 50 min, 4 days each week, where I didn't have to think all that much and just ran around sweating. Taking gym in highschool encouraged me to try new things, like cross country skiing, ultimate, and climbing mountains. I will never be at the elite level in any of these activities, and may never do some of them again, but at least I know that my body is capable of doing more than reacting to two-dimensional images and memorizing the periodic table.

Bystander Apathy

Last week and 17-year-old boy in Toronto was beaten for an hour, then dragged 1.5 km to a ravine and left for dead. In broad daylight. In front of witnesses. The residents of the urban trailer park (read: slum) where this took place saw the assault and heard his cries, but figured that it would be too dangerous for them to step in and help. Now they are upset that their neighbourhood is going to such a hell, even though they've provided the handbasket. Guess what people? You were supposed to call the police. Every time you heard someone scream out in pain. Every time you saw a group of thugs laying into a victim. Every time you witnessed suspicious activity, you shouold have called the police. Had you done your duty as a citizen then, maybe Omar Wellington might be alive today. Your neighbourhood has gone to hell because you have let it do so. It's your fault, and the blood is on your hands.