MATTHEWSTASOFF

*And of course no one is forcing anyone to get pregnant, but people who don’t want to have children, didn’t necessarily plan on becoming pregnant in the first place.

The only fool proof way to not get pregnant is to not have sex. Unless you believe in immaculate conception. If that’s the case, you just have to cross your fingers because you might get pregnant at any second. 

The more likely truth though, is that people will have sex. They will hopefully use some form of birth control (condom, birth control, etc.). But those aren’t 100%, and I don’t believe that in the off chance that a girl becomes pregnant as a result of sex, that she should be forced, shamed, etc. to have the child. Because from there, she’s either going to have to carry that child for 9 months, and from there she’ll either give it up for adoption or raise under what may be less than ideal circumstances.

And now for some of the posts from “Abolish Abortion” that I find to be ignorant/stupid/etc.

I find it funny that an organization that is all about the right of unborn children, has taken a random photo of a child on a swing, and without permission, made that child a part of their campaign. Because you know, it’s not like that child should have the right to decide whether or not she believes in abolishing abortion at the age of 2.

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*A lesson in social media etiquette

Unfortunately in the world we live in today, people are trying to always get more by doing less. And while I’m all for that, there are ways of doing that without being a giant asshole who is blatantly doing so, and to reiterate the whole “asshole” point, also being a prick about it as well.

Before Twitter, because although I had the time, I just didn’t care to bother, I virtually never contacted companies/corporations/etc. This of course excludes the time I sent in three Smarties box for a free Smarties noise machine. Awesome by the way. Pretty sure it was stolen. What Twitter has allowed many people to do, is quickly send a message to their favorite company, and if said company isn’t shit at social media, also receive a response. Sadly the latter doesn’t happen as often as it should, but I digress.

Today I decided to contact an audio company (will remain unnamed) because I thought one of their products that I use on a daily basis, had a defect. Or at least wasn’t working to the standard I hold it to. Now I could have gone on Twitter. Talked shit about said company, and hoped for a response. And I may have very well gotten one. This is an approach I see often, and it’s very much the equivalent of a tantrum, but online. You are going to be a “prick” and/or “asshole” until your problem is resolved. And after that, you’re going to say “Thank you.” While you may get what you want, unless you’re 5 and on Twitter, I think there are more mature ways of handling said situations, especially if you respect the brand you’re contacting, which I do.

So the alternative route, is to POLITELY (hence the title) contact said company, and ask if they can help. My advice is to follow them, that way you can message each other via direct messages. So that’s what I did, and even though I’ve had my headphones for two years, and the warranty only lasts one. In 2-3 business days I will be receiving brand new headphones, and saving myself approx: $140 after taxes.

So there you have it. Be polite. At the end of the day, you’re (hopefully) not talking to a robot. You’re talking to a person. Treat them like one.

tanviswar:

Here are my arguments against hating McDonald’s 

1. Delicious fucking food. I mean. Are your tastebuds dead? That shit is gold. 
2. The same food handling practices are used in many other restaurants that you trust.
3. Most restaurant food has the same amount of calories, you just trust them and don’t bother to check.
4. Morgan Spurlock is a vegan. That makes all of his arguments invalid. 
5. There are other, possibly worse fast food restaurants. Has no one been inside a Burger King? How is Burger King allowed to make a BACON SUNDAE but McDonald’s isn’t allowed to have a 1500 cal salad? That’s unfair. 
6. They’re trying. They really are. If you’ve been following their Questions thing, it’s quite excellent. People keep pushing them down and they keep trying new things to survive. It’s awesome and admirable. 
7. They are innovative. Every time someone says something bad about them, they don’t just take it, but change things. They introduce new products, new campaigns, just new shit in general. 
8. They don’t try to be something they’re not. Okay maybe sometimes they do because let’s be honest, McDonald’s is not a “bistro”, but you know what I mean?
9. They just lost happy meal toys from Disney forever, and it’s all your fault. All your fault, you fucking prudes that complain about McDonald’s. 
10. YOU DON’T HAVE TO EAT IT. 

*I’m going to go ahead and disagree with some of these points

1. Obviously this isn’t a point. I don’t think anyone is disagreeing with the taste of their food
2. I’m not sure what you mean exactly by “food practices.”  Are you talking about the way that the food is handled, prepared, shipped, etc.? I guess for the most part this is true. For the most part, most chain location try to make every location the same, even in their “food practices.” This is because of consistency. The thing is though, this isn’t necessarily a good thing. And to try and make a point by saying “Oh well, the other guys do it.” That isn’t a strong point. 
3. Same as above. 
4. I might have agreed with you if you said Morgan Spurlock conducted on the research himself, and he isn’t a real scientist, therefore his argument is invalid. But to say that his argument is invalid because he’s vegan. That doesn’t make sense. If a scientist studies the harmful effects of oil spills, while also hating oil companies, does that make his findings invalid? The fact is, the food DID harm Spurlock’s body. His own agenda can’t shape science.
5. Obviously this goes back to number 2 & 3. But as an extension. You’re comparing a bacon sundae to a 1500 cal. salad. Which one do you think is most deceiving as to its health content?
6. It’s called PR. You should know. We took the class. Obviously they’re not going to pull the curtain back on something that shows them in a negative light. And showing how they photograph their burgers, and that’s why they look different from the picture. Wow. Big breakthrough. Question: Do you think the McDonald’s she went to didn’t know she was coming in the first place? 
7. This doesn’t really relate to why people dislike McDonald’s
8. Except for when they pretend like their food is actually something you should eat.
9. a) You’re not 5. b) Good riddance. Kids wanted to go to McDonald’s for the toy. Maybe that will change now.
10. And here’s the kicker “YOU DON’T HAVE TO EAT IT.” But you do have to pay for the people that DO. Food like this results in a lot of health complications. This includes, but of course is not limited to, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, etc. And when people need to be treated for these health issues, it costs money, and it takes up time. And in Canada (won’t discuss the US) because of universal health care, the more that health care costs, the more taxes we pay. And when we allow people to eat shit like this more and more, we pay more and more. As well, people that may be in actual need of health care, can’t because they’re put on the same wait list as the person who felt they were only fucking up their own life by stuffing their face, and the face of their child (because overweight/obese children are more likely to have overweight/obese parents) with this food you’re trying to protect. So before you try to side with McDonald’s, a corporation that is by all means not hurting, and by all means capable of making some real changes to its infrastructure and “food practices,” think about the bigger picture.

Rant over.

*If you’re wondering, this rant is brought to you by subject of Jenna Talackova.

As you may know, Jenna Talackova is the transgendered Canadian girl who wishes to enter the Miss Universe pageant. For those who want to know more about that story, go here.

Pageant politics aside, this is my issue. Everyone is so quick to dismiss another group of individuals without thinking about their own, and whether or not their group even deserves to have the moral high ground on a given situation. 

Simply put. Fucking white christians need to back the fuck off telling anyone what they think, or what they should do, or where they will go if they don’t.

Your group is perhaps one of the most vile groups on earth, as it is responsible for the aiding and abetting of a dozen child molesters. So before you even begin to try and tell a minority group i.e. transgender, homosexual, etc. how to live their lives, why don’t you deal with the fact the world would be better off without your opinions and more importantly, your beliefs. 

Rant over.

*I know I’ll look back and cherish this free time, but that’s not the point

As many of you know, or maybe don’t know, I have the entire month of April off. I’m in that limbo between school and internship. And while I’ve been productive, and getting in family time, I still feel (for the lack of a better word) bored. 

Ideally I would have enough money to travel somewhere/anywhere for the month. Stay with some family, or go off the grid for some time. But unfortunately that is not the case.

And while I’ve been meaning to be a little more productive on the photography side of things, I’m more of a lone wolf when it comes to that, and I have had few opportunities where I have the day to myself. 

That should change by next Monday, so aside from a few social obligations, I should be able to take more pictures than a 32 GB memory card can handle.

And then there’s the Hot Docs Festival at the end of the month, but that’s a different post.

So to conclude. I’m complaining about having too much free time on my hands.

*This is not a versus as to which one is better

As far as I’m concerned, each one is a bag. If anything, the former has more holding capacity. This being the case, I find it difficult to understand that when I bring one to a grocery store, the employee suddenly becomes unable to pack the bag themselves.

I realize this makes me sound like a dick, but that is their job. I don’t know. Just saying.