IT'S JUST A STUFFIE

Rabid members of Islam in the Sudan have called for the execution of a British teacher because she named the class mascot Muhammad.

British private school teacher Gillian Gibbons was arrested and jailed for 15 days because her students named the class teddy bear 'Muhammad' and wrote diary entries about their mascot when they took the bear home overnight.

Now, I have known teachers who have done similar exercises to foster literacy and no one has threatened a firing squad or six months in jail and lashes with a cane. The difference is that these teachers live in a more civilized and rational society than your average Islamic fanatic. Naming a teddy bear Muhammad is not idol worship nor is it cause for imans to get their robes in a wahhabi over an object made of cloth and stuffing.

The imans who are upset about the incident should repeat after me: it's just a toy, it's just a toy,it's just a toy...

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BUG FIX

Hi, just a program note: I had a webring application on the site that was redirecting my blog. I have since removed the application and the site works as it should.


--Anne

UPDATE:CHRISTORPHER WORDEN

RCMP is still looking for evidence in the murder of Constable Christopher Worden who was shot at Hay River in October.

His alleged killer, Emrah Bulatci 23, is due in court on December 13.

Nice of the RCMP to give the death so much attention after the fact. According to news reports, neither Worden or Constable Douglas Scott had backup which should be standard procedure for all RCMP regardless of the funds that Constable Scott did not have in his region.
Technorati Tags: guns

CANADA'S FINEST

Constable Douglas Scott, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, of Brockville, Ontario was buried on Tuesday.

I can feel nothing but a sad tiredness when I watched his eulogy. Constable Scott's killer,Pingwaktuk Kolola, was an intoxicated driver that the Scott had pulled over for impaired driving. The shooter brandished a gun but Constable Scott could not shoot back. The killer held a baby as a human shield. Rather than risk the child's life, Constable Scott decided to take the bullet.

Why is the world not as weary of pain as I am of blogging gun deaths, especially one as noble as that of Constable Douglas Allen Scott? If there was any word to be placed in a thesaurus as a synonym for "hero", it would have to be this young man's name. His RCMP hat won't be one that anyone could wear as honourably and as proud.



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THE FALLEN

Once again, the stupidity of readily available firearms is proved. An 18-year-old man in Finland has shot and killed five boys, two girls, and an adult woman before police subdued him. The killer is now in critical condition in the hospital.

Before the massacre, the killer had posted a video on YouTube entitled "Jokela High School Massacre - 11/7/2007"

Now, logically, all posts on YouTube that show violence aren't going to end up with people being killed. However, if a specific target is named, shouldn't someone at Google/YouTube be more involved with monitoring the videos and seeking help so this type of tradegy does not occur?

Where is corporate responsibility in Internet companies? Certainly not at Yahoo! which handed over its computer records on journalist Shi Tao on the request of the Chinese government. Shi Tao is now a political prisoner due to the corporate weak knees at Yahoo! Specifically, Chief Executive Jerry Yang and VP Michael Callahan lied to Congress about their knowledge of giving the information about Shi Tao to the Chinese government. Furthermore, Yahoo! has been implicated in the arrests of four other dissident journalists.

At Google/YouTube, the answer may lie in greater vigilance about content. At Yahoo!, there needs to be a corporate overhaul about human rights, and about honesty.

UPDATE: The shooter died of his self-inflicted injuries. The adult killed was the high school principal. Please keep the family and the seven students injured in your thoughts.

UPDATE TWO: The shooter, Pekka-Eric Auvinen, killed six students, the school nurse, and the principal. He was a loner who faced bullying at school.

Technorati Tags: guns,google,yahoo

REMEMBER THE FALLEN

Const. Douglas Scott, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, of Brockville, Ontario was fatally shot last Monday night. The killer was an intoxicated driver that the constable had pulled over for impaired driving. The shooting was in Kimmerut. a hamlet in Nunavat that bans alcohol. Constable Douglas Scott was 20 years of age.

Earlier this month, RCMP Const. Christopher Worden was shot, possibly with a Glock 9mm pistol in North West Territory after responding to a noise complaint. His killer, Emrah Bulatci has been arrested. Constable Christopher Worden leaves behind a wife and eight-month-old daughter.

A list of fallen police officers from The Globe and Mail.

Technorati Tags: guns

THE LYNCH MOB IS HERE

Child killer Ian Huntley has a profile on Facebook. He has a profile under the name Ian Nixon. Currently, there is a group called Get Huntley Off Facebook. If you are Facebook member, please sign the petition. If you are not a Facebook member, please consider joining and adding your voice to the call to remove Ian Huntley from a public forum.


Thanks,

Anne

Technorati Tags: ian_huntley,jessica chapman and holly wells