Gonna keep the above-line chatter at a minimum as my TT is a bit of a read this week... and a bit of a rant too!

PLEASE REMEMBER: These are PERSONAL rants... you may not agree with them, and that's cool... but if you wish to dispute anything, please dispute the facts and data, not the personalities.

#13: Decaffeinated Coffee

Why? WHY!?! I mean, too many times, I, a caffeine fan, have been offered coffee... which I prefer to be NATURAL! Removing the caffeine takes away a large part of why I even DRINK coffee! I know, some people attribute caffeine in coffee to their migraines... some attribute the caffeine to exasperating other health issues... then my suggestion would be DON'T DRINK COFFEE! Spare the rest of us the occasional mistakes! I understand that this SEEMS selfish... but as an example, I really, Really, REALLY love shellfish... and it really, Really, REALLY hates me... so I don't eat it. I'm not going to demand "Allergy Free Shellfish" be developed so I can partake... I'll simply acknowledge my limitations!

#12: "Light" Cigarettes

What did people expect smoking these??? Cancer light??? Lighting something on fire and sucking the smoke into your lungs, not matter WHAT the something is, is bad for you. Period. As a former smoker, I understood this back when I did smoke... I understand it now... but there they are, like the HEALTHY alternative. IT AIN'T!

#11: People who think mixed martial arts are still no-holds barred fighting and are super-dangerous blood sports.

Okay, NEWSFLASH... MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) like UFC and the former Pride DO have rules and referees... and there ARE illegal moves... and they really are there to showcase martial arts. It comes from people saying Gee. If a Karate black-belt fought a Brazilian Jujitsu fighter... and a Judo guy took on a wrestler... who would win? So, they combined the styles, MADE RULES and Voila! MMA! Sure, it's a "cage fight" and that IS part of the marketing... but to date, in North America, there has been ONE fatality in the sport... in almost twenty years, ONE... this means college, semi-pro, and even pro football is more "deadly". To be totally honest, boxing is often more violent and far more aggressive then MMA... as MMA does allow wins by submission. You put your opponent in a hold that hurts too much, they tap, victory... unlike boxing. This said, and backed up with evidence, there will be AT LEAST several newspaper articles and whatnot decrying that horrible no-holds-barred fighting... with the author not bothering to research the story. Abominable!

#10: Paris, Lindsay, Nicole, Brittney, Et Al...

ARRGH!!! Does the media NEED to fixate on these girls??? Does anyone REALLY care save themselves and Chris Crocker??? Y'know, if Paris, Lindsay, Nicole, and Brittney suddenly fell off the planet, life would go on... for literally ALL of us... and oddly enough, only a few gossip columnists and "hangers on" would be in any strife. It's amazing how many worthy news items get "bumped" to small spaces in favour of crud from one of these girls or their ilk.

#9: CBC's "Greatest Canadian" Travesty.

POP QUIZ - FOR NON-CANADIANS! If you're nation held a poll to find their "Greatest Person", would a celebrity who RENOUNCED their citizenship who is known more for a sex tape and having big fake boobs make the list??? Well, a person matching that description made the TOP FIFTY here in Canada! Yup, Pamela Anderson Lee Mrs. Kid Rock Ex-Whatever the latest guy was... she made the list... and yes, she RENOUNCED her Canadian citizenship about a year BEFORE they started the poll. What's interesting is that she made the top fifty... Wayne Gretzky made the top fifty... oddly enough, only ONE of these people were in the top fifty... two in total in the top 100... Click here to read this abomination... In my opinion, this popularity contest further proved how my fellow countrymen remain ignorant of their own land.

#8: Removing the concept of "Christmas" so as not to be "exclusionary".

A school in Ontario is re-writing carols and Christmas songs for their concert to only be about "The Festive Season" and "Happy Holidays"... because they don't wish to "exclude" those who don't celebrate Christmas. Last year, a judge had a Christmas tree removed from a court house because it might "offend" people that don't celebrate that holiday. The really hilarious thing is MOST of the groups they're most worried about voiced in that they had NO PROBLEMS with the celebration of Christmas... in fact, one Jewish group and the largest Muslim group in the city came out and said they thought the "banning" of Christmas and it's ornaments was dumb and that they enjoyed celebrations of ALL types. It never fails either... the LOUDEST proclaimers of losing traditions based on how they might be viewed by "minorities" tend to be of EUROPEAN JUDEO/CHRISTIAN STOCK! Get over your guilt... and Merry Christmas to you, you abominations!

#7: The Somewhat Extreme Left

I can't say the "Extreme Left" mostly because once someone is ALL the way left, they are either communists or socialists... and usually end up as more of a dictatorship or worse... Anyway, the ones I mean are those that purport to be "socially conscious" and take the idea of political correctness to new heights. The people that have swallowed EVERY worst case scenario and end up taking things to such extremes without realising that "reality" don't work that way... Things like "Disband all armies!"... then who would defend us? "Ban all police violence!"... yup, the criminals would love that! For them, society is to blame for EVERYTHING... which is ludicrous. What's even more annoying is the people that tend to be of this type are usually so insulated from what's really happening, they can't comprehend that many of their "solutions" are worse than what's ailing folks... and that you can't "ban" or "stop" everyone from some things without considering alternatives to what they see as the problem. granted, they're NOTHING compared to the next folks...

#6: The Extreme Right

I'm still trying to figure out when being "Right Wing" or "Conservative" became being a paranoid, isolationist, racist... but it seems to have happened. "If we change things, our society will crumble!" The Hell it will... "It's them foreigners! They're to blame!" Well, being a North American, we're ALL foreigners unless you're an aboriginal... and even then, who made it over the Bering Strait first? Was anyone here before they came? Cloaking racist paranoia as a "political view" and then adding a secular slant to further "justify" intolerant behaviour is really beyond the pale... I find that the "Extreme Right-Wing" are worse than the "Extreme Left-Wing" anymore for slamming down rights and liberties based on fear... and don't get me started on saying valid scientific facts and data CANNOT be because their faith and philosophy say it ain't... Argh! Hey, speaking of that one...

#5: People that ignore "Inconvenient Facts" because they don't jive with their faith and/or philosophies.

Been here, done this... if interested, please read...

#4: People The Slam Our Endeavours With The Bus(es)

I get about two to four e-mails EVERY week to tell me that we're beggars, scammers, crooks, and a list of assorted other things some of which include some strange references to my lineage and my relationship with my mother. Why trolls need to "attack", I'll never understand... but if you READ over the last YEAR AND CHANGE worth of posts, you gotta wonder how ANYONE would think this is a scam or that we're only in it "for the money"... because if this is true, MAN we're failing monumentally... Trolls = Abominations!

#3: The Age of Entitlement

Remember when people STROVE to be the best? Remember that you worked hard or harder to win a game or to get your team to a final? NOT ANYMORE! Nope, EVERYONE gets a prize now! But hey, this isn't ONLY about school and kids stuff... if you're a blogger OR have a web site, you might know what I mean... the AMAZING amount of people that feel they can tell YOU what style of type to use, what colours are "best", and the never ending attacks from the spelling and grammar police! A lot of people assume that WE (all of us) exist to entertain and amuse THEM... and we better get it right! They are abominable!

#2: The Dumbing Down of EVERYONE

I mentioned Paris, Lindsay, Brittney, and all... and how they "bump" real news stories from the papers and whatnot... but lets face it... why are the "Extreme Right" and the "Somewhat Extreme Left" so ignorant? Heck, why are MOST people ignorant??? Because the most important thing to them is that their favourite TV show is on and not preempted and that there's a frosty-cold beverage in their fridge to partake in while they watch said program. The VAST majority of people can tell you the name of Ross' pet monkey from the first episode of Friends... but can't name their local school trustee. There are some who feel that this is a conspiracy to keep the masses stupid... I do not. I believe it's the inbred laziness of the masses to not attempt to be informed about as much as they can. For them, ignorance is bliss... and learning is a chore. It's all rather depressing... and a true abomination.

#1: De-Alcoholised Beer.

...for people that enjoy the bitter taste and frequent urination without the intoxicating effect of alcohol. (...and I'm a teetotaller!)

Click Here to read about how this is more than one person's dream... but a whole family's...

Click Here for one of our ideas to help raise money for our dream...

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