Tag: WTF?

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I thought it was just tit for tat, not anymore.

When some pundits and politicians started calling for a cognitive test for President Biden, I honestly thought it was them just being dicks. I thought is was probably payback for calls for similar tests during Trump’s presidency.

I don’t think Biden is the sharpest knife in the drawer generally, but after reading about his performance trying to put bicycle handles on a bike at a Toys for Tots event, I can sort of see their point.

Apparently The President couldn’t put a round tube inside another round tube. Makes you wonder if he has similar problems in the bedroom.

At this point, I’d love to see him working with one of those child’s toys where you match the different shaped wooden blocks with the appropriately shaped holes. That’s a toy that while exercising a child’s mind also serves as a cognitive reasoning test allowing parents to gauge a child’s development.

Perhaps I’m being unkind, but come on. Now, it’s possible that he couldn’t focus properly on the top of the bike, but if that’s true he needs to get to the White House Ophthalmologist for a check up. Perhaps it’s time for sleepy Joe to get a pair of glasses. If he’s having a visual focusing problem, it begs the question; Is he reading the stuff coming across his desk?

Generally speaking I don’t read anything the Joe or the White House put out. Most anything they say gets retracted a day later so it’s best to wait for the dust to settle before getting worked up about it. Even after the dust has settled, most of the time I find myself shaking my head in dumbfounded amazement that these are the people in control. This one though, was even more dumbfounding than usual so I read it when it came out.

I’ve dealt with an assortment of pretty insane, and stupid people over my lifetime. The saddest part, is that I’d rather have them running things instead of what we’ve got now.

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This is one definition of irony!

According to the Associated Press:

Mexico is using images and video of a Philadelphia Street to warn children in Mexico about the ills of drug abuse.

The actual article is linked below:

Mexico depicts Philadelphia street scenes in anti-drug ads

I’d laugh but this is so fucking sad, I almost can’t believe it. At first I thought it was a satire article from The Babylon Bee.

Unfortunately as is the often the case these days, much of what should be satire is entirely true.

The real kicker for me personally is that the folks from Philadelphia are more concerned that the videos and images of homeless drug addicts shambling around the city, may have been used without permission of the people appearing in them.

Uhh… Maybe you should be more concerned with the drug problem, crime, and violence in your city than whether the addicts gave their permission to be filmed. Odds are good that even if they’d given permission in exchange for their next fix, they wouldn’t remember it. 

Good God almighty! Where the hell are our priorities?

Here is the article for your convenience.

From The Associated Press

Mexico depicts Philadelphia street scenes in anti-drug ads

By MARK STEVENSON and MARYCLAIRE DALE
November 11, 2022

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The Mexican government is using video of homeless people and open-air drug users in Philadelphia’s embattled Kensington neighborhood in a national ad campaign to try to scare young people away from drugs.

The spots never identify the city or neighborhood shown. But just how or why the Mexican government decided to use street scenes from the U.S. to scare Mexicans — who have their own drug problems — is not clear. Critics say the ads recycle scare tactics about drugs rather than offer help or treatment.

Jesús Ramírez, the spokesman for President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, proudly presented the ad series Tuesday. But Ramírez did not respond to repeated requests for comment as to where the government got the Philadelphia videos or why they used them.

The use of the videos, apart from sparking concern over Philadelphia’s image, or whether those filmed had given their consent, raised questions, in part because Mexico is the source of most of the fentanyl being sold in the United States.

In one spot presented Tuesday entitled “Crystal” (meth), a Spanish-speaking narrator says, in a voice-over above scenes of drug users shaking or contorting along trash-strewn Kensington Avenue, “Crystal (meth) finishes you off quickly, it takes away hunger and tiredness and causes hallucinations and psychosis. It damages the body and mind.”

The Philadelphia Mayor’s Office acknowledged the drug problem but said it is not limited to one city or neighborhood, and noted that all people are capable of “hope, healing, and resilience.”

“The opioid and overdose crisis in Philadelphia is part of a national and even international epidemic, and we agree it is important for everyone to understand, as this video notes, that all street drugs now present an elevated risk of overdose because of fentanyl’s extreme prevalence,” a spokesperson for Mayor Jim Kenney said.

“Having said that, it is always hard to see our city’s people and neighborhoods portrayed in a limited and negative light. No neighborhood, and no person, should be defined by this tragic and widespread crisis,” they said.

Philadelphia is debating solutions to the overdose crisis — Kenney supports proposals for supervised injection sites — while the number of overdose deaths continues to climb, reaching 1,276 deaths last year.

Another Mexican spot depicts scenes of drug users or homeless people slumped or standing unsteadily in Kensington, which can be identified by transit signs in the videos.

“Now the narcos are adding fentanyl to hook you from the first time you use. Fentanyl kills,” the narrator says in Spanish. “It is 50 times more potent than heroin. Two hundred people die every day from using it. Don’t risk it!”

However fentanyl use remains relatively low in Mexico — almost all is exported to the United States — while there are plenty of meth and crack users.

Only one of the government anti-drug ads — one focusing on glue-sniffing — used recognizably Mexican street footage. Other scenes show people wearing sweatshirts that say “California” and “Barcelona.”

“These are terrible ads; they’re truly terrible,” said Mexico security analyst Alejandro Hope. “They are badly thought out, badly produced, and they are the result of bad public policy. There is no public health message there.”

Instead of offering help, hotlines, advice or treatment options — which in the public sector are almost non-existent in Mexico — Hope said they repeated the most aggressive U.S. drug-scare tactics of the 1980s.

“I don’t think these ads are aimed at users, at youths at risk,” said Hope. “I think these are aimed at a wider and much more conservative audience that viscerally rejects any kind of drug use and whose moral buttons you want to push, to generate a moral terror.”

López Obrador, while he projects himself as a leftist, has actually been “deeply conservative” on issues like drugs, abortion, the family and women’s rights, Hope said.

Quetcy Lozada, elected Tuesday to represent the Philadelphia City Council district that includes Kensington, said the area includes many hard-working families who want to stay and make things better. But the ads and frequent media attention only draw more users and curiosity-seekers to the streets — and more problems, she said.

“Philadelphia has so many amazing places and so many amazing people, it embarrasses me that this is the type of footage that is being used,” Lozada said. “(It’s) just not acceptable.”

In a TV ad entitled “Crack,” the narrator says, in a voice-over with street scenes in Kensington. “Taking crack cocaine damages your brain and heart and causes anxiety and paranoia.” The ad quickly segues into scenes of homeless people, apparently filmed at a nearby park.

Kelly Garant, a peer care coordinator in Philadelphia for a nonprofit organization, helps people struggling with addiction, as she once did, get medical and other services.

“They are actually in a state of crisis, and to be exploited when they’re that vulnerable, it’s just not acceptable,” Garant said. “You don’t know whose mother or father or brother that is.”

Years from now, she said, they may have their lives back on track, but the images could still be out there — for their children, friends and work colleagues to see.

Addiction, she said, “doesn’t discriminate.” It’s just less visible in other neighborhoods.

“In other parts of the city, people overdose in their homes,” she noted. “If they’re talking about anti-drug campaigns, there are people doing drugs inside their homes and we can’t get to them.”

___

Dale reported from Philadelphia

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It’s been a rough week!

I threw my back out last Thursday. Wow! That’s an amazing pain!

Lower Back Pain

I’ve thrown my back out before, but this time it’s a whole new level.

I was on the mend. But today, I was of all things, trimming my toenails and my entire lower back locked in a spasm.

It’s humiliating! 

I’ve been told that getting old isn’t for the weak. But since when did personal care end up on the list of hazardous activities?

Couldn’t I have done this doing something interesting? Couldn’t it have been mountain climbing, snow skiing? Lifting my SCUBA tank off a boat? Exploring all the positions of the Kama Sutra?

OH NOOOOO!

I had to do this doing something stupid, mundane, and embarrassing!

I’m sitting here in my office chair with a hot pad stretched across my low back. The office chair is at its maximum height which makes it a touch less excruciating, if I have to stand up.

I had grand plans today. I was going to take the dog on a long walk, I was going to reorganize the linen closet. Uhhh nope! Not happening today, it might not happen tomorrow.

This isn’t the only thing that’s made this a rough week. There have been reports from the East Coast that raise more concerns about family members (yes, plural) who are slipping away.

On this coast and closer to home, the other half has had a couple of issues starting last Thursday, and again yesterday. The latest resulted in spending most of yesterday in ER. It was nothing life threatening, but was concerning enough that paramedics were summoned for their professional opinion and they assisted me loading the other half into the car for the trip to ER.

Throwing my back out this morning couldn’t come at a worse time.

I share my humiliation with you gentle reader, not for sympathy. I share it so that you know you’re not alone. Sitting here having the warmth spreading through my back, I’ve realized it’s actually kind of funny. So laugh your ass off as much as you want.

Just remember, there’s a time in your future when something completely inane will sideline you. When that time comes, try to remember this post & smile.

Be well.

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Ya know, It’s time to end PayPal.

I long ago closed my PayPal Account. I’ve avoided them like the plague since. Thinking about it, I must’ve closed that account 10 years or so ago.

I closed it because they sent out a notice telling their account holders that they’d decline to process any purchases that could be related to firearms.

I didn’t own any firearms but them telling me, the customer, that they would have final say on how I spent my money didn’t sit right. They also had some other things they’d decline to process, specifically adult oriented purchases.

To be clear, the PayPal Account I had was not a credit account. This was PayPal getting between me and the cash assets I’d deposited into their financial system.

So I thought about it for a while then pulled my cash out of their system. When the account was closed I never looked back.

PayPal hasn’t crossed my mind until yesterday.

There was an AUP (Acceptable Use Policy) released from PayPal stating that they would take $2500.00 from a user’s account if PayPal determined that the user spread “Misinformation”

There’s an article from MSN Here, and another article from Breitbart Here.

Prohibited activities include:

the sending, posting, or publication of any messages, content, or materials that, in PayPal’s sole discretion, (a) are harmful, obscene, harassing, or objectionable, (b) depict or appear to depict nudity, sexual or other intimate activities, (c) depict or promote illegal drug use, (d) depict or promote violence,  criminal activity, cruelty, or self-harm (e) depict, promote, or incite hatred or discrimination of protected groups or of individuals or groups based on protected characteristics (e.g. race, religion, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, etc.) (f) present a risk to user safety or wellbeing, (g) are fraudulent, promote misinformation, or are unlawful, (h) infringe the privacy, intellectual property rights, or other proprietary rights of any party, or (i) are otherwise unfit for publication.

That’s a pretty broad brush they’re painting with. Essentially anything that you might say which someone might take offense at could cost you 2500.00 per incident.

They can’t directly attack the First Amendment, so they’re going to silence you with fines. Imagine, you getting into a Twitter exchange where 50 Trans or Abortion activists were offended.

With this policy in place, the perpetually aggrieved could report you to PayPal and use PayPal to financially ruin you if you had an account.

People like Jordan Peterson, Kanye West, Marjorie Taylor Green, Dave Rubin, or any other conservative voice, could literally be run into bankruptcy in less than 24 hours. Hey, it’s all automatic isn’t it? All it takes is some person in a cubical hitting a “FINE” button based on every complaint lodged against someone, verified or not. Hell it could even be done with an algorithm.

The really evil part of this scheme is that the people complaining don’t get the cash. PayPal keeps it.

There’s no checks or balances.

If a person complaining could get $2500 for their complaint, but stood to loose that money if the complaint was found to be invalid, then at least the complaints might have a chance of being ‘real’. But PayPal was trying to create a completely open ended system where they cashed in with no accountability.

PayPal must be ended! I think everyone should close their accounts immediately. Don’t use PayPal even to process a credit card. Why give them any possible leverage to destroy your financial stability?

This form of manipulation must be stopped. It’s not just PayPal, banks all over the world are starting to engage in social justice instead of doing what they’re paid to do, which is hold client money and process payments.

PayPal is walking this whole thing back today. But it’s only because of the blowback. This was not a mistake, as PayPal is claiming today. This was their intention, they just didn’t anticipate that people would actually read their AUP.

Make no mistake, banks, and payment processors, particularly those in the sphere of technology are rabid social justice warriors, they’re leftists, and this may be part of the so called “Conspiracy” to make every human being subject to ESG scores.

Choose your financial institutions wisely. Don’t comply with this kind of bullshit.

Banks hold money, it is not up to them to be your parents, approving of how you spend your hard earned money.

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Why the Trans agenda is wrong

A picture, as they say, is worth a 1000 words.

Oakville Trafalgar High School 75 png

This is a Canadian High School shop teacher. This also happens to be this teacher’s usual attire. This is obviously a man who not only is dressing as a woman, but is also dressing in the fashion of Japanese Anime Porn.

Aside from the caricature this man is making of a woman, and the grossness of this display.

There’s a cruelty for his male shop students as well.

The men, and I mean genetic men, reading this may remember that when they were in their teens, any passing thought of sex would generate a physical reaction. In some cases that physical reaction aside from being uncomfortable, could also be the source of teasing and embarrassment.

There is almost nothing worse than having your dick bound up in your boxers, getting hard, and then having your buddies bust your balls about it.

The ladies in the room may have similar experiences with uncontrolled arousal but having your external plumbing swelling and being strangled by your underwear is a very uncomfortable experience that all men can relate to.

Having your erection publicly called out in a classroom is humiliating and shameful enough. For guys on the larger side it’s worse, they may come to believe they’re “freaks” due to their size and develop a lot of shame and inhibitions about their bodies along the way.

A good friend of mine described feelings of shame, isolation, embarrassment, and humiliation, he developed while in school gym classes in junior high school, then later in high school, and even the Marine Corps.

He hated being called “Horse Dick”, or “Horse” when he was young.

In later adulthood, he realized it wasn’t meant to hurt him it was a somewhat envious acknowledgment of fact. Eventually he’d smile and his closest friends could call him “Horse” he’d take it as a term of friendship. It became a nickname that was used in private acknowledging the closeness of the private relationship between them. Our group of friends were of an age where nudity among friends wasn’t a big deal. Gym time, camping, getting ready for dates, being roommates, in all of these situations we were pretty uninhibited.

He told me that he’d had whores refund his money when he dropped trou.

Eventually he came to “Own” it, he once said, “he was built for large women and small cattle,” his words, not mine.

It took years for him to come to grips with his size, but he was still shy and easily embarrassed about it. He explained, he’d start a sexual encounter by telling the prospective partner, “Let’s start with a hand job and see where it goes.”

Having seen him in the shower, I can tell you his, ‘small cattle’ description was spot on.

We were close enough that I asked him once how big he was when fully erect. He said he had a solid 11 inches and was almost as thick as a coke can. This severely limited his sexual partners. Given what he looked like soft, I absolutely believe him.

The kicker is, he was one of the gentlest, kindest, souls I’ve ever has the honor of meeting. The women that refused him, missed out on something that would have been special (not because of his size,) but because he’d have been so attentive to their needs.

This male teacher appearing in class dressed like this is, in my opinion, cruel on as least two fronts.

On the first front, young men confronted with even exaggerated fake breasts, especially those with detailed nipples may lead them to fantasies they’ve constructed while looking at pornographic images of real women. This would easily cause  uncomfortable erections in class, followed by teasing from peers. One of the hardest things for a young man to do is shut down their fantasies.

Add the teasing humiliation of a boy having an erection in class due to the teacher pictured above. “You like that? You pervert!”, “Oh you’re gay for an ugly tranny? You sick fuck!” That potentially harmful baggage being loaded on a pubescent boy is really unfair.

On the second front, seeing exaggerated breasts like the ones this teacher is strapping on, may put some boys off breasts altogether. Alternatively, it may set other boys on a path to only dating women with the biggest breasts they can find. Therefore undermining the body image of the real girls in the schools.

Either way this inappropriate display on the part of the teacher may have lasting effects on the boys, and girls, creating  unhealthy associations or lifestyle choices.

Honestly, I wonder if this teacher is using this display to cause erections amongst his male students in an attempt to “Shop” for a dick he’d like to try. That would be the epitome of “Grooming”

Yet the Canadian Government says it’s the teachers right to appear in class dressed this way. The Canadian Government tells the students and their parents, they’re in the wrong for protesting.

This teacher is wearing apparel that is a workplace hazard. After all this man is working around power tools. When I was working repair of office equipment, the first thing we did was remove, or tuck our neckties into our shirts. Why? Because there was a danger of the necktie getting caught on moving parts and the necktie could potentially strangle us.

What happened to common sense? If the harness holding these fake tits in place were to be caught in one of the saws this teacher could be dragged into the saw. Regardless of the “rights” of the trans person to be trans, I think that the school could take action based on workplace safety.

What about the rights of the students in the classroom? What about the inalienable right of a student to not look at something that’s offensive or makes them uncomfortable?

How is it that a trans person’s rights are somehow more revered or important than everyone else?

This is fundamentally wrong. To be honest, this kind of exhibition demeans women. While I wouldn’t tell this man he can’t wear this kind of drag, he should keep it at home. If he and his partner are excited by this, fine but it’s in extremely poor taste.

What’s next? Trans-Species rights?

Can I declare myself a member of the fictional Romulan Empire? Should I run out to get surgery on my ears, change my eyebrows, alter my facial structure and then buy old costumes from Paramount?

Would that be accepted? Probably. Would I have rights to impose my Romulan-ness on others? Probably not.

Departing from fiction, I’m descended from Viking stock. Would I be able to embrace my Viking heritage dressing as a Viking, carrying Viking weapons in public, and settling disputes or insults at the point of a short sword? It’s my cultural inheritance need I conform to any laws other than those of my culture?

I can tell you the answer is a definite “NO”