Gender Issues

To-night on the news, a commentator noted that there were far more people of the "female persuasion" involved in politics these days. While the latter point doesn't surprise me much, that being female is now a 'persuasion', does. It used to be that you were 'persuaded' to take to a religious bent or not. Or  that you had been persuaded to adhere to a political doctrine. But until now I was pretty sure that gender was more or less something for which persuasion wasn't required. But perhaps I err or, in newspeak, 'error'.

There are a number of genders available to us these days - the LGBT rainbow of flavors. There are in addition to your basic male or femaleness a number of nuances related to how you use the equipment. These are currently referred to as 'gender' issues rather than sexual issues for, you see, they lie at the heart of who you are as a human being. There are lesbians - they are females who opt to restrict the use of their gender parts to other females. There are your gays - they're males who do the same with other males. There are  Bisexuals - who are available to use their naughty bits with others of either gender and finally, and officially, there are your Transgendered folk - males who start off with male attributes and trade them in for the female model; and females who do the same in reverse.

But that's only scratching the surface for, if sexual behavior ie what you do with the works,  is the defining fundamental, there are an almost infinite variety of sexual beings walking around.

There are your pedophiles of course - of any of the 4 gender types - but whose focus is on youngsters. They are still classed as criminal. There are those who favor animals - bestialists. There are those who prefer singularity - they don't like anybody but themselves. Those who prefer relations with a corpse are necrophiles, with inanimate objects trees or garden vegetables. There are those who are attracted to machines. There are a large number in America who have relations with firearms. There are those who specialize in body parts or areas and those who like their partners to be made of vinyl latex, or plastic in varying degrees of reality. There are those who like to keep it 'in the family.' There are those who like the underwear or other clothing of the same or opposite gender. There are those who record their work for posterity and  only 'wanna watch' - mostly Casio or Timex. And there are those of any gender who simply can't get enough. In all of these there are subgroups who enjoy their pursuits with a little pain to heighten the pleasure. There are even some who do 'offing' themselves or a partner, while 'effing'.

I was reading about a residence for mentally disabled adults in England which had managed to bring in 'sex workers' to attend to the 'needs' of their clients. I knew of the same such which 'facilitated' clients in meeting those 'needs' with other clients. I'm just waiting for someone to raise the notion that a staff member, helping to meet those needs, might not be a potential criminal.

There is a currently-nominated movie about a sex surrogate and her 'relationship' with a  mentally less-than-able client. Apparently the client is able enough to want to 'get off', and hire her to surrogate for the women he can't otherwise 'get' to service him free.

Society is poised for a great sexual awakening when the borders of our old anal retentive ways will be moved and true sexual freedom for all will ensue. If the porn guys were to get on that, they could move the agenda ahead with light speed.

If  society which likes to keep up with such 'memes' - if only to increase marketing accuracy - is to do that, a new lexicon or symbology is required. Gone will be the simplistic M/F.. At present that could be expanded to M/F LGBT or further refined to M/F L G Mm/f Fm/f M->F F->M.

This could be even further refined to a series of icons describing personal biases, preferences or as they used to be called 'fetishes'. What fun that could be - make applying for benefits a real giggle.

They're Stealin' Are Stuff!

Since America became the greatest country on earth, all the other countries on earth have been trying to imitate her by stealing the a stuff that makes America great - her inventions. The latest reports of the Chinese devoting  army units to the 'theft of intellectual property' from the compromised computers of  sensitive individuals around the world, and in America, is another in the great 'blowing wind up' exercises of the people tasked with 'keeping America safe'.

While everybody knows that internet access allows a great number of institutions to legally let us download a blizzard of trackers and cookies that call home with information to help those institutions better serve our 'needs', people are terrified that some institutes might be doing things like that illegally, or without letting us make that download decision. And so, from the first days of the internet a new industry was spawned - Internet Security. This multi-billion dollar software industry that is designed to react to such 'threats' (usually well after the fact) has long ago discovered that while the detritus of internet merchandising is a minor (but lucrative) problem, accessing a computer's files either through sloppy security or with 'cracking' software can provide an opportunity for gaining knowledge or for wreaking havoc. Business is super-sensitive to this and Hollywood has used the computer-hacking scenario as a plot line in many 'ennertainments'. And thus another multi-billion dollar aspect was born the I.T. 'pro' and the related department.

Very few corporations can afford the cost of a department of time-wasting system watchers for braced for hacking - unless the site is governmental or military it is a fairly rare event. Even the massive data thefts of which we hear with some regularity don't seem to have those trickle-down effects - like world-wide identity theft we are so terrified about. Unless of course the People's Army is using your passwords to hack your facebook account, or, even worse, your mastercard to buy new tanks. And thus the rise of small anti-hacking companies that do nothing else. They're for hire and constantly looking for business. Ex-hackers have done quite well in this aspect of I.T.

The Mandiant Corp of Alexandria VA is how famous for having 'sleuthed' its way though the internet pecker-tracks of international hackerdom to an identification of an individual Chinese spy and the geo-location of a 'spy-site' in Shanghai. Every computer records every access every day - every key stroke is documented and recorded - often in 'erasable' .temp files. But then, to a computer geek, nothing is totally unrecoverable unless it's been melted-down for recycling. The folk at Mandiant would have us think they've been tracing this Chinese 'activity' for years and now the break-through has come. That the hacked computers have not noticed odd access, or unapproved transmissions, is more telling than the fact that nations spy. But what can Mandiant do about that? Apparently not very much except expect the Chinese to stop.

It can be embarrassing to someone to have his 'porn site history' accessed - that happens all the time when police seize a computer. The first thing 'geeks' search for, and find, is the downloaded smut  collection - just look at Bin Laden - 10 years of being electronically untraceable but the whiz kids found his porn before they got his computers back to base - amazing. But the same top-level hackers had no way of knowing exactly where he was, so a disease eradication program was virtually destroyed on a hunch to get some 'eyes on' him. Even that failed but a better guess was made about all those non-Pakistani  women and immunizable kids. I'd bet even the Peoples' Army couldn't have found Bin Laden.

But corporations and governments and militaries aren't trying to hide their secrets.They're trying to market their secrets. Since time immemorial when you sell somebody something better than what they've got, the first thought that occurs is, "How do they do that'? The second is, "Can I?"

In to-day's  'globalized' marketplace they're taking their secrets into places where internet security is a joke, or where 'computer crime' has been a cultural phenomenon since the first internet computer arrived. Just how long now have the world's smartest people been shilled out of billions to help get somebody's millions out a third world shit-hole? And they still wonder why and how somebody's stealing their stuff?

Taking advantage of third world resources and labour markets isn't like 'stealing' overpriced 'designer goods' and peddling them on-line, is it? After all, paying a Mexican worker 40 bucks a week is legal, although they'll work for a lot less in Bangla Desh.

But this isn't about 'bidness', it's about the 'fabric of democracy' and the 'safety of the nation'. Why, if the 'wily Chinee' had access to our technology they'd be building A-weapons and the fleets of ships, planes and rockets to get them over here. The "Yellow Peril" would be looking ta 'take over the world'. They'd be having their own "Chinese Century.' They've been at this too long and they must be stopped!

When you get an enemy weapon the first thing that happens after a few test shots - is that it gets disassembled. If it's good enough, it will be copied. From Hittite iron weapons to stealth technology - if you build it, it will eventually be 'stolen'. That's a no-brainer. To-day's technology - eg 3D printers - just make stealing, and reproducing,  ever so much easier. Ask a Hollywood film mogul.

But if the message of Mandiant is heard, some new multi-billions can be borrowed to set-up a state-of-the-art defense against computer sleuths. This will allow America to close the 'cybercrime gap' and increase it's ability to cyberfight its enemas.

Lets face it though, the only nation actually demonstrated to have used cybertechnology as a weapon is ... the United States of America, and it's best ally ... Israel. They invented a virus to cripple Iran's Seimens-built centrifuges. But even that, they couldn't get in with the internet. They needed, as such espionage usually always does, a human 'vector' to actually go in and  screw-up the system.

And having a human 'vector', either putting something in, or taking something out, will be the downfall of any electronic defense.

Make Whey for the Big Baird

Canada's foreign affairs fairy is taking his sweet ass and bad dentures off to bait the commies in their nests. John (the bigmouth) Baird - Canada's Foreign Minister has been tasked with a visit to Cuba and Venezuela.

 Yeppers he's going down to talk trade and more human rights for the poor 'jinoteros y jinoteras' who 'befriend' Canadian holidaymakers. Maybe he should be taking along the Minister of Immigration - his 'bud' from the old days -  Jay Kenney, who has a bone to pick with the Cubans for tempting so many Canucks into sponsoring their immigration and then leaving a trail of unrequited love, broken hearts and angry taxpayers who have to support them for 3 years. It would be far better if they had more rights and could stay in Cuba, rather than bringing those rights they don't have up to Canada.

No doubt he'll want to take credit for all the Conservative government has never done for the Cubans - except take holidays there. A friend of mine who sold tobacco products for a living had the opportunity to meet Allan Rock, a late Justice Minister, on the last 'official' Conservative visit to the island more than a decade ago. Rock and his missus got a couple of 'free days' at a tourist resort. Rock, who was 'down' on smoking back home, was with a spouse who a) used the weed and b) didn't have any with her. My buddy provided her with a couple of large Rothman's.

 It's sad that Baird can't speak for Obama, but they share even less in common than with the commies. So I'm wondering why he's going at all?  For he can't do anybody any good. He is supposed to bring a message of hope to the Jewish people of Havana - one I guess the jewish holiday makers of Montreal can't, don't, or won't deliver.. Maybe he thinks that by springing the Jewish American Cuba jailed for hi-tech 'gifting' a couple of years back, he'll do an 'Argo' and get into Obama's good books.

He's on his way to Venezuela too. And there is more common ground there. Both Canada and Venezuela supply oil to the USA. And neither get much thanks for it. Venezuela because the guys who 'owned' the oil on behalf of their 'amigos norte-americanos' don't own the oil any more. And Canada because we can't give our shit away without a new pipeline. Not that I think it will make any difference to Chavez who gives heating oil away free in a reverse foreign-aid thing, while the Canadians (Americans too) who 'own' oil wouldn't give anybody the sweat off their balls. The big mouth might be challenged by Chavez, whom the Americans claim, has the biggest mouth.

Bluray for Hollywood

And the Best Picture of 2012 is .....  “Silver Linings Playbook”.

Best Actor Daniel Day Lewis. Actress, Jennifer Lawrence. Chris Waltz will win for 'Django', Helen Hunt for ‘Seasons’ and the director’s award will go to Ang Li for ‘Life of Pi’.  Them's my main picks.

 Now why?

Best Picture nominees were, I found, as follows:

Argo - just not that interesting a story. But maybe I’m biased.  The Canadians who were the makers of the particular feast were largely ignored. A ‘star spangled war story’ that omitted much of the rest of it - that most of the hostages were held for almost another year and that hostage-taking rose to new heights thereafter. The movie doesn’t even try to explain to Americans, that this is the basic cause of Iran being as 'nasty' as it is to-day - oh yeah, and now wanting a ‘nukuler’ weapon.

Beasts of the Southern Wild - another futuristic tale set in the primitive alternative to some yet-to-come dystropic US society where a concatenation of ‘real’ people wait out the inevitable destruction of their world by the effects, I imagine, of global warming. I did like the horny swine-based 'aurochs' - they’re not coming back either.  Far-fetched.

Lincoln - a good period piece. Initially it gave one to believe they were at a civil war re-enactment. I’ve never read anywhere that Honest Abe went about interacting with the troops and, even if he had, they certainly wouldn’t have committed his Gettysburg address to memory - most wouldn’t even have known he’d made it. The story went on to frame the political machinations that led to the 13th amendment. A far more interesting story would have been the one that led to the initial Emancipation Proclamation.- that time was a real trial for Lincoln - on many levels. Here he’s much like President Obama - going into a second term with a mandate he didn’t have in his first. Good cast and acting, good costuming and cinematography. Awful wig on TL Jones.

Les Miserables - bad dental hygiene and lousy tunes. This ‘opera’ should never have been made into a movie - both suck.   

Life of Pi - Another ‘fantasy’ but this one, although incredible, was quite enjoyable. Maybe it’s the almost ‘bollywood’ effect.


Zero Dark 30 - Another ‘star-spangled war story’ without any redeeming social values.  Much less exciting than the ‘Hurt Locker’. The ‘torture’ scenes were ‘horror-fying’ and could be used as  recruitment adds for AQ. The blonde should have 'got naked'.   

Silver Linings Playbook - everybody knows somebody with the sort of mental illness that makes them more interesting people, as opposed to somebody bug-dirt loco. This is the tale of two such. Excellent cast, great acting, entertaining tale with some redeeming social value - I think.

D’Jango Unchained - explores the failing of south’ron slavery - particularly re-aquaintance with the ‘Niggah’ word which, I thought, had been banned among white folk outside Tennessee or Kaintuck; as well as that, the ‘gladiatorial bare knuckle’ fighting bouts staged for the delectation of civilized slave-owners. Unrealistic insofar as any black gunfighter in post-Nat Turner Dixie would have been hunted-down and strung-up, along with any white gunfighters found in company. A good Tarantino nonetheless.

Amour - interesting and poignant story of the hopelessness of growing old. An elderly couple, who really only have each other, the children being occupied with their careers and lives, too busy to maintain regular contact, have their retirement lives disrupted by her carotid artery.  Wheelchair bound she gives up on life, and so does he. The fire department find their corpses after somebody finally misses them. Triste.

And the gong goes to .... Jodie Foster .....  for proving I was right all along. You'd think she could have selected a good-looking sperm donor .. maybe he's smart.