generalspeaking

A Berserk World

FAITH....HOPE....CHARITY....Peace....Sanity!

John Paul II whipped himself, according to new book
Pope John Paul II regularly whipped himself with a special belt and signed a secret document to the effect that he pledged to resign should he become incurably ill, according to the newly-published Why He's a Saint. The Vatican postulator tasked with reviewing John Paul's life in preparation for a case elevating him to sainthood has confirmed this fact. The Pope's inner circle has also confirmed that Karol Wojtyla kept a belt for that very purpose; a whip with which to flagellate himself. "We would hear it - we were in the next room at Castel Gandolfo. You could hear the sound of the blows when he flagellated himself." Rather than merely imagining Christ's agonies, the truly faithful prefer to reinvent them, to fully integrate themselves in the pathos of God's only son's sacrifice for humankind. This nourished their faithful souls, gave them impetus to find the strength to continue to devote themselves to that immortal saviour. We thus learn that the Shepherd of God whose entreaties to the faithful to uphold their fervent faith had scant little in his own, for himself. There are other, more understanding interpretations, which will lead to his sainthood.

Putin's patriotic credentials take hit over Lada confession
The current Prime Minister (and some might add the de facto President) of Russia has admitted to a student audience that the Lada Niva he purchased last year in a deliberate move to impress upon his constituents the honourable requirement to remain faithful to Russian industry, that his nobility of purpose might not be quite as it seemed. That his off-road vehicle came complete with a customized German-made engine produced by Opel. The Niva sold in Russia has a Russian-made engine similar to that used in the Lada sedan whose unappeal to Russian consumers as an unreliable piece of technical junk has given it short shrift in public appeal. "I won't hide it, the car I bought has an Opel engine. It turns out that it is more powerful."
Powerfully hypocritical, withal. However, appealing to the bad boy in the latest Russian strongman whose muscular exploits have themselves appealed to the great Russian public. All shall be forgiven by a merciful electorate.

A tofu cream pie in the face, an act of terrorism
Well, if not actually terror-terrorism, then most certainly rabid intimidation. An American member of the infamously self-righteous "animal rights" organization, PETA, demonstrated her contempt for Canada in what her defenders might construe as a light-hearted manner by flapping a tofu cream pie directly into the face of Canada's federal fisheries minister, Gail Shea, at a public meeting in Burlington, Ontario. Message received; PETA is unhappy about the ongoing seal hunt in Canada's far north. This representative of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has been charged with assault.
A novel way to make friends across national borders, and influence the decision-making capabilities of Ministers of the Crown. PETA gets a failing grade. Somehow, they always manage to fail their animal constituents by their equation of rough action to gentle 'suasion.

Overhaul UN climate panel, scientist urges
Senior Canadian climatologist at the University of Victoria, Dr. Andrew Weaver, who has himself contributed important research data to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has publicly stated his opinion that the chairmanship of this UN-sponsored group of environmental scientists is ready for a change. That the IPCC has stumbled irretrievably from its neutral scientific roots toward outright and overt political advocacy. Periodic reports, including the 2007 Nobel Prize-winning Climate Change 2007 to which he also contributed are imperilling the legitimate work of scientific enquiry vital to fully understanding climate change.
Who would've guessed?

India bows to rights complaint - will free almost 200,000 held without trial
Of the current 250,000 people held in state detention awaiting trial, India has responded to her critics by stating her intention to free 200,000 of those detainees. Many of whom have been held in prison for periods of time far exceeding prison stays they would have been sentenced to, had justice prevailed. The example of one man accused of a 1968 murder having spent 38 years in jail awaiting a trail that never came, before finally being released at the age of 70 a case in point; his sentence would have been 14 years had he been legally tried and justice done. These remand prisoners - known as "undertrials", were to be freed in response to human rights campaigns for people lost in India's judicial system, a dysfunctional system where blame is placed on overcrowded courts and a shortage of judges.
A vast democracy where the grim truth is it's better not to run afoul of the law lest one is prepared to be extraordinarily disciplined....

Ban 'unacceptable' full Islamic veil, French parliament advised
The veil is it? France responding to the weight on its society, its system of justice and citizen entitlements by sidetracking the real issues and placing the burden on already-human-rights-compromised women. Women whose human rights have been trampled by the heavy burden of fundamentalism and, having bowed to that imperative, now must struggle with the dictates of a state celebrated for its egalitarian sense of justice. Holding women accountable through their choice - or lack of - of apparel from within a misanthropic tradition, doubly victimizes them. So what else is new in this sadly conflicted world?

McDonald's wrong to fire worker over extra slice of cheese, Dutch court rules
In another example of the sturdy reality of ethical capitalism, managers at a Dutch branch of that world-celebrated culinary experience, McDonald's, were so incensed at the improper, unethical, unprincipled behaviour of an employee that they dismissed her summarily from her workplace. "The dismissal was too severe a measure", read the district court's judgement. "It is just a slice of cheese." Imagine, an employee feeling so certain of herself, so entitled to decision-making that she exhibited the audacity to place an extra slice of cheese in a cheeseburger she served up to a colleague.
She broke the rules! No free gifts to family, friends or colleagues... The Leeuwarden court ordered this exemplar of nutritional beneficence to pay the fired worker's salary for the remaining five months of her contract. Her employers must be fuming at this outrageous interference in their corporate-wise decision-making....

Overt, Unconscionable Discrimination! We'll have none of that here....
Nicole Mamo was just looking for someone to rely upon to do a little cleaning. Reliance being the operative word here. She sought to post a help-wanted advertisement for a "domestic cleaner", specifying that the applicant "must be very reliable and hard-working". Trouble was the job centre in Thetford, England, took massive umbrage. They refused to take her advert, skilled though they are in matching the unemployed with job opportunities.
Some body in charge informed her haughtily the ad as it stood had the intent to "discriminate against the unreliable."
Clutching her head in disbelief, the would-be employer most certainly meant to convey the message that "slackers need not apply", but this is obviously verboten in a caringly supportive atmosphere of coddling the frail capabilities of job aspirants.

And this just in....!
George Clooney proudly announced, post-Haitian-relief television entertainment specials, that the U.S. telethon had raised $55-million...! Canada's version raised approximately $13.5-million. And the government of Canada will match that figure. And Canada has one-tenth the population of the U.S. Of course, American citizens are just warming up to the challenge....

Labels: Social-Cultural Deviations, That's Life, World News

posted by Pieface @ Thursday, January 28, 2010