Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Ocular migraines and dehydration

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Every once in a while I get Ocular migraines. No headache just weird zig zag lines in my left eye. For no particular reason, I thought I might be dehydrated. I took my BP and discovered it was lower than usual AND my heart rate was up. When that happens, I know I am dehydrated.

So, I got on the web and did some research. Turns out, dehydration is a cause of migraines. Withing a few minutes of drinking two large glasses of water, my symptoms were almost gone.

If you suffer from migraines, you might want to try it. Water beats drugs hands down

Now, I just hope I remember this the next time it happens.


More info here....
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Thursday, July 8, 2010

14 Ways to Expand Your Influence

If you're always putting on an act/show because you're afraid of what others MIGHT think of the REAL you, you'll never make true friends or build a solid business.

Be REAL and you'll make great, long lasting friendships as well as grow a strong business.

1 - Understand It
First you have to recognize that regardless of your position, you have influence on the lives of those around you. Sometimes we don't realize the impact we have on others directly or indirectly but recognizing that we do and conducting ourselves accordingly is key.

2 - Be a Person of Integrity and of Values
Let who you say you are be reflected in all that you do. Stay consistent. Don’t take short cuts. Make a stand for your brand and give others an example to follow. Values determine your actions which ultimately determine your influence.

3 - Be Authentic and Transparent
Don’t put on a show. Be real. Be honest. Trust is built that way and trust amplifies influence.

4 - Accept Responsibility
Don’t make excuses. If you are at fault, accept the blame and do it proactively. Being a leader doesn’t mean being perfect. Learn from mistakes and show others the way.

Get the rest from Dumb Little Man...

Monday, June 28, 2010

9 Ways To Manage People Who Bother You

They're everywhere....at home....at work...at school. People who just rub you the wrong way.

Lifehack has some very simple tips for dealing with them.

1. You can only change yourself.
When dealing with people, always remember that it’s not about changing others, but about changing yourself. You can try to change others, but you may not succeed doing so. The best way to address the situation is to change how you perceive it and how you react to it. By changing that, everything else will subsequently change as well.

2. Draw your boundaries.
Be clear on what you will tolerate and what you will not tolerate. Then stick with it. You have your own personal space and it’s your perogative to protect your space. By drawing the boundaries, even if just mentally, you are clearer of the kind of behaviors to expect from others. If you don’t do so, it’s easy for you to be pushed over by others, especially since such people tend not to be conscious of personal boundaries. You’ll wind up shrinking in a corner and feeling miserable, and you wouldn’t want that.

3. Be upfront about where you stand.
If the person has a history of spilling into your personal space, then let him/her know where you stand the next time you communicate. People aren’t mind readers, and sometimes they may not be aware that they are infringing on your space. Giving the person some indicators will help. If he/she tends to take up a lot of your time, then let him/her know that you have XX minutes at the onstart of the conversation. That way, you are being fair by informing him/her in advance. If you prefer to communicate via email/text/chat/other channels, then let him/her know too.

continued....

Saturday, June 19, 2010

The Red and White

This is a song I wrote to honour Canada's flag

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

OIL, Cars and The Polution We Cause.

A few days ago after hearing me talk about "the good old days", my granddaughter asked me why we didn't have seat belts in cars when I was a kid. All I could say is: "Nobody had thought of installing them."

Needless to say, she wasn't impressed. It's hard for a 13 year old to understand something that seems like such a simple idea, had eluded us so many years ago.

Now I wonder what she will say to her children when she talks about her "Good old days?"

What will she tell them when they ask: "Why did you keep driving fossil fueled vehicles when you knew they were destroying the air, the water and the planet?"

It's time folks. It's time that we the people took care of our home - Planet Earth!

We will NEVER stop oil companies from drilling for oil or destroying our planet if we continue to believe that politicians will somehow convince them to change their ways.

Lets not be naive. Politicians will never tell oil companies to stop drilling everywhere RIGHT NOW and put their money into wind, solar and renewable fuels like hydrogen and ethanol because they depend on oil money to get elected.

Only when, we the people, let car companies know we will not buy their fossil fueled vehicles will the oil companies change their ways.

Are you ready to do it or will you continue to part of the problem?

Saturday, June 5, 2010

100 Ways To Open Your mind

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I'm a big believer in personal growth. I strive to be a little different today than I was yesterday. If you're of the same mind, you'll find these ideas extremely helpful.

I copied all of them to notepad and read 5 of them three or four times a day. Of course, DOING THEM is what counts.

5. Take A Walk Around an Art Gallery

You might not appreciate art or participate in it but it’s great to see the thoughts of others on canvas. It can give us a tiny glimpse of what goes on in other people’s minds.

14. Read A Book By An Author You Most Avoid

reading books by authors we avoid gives us a chance to take control of our minds and lets us see another side to our thinking. We’ve got to ask why we avoid them in the first place, is it something within us that we are avoiding?

16. Stop Contact With Your Down People


If you have people in your life who constantly drag you down, or are negative all the time, drop them. Honestly drop them from your life, you are not serving them and they are not serving you and they are dragging your thoughts down.

Continued...
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Monday, May 24, 2010

Welcome to Pettyville © (a state of mind)

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Pettyville is a place where ignorance and fear rule the lives of it's inhabitants. The official language of Pettyville is HIA. HIA doesn't mean "Hello there". HIA is an acronym for “hints, innuendo and assumptions”. You see, here in Pettyville no one is allowed to say what they mean or mean what they say. Only what is "inferred" between the lines is accepted as "what you really mean". Discovering your "hidden agendas and expectations" are what people strive for.

The two cardinal rules of Pettyville are: Don't learn and don't change. If you should somehow stumble upon some irrefutable knowledge, keep it to yourself. Otherwise you will be ostracized because the natives of Pettyville will perceive you as thinking you are "better than they are." To be accepted in Pettyville you must "act" just like everybody else, accept responsibility for everyone else's feelings and learn to put others down to build yourself up. Repetition is the by-word here. You must always shop at the same stores, enjoy the same sports, drink at the same bars and be absolutely loyal to those you associate with no matter how out of touch they might be.

In Pettyville, giving in the Christian sense, is not allowed. You must always keep score of everything you do for anyone for fear that they won't pay you back. And, if they don't pay you back in the allotted time, you are absolutely bound to tell everyone you meet all the details of how they treated you so unjustly.

The official language book of Pettyville states that you must always communicate in absolute terms. All things and people must be described as right or wrong, good or bad, smart or stupid. Ambiguous terms, phrases and wording is totally unacceptable. You will notice that the inhabitants of Pettyville are insecure, immature and self-centered. This of course is due to the ignorance rules, "Don't learn! & Don't change!"

Copyright
Gerry Timm
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Saturday, May 22, 2010

201 Tips To Save Gas

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I've been a gas saver nut for many years.
On a cross country tip, I once got 34mpg from a 6 cylinder Chev with 4 people on board and a trunk full of camping gear. That of course was 1974, way before Al gore invented the internet. Today there are several web sites dedicated to hypermiling and all sorts of kooky ideas the average person would never use.

check out these ideas
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Thursday, May 20, 2010

Get Rid of Bad Breath

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Isn't bad breath something we all worry about at one time or another?

Here are few tips to make it not so:
1. Clean your whole mouth thoroughly
2. Keep your mouth moist
3. Watch what you eat
4. Visit the Dentist Regularly

Get the details...
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Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Are Calcium Channel Blockers Killing People?

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I can't understand why CCBs are still on the market. They're nothing but "smoke & mirrors". Yes, they'll lower Blood Pressure numbers BUT they don't save lives!

In this 2000 review, nine different blood pressure-lowering trials involving over 27,000 people showed that CCBs actually CAUSE more cardiovascular incidents.

click here to get the skinny....
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Sunday, May 9, 2010

40 Travel Websites That Can Save You a Fortune

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Discounts, deals and more

Cheap flights
Cheap accommodation

The info all travelers need

Lets go!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

$140 of P&G coupons!

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This is a great offer.
Coupons from Free to $3.00 off

Just check off the ones you want and they'll mail them to you.

click here..
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Sunday, April 18, 2010

Crazy Fun With Your GPS

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If you like to travel, you'll have a whole lot more fun doing it with Geocaching.

Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment.

How To Do It
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Best Kid Game Ever!

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Who Else Wants An Unforgettable Activity Or Party Experience Their Kids Will Talk About For Weeks - With Almost Zero Effort, Expense Or Planning Hassles?

Riddle Me Treasure And Scavenger Hunt Software Provides Parents An Instant Treasure Hunt Or Scavenger Hunt For Kids (adults love it too) Using Age Appropriate Riddles With Thousands Of Clues. Perfect For Birthdays, Holidays, And Rainy Days, Parents Can Customize A Hunt For Instant Indoor Or Outdoor Fun.

I love this game! CHECK IT OUT!
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Friday, April 16, 2010

KYLO - Best Browser for Big Screen TV

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If you really want the best experience viewing your computer on your big screen TV, you have to get this browser.

Sit back and get ready for big-screen browsing. Kylo brings your TV and computer together to create the ultimate content experience. Enjoy your favorite online shows, videos, music, games and news. Take your HDTV anywhere on the web.

FEATURES

* Lots of viewing space and no visual clutter
* Big fonts and big buttons for easy navigation from across the room
* An easy-to-use onscreen keyboard
* Zoom-and-pan power that brings every site into view

This thing rocks!
check it out

Very Cool & Easy Password Protection

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This is by far the very best way for a novice to create a very secure password.

All you do is pick a word, then type the letter to the right of each letter of the word.

Here's the skinny from Lifehacker
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Monday, April 12, 2010

9 Great Ways to Be Exceptionally Boring

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1. - Talk a lot about yourself. Tell people about your and your life. Don’t ask questions. Don’t show an interest in other people and above all do not listen to what they say.

2 - Watch a lot of TV. Do not waste time reading, going out or with hobbies – just keep up with soaps, sport and popular entertainment programs.

3 - Do the same things. Get into a regular routine and do not diverge from it. Don’t try anything new or adventurous.

4 - Don’t waste time on books or the arts. Avoid the cinema, the theatre, literature, magazines, new kinds of music or live performances.

5 - Stay at home. Don’t waste time and money
travelling to new places and experiencing different cultures, activities or lifestyles.

And more from LIfehack.....
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Sunday, April 4, 2010

HST & Personal Tax Changes for Ontario

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On July 1, 2010 the 8% Provincial sales Tax will be replaced by a new Harmonized sales Tax which will combine it with the 5% Federal G.S.T.

Taxpayers will receive a one time Transitional Tax Benefit.

* Eligible families - including single parents and senior couples - with an annual income below $160,000 will receive three payments totaling $1,000.

* Eligible individuals with an annual income below $80,000 will receive three payments totaling $300.

These transition payments will be delivered to eligible Ontario tax filers aged 18 and over in June 2010, December 2010 and June 2011.

To qualify for the two payments scheduled in 2010, a 2009 tax return will have to be filed. A 2010 tax return will have to be filed to qualify for the June 2011 payment.

New Permanent Ontario Sales Tax Credit


* The new Ontario sales Tax credit will provide up to $260 a year for each adult and each child in eligible low-income families.

* The amount received will depend on the size of your family and your family income.

For 2010, the income level at which the credit will begin to be reduced is $20,000 for single people and $25,000 for couples and single parents. The credit will be reduced by 4% of your adjusted family net income over these income limits.

* The sales tax credit will be paid quarterly, starting August 2010.

The Ontario 2009 Budget replaces combined Sales and Property Tax Credit with two separate credits:

Ontario Sales Tax Credit:

* tax relief of up to $260 for each adult and child in low-and middle-income families

* reduced by 4% of adjusted family net income over $20,000 for single people, and over $25,000 for families

* refundable and paid quarterly, starting July 2010

Ontario Property Tax Credit

* based on occupancy cost - property tax paid, or 20% of rent paid

* credit of up to $250 for non-seniors or $625 for seniors, plus 10% of occupancy cost

* credit would not exceed occupancy cost, and would be subject to a maximum of $900 for non-seniors and $1,025 for seniors

* adjusted by 2% of adjusted family net income over $20,000 for single people and over $25,000 for families

* refundable, and claimed on the personal income tax return, beginning with the 2010 return.
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Monday, March 29, 2010

Watch Movies Online

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Watch new Megavideo Movies , Veoh, Divx, Flash Movies online for free.

what else is there to say

check 'em out!

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82 Free Programs with One Download

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ZeuAPP has 12 categories: Archivers, Audio, Video, Chat-IM, Internet, CD Burners, P2P-File sharing, Games, Graphic, Office, Security, Utility. Pick the ones you want.

Applications included:

Archivers : 7-Zip, Peazip, TUGzip, IZarc, Universal Extractor.

Audio : Audacity, JetAudio, musikCube, Aimp

Video: Miro, VLC media player, Mplayer, GOM, Winamp

Chat-IM: Skype ,Windows Live Messenger, Google Talk, Pidgin, ICQ, aMSN, Miranda IM, Yahoo! Messenger 10

Internet: Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Opera, Safari, Maxthon, Avant Browser, Flock, Thunderbird3,

see the rest....
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Free Open Source Video Player

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This thing rocks!

Miro can play virtually any type of video file - Quicktime, WMV, MPEG, AVI, XVID, and offers over 6,000 free internet TV shows and video podcasts.

Miro has a simple, gorgeous interface designed for fullscreen HD video. Since Miro downloads most videos, you can take your shows with you, even on an airplane. Quite simply, Miro is a better way to watch all the video you care about.

Best of all, Miro is 100% free


check it out

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Snow Leopard 10.6.3 Update - Lots of fixes

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These are just a few....

General operating system fixes and improvements provided for:

* performance of Logic Pro 9 and Main Stage 2 when running in 64-bit mode.
* printing reliability.
* sleep and wake reliability when using Bonjour wake on demand.
* a color issue in iMovie with HD content.
* glowing, stuck, or dark pixels when viewing video from the iMac (Late 2009) built-in iSight camera.
* an issue in which the Finder reports a -36 error when copying directories to a drive formatted as FAT32.
* reliability of photo screen savers.
* compatibility issues with OpenGL-based applications.
* an issue in which shadows in PDF of Aperture book are black instead of gray.

coninued....
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Thursday, March 25, 2010

Nice - FREE - DVD Create and Burn

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DVDStyler is a cross-platform free DVD authoring application for the creation of professional-looking DVDs. It allows not only burning of video files on DVD that can be played practically on any standalone DVD player, but also creation of individually designed DVD menus. It is Open Source Software and is completely free.

Features

* creation and burning DVD video with interactive menus
* provides several templates for DVD menus v1.8.0
* support of AVI, MOV, MP4, MPEG, OGG, WMV and other file formats
* support of MPEG-2, MPEG-4, DivX, Xvid, MP2, MP3, AC-3 and other AV formats
* support of multi-core processor
* allows using MPEG and VOB files without reencoding, see FAQ
* allows put files with different audio/video format on one DVD (support of titleset)
* user-friendly interface with support of drag & drop
* flexible menu creation on the basis of scalable vector graphic
* import of image file for background
* place buttons, text, images and other graphic objects anywhere on the menu screen
* changing the font/color and other parameters of buttons and graphic object
* scaling of buttons and graphic objects
* coping of any menu object or whole menu
* dvd scripting

from Lifehacker
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Saturday, March 20, 2010

Stress Shortens Your Life By Shortening Telomeres

As we age several things will cause our telomeres to shorten which in turn shortens our lives.

This segment features Nobel Prize winner Elizabeth Blackburn and her research on the effects of stress on telomeres.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Easy Updates For All Your Major Software

No more chasing all over the web for software updates.

This website has updates for all the major software.

Filehippo


Just download and install the checker and let 'er rip.

It will show you a list of the updates you need.

You choose which to install
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Great Relationships Are Based On The Four Cs...

Commitment - Compromise - Co-operation and Communication.

Life is like a roller coaster. It has it’s ups and downs.
The trick to getting the most out of it.... is learning to enjoy the ride.

It’s not hard to be committed when the roller coaster is at the high point of the ride. That’s the fun part of the life.. when all the bills are paid, the car is running great and the kids are doing well.

It’s when the roller coaster is at the bottom of the ride chugging along ever so slowly...when the car breaks down, you lose your job or someone gets very sick ...that the commitment, compromise and co-operation come in.

That’s when you have to smell the flowers at the local park instead of at
Cypress Gardens. That’s when you must remember all the fun you can have spending a day walking the dogs.

It’s all about commitment, compromise and co-operation.

And then there’s communication.
To me that’s the most important of the four Cs.

Because most people have ears, most can hear.
But unfortunately, very few know how to listen.

Always remember...to listen...with your heart!

Five more point form Lifehack
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Monday, March 8, 2010

Canadian FREE Stuff

Ocean Spray wants to give you a free shopping tote

http://www.oceanspray.ca/Form.aspx?ekfrm=2261

There’s still time to get your FREE coffee at McDonald’s (‘til March 14/10)

http://www.mcdonalds.ca/en/index.aspx


You can find a whole lot more Free stuff and some good Canadian contests right here

http://fabulouscanadianfreebies.com/

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Sunday, March 7, 2010

Why Do Millions of People Donate to Big Corporations?

How much money did you donate to big corporations like Wal-Mart last Christmas?

Don’t say you’d never do that. Millions of you did just that by giving away their Gift Cards.

Every year “BILLIONS” yes “BILLIONS” of your hard earned dollars are donated to big corporations because those who receive gift cards either forget to use them or are too embarrassed to use up those last few bucks.

BusinessWeek reports that Needham (Mass.)-based researcher TowerGroup (MA) estimates that of the $97 billion worth of plastic cards purchased in 2007, nearly $8 billion has gone unused, although no one has an exact count.

Are people completely nuts? Millions of our countrymen are living under bridges and hungry while we hand our money over to multi-million dollar corporations.

I for one will never give away another gift card. Cash rules.

Of course, if you give me your unused gift cards I promise - nay, guarantee I will use up every single penny.

These sites may be of help to you

CARDSWAP - BUYGIFTCARD - SWAPAGIFT - GIFTCARDRESCUE

New Free Software Everyday

"Give away of the day" has a great deal for you. They give away software that you would normally have to pay for. But, here's the rub: They post a different one every day and you must download it within 24 hours to get it free. You also need to download the key that they'll email you.

Not a bad deal eh?

There is one Caveat: no support

The "no support" thing doesn't bother me. I figure if I have problems with it, I'll just dump it. BTW, I've been doing this for a couple years and never had a problem.


Check 'em out

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Saturday, March 6, 2010

My grand daughter Avery is a true animation & video geek. She's 12 (almost 13) and spends 99% of her free time creating,editing and posting videos.

Just before Christmas she posted her video version of Tik Tok on Youtube.com. A couple video sharing sites picked it and now she's had well over 200,000 views. Go Av!

K.I.S.S. - Simplify and Stay Sane

Colonel Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame often said his business model was simple - K.I.S.S - Keep It Simple Stupid.

A good way to do that in your everyday life is to simplify the little things.

1. Turn off your cell phone.

2. Process email only twice a day.

3. Go to bed early.

4. Get rid of (or at least reduce) commitments that you do out of obligation.

5. Create a weekly meal plan.

6. Automate your finances.

7. Purge as much unneeded clutter as possible.

8. Keep your paper shredder on top of your recycling bin.

9. Add items you want to a wish list as you think

And 32 more simplifying tips from ZenFamilyHabits

Ractopamine - Banned & Dangerous But Not Here

Banned in 160 countries.It's clearly marked as dangerous, "Not for use in humans. Individuals with cardiovascular disease should exercise special caution to avoid exposure. Use protective clothing, impervious gloves, protective eye wear, and a NIOSH-approved dust mask." So, why is it used everyday in the U.S.A.?

Mercola says

Friday, March 5, 2010

Sarnia Bayfest Rocks, Rolls and Rules!

If you're not a music fan, you've probably never heard of Sarnia Ontario located at the very southern tip of lake Huron. But, if you like to rock out to bands like Kiss, Brooks & Dunn, Counting Crows, Tim McGraw, Bon Jovi, Mötley Crüe and soooooo many more you know all about Sarnia Bayfest.

Here's the latest news on how they're doing.

FREE Audio Books

You don't get a deal like this everyday!

The folks at Books Should Be Free want you to have them

http://www.booksshouldbefree.com/

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Can We Prevent Telomere Shortening?

In case you don’t know, telomeres are tiny caps on the ends of DNA strands. As we age, they wear down. Once they’re gone, we die.

In this video series, Bill Andrews of http://manhattanbeachproject.com/ explains about telomeres and how we may be able to prevent them from wearing off or even extend them


Political correctness sucks!

What a nutty world we in North America live in. Simple words and phrases that used to be common are now WRONG.

When I was kid growing up in a French/Italian neighbourhood we kids called each other Waps and Frogs. No one thought anything of it. It was like kids calling other kids “idiots” or “jerks.” Not “nice” terms but certainly nothing to lose any sleep over.

The funny thing is that now many of those Waps and Frogs are married and raising kids who wouldn't dare use such terrible words.

The 2010 Winter Olympics just finished. The world has heard our national anthem sang hundreds of times all over Vancouver. And now, Prime Minister Harper has this brilliant idea to change the lyrics of the anthem. To be more politically correct, he would like to change the line “in all our sons command” to “thou dost in us command.”

Don’t people have better things to think about?

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