Swhet Productions

Again, as this touches on a controversial topic, like last time, I would like to preface everything I'm about to say with this: Bullying is bad. I do not believe in bullying. It is something we should pay attention to and try to stop. I also do not believe suicide is the correct soluction to anything, and have extreme respect for the dead. That being said, I do have a couple things to say about the recent Amanda Todd incident.

Here's the infamous video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej7afkypUsc

I could talk about this for hours, so I will try and keep this short and sweet.

First, I will quickly address the main two reasons why Amanda was bullied:

She would spend her days on chat rooms with random people who said she was "Stunning, beautiful, perfect, ect." She was then coaxed into flashing some guy she didn't know.

She had sex with a girl's boyfriend.

Many will argue that it's a self-esteem issue, as to why she flashed the guy when she was 12 years old. But really, basically at that point, she was being bullied for being too attractive. She willingly went on the internet naked. And besides that, I have seen 2 photos of her: One that looks like a normal photo taken by a family member, and another of her in her underwear taking an LG picture. Where did that come from? Even after the incident of the guy contacting her and saying she had to put a show on for him(which is never directly denied in the video) or he would post the picture of her, she could have told him to go ahead and it would be him who gets in trouble. I think if you own something in that situation, people wouldn't really care and would forget about it quite quickly. She then openly admits to self-inflicted pain, and turning to drugs and alcohol. She must have been abusing those substances with someone. She doesn't define what drugs she was using though. But even still, her situation seemed pretty... Non-important at that point. Don't get me wrong, that man is an asshole and deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison, but she managed to get by that before the other thing pushed her over the edge.

She has sex with someone else's boyfriend.

I don't think much else needs to be said here. She "hooked-up" with him. He did not rape her, it was a fully concented act from both parties. If you do that, expect to get some flak. Whether or not the guy got flak for it isn't really clear. But really. I left school one day and there was a guy standing just a bit away from the bus stop whose face look like it exploded because a guy punched him because he made-out with his girlfriend. So, so far, she has only been teased for silly things she has willingly done.

Additionally, she said that she saw on Facebook people were still making fun of her 6 months later. Obviously she never heard of the wonderful "Remove Friend" button.

I have left out many key elements that you would have saw if you watched the video, but I must move on or we'll both be stuck here all day.

Now I want you to watch this, a video made just over a year ago:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdkNn3Ei-Lg&feature=related

The boy's name is Jonah, as the name so suggests. He was going into grade 7, and had been bullied since grade 1. So 6 years. Twice as long as Amanda was being tormented. He also had the stones to show his face in the video, but that is a different story. The point is that instead of complaining about his problems, he actually made a pretty inspirational video, that I can see would help many other people suffering from bullying.

What I'm trying to say with all this, is all the publicity and sudden public outcry against bullying that came from Amanda's unfortunate decision is sending the wrong message. A message that committing suicide will get you more attention, might make a change in society. That suicide is the only option. Imagine being someone who gets tormented for their looks, because they are not the textbook defenition of "attractive" (aka "ugly"), is a 23 year old who is in college and is a virgin, and imagine seeing the news story about a "Stunning, beautiful, perfect" girl killing herself because she got laid. How would you read that message? Would you think of it as story of triumph and success? Would it build your self confidence and help you ignore the bullies and tell someone who can help? Or would you read it as "Her situation wasn't all that bad, compared to mine. So there is obviously only one option." This again all leads back to my hatred for society and humanity. People only care about the topics that everyone else is talking about. What is trending on Twitter. What can get them some cred and maybe good karma. Here's an idea, instead of making a post on Facebook about how you feel bad for her, why don't you sit down beside the kid with the lopsided nose at lunch and ask him how he is? Or maybe go talk to the guy with the long hair who looks like a girl? Approach the nerdy kid with big glasses. Actually make a difference.

Finally, I'm gunna do a little more knowledge dropping to drive my point home(These are American Stats):

-Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young poeple, with roughly 4,400 a year. At least half of these are related to bullying. Suicide is the #1 cause of death in teens and children under 14.

-Every 30 minutes, a teen attempts suicide due to bullying.

-There are 282,000 high school students who report being bullied every month.

-160,000 students stay home from school EVERY DAY due to fear of bullying.

- Between 15 and 25 youth commit suicide every year due to bullying.

So with that some of that in mind, ask yourself some questions:

Where is the public outcry for the other 14-24 suicides due to bullying? What are their stories?

What about the hundreds of thousands of other people being bullied? What are their stories? How bad is it? Do they just have better help and closer connections to people around them?

How many of these people are teased for being attractive?

Do we only care about this because an attractive young girl did it?

So that's it. There is my cynical view of the public's decision of what is important.

This has been bugging me for a while, but before I start, I want everybody to watch this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAgti_2uziA

The woman's name is Karen Klein. Before I go any farther with this, I want people to understand, I completely agree that what these kids are doing is fucking discusting and horrible. They say some pretty harsh things, and they're pussies for attacking this 67 year old woman. They also sound like fucking idiots. One guy says something about having "A herpe" at some point. The absolute worst part in the video, is in the last 10 seconds, a kid says "You don't have any family because they all killed themselves because you're so fucking fat." Karen's son killed himself when he was 10.

After all this, she still didn't press charges.

I'm gunna continue this discussion with saying I absolutely support the internet outreach and general support that the public is giving her. And by that I mean people simply saying they support Karen, that she is a wonderful person, and really just to ignore those stupid assholes on the bus. The Canadian Military sending her videos and the kids parent's coming up and personally apologizing for their kid's misbehaviour.  That is all well and good. But this is where I start to turn sour.

A man started an online donation page for Karen. He felt she needed a Vacation, and his goal was to reach $5,000 dollars. Which would pay for a pretty kick ass vacation, and a chance to relax. That is okay I guess, I get it. But what I don't get, is Disneyland giving her an all expense paid trip for a 1 week stay at the resort. So why is she getting $5,000? People don't realize that Disneyland isn't doing this out of the good of their hearts, but for publicity. And it gets worse, which is the part that really gets me going.

The man who started the donation, Max Sidorov,  wanted to reach $5,000 dollars. But, as the title of this entry suggests, the total went a little higher then that... $700,000 ($703,883, to be exact). Don't believe me? Here's the website: http://www.indiegogo.com/loveforkarenhklein .  To put that in words, Seven hundred THOUSAND dollars. To a lady who was bullied on a school bus. First of all, is that the society we live in? "Oh. You went through such a terrible experience. Here, have some money." Sure mentally she was hurt, and yeah, 700 grand can pay for therapy, but bubble wrap is infinitly cheaper. At this point I want to remind everyone I'm not lashing out at the lady, none of it was her fault, I'm getting angry at, once again, society. I'd also like to add that the name of the website is "Love for Karen Klein." Since when was money love if you're not living in a house where your father is too busy for you?

Now I'm gunna drop a load of knowledge on your face. World vision, one of the biggest third world aid organizations out there (the one with all the commercials where the cameraman tells the starving children not to bat bugs out of their eyes so they can eat next week), advertises that for $39 a month, (Just under 2 dollars a day) you can sponser a child. What that actually means is that it helps build the childs community. The only reason why they say "Sponser a Child" is because children are much cuter and more defenseless then a picture of a community with mud pits and literal shit holes, and it makes adults want to help. Here's a copy/pasted list of things it provides for the child and it's community:

Education

Skills training

Improved Nutrition

Agricultural assistance

Health care

Safe water

HIV and AIDS programming (where needed)

Obviously it is not instantaneous, and multiple children are sponsered in one community, but still, it helps those things. My family  sponsers a child in Africa, and within 5 years they had built a new school, had about 15x as much access to clean water, and had set up a medical building. Now, let me drop some grade 3 math knowledge on your face as well:

2 dollars a day(for argument's sake), x 365 days a year(ignoring leap years) = $730 a year, per child.

Lets say 10 children are sponsered in one community:

10 x $2 = $20 a day

10x$39 = $390 a month

$390 x 12 = $4680 dollars a year

Four-thousand-six-hundred-eighty dollars a year, to basically save a community from literally hundreds of deaths. Medicine to fight disease, no more thirst, crops will be planted and animals will be be bought, meaning no more hunger. Education for the youth to move on and give themselves a better future. And just a better future in general. After a while, the little shantytown becomes somewhat self-sustaining. They have been taught how to raise live stock and properly grow food in farm fields, and they even start to develop their own economy.

I bet you're thinking "Whoa whoa whoa Liam, slow down there. $4680 is a lot of money." I'd like to revert you to the title of this blog entry. $700,000 dollars for a woman who already has a free 7 day, all-expense-paid trip to Disneyland? Maybe she didn't press charges because those kids were the best thing that every happened to her. $700,000 dollars is way more then $4680. Let's do a little more math, and figure out JUST how many African villages we could save with that kind of Money.

$703,883 / $4680 = 150.4

For arguments sake, let's round down.

One hundred fifty villages/communities, for a whole YEAR. Now, realize, that's not only saving the communities, that's saving the LIVES of the individuals in the communities. Watering them, feeding them, medicating them, educating them, helping them escape the cycle of working for 12 cents a day. And helping them build a better future. But no, fuck them. That lady on the bus NEEDS this money, to show the kids she IS NOT POOR!

Now, Klein has made a statement saying she will donate money to a charity, but has yet to specify which. It is speculated for obvious reasons that she will donate it to anti-bullying organizations(what do they do anyways? Besides raise awareness?) At least donate it to a homeless shelter. But again, this is not an attack on Klein. This is an attack on society giving the money to Klein. Yahoo News states that "The intention of the people who donated was for Klein to have it." Erm... Why? I just fail to understand that while people are being literally blown up in Lybia, and people are dying of starvation, aids, dehydration, and an overwhelming other number of medical diseases, and in many places government oppression, does ONE WOMAN deserve that much money for doing nothing?

So I close with this: For the 4 or 5 of you who actually read this blog, please, think before you spend your money. Make sure you know where it's going, and don't give three-quarters of a million dollars to someone who really doesn't need it all that bad, when you could save a good portion of Ethiopia with said dollars.

The BC teacher strike. People need to calm their tits. This blog entry is going to be short and sweet. People have been complaining A LOT about the possibilty of teachers striking in the next week. Especially those in the graduating class of 2012, a group that I myself am part of. But c'mon people, first of all, 3 days is NOT going to be a huge deal. Aside from that, they are fighting FOR US. To HELP us graduate, and to help future generations graduate. The learning conditions are getting progressively more crappy, and the lack of funds isn't helping. And the worst thing we can do, is complain about it. There is nothing worse than trying to make a difference and have the people you are trying to help bitch and moan. Sure, if we start picketing as students to get our teachers back on the job, they probably will. But who is that helping? All that says is we don't appreciate the time they have put in for us, and the conservatives win... And lets face it. Nobody wants that. And on top of that, it just says we are spoiled and selfish and all we care about is ourselves.

I would like to add I am in Math 12 at this point in time, so I am a little worried about how it will effect my mark, I'm also not saying this from a slacker's point of view.  They have the right to do this if they feel it is necissary. These teachers care for us, and are fighting for us, and all we can do is bitch and moan? C'mon, if your mother or father or gardian stopped cleaning up after you for 3 days, would you throw a hissy fit? If your music teacher wasn't available to help you practice 1 week, would you care? No. Teachers are a group of people who have been with us since we were 5. People who we trust. And now people are acting like they are trying to fuck us up? No. Just, no.

Another point, if your afraid about how you will do in first year university or college, I would like to tell you, first semester university is basically a review of grade whatever you learned in that subject in grade 12. Why? Because some people don't go to university for 10 years or more after graduating high school. What kind of system would we have if review wasn't part of the course. Yeah, it will be harder, because you have 2 classes a week, and have to cover 5 months of daily info into 4 months of twice a week classes, but that is it.

So to sum up, they are trying to help us, trying to help our future, and trying to help the province, in creating more, better informed individuals.

So c'mon students of high school, calm your tits.

Liam Krider is currently in the process of sueing Jack Sheezy for claiming he is the Editor-in-Chief of Swhet's blog.

As you can tell from the above title, it is the momentous (and maybe in some ways infamous) NBA All-Star weekend, chock full of Jeremy Lin, James Jones, and Paul George.

Wait, who?

We'll come back to that bit later. But for now, I'll be cooking up some Hoop Soup, a random multitude of all the hottest NBA story lines as well as a few quandaries from straight outta left field.

First, some background: I've been a legitimate follower and fan of the game of basketball since somewhere between ages 10 and 12. With my step mom and her family being some of the biggest Laker Filinatics this side of Manila, I naturally gravitated towards the Lakers. That does not necessarily mean I only follow them; I've been playing fantasy basketball for (I think) three seasons now, and thus I started really following everybody in the NBA.

For example:

My favorite player - Kevin Love

Best rookies (in my opinion) - Kyrie Erving, Derrick Williams, Kemba Walker, Markieff and Marcus Morris, Nicola Vucevic, and Norris Cole

This year's top players (in my opinion) - LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Love, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul

And the list goes on and on. Different subheadings reveal different results. We'll wind up swinging back around to many of the topics and players listed above.

But first, let's start with my Lakers and their penchant for crappy basketball.

Brown and the Lakers Sulk Into the Break

Look, in my house, my dad and I are very well educated on this team after a decade of living amongst some big-time Laker lifers. And the one thing I (and I think everyone else) has noticed about this team is that it ALL revolves around and runs through Kobe Bryant. They have one of the best potential 1-2 inside punches in the league, and despite Kobe always being the go-to, these last few years have shown us that the Lakers will indeed play to their strength down low.

Not this year.

Coach Mike "Mush Mouth" Brown has seemingly decided that he knows all, that his transitional small time offense is suitable for THIS team, RIGHT now. Unbeknownst to him is the fact that he still has both Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, the latter of which is having the best season of his career. Brown still won't use him as a primary weapon. As for Pau?

Yeah. About that Pau character.

In this new "post-triangle" system, he is essentially a loose body. He floats around the perimeter, rarely goes to the lane, and is now playing like a sixth man rather than a big man. He was an all-star every year since joining the Lakers, he was the biggest player not named Kobe in factoring into the team's consecutive championships, and he had just asserted himself as one of the league's elite bigs. And yet here he is, being shopped as trade bait for smaller players? Why in the hell would you break away from what has been your niche for 50 YEARS and start a whole new regime based around the exact opposite of what has brought the team 15 rings?

I have plenty to say about the Lakers, but let's leave it at that for now. On to Linsanity!

Linsanity Hits the Big Apple

Here is the situation, if you don't already know: Jeremy Lin was one of the top high school basketball players in California after leading his team to the D-II state title. He was passed over by his top two colleges of choice, UCLA and Stanford. Then USC. Then Cal. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

Where does he wind up? Harvard, where basketball reigns supreme! If you replace "basketball" with "economics," "law," or "quantum physics" of course.

Anyways, he dominates the Ivy League, picking up right where he left off in high school. He wrestles the starting point guard away from some other dude who probably works overseas developing a new way for humans to drop deuces from the comfort of their couch. Then time comes to move on to the NBA.

Where does he wind up? Well, no where.

Lin later gets picked up by Golden State and then another team (I can't remember who it was; maybe Utah or something.). He plays in maybe half a dozen games before hitting the unemployment line again. Then suddenly, the Knicks have this glaring need for a point guard. And I mean suddenly. They played without one for like, a decade. But it was just now that they needed one.

What a run this kid has. The team wins 8 straight, he puts up 24 points and 7 assists a game for those 8 games, including a big fat 38 and 8 against my Lakers. Linsanity was born. The Knicks were Linning. They were entering the Lin Dynasty. The fans were parading around like Lingrates. You get my point.

ESPN just splooged all over themselves with this one. They dedicated entire segments to him, regurgitating the same bloody story every day. I kid you not, for a week straight, it was, "Jeremy Lin is the hottest thing to hit New York since Broadway; Lin is definitely finding the whole thing, very surreal." (Cut to press conference/interview clip where he talks about how crazy it all is)

Every. Single. Day.

I get the craze; we're a needy, self-conscious age of people who NEED to have our attention drawn away from our superficial insecurities. That's why we had Tebowmania. That's why we stare so closely at our computer screens for the next mind-blowing Hollywood hook up. But TMZSPN took (and continues to take) it too far. Did we hear his story? YES we f***ing heard his story! You told us! EVERY DAY!

Then the kid somehow makes it to All-Star weekend after 2 weeks worth of games? Now we have Sports Illustrated plastering him on their cover 2 weeks running? Do you know how often anything gets an SI cover 2 weeks running? It's probably never happened (citation needed). And now we have SI and TMZSPN raving about how he's this polarizing Taiwanese player and how there is such a stir overseas about how amazing Jeremy Lin is. He may even play for China this year in London!

Uhm, for one, he's Taiwanese-America. Two, he's AMERICAN. We constantly demonize people who make something minimal into something racial, but for some reason we cannot stress enough how successful this young Asian player has been, or how isn't the biggest or fastest or most athletic but he's smart and works hard. That sounds like something racial to me.

But if a dude working for TMZSPN Mobile posts a headline at 3AM called "Chink in the Armor" after Lin's first bad game against whomever, he gets fired for being racist.

But if Ben n Jerry's makes a "Lin-sanity" flavor that contains fortune cookies as a Lingredient, it has to be recalled for being too stereotypical.

People make him out to be like he could never ball. I'm in the boat that he's actually, ya know, talented at basketball like he proved he was by being one of the top prep players in the state of California and leading his team to a state title, dominating everyone in the process while also being named best player in the state. "He doesn't jump very high, he's not very big, he's not the fastest." Well, actually, he can sky; we've all seen him dunk, and he does it well. He ain't tiny; 6'3, 200lbs is small? Even in basketball, he's still half Taiwanese. His parents are probably 5'4, each. And the kid's got wheels; he's snaked past John Wall, Devin Harris, Kyrie Erving, and Deron Williams, all good to elite point guards, all top 5 picks in their respective drafts. He's no slouch, but because he is half Asian, we have to say he isn't big or fast or athletic, but slap him with that old (stereotypical) tag of "smart" and "gritty." It's senseless.

Again, there's plenty I could say about Linsanity. I won't say too much, though. I don't wanna get fired.

That will have to wrap up Part 1 of my Hoop Soup. Part 2 to come in the next couple of days, maybe after tomorrow's All-Star game is played. Til then, cheers!

Jack Sheezy is the editor-in-chief of Swhet and the author of the recent New York Times no. 1 best-seller "The Book of Basketball."

(^ Welp, I'm getting sued for that.)

First of all, if you don't know what I'm talking about, here.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-agl0pOQfs

"Hey Bob?:" "Yeah Phil?" "The parenting life isn't exhilerating enough for me anymore. Let's get together and form a shitty rap group that NOBODY will ever know about." "Dude. So down." This is how I envision the Insane Clown Posse starting. It was either the worst or the best mid-life crisis ever. I haven't decided yet. Even the URL of the Youtube video is annoyed by this song. "=_-"

If magic is all we've ever known

Then it's easy to miss what really goes on

It starts off with saying that if all we know is magic, then we don't know what is going on. I want you to remember that for later.

But I've seen miracles in every way

And I see miracles everyday

Oceans spanning beyond my sight

And a million stars way above em at night

We don't have to be high to look in the sky

And know that's a miracle opened wide

Okay. I'm glad I was told that to look in the sky I don't have to be high, because I've spend the last 17 years of my life avoiding looking up because I was afraid of not knowing what the fuck is going on up there. I understand what they are trying to say... But did he not just say that if it is a Miracle, (or Magic) then we don't know what is going on? So basically he says he's an idiot, and doesn't know what the fuck is going on around him, because it's all obviously magic?

Look at the mountains, trees, the seven seas

And everything chilling underwater, please

Bitch please. That shit is underwater? UNDER FUCKING WATER?!?! And mountains and trees, and the seven seas? Nuff said. Don't go outside. You're head might explode.

Hot lava, snow, rain and fog

Long neck giraffes, and pet cats and dogs

What about 'em?

And I've seen eighty-five thousand people

All in one room, together as equals

What fucking room were you in that could hold 85,000 people? I call bullshit. Even at a concert. I'd be surprised if you sold 5 tickets.

Pure magic is the birth of my kids

Once again. Magic. Shit doesn't make sense if you believe in magic. He just woke up one day and his wife was pregnant and he was like "The fuck?"

I've seen shit that'll shock your eyelids

My eyelids? What was it? A cattle prod? Or just some simple wires hooked up to a 9 volt battery? I've seen those too.

The sun and the moon, and even Mars

The Milky Way and fucking shooting stars

Even Mars? But not Mercury, Venus, Earth, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, or Uranus? Apparently this guy was in the future when he wrote this, and no only did he exclude Pluto, he knew that in the future the other guys wouldn't be considered planets either. But that won't be until after the human race is dead.

UFOs, a river flows

Dude, UFO's aren't real. Stop snorting "magic" It's preventing you from thinking straight.

Plant a little seed and nature grows

Nature grows? From one seed? Damn. I need to get me one of them.

Niagara falls and the pyramids

Everything you believed in as kids

Wait... Those aren't real? Why do step on my dreams, asshole.

Fucking rainbows after it rains

There's enough miracles here to blow your brains

I have difficulty fucking rainbows after it rains. The end of it always runs away from me. I need some of this "magic" you speak of.

I nick named my 12 gauge shot gun "Miracles" too.

I fed a fish to a pelican at Frisco bay

It tried to eat my cell phone, he ran away

Well then don't try to feed it your cell phone you idiot. Even the Pelican knows that it isn't food. Pelican: 1. Insane Clown Dude: 0.

And music is magic, pure and clean

You can feel it and hear it but it can't be seen

I get that message. I like what they are trying to say. But once again, If magic is all we've ever known Then it's easy to miss what really goes on. This dude should take a science course. All his problems would be solved. Like those unwanted children that came from nowhere.

Music is all magic

(Are you a firm believer in miracles)

Nope. If I was, I wouldn't understand what was going on.

You can't even hold it

(Do you notice and recognize miracles)

So anything you can't hold doesn't exist? So air doesn't exist? And cars? A house? The moon? Pyramids? A flowing river? A fucking rainbow after it rains?

It's just there in the air

(Are you a firm believer in miracles)

Whoa wait what? But air doesn't exist. You can't hold it. STOP CONFUSING ME! And didn't you already ask me that?

Pure motherfucking magic

Right?

Wait, the air or the music? I'd have to say wrong.

This shit'll blow your fucking mind

Is it more "Magic"?

(Do you notice and recognize miracles)

I feel like I'm doing a questionaire. Excuse me. I think you're record is broken.

Music is a lot like love, it's all a feeling

And it fills the room, from the floor to the ceiling

Well yes actually. That is scientifically accurate. Wait... You mean like an emotion? No. Fuck that. It's soundwaves.

I see miracles all around me

Stop and look around, it's all astounding

That shit will make your head explode.

Water, fire, air and dirt

Fucking magnets, how do they work?

I don't think I need to say much here. Nobody knows. 

And I don't wanna talk to a scientist

Y'all motherfuckers lying, and getting me pissed

Yup.

Solar eclipse, and vicious weather

Yup.

Fifteen thousand Juggalos together

I'm not going to lie, I had to google what a Juggalo was. According to Wikipedia a "Juggalo or Juggalette (the latter being feminine) is a name given to fans of Insane Clown Posse or any other Psychopathic Records hip hop group. Juggalos have developed their own idioms, slang, and characteristics.]" So basically these idiots have found enough people to form a whole knew society? I'm glad to know that they are keeping to themselves and not infecting the rest of us. And there is 15,000 of em? I call bullshit. Also, why is the name so close to "Jiggalo"? Does that seem a little sketchy to you?

And I love my mom for giving me this

Time on this planet, taking nothing for granted

Not your dad?

Obviously. Or else you wouldn't be here telling people the pyramids don't exist.

I seen a caterpillar turn into a butterfly

You obviously have a lot of time on your hands.

Miracles ain't nothing to lie

Huh?

Shaggy's little boys look just like Shaggy

But not like Shaggy's ex-wife, because she came in and caught him red handed, creeping with the girl next door.

And my little boy looks just like daddy

Your wife was cheating on you with your dad? Damn, son.

Miracles each and every where you look

And nobody has to stay where they put

Again, Huh?

This world is yours for you to explore

There's nothing but miracles beyond your door

Again. I get what they are trying to say. But please, say it in another way.

The Dark Carnival is your invitation

I enjoy Left 4 Dead 2 as well.

To witness them without explanation

I need an explination to go outside?

Take a look at this fine creation

I feel like he should be swinging his junk around...

And enjoy it better with appreciation

THAT'S why they're called Juggalos.

Crows, ghosts, the midnight coast

Ghosts don't exist, asshole.

The wonders of the world, mysteries the most

I thought the Pyramids aren't real?

Just open your mind, and it ain't no way

To ignore the miracles of every day

Just take a hit dude. Open up your mind, myan.

(Are you a firm believer in miracles)

Magic everywhere in this bitch

Nope. And are you talking about your wife? Is she pregnant again?

(Do you notice and recognize miracles)

It's all around you, you don't even know it

It's like when the government tested US soldiers with LSD in the 60's. They pmped it in through the vents.

(Are you a firm believer in miracles)

Magic everywhere in this bitch

NO!

Shit's crazy

You're high.

(Do you notice and recognize miracles,

So many miracles, the magic miracles)

What other kind of Miracles are there?

Do you have time for the miracles?

Nope. I'm too busy going to school and being sober.

Someone should tell these guys not to quit their day jobs. I'm gunna say to them what everyone said to Vanilla Ice in the 90's. (Except for the Ninja Rap. I solute you for that one.) "Please, leave rapping to the Blacks and Eminem. And your song most definately goes ba da da badada da DUM."

In our prevoius posts, me and my chum Hunter talked about how lazy our society is. With laziness comes complaints. Today, I'm going to dive into a little more detail of some of the most common complaints I hear.

1. "I have school."

As previously mentioned, todays kids hate school. They hate learning. They hate everything about responsibilty. Yet, going to school is quite obviously a privilege. Here are some numbers for you:

793,000,000 People in the world are illiterate (11% If that doesn't seem significant to you, that is just over 1 in 10 people)

99% of Canadians 15 and over are literate (Roughly 44,000 people in Canada are illiterate)

99% of Americans are literate (5,135,000 people in America are illiterate)

The least literate country in the world is Mali with 26.2% (Mali is a country of roughly 15 million people, that's more than 4 million people who cannot read)

These numbers may seem insubstantial to you but consider how hard it is to get a job when you cannot read. Consider how hard it is to do anything when you cannot read. You wouldn't be able to take medication, to take notes, to follow directions, to go to school. A large portion of people in the world do not have access to proper education. But for some reason, people in Canada (and other first world countries) do not feel the need to go to school. They take advantage of the lean system put in place by the government and decide they do not need education. Consider how hard it would be to get a job? That leads me into my next complaint:

2. "I have to work."

The younger a person gets a job, the better. As mentioned before, most jobs require the ability to read. But that is besides the point. Working puts food on the table, roofs over our heads, and clothes on our backs (and legs, feet, stomachs, sometimes heads if nesissary.) If a high school student gets a job while they are still living at home they should a) save the money or b) spend it on things that will be useful to you after you move out. For example, I already have most of the stuff I will need to furnish my apartment/basement suite when I'm ready to move out.

When people complain about going to work they should stop and think about all the unemployed people in the world. (9% in 2009 and rising, 30% in non-industrialized countries and up to 12% in developed countries either un- or under-employed) Most of these people dream of having any sort of job to put food in their stomachs. To keep them warm and safe. To keep their children safe.

3. "My family is middle class"

I live in an upper-middle family, however, I am not spoiled. I have been taught how to manage money, and have been taught the hardships of finances once I move out. If you grow up in a rich family 9 times out of 10 you won't be taught the importance of independance, the importance of saving your money, the importance of choosing what is necissary and what is not, and how dangerous guilt-free spending can be.

I have a couple friends who are, indeed, rich. Loaded, one might say. They both have cars, they both have parents who dish out money to them, they are both my age(17), and they both have no idea what life would be like without money being thrown at them.

Being in a middle class house means you have your basic needs met and you have some luxuries. In this way of life, you can learn how you to manage your money and to look forward to what you will need once you move out, but you do not have to worry about your mum or dad missing a pay cheque and suddenly losing everything.

4."My parents never leave me alone."

Immediately, this one should be interpreted as "My parents care about me." Studies show that as little as sitting down for dinner every night with your family can reduce a kids risk of getting involved with drugs by 90% then that of a child who's parents are never home.

Parents who are always around will seem annoying, and do nothing but get on your nerves, but it also means, that the once or twice you do need them there to talk to, they WILL be there, and there will be a better connection between you, making things less uncomfortable. One thing you should always remember: A parent's love is unconditional. Even if they don't show it, parents will always love you, and even after a huge fight will always be there for you. I know loads of people who's parents are either always out just because, or are always working because they have to, who complain about it all the time, but really, have told me that all they want is their parents respect, and to have them actually talk to them every once in a while.

So if your parents are always trying to get you to talk to them, consider it a good thing. Because the alternitave is much worse.

5. "I'm on my period."

Straight off, any girl (if there are any girls) reading this will say "You're a guy. You don't know how bad it sucks." Well, ignoring the fact I've been told, I know it can't be as bad as the alternitave, being pregnant. Especially at the age of 17. 3-10 days (depending on the person) once a month I'm sure is preferable to 9 months of having something stuck inside you, several ours of that thing being forced out of you, and a lifetime of responsibility and stress.

Even guys who complain about their girlfriends being on their periods should take a step back and instead of saying "She's crazy right now." Say,  "She's not pregnant."

And one last thing for the girls, you get to use your period as an excuse. A one way ticket to everything-is-good-againville. After an argument that seems like it could end a relationship, simply call the person up the next day and say "Sorry I went off my rocker. I was on my period." I know personally, as a guy, I would love to have a period, just to use as a get-out-of-jail free card.

Okay, so it's not really science. But I have some tidbits to toss around.

Anyway, it's my your friendly nieghbourhood Biablid-Dilthinky. Also known as Liam Krider to some, but that is just an Alias. Anyway, I just thought I would follow up my good friend Hunter's previous blog. I'd also like to add that apparently only one of the things he listed is true. I thought they both were. Although I've never known that man to be a crazy metal head. ANYWAY. Continuing.

I'd like to start off by saying anyone who uses an Android phone is instantly more intelligent then someone who uses an iPhone. Because iPhones were made SPECIFICALLY for the purpose of simplicity. They do however lack functionality. ANYWAY.

Society, as mentioned, is going downhill. But ignoring the fact that technology is making us progessively more idiotic and lazy, there are definately other major contributors. For example, the child entertainment industry nowadays is complete a total drivvel. Things like Hanee-Montanee and The Suite Life of Hack and Chodey are completely destroying the minds of the younger generations. My friend has a sister who is 13 and is still afraid of the dark, and she spends her days watching and re-watching the shows on family channel. When I was growing up, I watch The Rugrats, Wild Thornberry's, and Dexter's Lab. All things, that while on the surface appeared simple, definately taught me some life lessons. All that I see being taught to kids by the tube in todays networking is that it's okay to live a double life. (And laugh at stupid jokes. Children's sense of humor is gone. And that depresses me greatly.)

Moving one from that is the education system. In Canada, it's free. In America, it's free and shitty, or expensive and good. In both countries, there is one major problem: skipping. I am going to speak from the viewpoint of a Canadian student in his graduating year. (Because thats what I am) The public schooling system in Canada is pretty decent, besides the strikes and what not. But, just like everything else, when a child (or moreso, a teenager) is treated like they know the best, and have freedom, they tend to take advantage. So, when all this education and information is present, what do we do? We ignore it and go to the mall. Some people will go smoke marajuana, some people just won't show up all day. This, in my mind, is completely absurd. For all of histroy, people have been fighting for rights, for freedom of speech and freedom to learn. We get here, and all today's generations have to say is "meh." And that brings me to my next point: History.

HIstory has shown us repeatedly that after roughly 2000 years of a civilization, it collapses. It is strongly believed that the world will end in 2012 because "the mayans predicted it," when in all reality, all that happened was that was the year that the Mayan Calendar ended. My friend theorized that it is because that was the year the mayans were at when the Spaniards came over and wiped them out. And it's already becoming apparent that our end is coming, too. Look at the baby boomers. We have more seniors then we know how to take care of. Look at the internation debt crisis, people get greedy and spend more money then is in the world, literally. We have hit an age where consumption is greater then production, which is a huge problem. And the worst part is, nobody realizes it, especially the people who are going to be the most effected. US! The people between the ages of 15 and 20. The dumb, lazy, technology-using-yet-we-don't-know-jack-about-how-anything-works generation. The general consensus is "Meh. Not my problem" because we are riding on the coat tails of our parents. When my dad was 16, he was already going to UBC. Forty years ago there were nowhere near as many distractions, and there was nothing but the future to look forward to, and nothing but the way things worked to learn about. Nine people would be huddled around one car gauking at the power of an engine. Now you say "5.7 V" and nobody knows what the fuck you are talking about, and if they do, it's only because they spend their time watching Top Gear. They will not go out of their way to learn things. In fact, they will avoid it. Now what future do we have to look forward to? Nothing. We are in the future. We've hit a point in society where we are, for the first time ever, devolving. People are dying before their parents because they eat so unhealthy. Imagine how peopl 40 and older feel knowing that in 35 years, we're the ones going to be looking after them. It's total bogus. A large portion of teenagers my age know nothing about living life alone, the expenses, the difficulties, the taxes. It's all complete bogus. Hell, most teens are too fucking lazy to even spell out full words, adn need to acronym-ize everything. Some have totally given up on the use of vowels and, on occassion, replaced them with numbers. NUMBERS! I feel sorry for these people, but even moreso, I feel sorry for myself for having to put up with these people, and try and a save a society that is being brought down by them.

So in conclusion, yes, at the moment, we are all fucked. Severely, royaly, massively fucked. However there is still hope. All we have to do is try, change, and stop spending our lives consuming, and begin producing. We must learn. We must adapt. It's survival of the fittest, but right now, fit doesn't always cut it.

Hello and good day, my name is Hunter. Welcome to my introduction into the 4th dimension.

Blogging is a world that I forever wanted to step into, but I never really knew what to do or say.

(Notice how I've said "into" in what is now four consecutive lines [counting the title]. This is essentially why I never blogged. You get what you pay for, and I'm what you call a pennyslut.)

One thing to know is that I love sports and heavy, loud music, a certain contrast to Mr. Biablid-Dilthinky that keeps our friendship fresh and exciting. Also, he has a large member. So, yeah, pennyslut. (Understand one part of this paragraph is a joke. Now the question is, which part?)

I will officially start my journey with a simple and yet complex topic: Why future generations are screwed.

Look at yourself. Now look at your peers. Now take an equal look at your parents and notice how there is almost an invisible wall standing smack dab in between every glance and short-lived conversation you have with them. Do you know why this metaphorical wall is there?

Of course you do. We all know that every person over, say, 35 or 40 is trapped in their world of "we didn't haves" and "when I was your ages." And who could blame them? We roam the streets with iPods (or in my case, anything that plays music that ISN'T Apple), sit for hours gawking at 50inch televisions, and sell our souls to Facebook for the price of a status update and the ability to troll people for minutes on end. I'm pretty sure Satan railed us all on that deal. Wait, sorry; I meant Mark Zuckerburg.

The second wave of the technological revolution is actually a pretty soft one when you put it in a broader perspective. Sure we have mp3's and Microsoft Word and collars that shock dogs when they decide it's time to start barking at the squirrel on your yard that is obviously out to get him. But think of what it'll be like when WE are our parent's age: kids will be able to put on a headset and think of what song to play; zip around in flying cars that run on the tears of Chinese children; put collars on their dog that will shock him every time he decides that it's time to start barking at the squirrel in your yard that is obviously out to get him. Ok, maybe the last two aren't that great.

Ok, the last one isn't that great.

In all seriousness, though: (DISCLAIMER: this is not any sort of political rant or beef on politics of any kind; rather, a simple statement of truth) we are already the faces of the immediate future, and our body is the worst economic depression since FDR's American Empire and the most neurotic and unbalanced political system to infect the modern world. Not to mention, all around us are a bunch of fellow faces that are all but lost without their 4G Droid phone. How is it supposed to get any better in ANY future?

Our kids will see the effects of our generation's idiocy, and of course their kids will see the effects of theirs, and so on and so forth. In most cases, it's damn true when they say life is a vicious cycle. Of course meaning, it all comes around eventually, but not without some bullschneid on the way there. In these kids' case though, the cycle doesn't end; it simply worsens.

Technology will continue to grow, which in many ways is fantastic, something I think we all look forward to experiencing. Things will be crazy. In many contrasting ways, it will also be fatal.

Sounds grim, I know. But think about it: with the growth and advancement of technology and science, this lazy gene we're all born with will only spread through each strand of DNA that it possible can, making us all out of shape robots without enough common decency to cover up our hairy, hopeless muffin tops when we go outside to remember what the world looks like. This probably sounds maniacal to you, but honestly, look at yourself and your generation, your peers, the people you will be standing side by side with til the day you either die or ascend to Heaven when Jesus comes to rid the world of the devil and bring us home to the land of milk and honey.

And after all of that, take an equal look at your parents and notice how there is almost an invisible wall -- wait, we've covered that.

The world around us is, in it's own right, a beautiful example of what happens when all the best minds come together with the best hands to build things that people could only dream of at the turn of the 20th century. Also, think about that for a second. The TWENTIETH century. We're only at Century 21 right now, and yet you're telling me, 100 years ago they didn't have almost any of the perks we take for granted every day? You're telling me kids used to actually PLAY together after school, outside, where danger can happen? Yes, and yes. People in 2112 will say the exact same about us:

"You're telling me, 100 years ago, they only had mp3's to listen to music? You're telling me kids used to play COD online with kids on the same planet as them? And what in the hell is a 'six pack'? Oh, so that's what lies under this gurgling pile of human slime hanging over my junk..."

Sad, but true. It's not like we're secretly planning to revert back to the life we once had, where friends were neighbors instead of jihad_204 in Vermont. The world will only progress to a legion of 10 billion or so people who simply can't function without some kind of shortcut that we will never get to have in our adolescence. Or regress, I should say.

In closing, take the time to see what should be seen, hear what should be heard, and pass gas around all your friends who need to know what your ass REALLY tastes like.

You may not have much longer to do so.

So it's that time of year again. The weather gets colder, candy is bought, and kids dress up as vampires, mummies, ghouls, and pokemon. Of course as we all get older, we all wish we could trick-or-treat without being frowned at or told to go get drunk litke normal teenagers. Now, most people won't turn you away if you have a decent costume. One that you worked hard on and makes them want to actually show appreciatition for what you have done, and reward you with free candy. Halloween is supposed to be a innocent holiday. A day for kids, and a day for dressing up. Now, even though we can't trick-or-treat, us older people can still dress up.

Of course, somehow, the innocence of dressing up and trying to be scary or cooky, changed into seeing who can dress up in the most controversial outfits, seeing who can get away with wearing as little as they can. Dressing up as homeless people, sex trade workers,  or Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg. It's honestly kind of depressing. And the girls, my god the girls. As one of my good friends said "Fishnet stockings make you look like a piece of meat." You know? The kind you throw into an oven, and cook at 450 degrees.  So most girls decide to dress up as a piece of meat, and when you ask them what they are, they say "A cat." Uhh. "What the fuck? I don't eat cats." And then you notice the tiny head band with tiny ears hidden in their hair. 

It takes all of my will power not to say "Really? Because last time I checked, cats don't walk around naked trying to get raped." Because that's honestly all I see. I girl who figures she should be worth nothing more then the skin on her body. It took hundreds of years for women to gain equality, and then they do nothing but present themselves as that of what they used to be thousands of years ago. Items that should be used as nothing but procreation. "I'm a slutty devil." Last time I checked, there was only one devil. And his name was Lucifer, and was a dude. If anything, he'd be a pimp. As for slutty angels, well, you're going to hell, so don't even try.

I really appreciate the time and effort it took for you to squeeze into that skin tight suit, I really do. With your badonka-donk clearly visable and your boobs pressed up so high your chin is resting on them. But if someone asks you what the fuck you are, PLEASE be honest, and say a slut. You're not hiding anything, and you know that's what you look like. Whether you actually are or not is beyond me, but don't try to mask it. Please. You've ruined one of my favourite holidays by becoming a faceless, imaginationless tramp.

Maybe you're doing it because you want attention. Well you wanna know the real skinny? All the guys that look at you, aren't look at you, they are looking at your chest. And as soon as you walk past, they'll look at the girl behind you, and forget about you.

It's just not right. Those costumes were originally made for hookers and for couples doing things behind closed doors. This is what I've believed for my whole life, and this is what I always believe. Halloween is a dying holday. And the whores aren't helping it's case. So to sum it up: Be original, you're more likely to be remembered. And if you DO dress as a slut, just admit that's what you are. Because what else could you honestly be?

Anyone reading this title would immediatly think "Love." No questions asked. Because that's what it's said to be, right? "It is better to have loved then lost then to never have loved at all." Everyone is looking for "The One." Everybody has somebody to love. I mean, love makes you feel good, right? Love makes everything seem better, right? Now, I won't say to love and to be loved isn't the best feeling. I believe when 2 people love each other equally they will feel good. But the fact is, love is not the most sought after feeling to be given from someone else. That would be respect.

Think about it. Respect is all we ever want. Respect of our parents, friends, friend's friends. High school is the prime example. Going into, say, grade 10, you want to be respected by your parents, by your teachers, by the seniors, by all your friends and people your age because you want to be popular, by the freshmen, the niners who roam around like a herd of scared antelope. Staring up at you in awe.

When it comes to love, people tend to earn it. And generally, if something bad, or artificial, is done to obtain it, it usually isn't "true love." But respect. People will do anything for respect. People will sell out their friends, to be respected by their elders. People will try drugs and alchohol because they want thier friends to respect them. People join gangs, and do illegal things, because they want to be respected by that group of people. People will hurt thier friends, or even thier/boyfriend/girlfriend/spouce,  because they want to be respected by others. Everybody has done it. Everybody has done something bad, because they want respect. Very few people, if not nobody, says "Hey. I'm gunna try marajuana, because I want to."

The odd thing is, respect never lasts, unless you leep it up. Quite often, to have respect, you need to keep up a charade. An act. Do something you don't want to do or feel uncomfortable with, just so those people wiill continue to respect you. Even though it's so obvious that it's not who you are. For some reason humans crave respect. They crave that feeling of being part of something. And enough is never enough. Like a drug that's latching onto your brain, it keeps telling you you want more. And it will eventually end. People try so hard to make friends, but 99% of all your friends you will lose touch with. Only those worth having are the ones you should hold onto. Because the ones worth having are the ones that like and respect you, for YOU.

So my questions is, why not just have 2 or 3 close friends and forget about everyone else? Because everybody can't be friends. It's just how humans have evolved. Tribes killed each other. Monkeys fought for territory. People wouldn't be fighting all the time, and you wouldn't have to try and choose who you want to hang out with on certain days.

Personally, I hate respect. And, I don't mean to sound conseded, but 99% of my life, I have only ever needed the respect of myself. But it still stings to lose the respect of close friends. All roads must come to an end right? Eventually everyone will stop repsect you. Whether you die, they die, or they just stop. It will eventually become no more.

But to have love, you must have respect. And unless your partner respects you for you, it's not worth it, right? Once again, it becomes a lying game. A game of charades and falisies. And then it's not real love. The most important thing to remember, is to respect yourself before you try to gain the respect of anyone else. And always ask yourself, "Will I still repsect myself after I do whatever it is I'm about to do to gain the respect of these people?" If the answer is no, then it's not worth it.