Monday, 9 January 2012

Comic book setting a good example for the real world

The Daily Mail reports:

The Life With Archie #16 issue due out on Wednesday features for the first time a same-sex wedding between characters Kevin Keller and partner Clay Walker.

After months of anticipation from fans of the comic book, readers will able to see soldier Kevin marry doctor Clay in front all their friends and family.


In the issue, Kevin has joined the army but is injured while serving a tour in Iraq.

While recovering from his injuries in a hospital rehabilitation unit, he meets Clay and they eventually fall in love.

Kevin is the series' first gay character and was introduced to the comic series in April 2010.

Last month, chief executive of Archie Comics Jonathan Goldwater told CNN Kevin was introduced 'to reflect what's going on with kids today in the real world'.


If only certain politicians made an effort to move into the 21st century as well...

Sunday, 8 January 2012

Bonus post: Spot the Texan

Spike sent me the picture below, with this message:

Hey Regina,
I think somebody sent me a baby picture of Austin today. What do you think? Spike




I didn't know our Austin was sooo cute!

Tony Blair, in a rush to hide his money and dodge taxes


This is from the Daily Mail:

Tony Blair's money-making has soared to unprecedented levels as official figures reveal his companies posted a bonanza 42 per cent rise in income last year.

The former Prime Minister's secretive business empire declared a £12million turnover, up from £8.5million the year before.

Yet this is potentially only the tip of the iceberg, since Mr Blair exploits a perfectly legal loophole to keep his finances secret.

The full extent of his income is cloaked in secrecy because he has constructed a complex web of shadowy companies and partnerships which let him avoid publishing full accounts detailing all the money from his commercial ventures.

The £12million turnover was posted by Windrush Ventures, one of at least 12 companies and partnerships controlled by Mr Blair, already thought to have channelled tens of millions of pounds through his various firms since leaving Downing Street in June 2007.

But the company posted an administrative cost of nearly £10.2million to another company owned by Mr Blair, leaving him with a profit of just over £1million.

With the corporate tax rate of 28 per cent, this left Mr Blair with a tax liability of just £315,000.

Money cascades through the interlinked Windrush firms, which have been described by accountants as an 'opaque' business model which shields the true amount of money being paid to Mr Blair.

Accounts filed at Companies House yesterday revealed that £10.2million of the £12million income from Windrush Ventures Ltd was paid into it from Windrush Ventures No 2.

Income for Windrush Ventures No 1 and Windrush Ventures No 2 is not disclosed in their accounts, and there are no accounts at all for Windrush Ventures No 3 because it is a limited partnership and not required to file accounts.

Mr Blair has set up a mirror-image to the Windrush structure of four companies called Firerush Ventures.

The nature of business undertaken by the Firerush companies has never been disclosed - though limited partnership Firerush Ventures No 3 has been permitted to conduct business by City regulator the Financial Servcies Authority - suggesting a money managing activity.

Mr Blair's astonishing earnings include lucrative after-dinner speaking, consultancies with banks and foreign governments, a series of deals with foreign companies, and the pension and other perks he enjoys as a former Prime Minister - including taxpayer-funded police protection.

Critics also point out that a large proportion of his earnings comes from patrons in America and the Middle East - a clear benefit from forging a close alliance with George Bush during his invasion of Iraq.


What next? Is he going to create water and earth rush ventures to hide money from the wind and fire?

I can't forgive Tony Blair for turning the Labour Party into a gateway to his money-making ventures. I can't forgive him for taking Britain into an illegal war and making a profit from it. He's a narcissistic money grubbing con artist with a big, smug smile on his face. Sounds familiar?

Saturday, 7 January 2012

Equal opportunities

Back in the 90's I worked for social services in Surrey, an affluent area in the south of England. My job was to register and inspect childminders and playgroups. Childminders look after children in their own homes and playgroups offer informal educational opportunities for under 5s.

Part of the registration process involved attending a course on the various aspects of working with young children. The course covered several topics, such as food hygiene, play, the business side of childminding/running a playgroup, safety precautions, behaviour management and equal opportunities. I led the sessions on the last two topics.

This post is about equal opportunities, inclusion and challenging stereotypes regarding race, gender and disabilities.

Race was a tricky subject to explore in a predominantly white area. The sessions about it were always very heated. "Why should I have black dolls and books showing people of other races if all the children I look after are white?" they asked. "Why should I have to spend money buying ethnic toy foods and cooking implements if none of the children eat any of those things?"

Why indeed...

It was a lot easier to discuss these things in some other areas of the country, where the population comprised a varied mix of people from different cultures. It was easier to find positive and negative examples within a more diverse community. In Surrey, it seemed that these "other people" only existed in exotic locations, far, far away.

Advertising in those days reinforced this notion. Ethnic minorities were shown in ads for vacations or when charities appealed for money to help some famine stricken country. Apart from that, they didn't seem to exist. Ethnic minorities living in Britain didn't need mortgages, didn't buy insurance, food, clothes, toys, didn't have bank accounts, telephones, household appliances... What came across from their complete absence from ads about everyday life was that they should be seen as no more than a colourful backdrop for white people's vacations, dancing in their lovely typical garments, riding camels and elephants.... or pulling some charitable heartstrings, starving, with their bones protuding, their children covered in flies.


Things have improved in the past twenty years. Most toy shops now sell black dolls and books have improved, but other resources are still lacking. Ads these days generally reflect the cultural and ethnic mix of the British population. Children growing up in Surrey won't have the surprise of their lives when they move away from the area and see people with different colour skins, doing everyday stuff, just like themselves.


In the area of disability, however, things didn't move very far. Children and adults with disabilties still inhabit the world of charity. Advertising is a good reflection of the attitudes towards any segment of society. Disabled people don't need financial services, don't buy clothes, don't eat at fast food restaurants. They only appear in the commercial breaks when they're needy. Toys and books that move towards inclusion are not available outside specialist outlets. When dolls with Down syndrome and other disabilities became available in the UK, they caused controversy. Some parents objected to their children's disabilities being highlighted and made into an object of fun. I beg to differ. The idea behind such toys is to combat the invisibility of people with disabilities and to give children with special needs opportunities to identify and relate to dolls like them, developing a sense of self. I believe it also helps able bodied children to see disabilty as part of life, not something hidden, "over there," much like the ethnic minorities I discussed earlier.


Unfortunately, even when there are attempts at integrating children with special needs into UK mainstream schools, most of the time the schools miss the mark. They provide a special needs assistant and that's it. I have observed many children with Down syndrome who had assistants in the classroom. The teacher interacted with the rest of the pupils, the assistant alone interacted with the child and s/he wasn't involved in any of the activities, didn't work with the other children, didn't play with them. There were no classroom resources to help integration or identification. Paying lip service to integration by having a disabled child in the classroom who remains isolated and who interacts only with a glorified babysitter does nothing for the disabled child or for the able bodied children.

As for gender stereotypes, my research led me to the websites of some very popular toy retailers. The first category in their search boxes is "search by gender." I selected "boys" from the drop menu and had pages of construction toys, cars, train sets, firefighters' and policemen's outfits. Then I selected "girls" and was greeted by dizzying pink pages of dolls, cooking stuff, hairdressing kits, make-up sets, nurses' and fairies' outfits. Our little friend Riley had a good rant about it in a video I posted a few days ago...




What prompted me to write this long post was the inclusion of Ryan, a six-year-old model with Down syndrome, in the Nordstrom and Target catalogues. Without fanfare. He was just another child in group of children wearing nice clothes, visible and included.



I believe that providing the right resources in play and educational settings and increasing the visibility of minorities in everyday activities would go a long way in creating a more inclusive society. Ethnic minorities would no longer be seen as distant and exotic. People with disabilities would no longer be seen as strange, uncomfortable or simply needy.

Marketing forces seem to dictate how products are presented. Ethnicity and disability rank lower in the scale than the gender divide. Ironically, in these days of gender equality, it seems to be the most difficult stereotype to tackle...

Friday, 6 January 2012

Playing with sharks

Mrsgunka sent me this fantastic video:



Thank you, Mrsgunka.

Thursday, 5 January 2012

Kiribati

Marakei Island in the Island Country of Kiribati near the Equator in the Pacific is a small atoll with an emerald green lagoon. The airplane dance tells the story of the WW II Invasion of their island. Dancers imitate the frigate bird in their style. Dancers often entrance themselves, and must maintain composure throughout the dance. This specific dance and style is only seen on the small island of Marakei.



I like the presidential residence. No frills and no false grandeur...


I was quite busy with other things today and didn't have time for a proper "trip" to Kiribati. I couldn't find any decent recipes, but will keep looking. Maybe some other time...

Tuesday, 3 January 2012

Detailed beauty

I love photos that show amazing detail. Our friend MD sent me a very large slideshow and I selected a few photos that caught my eye:






Thank you, MD.

Monday, 2 January 2012

Ear infection

Mrsgunka's first joke of the year:

There's nothing worse than arriving at a doctor's office and the receptionist insists you tell her what is wrong with you in a room full of patients within earshot of hearing your answer (you know the other patients are listening). It is a bit embarrassing at times.

I know most of us have experienced this, and I love the way this old guy handled it.

An elderly man walked into a crowded waiting room and approached the desk.

The receptionist said, "Yes sir, what are you seeing the doctor for today?"

"There's something wrong with my dick", he replied.

The receptionist became irritated and said, "You shouldn't come into a crowded waiting room and say things like that."

"Why not, you asked me what was wrong and I told you," he said.

The receptionist replied; "Now you've caused some embarrassment in this room full of people. You should have said there is something wrong with your ear or something, and discussed the problem further with the doctor in private..."


The man replied, "You shouldn't ask people questions in a roomful of strangers, if the answer could embarrass anyone." The man walked out, waited several minutes, and then re-entered.

The receptionist smiled smugly and asked, "Yes ???"

"There's something wrong with my ear," he stated.

The receptionist nodded approvingly and smiled, knowing he had taken her advice. "And what is wrong with your ear, Sir?"

"I can't piss out of it," he replied.

Thank you, Mrsgunka.

Sunday, 1 January 2012

Pac frog

Let's start the new year with a little funny video...

Saturday, 31 December 2011

Happy New Year!

Wishing all readers a fantastic 2012! Thank you for your contributions and for making this blog a very welcoming, friendly place.

Friday, 30 December 2011

Lovely snow

Spike sent me this hilarious account of a guy's love affair with the snow. Thank you, Spike.


DIARY OF AN IOWA SNOW SHOVELER


December 8 - 6:00 PM

It started to snow. The first snow of the season and the wife and I took our cocktails and sat for hours by the window watching the huge soft flakes drift down from heaven. It looked like a Grandma Moses Print. So romantic we felt like newlyweds again. I love snow!

December 9

We woke to a beautiful blanket of crystal white snow covering every inch of the landscape. What a fantastic sight! Can there be a more lovely place in the whole world? Moving here to Iowa was the best idea I've ever had! Shoveled for the first time in years and felt like a boy again. I did both our driveway and the sidewalks. This afternoon the snow plow came along and covered up the sidewalks and closed in the driveway, so I got to shovel again. What a perfect life!

December 12

The sun has melted all our lovely snow.. Such a disappointment! My neighbor tells me not to worry- we'll definitely have a white Christmas. No snow on Christmas would be awful! Bob says we'll have so much snow by the end of winter, that I'll never want to see snow again. I don't think that's possible. Bob is such a nice man, I'm glad he's our neighbor.

December 14

Snow, lovely snow! 8 inches last night. The temperature dropped to -20. The cold makes everything sparkle so. The wind took my breath away, but I warmed up by shoveling the driveway and sidewalks. This is the life! The snow plow came back this afternoon and buried everything again. I didn't realize I would have to do quite this much shoveling, but I'll certainly get back in shape this way. I wish I wouldn't huff and puff so.

December 15

20 inches forecast. Sold my van and bought a 4x4 Blazer. Bought snow tires for the wife's car and 2 extra shovels. Stocked the freezer. The wife wants a wood stove in case the electricity goes out. I think that's silly. We aren't in Alaska, after all.

December 16

Ice storm this morning. Fell on my ass on the ice in the driveway putting down salt. Hurt like hell. The wife laughed for an hour, which I think was very cruel.

December 17

Still way below freezing. Roads are too icy to go anywhere. Electricity was off for 5 hours. I had to pile the blankets on to stay warm. Nothing to do but stare at the wife and try not to irritate her. Guess I should've bought a wood stove, but won't admit it to her. God I hate it when she's right. I can't believe I'm freezing to death in my own living room.


December 20

Electricity's back on, but had another 14 inches of the damn stuff last night. More shoveling! Took all day. The damn snow plow came by twice. Tried to find a neighbor kid to shovel, but they said they're too busy playing hockey. I think they're lying. Called the only hardware store around to see about buying a snow blower and they're out. Might have another shipment in March. I think they're lying. Bob says I have to shovel or the city will have it done and bill me. I think he's lying.

December 22

Bob was right about a white Christmas because 13 more inches of the white crap fell today, and it's so cold, it probably won't melt till August. Took me 45 minutes to get all dressed up to go out to shovel and then I had to pee. By the time I got undressed, peed and dressed again, I was too tired to shovel. Tried to hire Bob who has a plow on his truck for the rest of the winter, but he says he's too busy. I think he's is lying.

December 23

Only 2 inches of snow today. And it warmed up to 0. The wife wanted me to decorate the front of the house this morning. What is she, nuts?!! Why didn't she tell me to do that a month ago? She says she did but I think she's lying.

December 24

6 inches - Snow packed so hard by snow plow, I broke the shovel. Thought I was having a heart attack. If I ever catch the son of a bitch who drives that snow plow, I'll drag him through the snow by his balls and beat him to death with my broken shovel. I know he hides around the corner and waits for me to finish shoveling and then he comes down the street at a 100 miles an hour and throws snow all over where I've just been! Tonight the wife wanted me to sing Christmas carols with her and open our presents, but I was too busy watching for the damn snow plow.

December 25

Merry fricking Christmas! 20 more inches of the damn slop tonight - Snowed in. The idea of shoveling makes my blood boil. God, I hate the snow! Then the snow plow driver came by asking for a donation and I hit him over the head with my shovel. The wife says I have a bad attitude. I think she's a fricking idiot. If I have to watch "It's A Wonderful Life" one more time, I'm going to stuff her into the microwave.

December 26

Still snowed in. Why the hell did I ever move here? It was all HER idea. She's really getting on my nerves.

December 27

Temperature dropped to -30 and the pipes froze; plumber came after 14 hours of waiting for him, he only charged me $1,400 to replace all my pipes.

December 28

Warmed up to above -20. Still snowed in. My WIFE is driving me crazy!!!

December 29

10 more inches. Bob says I have to shovel the roof or it could cave in. That's the silliest thing I ever heard. How dumb does he think I am?

December 30

Roof caved in. I beat up the snow plough driver, and now he is suing me for a million dollars, not only the beating I gave him, but also for trying to shove the broken snow shovel up his BUTT. The wife went home to her mother. Nine more inches predicted.

December 31

I set fire to what's left of the house. No more shoveling.

January 8

Feel so good. I just love those little white pills they keep giving me. Why am I tied to the bed?

Thursday, 29 December 2011

What colours do you drink?

Yesterday's photo was quite powerful but depressed a number of readers. Today I decided to cheer you up by showing you what the most popular drinks look like under a microscope. Choose your favourite tipple, which can be made into actual wall pictures, bar accessories, scarves and other stuff. The site where I found them has a number of goodies.

Cheers!

Champagne

Budweiser

Black Russian

Bloody Mary

Chablis

Cola

Cranberry Juice

Dry Martini

Gin & Tonic

Iced Tea

Margarita

Mexican Lager

Orange Juice

Pina Colada

Red Wine

Rosé

Scotch

Jack Daniels

White Wine

Tequila

Irish Stout

Wednesday, 28 December 2011

Harsh reality

Warsaw, 1946 
[Photo by Michael Nash, Associated Press]

Tuesday, 27 December 2011

Celebrating a lifetime together

Mrsgunka had a Christmas scare when Ray was suddenly ill and had to be taken to hospital. Fortunately, Ray is making good progress.

Today is their 53rd wedding anniversary and although they won't be physically together, their hearts will be as close as ever.

Let's accompany Mr & Mrsgunka on a trip back to 1958, when they tied the knot.






Eisenhower was the president of the United States, Khrushchev was the leader of the USSR and Harold MacMillan was the UK Prime Minister.

1958 saw the birth of NASA and of the John Birch Society.

South Pacific was the top grossing movie and The Bridge on the River Kwai won 7 Academy Awards, including best picture.

Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward were also married in 1958:


The world of fashion, from the December issue of Vogue:





People drove very big cars:




These two songs topped the Billboard charts:





Dear Mrsgunka, you and Ray saw many changes over all these years together, but the best thing is what hasn't changed: Your enduring love for each other.

Happy anniversary!