Growing up on the Mean Streets of Sesame

“Sunny days, sweeping the clouds away…” for many of you reading this those six words conjures up fond memories of childhood friends like Grover, Bigbird, Cookie Monster, Oscar, Bert and Ernie to name a few. It was a time of sweet innocence right? Not so, if you grew up watching the show between the years of 1969 and 1979. According to ratings guide the first ten years of the show recently released on DVD, carry a warning “Not suitable for children”. Who knew when our parents dropped us in front of the TV to watch The Count count that they were warping our young and impressionable minds.

What was wrong with Sesame Street, you might ask. Well here are a few of the reasons for the rating:
• The Cookie Monster didn’t eat a healthy diet and when he did Monsterpiece theatre he smoked a pipe!
• Bert and Ernie lived in a run down apartment.
• Oscar had an untreated mood disorder which caused him to be… wait for it… grumpy.
• People teased Bigbird because he was the only one to see Snuffleupagus
• Gordon took a little girl that he didn’t know back to his apartment (it was only to introduce the girl to his wife)
• And the set, it was a dirty and dingy inner city street.

Okay, I will grant that showing children going off with strangers is probably not the best behaviour to model but as for the rest of it… Give a break! The show was aimed at inner city children. The original concept was to show children that their lives could be made better and more enjoyable by learning. The setting and the human cast deliberately emulated an inner city environment so that the target audience could identify and possibly imagine themselves there. It also gave children in privileged surroundings a chance to see a place that was different from where the lived. Sesame taught tolerance and acceptance without the candy coating. It was fantasy with a touch of reality thrown in for good measure and I don’t see anything wrong with that.

The modern day Sesame Street looks nothing like the original. Like everything, the show has evolved and changed with the times. The set is bright and cheery. Everybody is happy all the time (even Oscar) and nobody teases Bigbird. Having grown-up myself in the latter half of the dark ages, having survived the mean streets of Sesame, I can’t help but wonder if today’s viewers are actually better off believing such an idealized environment really exists. If they are being set-up for a lifetime of disappointment that things will never be like they saw on T.V.

Reference: Sweeping the Clouds Away



Sesame Street: Old School, Vol. 1 - 1969-1974
Sesame Street: Old School, Vol. 2 - 1975-1979
sesame street old school

Bush Defends Pakistan's Gen. Musharraf

President General Pervez Musharraf suspends the Pakistani constitution three times, cancels/postpones elections, silences independent media, puts all of his political opposition in jail or places them under house arrest and President Bush says Musharraf "truly is somebody who believes in democracy"

Okay, what gives? Is it me or does this make no sense whatsoever? I am not normally a conspiracy theory buff but maybe ickypeople.com had it right after all and Musharraf is a test case for Bush.

According to the Washington Post:

Several outside analysts and a key Democratic lawmaker expressed incredulity over Bush's comments and called them a sign of how personally invested the president has become in the U.S. relationship with Musharraf.

"What exactly would it take for the president to conclude Musharraf has crossed the line? Suspend the constitution? Impose emergency law? Beat and jail his political opponents and human rights activists?" asked Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a presidential candidate. "He's already done all that. If the president sees Musharraf as a democrat, he must be wearing the same glasses he had on when he looked in Vladimir Putin's soul."

All I can say is good luck America, I know that Bush isn't the brightest bulb in the tree but he (or his handlers) were smart enough to get a law passed that enables the U.S. president the same powers that Musharraf is exercising right now.

Washington Post: Bush More Empathic In Backing Musharraf

Tasering and Other Crimes Against Humanity

The latest taser death to make the headlines is that of a Utah man that was tasered in September for not signing his traffic ticket!

Police are not allowed to shoot a man for speeding . So why then it is okay to zap him with 50,0000 volts of electricity? Is it because bullets make people bleed all over the place while tasering is all neat an tidy? Here in Canada, the government said it will not place new any restrictions on the use of Tasers and awaits the findings of the RCMP's internal review of its policy on the weapon.

On the issue of Capital Punishment the Harper Government said yesterday, that if a Canadian Citizen is sentenced to death abroad they can not automatically expect the Canadian Government to come to their aid if the rule of law in that country is being applied. When asked by opposition parties if the Canadian Government was reversing its long standing policy to extradite Canadians on death row back home to carry out a life sentence, the Justice Minister would simply say that there are no plans to change the law in Canada. Basically, Minister Nicholson is saying that the death penalty is okay as long as it isn't the Canadian justice system doing the killing. When did our government become contract killers?

Reference: Wise Law Blog: Another Taser Victim on Video: Utah Driver Refused to Sign Speeding Ticket

Tasers are Weapons and Weapons KILL

Numerous police forces use Taser guns as 'non-lethal' weapon for officers. Maybe labeling a weapon as non-lethal is root of the problem.

A unarmed Polish immigrant was killed by a tasering last month in a Vancouver Airport. If the officers knew at that time, they were using lethal force, would they have used it? Anyone who has seen the horrible video of Robert Dziekanski's death by Taser knows that lethal force was not necessary in this case. The problem with labeling a weapon as non-lethal, is that it gives a false sense of security to officers making them more likely to use the weapon, even if there are other ways of subduing a suspect.

Given the public outcry over Mr Dziekanski's death at the hands of RCMP officers and other recent deaths by Taser guns in Canada, Commissioner William Elliott has said that the RCMP will review their policy on the use of Tasers.

Currently there are four probes underway into Dziekanski's death. The B.C. coroner, the RCMP, the public complaints commissioner for the RCMP and the Vancouver Airport Authority are all conducting their own investigations.

Reference: RCMP to review Taser policy in wake of airport death: commissioner

taser RCMP vancouver

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Canadian Facebook Group Promotes Violence Against Women

A Facebook Group was created for people who like throw objects at the sex trade workers in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Aside from the fact that throwing items a people from moving vehicles is childish and just plain stupid, it is also dangerous. Members of this Facebook group are bragging at the number and type of objects that they have thrown at these women. Community outreach workers said that some of the sex trade workers have had bricks and beer bottles thrown at their heads.

When did we as a society become so cold and callous as to think that it is okay to assault a person based on their circumstances in life?

When asked why the group was established one of the administrators said it was out of frustration over the conditions of that particular section of the city. It seems to me if that is the case, perhaps instead of throwing objects at sex trade workers these individuals should be throwing questions at their city councilors and the provincial government.



Reference CBC article Facebook group about prostitute assault 'blown out of proportion:' member

facebook winnipeg

Musharraf Bows to International Pressure - Sets Deadline for Elections

Since coming to power in 1999, Musharraf has suspended the constitution three times. It seems however, that the third time was not a charm for President General Musharraf. The Pakistani President has been met with extreme international pressure to restore democracy in Pakistan since declaring the state of emergency that resulted in the suspension his country's constitution and elections.

Since declaring this most recent state of emergency, Pakistani forces have arrested thousands of opposition leaders, banned broadcasts from the independent media and five opposition politicians -- including the head of the National Party -- were charged with treason.

Musharraf announced Thursday that elections will be held by February 15th and began lifting the imposed media blackout.

Today's Moment of Zen - Go Green

Today's moment of Zen

Blank TV Screens in Pakistan

Information is power. To withhold information is to control and that is is exactly what Musharraf is doing to the people of his country. Television stations were seized over the weekend and the police have begun to raid independent newspapers.

The following excerpt is from an article that gives a gripping first hand account of the events unfolding in Pakistan from Saeed Shah, a freelance journalist for the Globe and Mail newspaper.

"When I returned to Pakistan two months ago, the country was preparing for elections, and myriad private television channels were blasting criticism of the President, General Pervez Musharraf, around the clock, while the activist courts held the government's feet to the fire... read more"

Pakistani President Suspends Constitution for the Third Time

It seems that every time Pervez Musharraf gets close to having to face the electorate his country has a crisis and he has to suspend the constitution. General Musharraf came to power in the wake of a 1999 coup d'etat that ousted democratically elected Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Countries including the United States and Canada have often been very supportive of Musharraf's regime.

Since coming to power Musharraf has previously suspended the constitution twice and has now suspended it for a third time thereby blocking elections.

Hours after declaring this most recent state of emergency Saturday, November 3rd, Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf ordered troops to take a television station's equipment and put a popular opposition leader under house arrest.

The Pakistani government also issued a directive warning the media that any criticism of the president or prime minister would be punishable by three years in jail and a fine of up to $70,000.

When asked about the current situation, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said The United States doesn't support any extra-constitutional measures taken by Musharraf.
"The situation is just unfolding," Rice said. "But anything that takes Pakistan off the democratic path, off the path of civilian rule is a step backward, and it's highly regrettable."

The United States itself has recently passed a similar law giving the state the power to declare martial law and suspend elections in the event of a crisis. President Bush "jokingly" said last month saying that he might stay in power after is presidential term ends.

In Canada, Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier called for all sides to refrain from violence and respect human rights in the troubled country. Although until very recently Prime Minister Harper has referred to Musharraf as a close ally, Ottawa was quick to condemn the General's most recent actions and urged Pakistan to reinstate judges and allow free elections.

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Who's Afraid of the Dalai Lama?

The Dalai Lama is known for promoting peace, ethics understanding and tolerance worldwide. Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. The chairman of the Nobel committee at the time said the honour was "in part a tribute to the memory of Mahatma Gandhi". The award recognized his efforts in "the struggle of the liberation of Tibet and the efforts for a peaceful resolution instead of using violence".

So who is afraid of the Dalai Lama? The Chinese government for one, Beijing demonizes him. Since his arrival in Canada the Chinese government has said that he is a subversive Tibetan separatist and "political exile who has long been engaged in activities aimed at splitting China under the camouflage of religion."

The Canadian and U.S. governments also have reason to fear, although they have both hesitated about criticizing of his holiness. The Dalai Lama, in a recent visit to Canada, criticized both the Canadian and U.S. governments for the money spent on military conflict. He spoke about Iraq in particular, saying that the money spent on war "cannot bring friendship between Americans and Iraqis," but the same amount spent on education and health could.

Such messages if taken to heart by the people of both respective countries could make it more difficult to maintain support for their respective military campaigns in the Middle East.

"I always tell people the concept of war is outdated," Tenzin Gyatso said, at a speech in Toronto. "On a global level, affection, sense of respect, that friendly attitude, considering people as brothers and sisters, that is the basis of genuine peace. World peace must come from inner peace." - Scary thought indeed.

Billionaire Warren Buffett says - I should pay MORE in Taxes

Billionaire Warren Buffett when interviewed by NBC's Tom Brokaw said that he has felt for years the the U.S. tax system placed too high a burden on its middle class. Buffet said,"The taxation system has tilted toward the rich and away from the middle class in the last ten years it's just dramatic and I don't think it's appreciated. And I think it should be addressed"

In a voluntary survey of his employees he discovered that their average tax rate was around 32%. Buffett's secretary pays 30% of her 60,000 dollar income while Buffett himself, pays only 17.7% of his 46 billion dollar income.

"There wasn't anybody in the office, from the receptionists on, that paid as low a tax rate [as myself], I have no tax planning, I don't have an accountant, I don't have tax shelters. I just follow what the U.S. Congress tells me to do." noted Buffet.

When asked what he thought could be done to correct this imbalance in taxation Buffet said, that a progressive consumption tax - a type of sales tax that places a higher rate on luxuries and exempts most basic necessities - would be better than the current system.

Watch Full Interview