Journal Entries
And Nagasaki
Posted Aug 7, 2005
I wonder why we overlook Nagasaki when we think about the worlds first victims of nuclear war:
http://www1.city.nagasaki.nagasaki.jp/na-bomb/museum/museume01.html
Hiroshima was first. Nagasaki was bombed three days later at 11.02 on 9 August, 1945. 73,884 were killed and as many again were injured, some horribly so. Many of the injured would die horribly in the days, months and years to follow.
Nagasaki before:
http://www1.city.nagasaki.nagasaki.jp/na-bomb/museum/images/airplane01.gif
Nagasaki after:
http://www1.city.nagasaki.nagasaki.jp/na-bomb/museum/images/airplane02.gif
Much has been said about whether or not the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was justified by the cost in human suffering of the continuation of the war. Nothing anything can justify the obliteration of a city? It's simply monstrous. Imagine everything where you live destroyed; all the men, women, children; all the plants and animals; imagine everything blasted away, burned up and poisoned with radiation. What could possibly justify that? Only a monster could weigh the cost of inflicting such destruction, no sane person could.
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Latest reply: Aug 7, 2005
Too... late, too long, too close for comfort
Posted Aug 6, 2005
This week an air France jet skidded off the end of a runway at Toronto's Pearson airport and burst into flames. Remarkably, the flight crew were able to get everyone off the plane safely. The airport's emergency people were on the scene and squirting foam on the wreckage in 52 seconds. Wow!
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Latest reply: Aug 6, 2005
Too... something
Posted Jul 31, 2005
I shouldn't let politicians get under my skin so much.
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Latest reply: Jul 31, 2005
Too daft to... laugh at
Posted Jul 24, 2005
Nothing new, really. 'Too daft to... laugh at' just seemed a natural sequel to the last journal entry, 'Too hot for... anything'.
It's a bit of a coincidence (if you believe there are such things) that the Canadian government was awarded a prize this week for being the world's stupidist, beating contenders like North Korea and even the USA. I guess the post of Deputy Prime Minister is more than ceremonial after all.
The Academy Recognizing Stupidity Everywhere (ARSE) presented the third annual World Stupidity Awards, "Oscars of Idiocy", at the Just for Laughs comedy festival in Montreal. Winners (if you can call them that) were decided by worldwide Internet voters.
Other 'winners' are:
- George Bush: Stupidest Statement of the Year (better luck nest year, Mr Blair)
- Paris Hilton: Stupidist Woman of the Year and Stupidest Show of the Year for her work in the alleged tv comedy The Simple Life
- Conservative columnist Ann Coulter: Stupidest Man of the Year
- Ashlee Simpson: Dumbest Moment of the Year, for her performance on Saturday Night Live
- Alien vs. Predator: Stupidest Movie of the Year
- Crystal meth: Stupidest Trend of the Year
- North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il: Stupidity Award for Reckless Endangerment of the Planet
- Fox News: Media Outlet Which Has Best Furthered Ignorance
- The World Stupidity Awards: Stupidest Award Show of the Year
http://www.stupidityawards.com/
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Latest reply: Jul 24, 2005
Too hot for... anything
Posted Jul 17, 2005
It's been far too hot this week for anything much to have happened in these parts. Nevertheless, Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan is frothing at the mouth about terrorism, despite the heatwave, and warning us that Canadians should expect to be blown up by terrorists just like anyone else. She's right, of course. Recent Canadian government policies that see people locked up for years without trial and deportations of would-be refugees to countries where they stand a very good chance of being tortured (despite being castigated by the UN for doing exactly that) seem tailor made to get us into the terrorism club. I just wonder why people like Ms. McLellan seem so eager for our turn.
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Latest reply: Jul 17, 2005
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