Encyclopedia Screwedica

Bundy/Simpson/Griffin Syndrome – The Doltery Of America's Dads

Mulder

Macleans magazine had an article about this subject back in early October, but I just recently found the link.

It elabourates on how the father figure has either been removed from many shows (due to financial aspects) or downgraded to a very small or even rarely recurring part of a tv show and how in shows where the father is present, he is often portrayed as a fool that gets no respect from his family or his peers.

Remember the TV dads controversy? A recent theme in journalism has been the bad image of fathers on television. Pundits like John Tierney of the New York Times and Ray Richmond of The Hollywood Reporter wrote articles complaining that fathers are, in Richmond’s words, “the last subculture in America whom it is permissible to bash and malign with impunity.” What did networks do in response to the complaints? Cut out fathers entirely.

I think the two shows that started this lack of respect were Married With Children and The Simpsons. But the torch is carried on.

Meanwhile, many of the returning shows are the ones that helped create the image of the “doofus dad”: shows featuring a fat oaf with no good advice to give his kids, and a beautiful wife who really ought to take the kids and leave. The networks have brought back Jim Belushi on According to Jim, Mark on Still Standing, and animated insensitive guys like Peter Griffin on Family Guy and Homer on The Simpsons. On other shows, like Gilmore Girls, there’s no father at all, and the kids don’t seem any worse off for the lack of one.

Is it too much to ask to see more fathers like Ward Cleaver and Mr. Brady?

Goofball dads abound in commercials as well. (The one that immediately comes to mind is the Oatmeal Raisin Crisp guy). I, myself, now call this cereal Goatmeal Raisin Crisp thanks to him.

Out Of The Mouth Of Babes…

Mulder

Eva LongoriaEva Longoria recently made the following statement:

“Everyone on Wisteria Lane has the money of a Republican, but the sex life of a Democrat.”

However, as many on the right side of the political spectrum know, the Desperate Housewives actress has it all backwards. David Frum’s piece in last Sunday’s edition of the National Post has some great information that should shed some light on the darkness of bank accounts and bedrooms.

Over the past 15 years, it is the Democrats, not the Republicans, who have emerged as the party of upper-income America. In 2000, Al Gore beat George Bush among the 4% of voters who described themselves to exit pollsters as “upper class.” In 2004, John Kerry won nine of the 10 richest zip codes in the United States.

We all know John Kerry, a Democrat, has married only the richest of the rich. So the idea that Republicans are the ones with the money is slowly falling on the wayside.

Addressing the sexual side of things, David Frum continues:

As for sex — well, it turns out that it’s Republican (and especially Republican women) who have it more often and better. The two strongest predictors of Republican affiliation in America are (1) marriage and (2) church attendance. These are also the strongest predictors of female sexual satisfaction. The authoritative 1995 University of Chicago survey Sex in America found that conservative Protestant married women were the group most likely to report that they “nearly always” orgasmed during sex. Married women of all religions were almost twice as likely as unmarried women to describe their sex lives as “extremely satisfying.”

Wow!! I always knew that sex between Republicans had to be better because Republicans tend to care more about OTHERS. It is too often the “Me! Me! Me!” attitude of Democrats that would lead to the wham bam thank you ma’am.

The same caring attitude that leads to the above statistics are about to be released in a book by Professor Arthur C. Brooks of the University of Syracuse called Who Really Cares. Here is another snippet from David Frum’s piece which I highly urge you to go read. You will feel better about being politically to the right.

Consider for example this one fundamental liberal/conservative dividing line, the question “Do you believe the government has a responsibility to reduce income inequality?” In a major 1996 survey, 33% of Americans gave the liberal answer, “yes”; 43% gave the conservative answer, “no.”Those who gave the conservative answer were more likely to give to charity than those who gave the liberal answer. And when they gave, they gave much more: an average of four times as much as liberal givers.

Correct for income, age and other variables, and you find that people who want government to fight inequality are 10 points less likely to give anything at all — and when they did give, they gave US$263 per year less than a right-winger of exactly the same age earning exactly the same money.

So there we have it. Those on the right side of the political spectrum are not the richest, have better sex and are more generous when it comes to charities.

Who would have thunk it?

H/T to my friend Sandie for this one.

Good Morning Viagra Ladies, Goodbye Societal Morals

Mulder

Some of you may have noticed the Viagra commercial where the ladies are singing the Good Morning, Good Morning tune. I am sure you know the one I am talking about. It appears on TV at all hours of the day and has four ladies singing their hearts out about how nice the morning is the day after their husbands have taken Viagra.

Today while watching Mike Duffy Live, the commercial came on again and I noticed something I have never noticed before. Since I tape Duffy, I thought I would slow down the video and see if I was right. Let’s look at this one lady at a time.

Viagra Lady number 1 is the blonde in the red sweatsuit. Viagra Lady number 1 isn’t wearing a wedding ring either that naughty girl!!! Take a look.

Viagra Lady 1a

Let’s zoom in.

Viagra Lady 1a zoom

Nope, no ring.

Viagra Lady number 2 is the classy looking business woman who hops off the streetcar swinging an umbrella on her way to work. Let’s take a closer look at her ring finger too.

Viagra Lady 2
And now for the zoom.

Viagra Lady 2 zoom

Nope, no ring.

Viagra Lady number three is the crossing guard. Let’s see if this grey haired lady is wearing a wedding band, shall we?

Viagra Lady 3

Hmmmmm, let’s zoom in here too.

Viagra Lady 3 zoom

Wow, that’s three for three without a ring.

How about Viagra Lady number 4, our favourite dancing man’s girlfriend/wife who is riding her bike home from the grocery store.

Viagra Lady 4

Could it be? Does she have a ring on??

Viagra lady 4 zoom

Nope. It looks like it is just part of the bike’s brakes that appear to be a ring.

So there you have it. Our famous little blue pill is, apparently, being used by ladies who are not lawfully wedded. Now I am not a huge prude by any means, but if my old eyes are able to spot little things like this, I am pretty sure the youngsters out there are too.

I guess I was just hoping that in the commercialization of erections, we could expect to at least have it marketed with married women. Am I asking for too much here? Let me know what you think. Should Viagra have at least made it appear like they are part of a society with a bit of a moral backbone? Have we digressed as a society this much?

The Truth About Icebergs Near New Zealand

Mulder

As I have already seen a couple of commercial clips about the New Zealand icebergs, I thought I would point some information out to my readers to help dispel any attempt by the Main Stream Media (MSM) to make it look like these icebergs are due to global warming.

Please note this:

The flotilla of icebergs off the South Island were probably once part of a much larger iceberg from the Ronne Ice Shelf, on the other side of Antarctica from New Zealand.

And then note this:

The seaward side of the Filchner-Ronne ice sheet is divided into Eastern (Filcher) and the larger Western (Ronne) sections by Berkner Island. The whole ice shelf covers some 430,000 km², making it the second largest ice shelf in Antarctica, after the Ross Ice Shelf. It grows perpetually due to a flow of inland ice sheets. From time to time, when the shearing stresses exceed the strength of the ice, cracks form and large parts of the ice sheet separate from the ice shelf and continue as icebergs. This is known as “calving”.

Bolded emphasis mine.

To back up this data, I looked up information on the Ross Ice Shelf which is similar to the Ronne Shelf but bigger and you can consider this supporting data.

Another massive iceberg has broken off the Ross Ice Shelf, reducing the Antarctic formation to about the size it was in 1911 when explorer Robert Scott’s team first mapped it.

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin said on Monday the breakage is part of the normal iceberg formation or “calving” that comes as thick layers of ice gradually slide down from the high antarctic plateau, and is not related to climate changes or global warming.

Again, bolded emphasis is mine. I just wanted this known before the main stream media goes nuts telling you these floating icebergs are due to global warming. In fact, I can almost guarantee the news channels will bring up the topic and make it ambiguous as to whether or not this is attributed to global warming. Let’s watch and see how they do on their research into “calving”.

The King Is Dead

Mulder

Who will stem the tide of minimum wage activists?

Who will stop the price ceiling and price floor socialists?

Who will stifle those who stifle ingenuity?

Who will step forward and explain to us why the free markets need to be truly free?

Who will we look to for sanity in an insane world of economics?

There is always the video. And this is one that is well worth the 30 minutes.

4 month old H/T.

A Few Officially Loose Screws

Mulder

It’s a ticketmaster before the Stones show up in town… It’s the willcall at Scotiabank Place before the Sens playoff tickets go on sale… nooooo… It’s actually a Futureshop the day before the Sony Playstation 3 arrives.

Futureshop-PS3Day

Tomorrow the gaming unit is released and this location in Kanata has 12 units coming in and 12 people have already pitched tents or set up a mini scaffold with some tarps to cover themselves from the constant drizzle we have had here in Ottawa.

It just goes to show you that there are some really screwed up people out there. The good news is that with the weather, these overnighters are probably going to get sick in the cold and rain and then they can stay home… and play with their new toy.

The World Now Knows Their Gravy Train Has Left The Station

Mulder

Right now the Kyoto countries make up 30% of the man made green house gas emissions.

Right now two of the biggest polluters, the USA and China, are not on board.

Right now, thanks to the Conservatives and Rona Ambrose, the third world countries that are starting to thrive on microcredit are looking for a new kid to rob of his lunch money, because us Canadians have learned some karate and are standing up for ourselves.

Right now, environmentalistas are screaming out loud in an effort to shame Canada into supporting the rest of the world with Kyoto credits, thus enabling the rest of the world to rape us of a percentage of our natural resources via treaties.

Right now countries like Saudi Arabia are laughing while they charge full price to the USA and other free countries for oil without putting a dime into Kyoto because, believe it or not, Saudi Arabia is considered a developing country.

You heard me right. They are considered a developing country. One of the 100+ nations signed on to Kyoto who won’t pay a dime, while nations like Canada, that pump far less fossil burning fuels into the world market pay.

As a developing country, Saudi Arabia would not be subject to emissions cuts under Kyoto, a requirement only binding 30 industrialised nations. Some 135 nations have formally given their support to the pact.

Think about that. A nation like Canada gets petitioned left right and center for things like better equality for women or to dish out our fare share of money to Kyoto and to stifle our economy, while one of the richest nations in the world, Saudi Arabia, pumps millions of barrels of oil a day without penalty. And then they turn around and treat women like a piece of trash.

Saudi Arabia had a GDP in 2005 of rougly $350 Billion and a surplus of roughly $28B surplus yet they whined throughout the Kyoto negotiations at the thought of losing $19B in oil revenue by the year 2010.

Yet do you see Greenpeace or other agencies giving Saudi Arabia any “dinosaur of the day” awards at the UN Climate Change Conference?? NoooOOOoooooo…… They just harp about Canada coming clean and stating we will not meet our Kyoto requirements and threaten to take us to some world level court.

And why do you think they would do that? Because they want their pound of flesh from of our resource-rich nation. Well I for one am glad that Minister Ambrose is on the job and telling the world the truth about what Canada will do and what we won’t do.

Julia Langer WWFNow here’s the kicker. Yesterday, Monday November 13th on Canada AM I heard Julia Langer from the World Wildlife Fund harping about how global warming is causing drought in Canada and lowering the water levels and that it would continue to do so on a global level.

*Screeeeeeeech*

What?? Global warming will LOWER water levels??? Has the left not brainwashed us into thinking the melting icecaps will flood the low lying areas of the planet displacing or killing millions of people in the process??

I am just about fed up with the left and their fearmongering. We just can’t win. Global warming will flood us. Global warming will dry out our lakes. Oh and did I tell you?? Global warming will slow down your internet connection and turn your hair blue. Global warming will kill your dog, break up your marriage and get your teenage daughter pregnant too!!

Be scared!!! Be very scared!!!

Is Kylie Minogue Really Worthy Of All The Press?

Mulder

Or is CTV Newsnet pimping itself?

When I was attending the University of Western Ontario, I remember the re-release ofkylie minogue Locomotion by Kylie Minogue. I didn’t hear boo from the Australian pop star for 15 or 20 years until a week or two ago.

CTV newsnet ran a piece on how she had recovered from cancer and was expecting to be back on tour soon. Considering I didn’t even KNOW she had been touring or heard boo from her since the Locomotion release, I found the story odd.

Today, the CTV has done it again. They had footage of Kylie on stage kicking off her new tour. They even went so far as to say that she would be doing 20 or so shows in Australia before heading overseas but no Canadian dates have been announced.

Is it me, or is this shameless promotion? What are the odds that the CTV is getting paid to promote Kylie Minogue in an effort to see if there is enough interest for her to come to Canada?

I know this is a very cynical view of the press but TV shows and movies have gone to integrating advertising into the background for extra income. So why wouldn’t a network that lives on news stories like CTV Newsnet do the same by integrating some advertising into a story?

If this is the case then it crosses a line as a news agency goes from reporting the news to promoting and creating via a news broadcast. It’s a fine line that the press should not cross. I’ll be watching this because I am really curious if Bell Globemedia is going to sponsor her tour in Canada.

Your opinions and comments are welcome.

Why Can't They Just Send Me My Bill?

Mulder

I woke up this morning and made my weekly run down to the “community mailboxes” which my neighbourhood has. You see, I don’t go down every day because I don’t get much mail. I only get flyers. This morning, in one week I received the following.

-34 pieces of advertising for businesses. 34!!!! It’s time our nation got a “do not mail” list to go along with the “do not call” and “do not spam” lists we need.

-5 bills

-6 political notices (not unexpected with a municipal election on Monday)

But what peeves me off more than the fact that the majority of mail is advertising is that even the mail that is not meant to be advertising has a bunch of gobbledygook in it.

Let me explain.

I opened up my Hydro Ottawa bill and inside the envelope was one sheet of paper with my bill, two inserts that were identical telling me to look up (for overhead wiring) before I do any work. For those that know Kanata, you will notice that our residential neighbourhoods have NO overhead wiring. We are an underground wiring community. But on top of the two inserts (one English and one French) I got a copy of this quarter’s Hydro Ottawa’s Currents a mini newsletter with full blown colour photos, information on LED lights, air conditioner disposal, etc.

How many of my electricity bill dollars does it take to pay someone to generate this crap? I don’t pay my electricity bill to keep a marketing team employed. I pay for my electricity.

Next. My Enbridge Natural Gas bill. Inside was one sheet of paper with all my billing information. I like the size of this one as it is small and full of info all on one sheet. But what does Enbridge go and add? One insert asking me “What’s hiding in your ducts?”. Another insert asking me “Who helps you weather the weather?”. Both advertising for services Enbridge offers to clean ducts or tune up my furnace. But it doesn’t end there. I got an insert telling me about my new rate information. I seem to get one of these every month because the rates fluctuate. This one was to inform me of a decrease in delivery charge. (Yes, Virginia, bills go down too). But then the kicker. I also get a newsletter called the Enbridge Pipeline!! Again, a piece of marketing fluff telling me all about natural gas and how Enbridge works with it.

Can’t my mailbox be JUST for my personally addressed mail? Can’t companies just send me my bill and not all the fluff? I am getting tired of compressing all the garbage and turning it into a fireplace log. But on the plus side, it does help keep my Enbridge bill down when I burn these logs.

In light of this, I have created a new poll regarding do not call, email or phone lists.

Strike Two For CTV On Stem Cell Research Stories

Mulder

After reading Joel over at Proud To Be Canadian with regards to Kate Wheeler promoting stem cell research healing hearts, I have to also point out that this is strike two against the CTV. They continue to promote ADULT STEM CELL RESEARCH SUCCESS but do not differentiate that ADULT STEM CELLS are what were used and not Embryonic Stem Cells. This lack of perspective means that many who are not scientifically familiar believe that all stem cell research is successful and worth investigating. We know this is not the case but the CTV doesn’t help educate others of this fact.

I must point you to CTV’s Strike One where they did not differentiate between the different types.

I must also point you to my story (or Ann Coulter’s) outlining the successes of ADULT and UMBILICAL Stem Cells and the lack of success using embryonic stem cells.

Spread the gospel please. The world needs to know that there IS a difference between the three types of stem cell research and which are proven successes (ADULT AND UMBILICAL) and which are not (EMBRYONIC). It is obvious that the MSM has ignored the differences and that they are manipulating people’s views by leaving out a description of these differences. Shame on the CTV.