Miley Cyrus – porn, feminism and freedom, or just vulgar?

I must weigh in on this one! As a woman who was both a stay-at-home mother, and a working mother, and a single parent, – I earned the right. I was a teen in those heady days of the 70s, when I fought the glass ceiling, wore stupid mini-skirts that limited my activities, struggled with prevailing paternalistic bosses in the workplace, and sexism the public.

Feminists didn't fight for equality and choice, only to be assaulted by porn on prime time TV! The music award performance was ridiculous. With all the creative choreographers in the US, she couldn't find something more artistic? I don't care what she does on her videos, I refuse to watch them, but it sets back the Women's Movement 45 years. Well, I DO care, as young girls are using her as a role model. If this is how a young woman (age 20) attracts men or fans, especially doing a vertical lap dance (AKA twerking) in front of the much-older (married) Robin Thicke (age 36), in front of a roaring crowd, then society really should rethink its values.

Feminism didn't give us permission to celebrate our bodies and ourselves by having virtual sex on TV and in videos. No one is hurt by having limits, rules, morals, and morays. This was over the top.

It is interesting that the older musicians, Annie Lennox and Sinead O'Connor, are speaking out against her choreography. These are both women who have fought to earn a living in those days when women didn't earn the big bucks in the music business.

Now, Sinead O'Connor made some fantastic videos, she also made some mistakes in terms or PR in those days. What I find amazing is that she is trying to share her point of view, as a sister in the business. What surprised me, seeing some of the images in the news (I have not watched Cyrus' video), as that O'Connor just may have a case for plagiarism. You'll notice, in the article, the same shots in either lady's video!

Sinead O'Connor writes open letter to Miley Cyrus

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvsho...

Singer Sinead O’Connor has written an open letter to Miley Cyrus warning her not to allow the music industry to ‘prostitute’ her.

The impact on young woman and society as a whole? Huge. Now, we have young women acting as pimps. Oops, allegedly. This desensitizes young kids to what is acceptable and normal.

Read about the trial where young teen girls are pimping out other teen girls.

You're going to have sex tonight; girl, 13, says she was told

www.ottawacitizen.com/

A 13-year-old girl was forced into a skimpy white dress and told “you’re going to have sex tonight” during a sleepover gone wrong in June 2012, she told police in a recorded video statement played in an Ottawa courtroom Tuesday. Two teen girls were 15 when arrested in June 2012 for human trafficking. They are on trial accused of threatening, beating and blackmailing other girls with nude photos to force them to sell their bodies and hand over the money. A third teen is also accused in the case but faces fewer charges and none in relation to the 13-year-old girl. 

The Globe and Mail

1. 
   

   Miley Cyrus tries to end Sinead O'Connor feud

   Toronto Sun ‎- 4 hours ago

   Miley Cyrus has attempted to end her war of words with Sinead O'Connor by offering the Irish singer high praise days after she poked fun at her ...

1. Watch Out Miley Cyrus! Annie Lennox Hits Out At 'Pornographic' Pop Videos

   Entertainmentwise ‎- 2 hours ago

   Annie Lennox is the latest big name in music to hit out at risque pop videos with the singer blasting modern videos as "pornographic".

   
   

Focus on your own sexuality; not Miley's

www.ottawacitizen.com

A lot of brainpower has gone into dissecting whether Miley Cyrus is sexually empowered or not. “Wow, she’s really getting, er, intimate with that wrecking ball.” “Yeah, but that’s her choice as a liberated woman!” “Nuh-uh,” *finger wags*. Sorry to be a buzzkill, but there’s only one person who can decide whether Miley has a healthy relationship with sexuality: the woman herself."

Why the government should block CNOOC takeover of MEXEN

Senkaku -Diaoyu Islands
image from Wiki

It occurred to me that this story illustrates exactly why.
 I had a date with Mr. Insomnia. I gave up trying to sleep and turned on CBC radio. They were featuring ABC at 4 a.m. No, not THAT ABC, but Radio Australia. They have a show that features an Asia Pacific focus. I was shocked to hear about the protests. In CHINA. Protests. This isn't normally allowed. Remember Tiananmen Square?

What is it about?
The dispute is over the Diaoyu Islands (the name according to China) – called the Senkaku Islands by Japan. Yes, in this day and age there are still human beings fighting over land. How medieval is this?! The islands were owned by a Japanese business man and he has sold them to Japan. Japan controlled the islands from 1895 until they surrendered after WW II. The US gave control back to Japan in 1971. The islands have been deserted after a failed plant was abandoned in the 1900s (photo Wiki).

Workers at a bonito fisheries factory
on Uotsurishima in the Senkaku Islands ~1910.

The protests are shocking. All the more amazing because there are many Japanese factories and stores in China, and many Japanese who live and work there. Stores are boarded up and company names covered. The government is permitting the protests. The Australian broadcast team were told they had some trepidation when the police came towards them, but they were guiding them to a better vantage point to view the protest. How weird is this?

I did some further reading and found this article:

In its fight with Japan, China unleashes the mob

By Patrick Brown: He tells us the the Chinese government has encouraged demonstrations that included hurling eggs, water bottles, stones. The sound clips are frightening.
While the 'sticks and stones' axiom applies, the banners and slogans included obscenities towards the Japanese, including calls to exterminate the Japanese.

You'd think they'd realize they realize that this is politics. Estimates are the trade between the two countries amounts to 260 BILLION Euros. Japan has been hit by their natural and human-made disasters, and China, too, has faced the global meltdown of 2008.

Why would China care?
Simple. In 1968 potential oil and gas reserves were thought to be found around these islands.

What is the big deal to Canada?
What is always missing, in our CBC broadcasts, is the impact on Canada. This type of behaviour indicates a country willing to do anything for profit, fuel and power. Anything includes hacking into computer systems.
Cyber attacks have begun, too: Chinese cyber attacks hit Japan over islands dispute
Sep 19, 2012 Websites altered to show messages proclaiming Chinese sovereignty over the Diaoyu islands.
With NEXEN and the CNOOC takeover, I fear what will happen in Canada. With the history of Chinese corruption, contaminated and dangerous products, and lack of respect for the human rights and the environment, I wonder what havoc will ensue in Canada. NEXEN claims responsible development. But, according to the Globe & Mail, the government is worried about it all:
Ottawa casts wary eye on Chinese telecom giant
Newly released records show federal officials proposing ways to mitigate risks to computer systems from foreign telecom company
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nexen shareholders vote in favour of $15.1-billion takeover offer

CTV News‎ - 11:00 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 20/2012

Shareholders of Nexen Inc. (TSX:NXY) have voted to approve a proposed Chinese takeover of the company by China National Offshore Oil. 

Canadians oppose CNOOC bid for Nexen, poll finds

Reuters Canada‎ 

OTTAWA (Reuters) - Nearly seven out of 10 Canadians oppose approval of the $15.1 billion bid by China's CNOOC Ltd for Canada's Nexen Inc

Islands dispute spills over onto Chinese streets | ABC Radio Australia http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/interna...

Sydney Morning Herald

1. Ottawa's Chinese community protests island dispute with Japan
   

   Ottawa Citizen‎ - 10 hours ago

   Yang Yang was co-organizer of Thursday's peaceful protest by a coalition of 13 Ottawa Chinese community groups protestedpeacefully ...

Blog: Fresh anti-Japan protests erupt in China on emotional anniversary NBCNews.com (blog)

China's anti-Japan protests could bring heavy cost Globe and Mail

China marks war anniversary with more anti-Japan protests ... Ottawa Citizen

A few winter photos for fun & CBC rant

I must admit to being somewhat discouraged with the media these days. Trying not to burden my gentle readers with my reflections, I used to separate rants with my Muskoka photos. Now, living in Lanark County, I find media coverage an interesting one. I feature some nature photos with my rant, for those disinclined for a read!

Can you count them?

You see, in Muskoka Lakes (NEVER call it THE Muskokas!), population 53,000 or so, we had some local coverage of issues. But most originated from Toronto, the apparent centre of Canada. There are several local Muskoka radio stations, for example. Even Lanark County has Lake 88.1! 

Traffic

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) radio coverage originated from London, Ontario, with a population over 100,000. They spared us Toronto traffic reports, eschewed regional information. The early morning traffic watches were bizarre. I drove 62 km to work and didn't hit one traffic light, yet I heard about a downtown London, ON, incident. I gave up on that station!

Morning Talk Radio

What do you look for? I loathe the contests. I swear, another Valentine's Day horror-story contest and I will scream. For those not in a relationship it it ridiculous and a burden to bear. For those in a relationship, who wants to hear on respected CBC Ottawa radio about flatulence, tampons, and dates gone wrong? It is simply coarse and crude. If I wanted that I would turn to an a.m. channel. For the $1.1 billion taxpayers put into CBC I believe the Conservatives have it right. Let's save some money, put it into other coffers.

I beg an on-air personality to stop bullying a middle-aged sports announcer to get on Twitter, along with another listener, and I am blocked from her account. Ageism rears its ugly head. Disrespect for a well-respected John Hancock. Conflict exists in the news, we don't need it in the trite, friendly, chummy morning talk.

I want to hear the pros talking about news, weather, sports, not what they had for dinner, let alone tweeting about it!! She asks for listener feedback, but doesn't like what she hears.

Then, Canada Reads, the infamous Jian Ghomeshi on Q notable for his taunting of Billy Bob, who took his show to the US for a week (?), allows an offensive attack: Canada Reads controversy comes alive in Ottawa

By Peter Simpson, Ottawa Citizen February 9, 2012 6:56 AM One of the authors at the centre of a nasty fight over CBC's Canada Reads contest is now in Ottawa 

Heaven forbid, too, that we celebrate Canadian authors, we have to fight over them! Some are questioning CBC funding over this one. If we can't have the 'C' in CBC, let's let Canadian broadcasters take it over. I think that media is going the way of the small town businesses, Big Box Stores. Bang for the buck, and low-cost. The impact on rural Canada is extreme.

long-term care crafts!

Weather

The CBC TV coverage in Central Ontario didn't bother covering Muskoka weather, let alone big news. We relied on local Moose radio and the weather network. For those with dial-up in Muskoka, a tedious task. The same is true here in Lanark County, with many unable to afford high-test internet.

Ottawa CBC weather does feature us in Eastern Ontario, bless them, but often they are wrong! I think we have to be our own weather watchers!

Municipal, Provincial & Federal Politics

This area of news is hard to grasp. Local papers have a huge bias, and often reporters do not have the background. We know how badly journalists create horrible graphs that misrepresent information. The latest census data frightens me. Aside from the fact that the long-form Canadian census was deregulated (thanks Harper/Clement!), I'm going to go to the source for information, not media interpretations.

We have diluted local info, and sparse coverage. Clement says Old Age Security is unsustainable
PARRY SOUND-MUSOKA - MP Tony Clement has been getting calls from his constituents.

Specialist Journalists

The big media outlets have journos that specialise in health; education; local, regional, provincial, federal politics; the environment; and so on.

On my wetland walk: fisher, or weasel: 5 toes!

This is important. It's only in my 50s that I have a grasp of many of these issues, the history, the politics and the realities of life.

From 25 years writing about education, and being a teacher, I would often read educational news with a laugh. I know that the same is true for the other topics in the news. Accuracy isn't always a priority, take Andrew Coyne's article about Caterpillar, he was correcting myths perpetuated by press.

Websavvy Media

Metroland newspapers, across this province on Ontario, features local stories. There  are the National newspapers, IMHO, who lost out by going digital. No longer relying on subscriptions and delivery, they depend upon digital revenues. I subscribed digitally to the Globe, as I preferred their national coverage. When print media went to free digital access I was sad. You wend your way through obnoxious pop-ups, flashy long to download information that sends me to another website.

Ah, wetland sleeps

That or the obnoxious twitter accounts, tweets retweeted by 40-something twits who fancy themselves meeting the needs of readers, viewers, listeners, who surely must spend their lives on for-profit Twitter, like all journalists. I use it to find good stories to read. But I am retired and can afford to do it.

Any print media now features ubiquitous videos on-line that take time to download, feature an ad first, and simply do not get to the point of the story.

I fear the direction media is headed. They now aspire to being advocating for causes. Bleeding heart, left-wing CBC is the worst. A grieving mother who sits vigil annually, has a shrine to her murdered child, has given up. Does no one advise her to get counseling? There are many places to go. Bereaved Families of Ontario and hospice groups all offer it. Instead, we sob with a woman. No solution apparent. Focus on the day of death, not a life that was lived.
The sob stories that get press are amazing.

This osprey nest seems a bit tipsy!

The backstory
The horror stories that get coverage do not always get to the backstory.
For example, the horrific traffic incident in Hamstead, ON,
Van driver ran stop sign and was not properly licensed

where an unlicenced driver of a 15-person van, runs a red light and is T-boned by a truck. There were 11 deaths. It spread like wildfire on the 'net. Speculation, and twitter messages.

How horrible.
The press cannot agree if it is the lack of standards of 15-passenger vans, the lack of maintenance of said vehicles by owners, the lack or training of drivers, or the susceptibility of the vehicles to disaster.

I found loathsome the citizens that fancy themselves citizen journalists, and take out their cell phones to cover these deaths, rather than helping the dead and injured.

Bystanders took pictures of Ontario crash instead of helping victims

Is this where society is headed? The sexy cell phone photos trump their humanity? Wannabe YouTube viral video makers.

Maybe Occupy was a desperate way to get in the press, not really a statement demanding fairness for the poor and disadvantaged.

The Gen Y folks do not vote, but they do Occupy. Then complain about everything.

Sigh. Time for a walk.

1 -2 - 3, step!

Muskoka area news

Terrible tragedies.

(Photo used with permission: Jeremy Rupke. He has some amazing shots. The full story: at Huntsville Forester. Although Jeremy's blog posts tell the personal story.
No one hurt in Empire fire

Residents of the Empire Hotel have homes for the weekend. The Salvation Army has secured hotels for some residents and the rest are staying with family or friends.

There were 120 firefighters involved, the Huntsville Forester reports.  With 50 apartments, and businesses in the building it is devastating to this small town. The tragedy doesn't seem to have hit any other media yet!
My blog buddy, Jeremy, took some fabulous shots. Visit his blog for more photos. Donations for those families without insurance are being sent to the Salvation Army and Legion in Huntsville.

In person at the Salvation Army – The Salvation army is accepting donations in the form of clothing and furniture. 
In person at the Legion – The Legion is accepting clothing, furniture and monetary donations. Everything given will go directly to the people affected by the fire.

You can also donate through CanadaHelps.org to Huntsville Salvation Army!

The very sad news was that a small plane flying from Kingston to Sudbury went down in Algonquin Park on Saturday, Oct. 10th. Another tragedy for this region.

The poor rescue crews were unable to access the site except by helicopter, as there are no roads.

They were out a 3:30 a.m., doing the recovery, bless them all.
The victims were identified Sunday as Kevin Houle, 50, his wife Lorraine, 50, their daughter Emily, 17, all from Sudbury, and Emily's boyfriend Michael Rollins, 17, from nearby Garson.

I once took a small plane ride, but with the recent deaths I know I will never ride in a small plane again. They are too susceptable to pilot error and/or weather. Around here the winds can be wicked, as in many parts of Canada. We often see them flying over head, and when they take off, just about touch the tops of the trees. Not my kind of a fun trip.

Four die in Ontario plane crash

A family of three and a friend from Sudbury, Ont. killed when their small plane crashed in Algonquin Provincial Park.

4 die in Algonquin Park plane crash

The small plane, a Piper PA28, left Kingston and was supposed to land in Sudbury at 6:30 p.m. Saturday. When the plane failed to arrive, relatives of the daughter's boyfriend grew worried and called police. Provincial police in North Bay received a call from Sudbury police around 10:30 p.m. inquiring about a downed plane in the area, Dionne said.

I'm in the news!

Muskokan.com - From the Muskoka cottage to the blogosphere

MODERN JOURNAL. "Jen Jilks has developed quite a following on her blog with her tales of living in Muskoka. Blogging about Muskoka has become a popular pastime and new sites are springing up weekly."

http://www.muskokan.com/article/136867

Isn't that fun?!

We have a terrific arts community, with plenty of visual, musical, and literary craftpersons. Thanks to Kerri for a lovely article about we Muskokan bloggers! We had a great interview and chat in Oliver's. (Photo: right, by my husband!)

Kerri, the journalist, is a lovely young lady who attended Queen's University, and grew up in Guelph. Check out her blog: Rollicking Measures.

Weather coverage - a rant on disparities

It is so difficult getting accurate weather forecasts AND weather conditions up here in Central Ontario!


On the right is the CITY News current temperatures, showing North Bay at 8 ˚ C., which is a bit brisk!

Not bad, a nice bit of coverage for South and Central Ontario. We're south of North Bay, and there is a large undocumented area...but...

What amazes me is that while CBC Toronto (CBC= Canadian Broadcasting Corporation), on my tax dollar, claims they cannot cover our weather in their 6 p.m. forecasts (I have asked!),
Boston News can. North Bay: 64 ˚!

You can see it! Clearly. Not a problem. Boston knows that many people drive north to Central Ontario. We have hundreds of thousands of visitors.

It is amazing how easy it is... In the CBC screen shot, Muskoka is somewhere under the red bar, near the 'R' in RIGHT NOW. The forecast explains the subtle differences between Toronto city and the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The differences are usually one degree. How difficult is it to at least post a temperature for Central Ontario? We have no other local stations.

The Marine Forecast is featured on a Friday night, when many boaters are already on the road on the Highway #400 parking lot trying to make their way north.

At the left are the cities where CBC had coverage. What an insult to the less urban regions of Ontario. CBC features Thunder Bay, Toronto and Ottawa, and leave out the Central parts of the province. In fact, the Thunder Bay site often includes much about Toronto and little about us down here.

It is quite humorous to listen to weather forecasts on CBC. There are no other choices for news, radio stations or other data. It appears that we are not part of their 'listening area'. For example, one morning at 7:30 they claimed temperatures in the listening area in the low 20s, but our overnight temperature was 15˚ Celsius. We get London, Ontario, 'regional newscasts', although I do like hearing about traffic jams in the big city. It makes the bugs on May/June worth it! Peterborough has its own coverage with a regional reporter, but so much Muskoka.

'Normal' temperatures for Muskoka are 16˚ in June with average overnight temperatures being 9˚. We were above that one 2008 June day, with a storm coming up from the US bringing a warm front. The temperatures really vary.

The Globe & Mail covers 'Ontario'. The Toronto Star's web page (bless them, too!) includes information for Toronto & GTA, plus a page for Ontario. Apparently, to the CBC, Ontario, Canada, consists of Ottawa, Windsor and Toronto: with nothing in between.

A winter forecast: Here we are, still getting snow. The weather network says "isolated flurries", my butt! Below zero temperatures - I put on a fire in the wood stove.

It dumped snow that day! See: Numb in November!


We are collateral damage, methinks. The Lake Effect snow (see the Environment Canada image at right) occurs from winds whipping across the lakes, picking up moisture and letting us have it!

If you are travelling to Muskoka, check out the fabulous Webcams that show what is truly going on around Central Ontario. The big corporations do not really care about us up here in Central Ontario!

You can check out Road Conditions here across the province. That is not a bad idea.
I have found that another Muskoka blogger, Gord has decided, for the sake of his resort customers, to post his own information about Muskoka weather. He runs a great site, and has done us all a service.

The Accu-Window-Weather site (click on logo - right) has links to various webcams across the province. The map (left) shows the numerous webcams local business owners have put up on Gord's site. A fabulous site. View the Port Carling webcam, for example, or Parry Sound, or Huntsville.



With potentially a million visitors to Muskoka, a million visitors to Muskoka on long weekends, most coming up highway #400, they are wise to ensure they are warm enough, have rain gear, or we have favourable conditions. With the high winds of late, we are susceptible to power outages, too. That is another story!

man-in-the-street 'news'

My concern is this:
Much media spends too much time asking for viewer feedback, and not enough time talking to experts and finding out opinions and information from these people. If viewers have questions, then that is fair enough, but to go on and on based on their personal opinions IS NOT NEWS. They are opinions. If I wanted to hear man-in-the-street opinions I would listen to talk radio shows.

TV media spend much more time on how people feel about stories, than reporting news and information. They (and I mean reporters) harass victims and neighbours of victims, to figure out what they feel, and to cast either disparaging comments about the alleged perpetrators of crimes. THIS IS NOT NEWS.

I want to listen and read about information, data, events and not what pundits THINK will happen, what they THINK the budget will contain, what the THINK the outcome will be of a trial, a vote in parliament or a police investigation. Regarding the proposed coalition government: I want to know the Governor General's options, the impact, and the options of the Prime Minister, but please don't ask everybody and her brother what they think. At this point they don't have a vote! I prefer to read or listen to those the media have chosen to print an editorial. I believe it will not contain misinformation, while it will be biased, I can judge that for myself.

Please, please: report the news, find information on the topic, tell me what is happening on town and city streets, Ontario, Canada and the world. But don't explore the Neverneverland of 'What Ifs', opinions and false and intolerant citizens. Find people you know who have the background, the research, the knowledge skills and expertise to interpret and understand what is going on in Canada.

Journalists vs. Editorialists vs. Experts

RE: "Earlier discussion
Jane Taber took questions on the Bernier resignation
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080527.wlivetaber0527/BNStory/National/
JANE TABER
May 27, 2008 at 7:51 AM EDT"

I have a question for this newspaper. Since when did a journalist become an authority on subjects? They are biased and report and create editorials based on the newspaper's political viewpoint and biases.

I know that Jane Taber, for example, has had great opportunities to cover politics and is often on CBO on a panel, but when did we begin to see journalists as experts?
It is one thing to write about a subject, to report on it and to be interviewed, but quite another thing to be seen to be an expert and to be able to answer questions from on-line readers.

I am concerned that the media has moved from reporting to interpreting (which is based on their experience, knowledge and research) to now giving their opinions as truth. I am not being disrespectful of highly regarded journalists, but simply questioning the purpose in this. Sometimes, the viewers/internet users have more knowledge and experience than the journalists, but not often. On the other end of the spectrum what is the reason for the 'man-in-the-street' polls and interviews? We take as gospel truth the opinions of those casually approached in TV Media, the Globe publishes polls with viewer responses. This violates all aspects of good research validity and reliability. I continue to be amazed that media devotes pixels, ink and air time to these pieces.

I would prefer that the Media deliver the news.