It wasn't so long ago when the American president didn't make reference to childish insults when discussing a fellow world leader:
Granted, a North Korean government department called him "old" but if the current president weren't so thin-skinned, he wouldn't have resorted to the tweet he wrote in the aforementioned article.
On the bright side, in that same tweet, he mentioned that he would like to be a "friend" of the North Korean leader. That would be a good thing, if it were to happen.
Showing posts with label Behaviour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Behaviour. Show all posts
Sunday, 12 November 2017
Friday, 3 November 2017
The well-tidied room
Now that I've had a tidy room for a couple of days, it feels great having all this floor space once again and easy access to all my shelves, as well as places for my chair to roll to when necessary. If I throw something on the floor, it'll only be there temporarily because I don't want my room to become messy again.
So why will I stick to it this time? It's time to be more responsible, that's why. I don't want to live permanently in a mess. I'll keep it clean and tidy.
So why will I stick to it this time? It's time to be more responsible, that's why. I don't want to live permanently in a mess. I'll keep it clean and tidy.
Tuesday, 24 October 2017
Flaking out
A few weeks ago, Senator Bob Corker (R-Tennessee) accounted that he would not be running for re-election in 2018; today, another Republican Senator, Jeff Flake of Arizona, has said the same:
Flake then disclosed that his rationale for leaving was due to his distaste for the current president and that he "...[would] not be complicit" in associating with the president and his agenda. There's just one problem: Flake, along with the aforementioned Corker, has regularly voted to advance the president's agenda. The words of both Senators are great but their actions say otherwise; until they start to vote against anything that would help the president, their words are hollow.
Flake then disclosed that his rationale for leaving was due to his distaste for the current president and that he "...[would] not be complicit" in associating with the president and his agenda. There's just one problem: Flake, along with the aforementioned Corker, has regularly voted to advance the president's agenda. The words of both Senators are great but their actions say otherwise; until they start to vote against anything that would help the president, their words are hollow.
Saturday, 21 October 2017
"Stuck in the Boring Car on a Road Trip" - CollegeHumor
This recent CollegeHumor video appealed to me (they usually do but this one more than usual):
I can understand the frustration of being isolated from the main group at a social outing, as it means you lose out on the friendship circle that forms for the duration of the outing and beyond. This has happened to me and in such cases, I've been grouped with either a person or people who didn't want to talk or worse, was grouped with no one at all. This made fitting in with everyone else extremely difficult, at best.
On the other hand, in the case of a road group, being in the "boring" car may not be much a bad thing, for there's less of a chance of the driver being distracted by any funny business"
This particular video is the first in a multi-part series to do with something else but holds its own as a standalone video.
I can understand the frustration of being isolated from the main group at a social outing, as it means you lose out on the friendship circle that forms for the duration of the outing and beyond. This has happened to me and in such cases, I've been grouped with either a person or people who didn't want to talk or worse, was grouped with no one at all. This made fitting in with everyone else extremely difficult, at best.
On the other hand, in the case of a road group, being in the "boring" car may not be much a bad thing, for there's less of a chance of the driver being distracted by any funny business"
This particular video is the first in a multi-part series to do with something else but holds its own as a standalone video.
Tuesday, 10 October 2017
Flat-Earthers
On Facebook, I follow some pages that are to do with photography or science. Something that has concerned me in recent weeks is the prevalence of "Flat-Earthers" commenting on them. I don't mean people commenting jokingly about how the Earth is flat but people who genuinely think that this is the case.
Pun partially intended but what on earth is this nonsense? How can anyone, is this day and age, think that the Earth is flat? There is zero evidence to prove the flatness and plenty to prove that it's a sphere. An obvious example is watching a ship on an ocean: As the ship descends over the horizon, it's because it's travelling the curvature of the planet.
Has idiocy increased or is it just becoming more obvious because of social media? Anyone who believes that the Earth is flat and insults others for understanding that the opposite is true deserves to be laughed at as though they're an imbecile - because they are.
Pun partially intended but what on earth is this nonsense? How can anyone, is this day and age, think that the Earth is flat? There is zero evidence to prove the flatness and plenty to prove that it's a sphere. An obvious example is watching a ship on an ocean: As the ship descends over the horizon, it's because it's travelling the curvature of the planet.
Has idiocy increased or is it just becoming more obvious because of social media? Anyone who believes that the Earth is flat and insults others for understanding that the opposite is true deserves to be laughed at as though they're an imbecile - because they are.
Monday, 9 October 2017
More vindictiveness - and environmental damage
The current administration in charge of the United States is continuing its unhealthy obsession of undoing everything the previous administration achieved:
How vindictive. And bad for the planet. The current president and his party have long talked about this mythical "war on coal", so rolling back these environmental protections is part of that as well as getting revenge on the previous administration.
We all share this one planet, despite what they think. The damage done to it affects us all.
How vindictive. And bad for the planet. The current president and his party have long talked about this mythical "war on coal", so rolling back these environmental protections is part of that as well as getting revenge on the previous administration.
We all share this one planet, despite what they think. The damage done to it affects us all.
Tuesday, 3 October 2017
Puerto Rico and Hurricane Maria
Puerto Rico has been devastated by Hurricane Maria; there are multiple deaths and massive damage has been done to the island and its infrastructure. The damage alone would be difficult enough to recover from but Puerto Rico is both not an American state (it's a territory) and is deeply in debt to Wall Street; as such, recovery will be deeply painful.
So! What does the current President of the United States do? Oh, only made his usual nonconstructive remarks:
Rather than guaranteeing Puerto Rico aid, he has instead used the "could have been worse" argument with regards to the death toll, as his administration has received criticism for its sluggishness in sending aid. Granted, Puerto Rico has not received the same amount of death has other places have done but making comparisons trivializes those who have died.
Puerto Rico has a long road to recovery ahead of it. Perhaps those who hold its debt could provide it with some relief, such as by writing it off or at least putting lengthy extensions on the repayment plans. Changing the legal status of the island would help, too, but in the short term, it needs help rebuilding.
So! What does the current President of the United States do? Oh, only made his usual nonconstructive remarks:
Rather than guaranteeing Puerto Rico aid, he has instead used the "could have been worse" argument with regards to the death toll, as his administration has received criticism for its sluggishness in sending aid. Granted, Puerto Rico has not received the same amount of death has other places have done but making comparisons trivializes those who have died.
Puerto Rico has a long road to recovery ahead of it. Perhaps those who hold its debt could provide it with some relief, such as by writing it off or at least putting lengthy extensions on the repayment plans. Changing the legal status of the island would help, too, but in the short term, it needs help rebuilding.
Wednesday, 13 September 2017
Bernie and Hillary supporters
The presidential primaries that the Democrats in the United States held last year ended well over a year ago. Yet, despite this, hardcore and/or bitter supporters of both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders still insist on arguing about the final result of the election.
"Bernie would have won, Hillary cheated!" the hardcore Bernie supporters yell
"Bernie shouldn't have run, he made Hillary lose!" the Hillary supporters shout back.
This continued back and forth, while being spouted by a minority on either side, achieves nothing. Continuing to divide the Democratic Party as they are doing will only serve to give the current president another term in office in 2020. That must not be allowed to happen. Re-living the 2016 Democratic primaries over and over again is destructive.
"Bernie would have won, Hillary cheated!" the hardcore Bernie supporters yell
"Bernie shouldn't have run, he made Hillary lose!" the Hillary supporters shout back.
This continued back and forth, while being spouted by a minority on either side, achieves nothing. Continuing to divide the Democratic Party as they are doing will only serve to give the current president another term in office in 2020. That must not be allowed to happen. Re-living the 2016 Democratic primaries over and over again is destructive.
Tuesday, 12 September 2017
Mexican aid
Mexico has withdrawn its offer of help to the United States for the latter country's recovery from the ongoing hurricanes and storms:
Why has Mexico done this? The largest reason is because a massive earthquake has hit that country and it needs to focus on sorting out damage within its own borders. The other reason is because the current President of the United States not only failed to accept aid from Mexico but also failed to send condolences to them for when the earthquake hit.
Why has Mexico done this? The largest reason is because a massive earthquake has hit that country and it needs to focus on sorting out damage within its own borders. The other reason is because the current President of the United States not only failed to accept aid from Mexico but also failed to send condolences to them for when the earthquake hit.
Sunday, 13 August 2017
Just say no to Nazis
As a result of the recent neo-Nazi protect in Virginia, there have been people saying that perhaps Nazis need to be reasoned with, talked to...given a platform to present their views so that they can be debated and refuted. Treated with respect!
Just one...no, two...problems with that - we already know what Nazi views are and they've already been refuted. Need proof? Look up World War II and Nazi Germany; for anyone who wants to hear Nazis "give their side of the story", those two subjects will provide all the information needed.
Just one...no, two...problems with that - we already know what Nazi views are and they've already been refuted. Need proof? Look up World War II and Nazi Germany; for anyone who wants to hear Nazis "give their side of the story", those two subjects will provide all the information needed.
Wednesday, 12 July 2017
It still isn't a form of racism
A few weeks ago, I wrote that trolls have been twisting the narrative to somehow argue that challenging racism is a form of racism in itself:
Recently, I saw on Facebook somebody claim that bigotry and calling out bigotry are both "two cheeks of the same arse" (a cruder version of "opposite sides of the same coin"). This person was talking nonsense, for opposing bigotry is not at all the same as being a bigot. I don't know how this "you're intolerant for not tolerating my intolerance!" hogwash is spreading - it is not a form of discrimination to oppose those whose aim is to discriminate against others. No one can choose their ethnic group, sex, sexual orientation, etc.; people can, however, choose whether to be or whether not to be jerks towards others.
Recently, I saw on Facebook somebody claim that bigotry and calling out bigotry are both "two cheeks of the same arse" (a cruder version of "opposite sides of the same coin"). This person was talking nonsense, for opposing bigotry is not at all the same as being a bigot. I don't know how this "you're intolerant for not tolerating my intolerance!" hogwash is spreading - it is not a form of discrimination to oppose those whose aim is to discriminate against others. No one can choose their ethnic group, sex, sexual orientation, etc.; people can, however, choose whether to be or whether not to be jerks towards others.
Friday, 7 July 2017
The fly in the room
Flies are experts at entering houses via small openings, such as a crack in the wall or a barely-open window. When it comes to getting out, however, flies seem to be incompetent at this, even when you open a door for them.
At the moment, there is a fly in my room, who has been buzzing around for the past two hours. While my door is open and the window it came in from is also open, it can't or won't fly out despite it wanting to leave. It has this odd obsession with flying around the light as though it's a moth.
I'm not sure how to persuade the fly to go in the direction of the window or the door; I don't particularly want it flying around all night keeping me awake nor do I want it to become meal for one of the spiders who lives in my room.
At the moment, there is a fly in my room, who has been buzzing around for the past two hours. While my door is open and the window it came in from is also open, it can't or won't fly out despite it wanting to leave. It has this odd obsession with flying around the light as though it's a moth.
I'm not sure how to persuade the fly to go in the direction of the window or the door; I don't particularly want it flying around all night keeping me awake nor do I want it to become meal for one of the spiders who lives in my room.
Wednesday, 5 July 2017
The misogynistic woman
I was at my grandparents' house today doing some work for them. The day progressed as normal until the evening, when the Rushcliffe Mainline wasn't running through the area where they live because of nearby roadworks; as a result, I was required to take a Trentbarton-supplied shuttle bus to Bingham, which would take me to an RM bus for Nottingham. This involved a longer trip back to Clifton but was otherwise no big deal.
In Bingham, a woman in her 50s or 60s, who appeared to be annoyed, boarded. When the bus took its detour, she asked me if the bus was bound for Nottingham; I confirmed that it was, just that it was taking a longer route back. She appeared to accept this but then asked the woman in front of her the same thing and received the same answer; she then appeared to ask the driver it and, again, received the same answer. At this point, she sat back down after she'd been standing to question the driver.
The woman muttered to herself from then on but otherwise appeared to not be bothering anyone; however, once the bus was in Nottingham and we were coming up to the last few stops, another woman who looked as though she was in her 50s then boarded. Then, the angry woman launched a misogynistic tirade against this new woman, calling her all sorts of anti-woman terms on the basis that she was "dressed like a prostitute" (yes, those were her words); this tirade continued until the new woman left at the second-to-last stop and even after that, the angry woman continued her rant.
As for why the driver didn't do anything, he was concentrating on evening driving but also, this bizarre behaviour occurred in the last five minutes of the journey; it likely would have been more of a hassle for everyone if he'd told her off. When the bus came to the end, her angry woman got off whereas the driver, as well as an NCT driver who was also on boarded, talked about the weird rant by the woman.
I hope the angry woman has since calmed down and that the new woman wasn't heavily hurt by the incident.
In Bingham, a woman in her 50s or 60s, who appeared to be annoyed, boarded. When the bus took its detour, she asked me if the bus was bound for Nottingham; I confirmed that it was, just that it was taking a longer route back. She appeared to accept this but then asked the woman in front of her the same thing and received the same answer; she then appeared to ask the driver it and, again, received the same answer. At this point, she sat back down after she'd been standing to question the driver.
The woman muttered to herself from then on but otherwise appeared to not be bothering anyone; however, once the bus was in Nottingham and we were coming up to the last few stops, another woman who looked as though she was in her 50s then boarded. Then, the angry woman launched a misogynistic tirade against this new woman, calling her all sorts of anti-woman terms on the basis that she was "dressed like a prostitute" (yes, those were her words); this tirade continued until the new woman left at the second-to-last stop and even after that, the angry woman continued her rant.
As for why the driver didn't do anything, he was concentrating on evening driving but also, this bizarre behaviour occurred in the last five minutes of the journey; it likely would have been more of a hassle for everyone if he'd told her off. When the bus came to the end, her angry woman got off whereas the driver, as well as an NCT driver who was also on boarded, talked about the weird rant by the woman.
I hope the angry woman has since calmed down and that the new woman wasn't heavily hurt by the incident.
Tuesday, 23 May 2017
That wasn't an excuse for more hate
As we all know by this point, there was a bombing at the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester last night. Twenty-two people are confirmed dead, dozens for injured and the perpetrator has been identified.
Yes...the perpetrator has been identified - as a British-born person of Libyan origin; however, long before details of the perpetrator emerged, the ugly voice of the far-right took to the Internet to immediately blame all Muslims and "people of Muslim origin" (the Middle East, North Africa, etc.) for the incident. Rather than offer support to the victims and their families or to rescue efforts in the area, the trolls instead called for all Muslims in the West to be deported and/or killed. The usual hateful nonsense.
Violent acts like those seen in Manchester are not the fault of Muslims in general, the same way that all the white males who go on mass shooting sprees are not the fault of all white men. In fact, when a traditional Westerner commits an atrocity, we never blame the whole West or the whole of an element of it - we only hold the actions of the individual responsible. So why are Muslims held to a difference standard?
The way to address hateful people - who can be from any demographic group - is to encourage dialogue, love, kindness, understanding...responding with more hate will never bring the victims back and is more likely to cause others to be killed, too. Don't get sucked into more hate.
Yes...the perpetrator has been identified - as a British-born person of Libyan origin; however, long before details of the perpetrator emerged, the ugly voice of the far-right took to the Internet to immediately blame all Muslims and "people of Muslim origin" (the Middle East, North Africa, etc.) for the incident. Rather than offer support to the victims and their families or to rescue efforts in the area, the trolls instead called for all Muslims in the West to be deported and/or killed. The usual hateful nonsense.
Violent acts like those seen in Manchester are not the fault of Muslims in general, the same way that all the white males who go on mass shooting sprees are not the fault of all white men. In fact, when a traditional Westerner commits an atrocity, we never blame the whole West or the whole of an element of it - we only hold the actions of the individual responsible. So why are Muslims held to a difference standard?
The way to address hateful people - who can be from any demographic group - is to encourage dialogue, love, kindness, understanding...responding with more hate will never bring the victims back and is more likely to cause others to be killed, too. Don't get sucked into more hate.
Sunday, 21 May 2017
No, it isn't a form of racism
Imagine this exchange:
Somehow, the trolls have secured the narrative that if you accuse a person of being racist, you're the racist, not them, the argument being that calling out racism is a form of racism in itself. This is how racists are justifying their racism - that it doesn't matter what they say...anyone who calls them out is the problem. It's a deflection and a derailment tactic both in one package.
Person A: *says something racist*
Person B: "What you've just said is racist because xyz. Please withdraw your comment and apologise."
Person A: "I said nothing racist...you're the racist for calling me racist!"
Somehow, the trolls have secured the narrative that if you accuse a person of being racist, you're the racist, not them, the argument being that calling out racism is a form of racism in itself. This is how racists are justifying their racism - that it doesn't matter what they say...anyone who calls them out is the problem. It's a deflection and a derailment tactic both in one package.
Friday, 19 May 2017
Going to Google
How do you get to Google? Do you type something in the address bar at the top of your browser and it takes you to your search automatically or do you type "Google" in the address bar and it takes you to the Google front page, where you then do your search?
I ask because sometime during Access my Psychology teacher mentioned that her husband is prone to doing the latter. I only thought about it recently because I, too, put "Google" in my browser's address bar rather than put an actual search topic in.
What do you do?
I ask because sometime during Access my Psychology teacher mentioned that her husband is prone to doing the latter. I only thought about it recently because I, too, put "Google" in my browser's address bar rather than put an actual search topic in.
What do you do?
Monday, 8 May 2017
Re-committing to a failed pledge
In the 2010 general election, the Conservative Party (Tories) promised to reduce immigration to the United Kingdom to the "tens of thousands". In 2015, they again promised to reduce immigration to the "tens of thousands". Staggeringly, for the third election running, the Tories are promising immigration reductions to the "tens of thousands":
Anybody who votes for the Tories based on this promise is an idiot. If the party has to state this a third time after failing to carry the policy out despite being in power for nearly seven years now, why would anyone think it would be any different on this occasion? It's a fake promise to keep the bigots voting for the Tories.
The general election here is a month from now.
Anybody who votes for the Tories based on this promise is an idiot. If the party has to state this a third time after failing to carry the policy out despite being in power for nearly seven years now, why would anyone think it would be any different on this occasion? It's a fake promise to keep the bigots voting for the Tories.
The general election here is a month from now.
Saturday, 6 May 2017
Having a day off
As I've made clear several times over the past few days, my deadline for my three active assignments is next Friday. Despite the fact that I have less than a week to go to meet that deadline, I took today off.
Now, why did I do that, given that I have six days to complete the work? Part of it is because I have been extremely busy these past few days getting the work done; another part is that the Media practical and American Literature assignments are pretty much done and the other is that today was Saturday. I can afford to take this last pre-deadline Saturday off given that the preceding days were filled were hard work and following ones will be also.
There's not much point in needlessly exhausting myself. A short break, like today, will lead to greater productivity from me over the next week.
Now, why did I do that, given that I have six days to complete the work? Part of it is because I have been extremely busy these past few days getting the work done; another part is that the Media practical and American Literature assignments are pretty much done and the other is that today was Saturday. I can afford to take this last pre-deadline Saturday off given that the preceding days were filled were hard work and following ones will be also.
There's not much point in needlessly exhausting myself. A short break, like today, will lead to greater productivity from me over the next week.
Saturday, 22 April 2017
Needless sarcasm
This afternoon, I was out with a friend to go and see a film at the cinema. After we finished the movie, we walked back to her bus stop, which departs from the Broadmarsh bus station. While the Broadmarsh closes in the evening, there is a "tunnel" through it that is open as a way of allowing access to the station.
My friend and I made use of this tunnel and I should note that she is not a fast walker whereas I am and so I walk at her speed when with her. When we were about halfway through the tunnel this evening, I heard a voice from behind me ask, "Could you walk any slower?".
The words came from impatient person, who could quite easily have either gone around my friend and me (there was plenty of room to do so) or have politely asked us to come through. But no, apparently this required too much brainpower for them; immediately resorting to sarcasm was apparently their only option.
While I ended up letting them through (more like because I moved out of the way instinctively, not because I wanted to let them pass), it wasn't without a comeback of my own. My response was, "Why, yes I can, actually!".
My friend and I made use of this tunnel and I should note that she is not a fast walker whereas I am and so I walk at her speed when with her. When we were about halfway through the tunnel this evening, I heard a voice from behind me ask, "Could you walk any slower?".
The words came from impatient person, who could quite easily have either gone around my friend and me (there was plenty of room to do so) or have politely asked us to come through. But no, apparently this required too much brainpower for them; immediately resorting to sarcasm was apparently their only option.
While I ended up letting them through (more like because I moved out of the way instinctively, not because I wanted to let them pass), it wasn't without a comeback of my own. My response was, "Why, yes I can, actually!".
Wednesday, 12 April 2017
Smiling at a thug
A few days ago, there was a demonstration in Birmingham, which is the United Kingdom's second-largest city. The demonstration was held by the English Defence League (EDL), who are opposed to immigration and want to deport everyone of immigrant origin.
A counter-protest was held and defeated the EDL goons who were present. However, the most striking images from the day came from when Saffiyah Khan - a Birmingham local - smiled at an EDL thug:
It is remarkable that this young woman obliterated an EDL thug - and his whole organisation - merely with her smile. Beforehand, Khan was intervening on behalf of a woman the EDL were encircling, so this was a volatile situation for her to be in. The EDL are notorious Internet Tough Guys - usually throwing out the usual alt-right buzzwords as well as issuing threats - but when it comes to dealing with people face-to-face, they're a bunch of violent cowards.
A counter-protest was held and defeated the EDL goons who were present. However, the most striking images from the day came from when Saffiyah Khan - a Birmingham local - smiled at an EDL thug:
It is remarkable that this young woman obliterated an EDL thug - and his whole organisation - merely with her smile. Beforehand, Khan was intervening on behalf of a woman the EDL were encircling, so this was a volatile situation for her to be in. The EDL are notorious Internet Tough Guys - usually throwing out the usual alt-right buzzwords as well as issuing threats - but when it comes to dealing with people face-to-face, they're a bunch of violent cowards.
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