Photo credit: Metro News.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Friday, July 29, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Ten things men find sexy about women.
Women who take themselves too seriously are seriously not sexy. There’s something about a woman who is comfortable enough to be playful, flirty, and not worry that she is risking her reputation. Please don’t confuse playful with silly. Silly women who are clowning for attention are vexing. In fact, one man suggested that playfulness is a great sign of maturity – a woman who loves life and isn’t ashamed to show it.
We had a solid discussion about what this means, and the standards were all over the map. Most every man agreed that a beautiful woman a) dresses in a way that flatters her figure b) puts effort into grooming and c) cares how men perceive her, even if the end result is very laid back and simple. There were few absolutes, except to say that a woman who thinks that going to the effort to look nice is somehow beneath her probably won’t be sexy to our test group.
Some men were comfortable with sex only after marriage. Some men were comfortable with it much earlier in the relationship. But all the men wanted a woman who is comfortable talking maturely about sex when the time is right.
You might say, “Don’t all women who are dating like men?” Not according to this group. Women who know how men function and love them for it are very sexy. There’s something about giving a man the rope he needs to pursue his passions that makes a woman irresistible.
It is hard to overestimate the impact of a physical connection to most men. A woman who understands this and gives affection freely is very sexy
Whatever your personal policies, early dating for most men is a time when they are spending money and making plans to arrange a nice evening. Our men greatly valued a woman who was able to say, “That dinner was fantastic,” and appreciated the work that went into planning the evening. A woman who has a spirit of gratitude signals to a man, “You can make me happy,” which is a primal component to attraction.
A woman who has rules, respects the rules and can still say, “This weekend the rules don’t matter,” is very sexy, and rarer than you might think according to our band of brothers. It’s this “partner in crime” mentality that men seem to find irresistible.
It isn’t being fearless that is sexy. It’s having the fear, feeling the fear, and saying, “I’m going to set this aside and go forward anyway.” That woman is sexy. She is truly living life. She is going to suffer some failures along the way, but men will be chasing her and asking for her number the whole way.
Every guy considers himself putty in the hands of a woman who knows how to give a great kiss. It can take a woman’s sex appeal from 0 to 10 in 30 seconds. Not sure how you rank? Take the eHarmony Kissing Quiz.
Humor often comes up as a valuable trait, but it can be misleading. Men aren’t interested in women who crack jokes every other sentence. In fact, when he says he wants a women with a great sense of humor he’s usually saying “I want a woman who thinks I’m funny.” Not surprisingly, when she does think he’s funny and laughs out loud he finds that very sexy.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Is politics the only thing getting in the way of the U.S. debt ceiling crisis?
WARNING: THIS IS AN OPINION PIECE
When you stop and think of the facts for a minute, you wonder about why the Republicans are being so anal about the debt ceiling discussion.
The U.S. has raised its debt ceiling more then 102 times in its history, and everyone goes back to iconised Republican Ronald Reagan. He, if memory serves me well, he had to do it all of 17 times during his presidency. G. W. Bush had to do it seven times, and G. H. Bush four times.
The Republicans are bucking against raising taxes on the "job creators" (a.k.a. "the rich"), when even if the taxes are raised to the desired Democrat point, it will still not be the highest tax ever on the rich.
Isn't Obama the guy who 'killed' bin Laden? After G. W. spent seven years in office 'chasing' him? Would this not make Obama extremely popular in the U.S., even to the right-wing voters?
In my opinion, the refusal of the Republicans to let up and actually try to find a compromise is more of a political bid then anything else. They are trying to force Obama to use his right to veto (which I don't think a president ever has) so that he plumets in the public's perspective, and he remains a one-term president.
Well, if this is the case, I got a message for those politicians: STOP thinking about your own navels and think about the people you represent. You know, the people without whom you would not be where you are in the first place? Think about the people in its entirety for a change, and not just the wealthy.
See Jon Stewart's take on the economy during this episode of "The Daily Show".
Also, see an article discussing Obama's now declining popularity here.
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| A rally in Washington D.C. on July 28th to save social security and Medicare. Photo credit: Colin Campbell |
C. F. Pelletier
'I will beat this,' NDP leader Jack Layton says in vow to return to duties in September of 2011.
This was the scene yesterday on Monday, July 25th 2011:
"NDP Leader Jack Layton stunned Canada's political arena on Monday, announcing he is taking a temporary leave of absence to receive treatment after doctors discovered he has a new cancer.
The surprise announcement comes just over two months after Layton led his party to record gains in the federal election and Official Opposition status in the House of Commons.
Layton, speaking at times with a strained voice alongside his wife, NDP MP Olivia Chow, vowed to return to his position when Parliament resumes on Sept. 19.
[...]
Layton is considered the most popular federal leader among Canadians and is largely credited with his party's unprecedented success in May's general election, which saw the New Democrats become the second-largest party in the Commons, the Bloc Québécois decimated and the Liberals reduced to third-party status.
[...]
Layton, 61, who represents the Toronto-Danforth riding and has led the New Democrats since 2003, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in late 2009 and went public with it in February 2010. He also underwent hip surgery earlier this year and used a cane during the recent federal election campaign." - CBC News.
"As NDP Leader Jack Layton announced he's facing his second bout of cancer in a year and a half, there are signs his party is rattled.
Layton said Monday he's taking time off to focus on treatment, though he wouldn't say what kind of cancer he now has. " - CBC News. (See the full article here).
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'Don't let them tell you it can't be done' |
Personally, I fear, due to how he said he found about this new cancer and his reluctance to tell the public what it is (although he is well within his rights to do so), is that it may be bone cancer.
Our thoughts go out to you, Jack. Get well soon. Canada needs you.
See Mr Layton's announcement and a joint article here.
See a "get well" tribute here.
Monday, July 25, 2011
Is Francois Arnaud the next Heath Ledger?...
I love Heath Ledger, and was so saddened when I heard he had died. He was a brilliant actor with such promise, as well as a gentle soul. His death still marks many worldwide, three years later.
However, watching the new ShowTime series, "The Borgias", by Academy Award Winner Neil Jordan, I was suddenly struck by how the young Cesare Borgia, played by Quebecer Francois Arnaud, was able to completely hold his own against Academy Award Winner and acting guru Jeremy Irons (Rodrigo Borgia)... and almost, even, stole the whole show from him. Arnaud is intense, and his presence captures your attention. For this reason, especially after having watched him as a then 19-year-old in Les grandes chaleures, I do believe Arnaud will become the next Heath Ledger. I just pray he doesn't suffer the same fate as the Academy Award Winner made known to North America thanks to the iconic movie "10 Things I Hate About You".
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| Francois Arnaud in a scene from the critically acclaimed "The Borgias" (2011). |
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| Heath Ledger in the "10 Things I Hate About You" Here is a clip of Arnaud in the extended trailer for "The Borgias", and I hope that you will catch a glimpse of what I mean. C. F. Pelletier |
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Minor accident on St-Laurent Boulevard
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| This was the scene on St-Laurent Blvd and Bourassa St |
At around 5 PM today there was a minor accident at an intersection on St-Laurent Boulevard. With the way people drive on this street, I'm surprised it doesn't happen more often.
The white car was mostly undamaged, except for its tail-pipe being completely severed and lying on the street not too far from the scene above. The black car, however, took a lot of damage. The very front of the car was buckled, and they even lost the company logo on the front of the car.
Obviously, the white car probably braked sharply, and the other driver following too close behind, the black car rear-ended the 1st car.
No one was injured.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Crime rate lowest in 40 years... Why are we building superjails, then?
Canada’s crime rate at lowest level in almost 40 years: StatsCan
Jill Mahoney
Globe and Mail Last updated
Canada’s crime rate continued its long decline last year, hitting the lowest level since 1973.
Crimes reported to police dropped 5 per cent in 2010. The decline spanned a wide range of offences, including the homicide rate, which fell by 10 per cent to a level not seen since 1966.
“Homicide is one of the few types of violent crime that almost invariably comes to the attention of police and, as such, is generally recognized as a country’s barometer of violence,” Statistics Canada said in a report released Thursday.
In addition, an index measuring the severity of crimes fell 6 per cent from 2009, reaching its lowest point since it was introduced in 1998.
The national crime rate has been dropping steadily for the past 20 years. However, the Conservative government argues that the crime is on the rise and plans to introduce a tough law-and-order package in the House of Commons in the fall.
Prime Minster Stephen Harper’s government has long looked to victimization surveys rather than the official crime rate, which is based on offences reported to and substantiated by police. Statscan’s last victimization survey found that Canadians reported just 31 per cent of criminal incidents to police in 2009.
Winnipeg Police Chief Keith McCaskill says he's working to lower his city’s crime rate as the Manitoba capital was once again painted as the most violent major metropolitan area in the country.
But Chief McCaskill says he takes comfort that the rate is going down.
The violent crime severity index for the city dropped by 13 per cent last year compared with the previous year. Manitoba is also once again leading the provinces in violent crime. Statistics Canada says there were 3.6 murders for every 100,000 people in Manitoba last year.
On the day the numbers came out, Chief McCaskill's police force was dealing with two shootings — one involving a robbery suspect shot by police and another a man wounded in an unexplained incident downtown.
Overall, Canadian police forces reported nearly 2.1 million Criminal Code offences last year, about 77,000 fewer than in 2009. The figures do not include traffic violations.
Statscan credited four property crimes for the majority of the drop in the crime rate: theft under $5,000, mischief, car thefts and break-ins. However, there were also fewer attempted murders, serious assaults and robberies.
By contrast, there were more sexual assaults, gun offences, criminal harassment, child pornography and drug offences in 2010.
Among Statscan’s findings:
- There were 554 homicides in 2010, down 56 from the year before. The decline in the homicide rate was largely driven by a decrease in British Columbia, where the rate hit an all-time low.
- There were 693 attempted murders last year, down from 801 in 2009. This resulted in the lowest level in more than 30 years.
- Nearly 93,000 vehicles were reported stolen last year, representing a 15 per cent drop and continuing a downward trend that started in the mid-1990s.
- Nearly 153,000 youth between the ages of 12 and 17 were accused of a crime in 2010, almost 15,000 fewer than a year earlier. The youth crime rate declined by 7 per cent.
- More than 22,000 sexual assaults were reported in 2010, an increase of 5 per cent. The higher number represented the first increase since 2005.
- Drug offences rose 10 per cent from 2009, continuing an upward trend. About half were for marijuana possession.
- Three cities had increases in their crime severity index, which measures the seriousness of crimes: St. John’s, Sudbury, Ont., and Peterborough, Ont. The cities with the lowest crime severity indexes were Guelph, Ont., Quebec City, Toronto and Ottawa.
From The Globe & Mail.
Check out more about it here.
Act like a lady in politics? Just because we speak our minds, we're not lady like?!!
"Female House Democrats want rebuke of West for insults to Wasserman Schultz"
By Felicia Sonmez,
Reps. Gwen Moore (Wis.), Lois Capps (Calif.), Jackie Speier (Calif.), Donna F. Edwards (Md.) and Carolyn B. Maloney (N.Y.) said that West should apologize for his comments and that House GOP leaders should publicly disavow them.
West’s remarks came in an e-mail sent Tuesday afternoon, after Wasserman Schultz criticized on the House floor West’s support for a bill that would allow the debt ceiling to be raised in exchange for significant spending cuts and congressional passage of a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution.
“The gentleman from Florida, who represents thousands of Medicare beneficiaries, as do I, is supportive of this plan that would increase costs for Medicare beneficiaries – unbelievable for a member from South Florida,” she said.
West, a freshman, accused the four-term Democrat of “unprofessional and inappropriate sophomoric behavior.”
“Look, Debbie, I understand that after I departed the House floor you directed your floor speech comments directly towards me,” West wrote in the e-mail, which also went to House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and West’s chief of staff. “Let me make myself perfectly clear, you want a personal fight, I am happy to oblige. You are the most vile, unprofessional, and despicable member of the US House of Representatives. If you have something to say to me, stop being a coward and say it to my face, otherwise, shut the heck up. Focus on your own congressional district!”
“You have proven repeatedly that you are not a Lady, therefore, shall not be afforded due respect from me!” he added.
On Wednesday, Maloney said, “I’ve got to tell you that standing up for what you believe in, speaking out on the floor of Congress, and getting elected to office is very ladylike, Mr. West. And I’d like to say that I believe it’s sad that Mr. West felt he had to resort to that kind of language, but they resort to that type of language because they cannot win on the merits.”
The New York Democrats added, “If [West] had given those comments on the floor of the House of Representatives, his words would have been taken down and stricken from the record because his words were nothing more than personal attacks, and the rules of this Congress do not permit personal attacks.”
Both parties have been fundraising off the imbroglio. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Emily’s List excerpted West’s remarks Wednesday in fundraising letters to supporters, and West’s campaign sent a fundraising missive highlighting the comments Wednesday afternoon.
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