Hello Everyone. First I want to say, I have moved to WordPress, as they have a better commenting system. So that being said, let’s get into it. Please note there is some colourful language.
Kevin Clash. The loveable voice of Elmo, and all of sudden accused of sexual exploits on young children. Do these accusations have merit? Well, I have to wonder. I’ll admit, I was starting to believe when Kevin resigned during the second allegation. Now, with a third allegation, all I have to say is
This third guy, known only as “John” (gee, that’s original) claims that he came to know Clash, then aged 40, through a telephone chat line for gay men on which Clash claimed to be a 30 year old named Craig (because everyone tells the truth in chat rooms). Ok. Hold the f’n phone here. What in the flying hell is a kid doing in a Chat line for gay men? If you think this is messed up, there’s more.
John goes on to state that he returned to New York when he turned 18, and he and Clash renewed the relationship, and that Kevin Clash is an incredible man outside of his sexual demons. Waiiiiiit. Am I the only one that thinks this is fucked up? So to summarize the situation, he met Kevin as a teen through a gay chat line, got abused by Kevin, then hooked up with him a few years later? And this was the same as one of the other accusers as well. Seems consensual to me.
It also seems to me, that it makes no sense to hook up with a guy who abused you earlier in life. I’d say that John is looking for a free ride on the latest Band Wagon.
The last fact I’ll share is this. John has said, If someone is being accused of something, if they come forward and just say ‘yeah, it’s true. I made a mistake’, then victims don’t feel the need to come forward. But in this case these victims, previous victims, were being challenged and so he came forward to support them.
So Johnny boy, answer me this. If someone called you a gay pedophile, would you admit it? Even if it were true? Get a grip man.
So in closing, I want to send a message to John, and the others who have placed obviously weak claims against an American Icon.
GET A FUCKING LIFE.
I have never read anything as ridiculous as what I’ve read about this. Even if Kevin had done this, you hooked up with him again. You all sound more like jilted lovers than abuse victims. Do you sue all your jilted lovers, or just the ones who makes millions of dollars, and billions of kids happy? You are nothing more than money grubbing, self-serving losers, who have nothing better to do than ruin a man’s life?
Obviously not.
Warning: There will be a tiny sales pitch at the end of this Blog.
Hello everyone. I am taking a break from my normal controversy to bring you something near and dear to me. My writing. As most of my friends and family know, I enjoy writing. Whether it’s poetry, blogs, fantasy wrestling league NEWA (www.nextevolutionwrestling.com) , or simple jotting words on a page, I love to write. Often I evoke emotional responses from people, some good, some bad. But isn’t that what true writing is about?
As many of you might remember, I have for some time been working on various projects and trying to get something published with a major publisher. This is a daunting task at the best of times, and I’m sad to report that I have had a great deal of rejection. But all is not lost. In this marvelous technological age that we live in, I have found another avenue in which to pursue my dreams. It may be a long road, but I feel that I have what it takes.
What am I babbling about you ask? Well, it is the world of Self Publishing and e-Books. Yes that’s right. I’ve gone electronic. My choice to do so wasn’t an easy one, but in doing some research, I have a lot more creative control, and I get to experience the editing and preparation process.
Let me tell you how I got there.
I stumbled upon a place online called smashwords. (www.smashwords.com) What is smashwords you ask? Well they describe themselves as
Offering the fastest and easiest option for distributing an ebook to the world’s largest ebook retailers. We provide free tools for marketing, distribution, metadata management and sales reporting. At Smashwords, our authors and publishers have complete control over the sampling, pricing and marketing of their written works. Smashwords is ideal for publishing novels, short fiction, poetry, personal memoirs, monographs, non-fiction, research reports, essays, or other written forms that haven’t even been invented yet.
Smashwords was created by Mark Coker, for the exact same reason I chose them. Failed attempts at big publishers. I won’t go into great detail, you can read it on the site, but I will say this, with unequivocal certainty:
Smashwords is Fantastic.
They don’t guarantee you sales, or market your book for you, but they give you all the tools needed to do it yourself. They provide a Smashwords Style guide, and if followed, will almost certainly qualify you for their premium catalogue. With inclusion to the premium catalogue, you book is submitted to Sony, Barnes and Noble, Kobo, Apple, Diesel, and Smashwords own catalogue. They also have a Smashwords Marketing Guide that is very helpful, and a list of other Smashwords Authors who provide editing and cover design services. I would strongly urge anyone who is interested in creating an E-book, to check out smashwords.
Now on to me. The process has been slow so far, but my book is soon to available on the stores of the platforms listed above. You can get all those formats from the Smashwords Page as well. I decided to publish a book I had been working on for a while. It was meant to be a coffee table book that poked a little fun at men and how they interact with women. It is called
This book is meant to be a funny, lighthearted read, and not truly educational, but if it ends up being educational, then cool.
Here is where the sales pitch comes. I would like you to sample the book, and if you like it, maybe buy it. Aside from the e-reader formats, it is also in HTML , PDF and plain text, however the reading experience might not be as great. (But the content still rocks). I’ve even created a coupon to make the book 1.99 for a limited time. use code WG95Y
You can find it by clicking Here.
I likely won’t blog about this again, I just wanted to get the word out.
Thanks for listening, and happy reading.
I am taking a break from my more controversial topics to tell you about my recent experience with GoodLife fitness. So please follow my timeline if you will.
July 11, 2012
I go into my local Club and talk to the Manager about closing my account. We were no longer using the Gym . After a discussion, we determined that we would put the account on hoid for 6 months. The manager processes the paper work for this, and I leave feeling good about it all. It is agreed that there will be an 11.50 fee for the hold bi-weekly.
July 20th, 2012
The payment withdrawn from my account is in 27.54. 16.00 more than agreed upon. This almost caused another cheque I had written to not clear. I return to the club and question the manager on July 24th. He is unsure as to why the amount is 27.54. He agrees to contact Member Services, but cannot do so until Monday. I agree.
July 24st 2012
The Manager and I speak, and he says Member Services indicates that the reason for the payment was that my membership was put on hold, but my wife’s wasn’t. They need to pull the paperwork to verify if the manager requested both, before they issue a refund. They assure him that the next payment will be correct. Now here is where I really encounter my first problem. The Manager is saying I requested both, he never denied that, so if he made an error, then why do I have to wait in paperwork for a refund that I am CLEARLY supposed to get. But again, I let it slide, and wait.
July 31th 2012
One week has passed and no response from Member experience. I guess there paper work must be filed in a remote location that they can only get to by traversing ropes and cliffs. But still, after all this, I still give them the benefit of the doubt.
Aug 3, 2012
Lo and behold, another payment of 27.54 is taken. I go into the club on Aug 5 and express my dissatisfaction. They again offer to contact Member services. I agree, but ask them to indicate to member services that due to the 2 payments being taken incorrectly, and the fact that it has now been almost a month since the issue began, that I expect the full amount of the payments to be reversed, in the interest of customer satisfaction and service. They agree to pass on the info. I don’t think what I was asking was unreasonable, seeing as how 2 payments were now taken incorrectly. I was asking for the full refund of 55.00, where the refund of the erroneous amounts was 34.00. A difference of 21.00. So for a month of time, and hours of effort, I was asking for a measly compensation of 21.00.
Aug 7, 2012
So I hear back from the club. They say that Member experience has no record of the manager ever calling and this is the first they’ve heard of the issue! They tell the club they will not be providing any additional compensation, but agreed that the membership of my Wife was not put on hold. So my question is, if that is the case, how did the manager know if he didn’t call member services? So the club indicates that Member services is going to refund the erroneous amounts, via a transfer to my bank account. They tell me it will take approx. 5 business days. So This time, I decided to wait again, but would call member services myself after the 5 business days.
Somewhere in the next few days, I also submit feedback to the Goodlife website, and to present date, have no response.
Aug 15, 2012
5 business days have passed, and still no refund. So I decide to call member services. When I get the young lady on the phone, she is quick to reiterate that they have no record of the manager calling, they are not in “the business” of giving compensation, and that the refund takes 10-15 business days not 5. I ask her what their escalation process is, and she tells me she can file a complaint for me. I ask her to do so, and ask how I would know that what I asked for would get done. She tells me all calls are recorded and notated. I dispute this, as the Manager from the club’s call was not notated. I request as part of my complaint to have the call records reviewed for my account for the time period of July 23 and 24th. She indicated as well that the refund needed to be “Approved” so that was the delay. Approved? It was an error. So my refund essentially is placed in a queue with all the other refunds, regardless of severity. Perfect.
August 24, 2012
No response from Member Experience, and still no refund. It has now been 13 business days since the refund process started, and 7 business days since I last spoke to Member Experience. I call again, and ask the person to give me the status of the refund and the complaint. He says the refund has been approved and “in process”, but can’t give me a date when to expect it. When I mention about additional compensation, he says “What else do you expect? We are refunding the incorrect amount”. WOW. I should add that this guy interrupted me multiple times, and called me by my first name, which I never indicated he could do. When I asked him about the complaint, he says it was sent to the managers at head office and the club. I asked him who was going to inform me about the complaint. He was perplexed, and asked my why. Well Hello…. I’m the one who submitted the complaint! Would be a good idea to include me in the loop, don’t ya think? He says that the complaint will go to his research dept and they will call me back, on Monday or Tuesday. I hope they have my phone number on file, because he never asked for it. He also made it a point to nit pick about when I called, correcting me by one day. This particular call left me feeling very upset, and as if my issue didn’t matter.
August 28, 2012
Today is the 15th business day, and still no refund. Not a penny, and no call from Member services. So to recap, this issue began on July 20th, and now we are at August 28, with no resolution. And I bet that they STILL would say that no additional compensation is necessary.
To be fair, I didn’t initially ask for compensation. But to be truthful, after the dreadful service I received, I don’t know if they could compensate me enough. ANY chance of me renewing my membership is out the window. The lack of customer service I received here is appalling. I wanted to share to make all of you aware that this company is not what it seems. 3 weeks to refund an error is just ridiculous. To not take into account the amount of time and effort a client like myself put in to try and correct it is asinine.
I hope you all will share this with everyone you know. It needs to be known how they seem to really feel about customer service.
So we have all heard of seeing Eye Dogs, and know the benefits they bring. I wonder if we are all aware of Hearing Ear Dogs?
Here is What I found out about hearing ear dogs:
For a person who is hearing impaired, the feeling of vulnerability and isolation can be overwhelming. A Hearing Dog is a dedicated assistant to such people — He will alert his master to important sounds, such as the sounds of a baby’s cry, the telephone ringing, a knock at the door, an alarm clock, a kettle whistle, in addition to such danger signals as the sound of a smoke alarm, burglar alarm, or even the rustling of a prowler, by leading the owner. (ok say maybe not in the case of the prowler, but you get the idea.) These dogs provide a sense of security, independence, and of course companionship to their human partners. They proudly wear their working vests and enjoy the same public access rights as Guide Dogs for the blind.
So in understanding that, do you think the dog is required for going to get a pizza or go to the gym?
This is where my problem lies.
I am aware of, and have witnessed the use of, such a dog while ordering a pizza and going to the gym. This person has been deaf for much longer than he has had a dog. He drives and ordered his pizzas perfectly well before he had the dog. But let me explain a bit more. When ordering the pizza, the dog sits on the floor. While the pizza is cooking the dog sits on the floor. When the pizza is ready and it is brought to the counter, the owner can see, and the dog sits on the floor. While the owner eats, the dog sits on the floor. The only time the dog moves, is when it’s time to leave. So what is the common denominator here?
The dog sits on the floor.
This has happened on MANY occasions, each result being the same. As for the gym, a friend of mine saw him in the gym with the dog. The dog laid on the floor, and actually sniffed at my friend. The owner has a special trainer that knows sign language. So unless the dog is spotting him while he does lifts or presses, what is the purpose? The trainer can alert of any danger.
What I’m getting at here is, where do you draw the line between being useful, and abusing a law. Yes the dog has the same rights as Seeing Eye dogs, and justly so, but situations should dictate, in at least some regard, if the presence of the dog is appropriate. There should be a need for the dog to be there.
Many people simply say nothing, as they do not want to offend the owner, or start anything that may be obscurely viewed as discriminatory.
This is really a smaller issue of a larger matter of handicaps being exploited because they can be. I could get into other things, but that is for another day.
So with my departure for Moncton and Nickelback imminent, I thought I’d have a look at the phenomenon that is Nickelback Haters.
First, I find it amazing that a band can be as infamous as they are famous. The hate for them is almost as large as the love. Thankfully and proudly, I am on the love side. It’s funny though to see responses as to why people hate them. For example, I read :
“Because their music is garbage and overplayed. Ten years of listening to the same trash over and over again”
Spoken like a person who has not likely listened to more than 2 songs by Nickelback, and conveniently is ignoring the fact that the above statement describes most pop music as well. Of course if you play a certain genre of music, there is going to be similarities, but to say that it’s the same trash for the last 10 years…. Well my rebuttal to that is, I guess 50 million people love trash, because they have sold that many plus albums, and are still going strong as one of the biggest acts in North America, and even the world. Besides if you listen to stuff from albums like “The State” and then “Here and Now”, they are very different.
What truly bothers me is just a general they suck! Well if you don’t like them, or their music, fine. That’s your opinion. But to say someone sucks, when they are obviously leaders in their genre, is not only ridiculous, but exposes you for the fucking idiot you are. With seven studio albums, one compilation album, one EP, thirty-two singles, and 7 of those singles hitting #1 on US charts and 10 others in the top 10 on the same Charts, well they certainly don’t suck. Find me a Rock band in the past 10 years that has had this kind of success.
People also complain it is the same thing over and over with songs. Well again. Find me rock band that has a huge range of style… EVER. The truth is, you stick with what works. Chad and the boys play loud guitar, with harsh vocals (in a good way Chad !) and appeal to their audience. While you people are analyzing lyrics, don’t leave out the Hip Hop genre, because I’m sure you’ll find lots of substance there. (NOT!)
I also think the number of haters is exaggerated. How many SAY they hate nickelback, but then are secretly drumming along when they come on the radio? They don’t want their friends to know they like Nickelback.
So I’ll say this in closing. If you don’t like them, fine. But you can’t take away their success and the fact that they are great rockers. I, along with approximately 34,999 other fans, will have a kick ass time in Moncton. And don’t worry haters. I’ll tell you ALL about it when I get back.
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Hello All. So By now I’m sure you’ve all seen or heard our lovely new spokeswomen for the Halifax bridges. Aptly named Bridget, she is a trash talking, no nonsense gal, who tells it like it is. Who better to have for a spokesperson right? Well some think not. A particular local feminist organization doesn’t think Bridget is good at all, and is asking the Bridge Commission to take her down AND apologize. They claim the ads are objectifying women. Well I have a few things to say about that.
(Not really a surprise, I know)
So let’s look at the objectification. There are two things here we can all know to be true. Sex sells, and women have been peddling one thing or another on billboards since, well their invention. Do these groups have an issue with the billboards that sell perfume, or the pictures of women wearing only jeans to promote that product?
It has been tossed around that women who have been sexually abused, or joked about sexually would not like the depictions of Bridget. Why? Is she up there with bruises on her face? Do the billboards show her being berated by her husband? No. To me this is reaching really far for an excuse to try to influence something you don’t like, and using your help group as a crutch, or launch board.
So…. I have a few points for those who don’t like Bridget to ponder.
She is not real. Sure she looks like a woman, but was created for the ad campaign. This was her purpose. The ads don’t show her half naked, or looking like she dressed for the club. It simply shows an attractive face, with backhanded comments. And let’s be real for a moment. The type of things she is trying to prevent are common sense, so if people are doing them (and they are), are backhanded comments not deserved?
She is powerful. She is painted in such a light that she is the one in charge. She is doing the telling. Is this not part of what these women advocate groups want? She is standing up for what she believes in, and making her voice heard. If the idea is to personify her, then we cannot leave that out. She is a powerful woman who is taking control. Kudos to you Bridget.
Target your audience. Demographically and statistically men are supposedly the worst offenders for driving. So if you are to follow the statistic, and use that to market your message, I don’t think it would be wise to have Larry the Cable Guy on your Billboard telling drivers to “Slow er down!”. You want a man to take notice? I think Bridget would trump Larry any day.
Don’t just reach at the first “apparent” cause to catch your eye. While I certain respect and appreciate women’s right, and the group that protect them, to associate Bridget with sexual assault, or sexist jokes is simply preposterous. Is there sexual innuendo? Of course. It is a campaign that appeals mostly to men. But aside from that, sexual innuendo is in all media. Papers, TV, movies, signs, flyers, handouts, coupons, stickers, shirts, hats…. Need I go on? Should we get after the ladies that wear tight sweatpants that say “Bootylicious” on the ass? These are far more objectifying and demeaning than Bridget.
Sometimes I truly wonder if people simply stand up and make a fuss, just to make fuss. Like children really. Oh! Oh! Look at me! Look at me! Over here!
Grow-up people. I for one, will be sad to see Bridget go this month, but look forward to seeing her, UNCHANGED, in the fall.
10 Items or Less: It won’t make you LESS of a person to know that FEWER than 30% of people get this right. Technically, since the number of items can be measured, the appropriate word to use is fewer. Less would be used in a circumstance where the subject is not tangibly measurable.
Irregardless : The simple utterance of this word makes my blood boil. Not only does the prefix and suffix cancel each other out, it sounds ridiculous. Basically the word irregardless means the same as regard, but people who don’t seem to have a basic understanding of English language, use it as a substitute for regardless. I wonder if they know how foolish they sound, REGARDLESS of how smart they THINK they sound?
I could care less: How many people have you heard say that? Well the next time you do, ask then how and why they care. The result will be that they will look at you and say “ Did I say I cared?” To which you would say, “Indeed you did! You said you COULD care less, which indicates at least a base level of caring.” At which time they likely COULDN’T care less about you correcting their linguistic ability.
Doggy Dog World: Well unless your first name is Snoop, all this malpropism will do is make you look as smart as a dog, and you likely won’t survive in this Dog EAT Dog world.
Literally: You may LITERALLY get heckled if you misuse this word, but you’d have to find someone who caught the mis-use first. Probably one of the most misused and not oft caught words in the English language. To use it correctly, it first must have some basis is fact. For example you could say “he was so tired he literally passed out in minutes. “ This is entirely possible, and someone who is very tired could pass out in minutes. What you couldn’t say is “ He ran so fast he was literally going as fast as a train”. Nope. Nada. Not a chance. This is a figure of speech, not a literal situation.
Affect vs Effect : This only one AFFECTS me in writing, because in speech we are ignorant to the difference, and it has no adverse EFFECTS, as most pronounce them the same, although they are technically pronounced differently. Affect is a verb meaning to influence, and EFFECT is usually an outcome, as in learning better English will have a positive EFFECT on your speech, and may AFFECT how other perceive you 
Well that’s it for today class. Professor T signing off!
