Mistaken Musical Message

A few days ago, I posted about my feelings towards Ontario changing its sexual education curriculum. Now, my option still stays true to that subject. However, I feel that no matter what we’re teaching children, no matter how strong we tell them to be, and how much we want the children of our future to be true to themselves, the media is always  going to have a major influence.

I just finished watching the newest music video for a female musician who is married, with a young child. She just recently came back into the music scene with this music video and I have to say, I am appalled by what she’s portraying in the video. Within the first five seconds, she can be seen virtually naked, dressed only in bondage with what can only be called ‘interesting’ make-up.

Now, I understand that sex sells, and that sexuality and subjects in a sexual nature is basically driving the music industry, but this is ridiculous. In the video, she can be seen gyrating with multiple people, taking part in a boy/girl ‘doggy’ pile, and then also making out with a female. This musician is a married woman, I wonder how her husband feels about the acts she’s taking part in. This whole video is portraying an image towards girls and is giving the wrong image for a role model.

Besides the foreseeable marriage issues, I hope that this musician gets her clothes back on and her talent back on the airwaves.

The Bystander Effect

Two New York City psychologists, Bibb Latane of Columbia University and John Darley of New York University subsequently conducted a series of studies to try and understand what has been dubbed “the bystander effect”. They staged emergencies of one kind or another in different situations in order to see who would come and help. What they found, surprisingly was that the one factor above all else that predicted helping behavior was how many witnesses there were to the event*.

This “bystander effect” was true when a 79-year-old man was stabbed to death a Toronto subway. Allegedly, two dozen passengers stood by and did nothing. Along with this incident, a homeless man in New York City was stabbed to death after he attempted to aid a women being mugged. While the man was bleeding to death on the pavement in Queens, multiple people walked by, some even stopped to take a picture with their cell phone.

What has the world come to when people just walk by someone who has been stabbed and is dying on the road? What kind of person do you have to be to stop and save a life? How hard is it to call 911 or even call for help? It disgusts me that people lack the common decency that they can’t even stop to help someone in need.

If you can stop to give change to a homeless man, or stop to shake hands with an acquaintance, then you should be able to dial 911 or stop to help. I seriously hope that the world will learn from these two unfortunate mishaps and figure out how to help.

*Taken from The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell.

The Un-Lovely Bones

I do realize that this review is a little late, but I am very passionate about my feelings towards the film, The Lovely Bones.

I am taking this information from a review done by the Vancouver Sun. They not only gave the movie four out of five stars, but they also claim that the movie is not a failure. This claim is backed the option that Peter Jackson, who directs this film, ‘waffling esthetic is entirely fitting because it lets us feel the exuberance and the enthusiasm of wide-eyed youth while still feeling the hollow ache of tragedy’.

I beg to differ.

The beginning of the movie was well done, you could follow the story line easily and see that Susie Salmon, the main character, is wide-eyed and innocent. Beware of spoilers ahead! As soon as Susie is murdered, the whole film seems to be turned upside down. Now, I suppose that this is in the eye of the director, but the whole esthetic went from being about a grieving family to this afterworld that seems to be more of a fantasy land.

Every time someone would say they want to see the film, I suggest that they save their money. If you’ve read the book, you’re going to be disappointed and if you have not read the book, you’re not going to understand what is happening.

Aside from the above points listed, the movie left out my favourite part, and for that, I will forever hold a grudge.

Donating Ontario

You don’t need to be a police officer or a paramedic to save lives; you don’t even need to know CPR. All you need to do is sign your name.

According to the information obtained by The Toronto Star under access-to-information laws, only 17 per cent of Ontarians have registered consent for organ and tissue donation. Only 17 per cent! It seems that one of the reasons that the rates are so low is that the computerized database is making the current donation cards obsolete but a lot of people are unaware of the fact.

The organ donation system is tied to the health card, so when an Ontarian is getting their heath card for the first time or renewing, they are asked if they’re willing to donate. If the person is willing, their consent is automatically put into the database. I think it is very important that people consent to donating their organs.

I, myself, am an organ donor and am ready and willing to donate whatever I can while I am still alive and the rest when I’ve passed away. If people would take 5 minutes and fill out of a form, they can save as many as eight lives each.

If you are not an organ donor and live in Ontario, please go to the website, fill out a form. Save a life. http://www.giftoflife.on.ca

Ontario is getting sex-y?

Even though Education Minister Leona Dombrowsky admits that she doesn’t believe that a new teaching plan will make a difference, the province is still going ahead with the plan to redesign its ‘controversial’ sex education program.

The current plan has first graders learning about the correct terms for genitalia, which is said to help prevent sexual abuse. Children in the third grade were learning about homosexuality. In grade six, kids were being taught the concept of masturbation. The notion of anal and oral sex was being talk to seventh graders. The reason for scraping the current curriculum is because Dombrowsky believes that there is better way to get the accurate information out there.

In my opinion, there is no correct way to get the information out there. No matter how you package it, someone is always going to re-gift or throw it out. Whether it’s for a religious, ethnic or prejudice reason, not everyone is going to agree with it.

I was raised in a very open family and was introduced to sexuality at an early age. My mother educated me on sex and everything about it before I was 10. I personally believe that because of that, I was more prepared when developing and hitting puberty. I am very confident that if that province of Ontario decides to re-work the current curriculum. I hope that they choose to educate children at a younger age and by doing that, they can prepare children for the life obstacles that surround sexuality.

South Park episode goes south…

Now, this may shock the general public, but South Park has created some controversy. Shock, I know. In the April 14 episode the creators involved a fictional lawsuit involving Tom Cruise and the South Park characters that forced them to produce the Prophet Muhammad in the flesh.

Well, the next day the Revolution Muslim, a New York based Islamic organization suggested on the South park website that the creators could end up dead. The warning not only included the creators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker but also the contact information for Comedy Central, South Park’s home network as well as supplying the address of where Stone and Parker lived.

I’m pretty sure this isn’t the first death threat that South Park creators have gotten, and will most likely not be the last. However, I feel as though the creators are risking too much just for a few laughs. With that being said, I know that South Park is known for pushing the envelope and basically running outside the box, but the fact is, how far are they willing to go?

I mean, a web blogger, Abu Talhah Al-Amrikee (this is copied from the Globe and Mail article that I am responding to) wrote, “We have to warn (them) that what they are doing is stupid and they will probably wind up like Theo Van Gogh for airing this show. This is not a threat, but a warning of the reality of what will likely happen to them.”

In short, I believe that the South Park creators are going to have to either end the show, or learn how to be a little subtler about what they joke about on the show.

(Theo Van Gogh was a Dutch filmmaker who was killed by an Islamic extremist in 2004 after directing Submission, a short film that was harshly critical of the Muslim community.)

Movie Review: Date Night

Review from Rottentomatoes.com: An uneasy blend of action and comedy, Date Night doesn’t quite live up to the talents of its two leads, but Steve Carell and Tina Fey still manage to shine through most of the movie’s flaws.

Welcome to ‘Murderville’?

There could be a really bad joke about the population being zero, but I think the current situation in Belleville, ON has gone severely past funny. Belleville has had a very bad time lately with violence in all forms. Most recently, a 14 year-old girl was approached on a path between the YMCA around 4p.m. today and the male would not let her pass. She eventually fled and was okay.

Another story that was well covered was the disappearance of Jessica Lloyd. Jessica went missing after a night of partying and was missing for two months. Her body was found later and her murder has since been arrested. But the increase in murder among young female is staggering and quite frankly quite terrifying.

As a young female myself, I don’t always feel safe. But I have taken the right precautions in order to keep myself safe. Precautions such as taking self defense, always carrying my cell phone, letting someone know when I am going, especially if it’s at night.

I personally don’t feel that it is Belleville, or  as some kids have aptly named it; Murderville, in particular is the reason for these unfortunate happenstances are happening. I am not clear to why the increase has happened, but I hope for everyone young women in Belleville, and everywhere, are being safe and taking the proper precautions.

Jon and Kate plus lawsuit

So, in recent news, Jon Gosselin is currently suing his ex-wife Kate for primary custody of their eight children. You may know Jon and Kate from their hit reality TV show: Jon and Kate plus 8. Jon is claiming that ever since Kate became a contestant on Dancing with the Stars, she has been an absentee parent. As well, Jon is possibly looking into reversing the current financial situation, (he is paying $21,000 a month to Kate for child support.)

Now, Jon is also willing to settle for equal custody, but after seeing how absent Kate is from the children’s lives, he is trying for full custody.

I am sick and tired of this family. I mean, I wish them the best and I hope that their children grow up healthy. But seriously, you had six babies, whoop-di-doo! Their rise to fame was unnecessary and will affected them for the rest of their lives.

I have to think, if they hadn’t had been as popular as a show, would Jon and Kate’s marriage had collapsed? Would they still have gotten a divorce? Would Jon have started wearing Ed Hardy?

Overall, I think that it is pathetic that Jon has stooped so low as to call Kate an absentee parent, and if that is true, that she does neglect her children, than that is their business. Now, I believe that paying $21,000 is quite a chunk of change for child support, but I think that maybe if Jon stopped wearing Ed Hardy and started trying to fix his marriage and possibly be more present in the children’s lives, then maybe he wouldn’t be suing Kate or being in such debt.

Tiger trash talk?

“I haven’t looked forward to that tee shot in a long time, not like this. It feels fun again, you know? That’s something that has been missing.” – Tiger Woods, Monday April 5th, copied from the Toronto Star.

For the past few months, the golf world has been clubbed by the shocking news that Tiger Woods was/had been cheating on his wife of three years, of whom he has three children with. It has been reported that Woods had cheated with four or more women, all of which was consensual sex between both partners.

My issue with the whole spectacle is that this isn’t the first time that we’re hearing about cheating scandals and it’s certainly not the first jaw dropping scandal to hit Hollywood. But everyone is blowing this particular scandal out of proportion. Now, that isn’t to say that I don’t agree with his wife’s decision to leave him and take the children. But the fact is that yes, he cheated. And with more then one woman. But Woods also helped victims of Katrina and the earthquake in Haiti, as well as setting up learning foundations for youths and many other philanthropic causes.

I included the quote from the press conference before his Masters because I believe that it says more then what meets the eye. I feel that what he says, about how it seems fun again, reminds me that he understands that he made a mistake, and is constantly being punished for it on an everyday basis.

So people, lighten up a bit. Everyone makes mistakes, and everyone chokes down the consequences. Let Woods have his space to find his footing again.