Daily Archives: July 20, 2017

Its all a matter of taste.

I have many friends and acquaintances, and among them, for every person who thinks of me as this nice, amiable person who tries to be a ray of sunshine wherever he goes, theres another who knows that at times I can make Clint Eastwoods Get off my lawn character in Gran Torino seem like Mary Poppins on Valium.

I dont like to offend people, but what I have to say might, on occasion. Here go a couple of thoughts I hope will be food for discussion, not food for dissent.

As I related inour Tweet of the Day on the front of The Times Sports section this week, in all my time playing, watching and covering baseball in my 50-some years on this planet, I dont remember anyone in a dugout chanting hes a SLUG-ger, hes a SLUG-ger when it was Anthony Rizzos turn to bat, or hit a HOME run, hit a HOME run whenever Aaron Judge or Giancarlo Stanton got in the box, and they CERTAINLY never did anything like num-BER SEV-en, num-BER SEV-en when Mickey Mantle stepped to the plate. Wow, that last one sent a cold shiver down my spine.

Saw Bull Durham the other day and Im more in line with Robert Wuhls character, Larry Hockett, when he spit out rapid-fire through a mouthful of seeds, Cmon, baby, you got this, you got this, its you, baby, its you, cmon, baby to Bulls on the field or at the plate.

I know Little Leaguers are not supposed to yell Swing! at the batter anymore, but what happened to the old standard hes no batter, hes no batter, aaAAaaAA and other encouragement to a pitcher? Please just something not near as mind-numbingly annoying as the rhythmic nonsense being spewed the last few years. I might expect that from softball, but in baseball? No thanks.

It deserves a place in the baseball dumpster along with The Wave, the White Soxs uniform shorts and Chris Bermans calls of the Home Run Derby.

Try this: No MORE CHAN-ting, no MORE CHAN-ting.

Roberto Clementes number

Im going to tread lightly here because my opinion might offend some who are sensitive to matters of race. Believe me, it has nothing to do with race, gender or religious beliefs. It has to do only with my view of the game.

I do not believe Roberto Clemente should have his number 21 retired through all of MLB the way Jackie Robinsons 42 is.

I know what a tremendous player Clemente was, having seen him many times in action against my Cubs on WGN back in the day and in the national broadcasts of the World Series the Pirates played in. Hes an all-time great, in addition to being a generous, caring individual who died while delivering humanitarian aidto storm victims in Nicaragua.

No doubt, no question, he deserves to be the icon to the Hispanic community that he is.

But I personally don't feel the challenges he overcame on his way to the majors are at the same level of those traversed by Robinson when he broke the MLB color barrier in 1947.

Looking at it another way, if Clemente deserves that honor, why not Hank Greenberg or Sandy Koufax for being the greatest Jewish players of all time? Why not Honus Wagner as the hero of Americas extensive, generations-deep German population? Why not Joe DiMaggio for all those fans of Italian descent?

This is opening a can of worms with so many arguments, some of them so politically incorrect that I wont go there.

I didnt agree with Robinsons 42 being retired across the leagues when it happened. Like Clemente, Robinson is an incredibly talented figure in the game and a man of immense character, patience and tolerance. His impact on the game is undeniable. I just dont see Clementes impact being as significant in the history of baseball.

OK, all that now said, I add the immortal words of comedian Dennis Miller: Of course, thats just my opinion. I could be wrong.

View post:
INSIDE THE GAME: No chanting, no more retired numbers, please - MyWebTimes.com

The First Amendment is in a state of emergency on the college campus. Destructive protests in opposition to free speech have broken out nationwide in the last few years, threatening a right and principle that students once championed.

In fact, the First Amendment emergency is so severe that the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing June 10 to receive input from experts on the issue.

A Pew poll released July 10 shows the majority of Republicans think colleges have a negative impact on America. I value my college experience, but I understand how people can feel left out and betrayed by academia.

I have witnessed it firsthand. I helped host Ben Shapiro, a conservative commentator, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill through the College Republicans in the spring of 2016. While sitting on the front row of his public lecture, I videotaped a protest against free speech that is all too typical on college campuses today.

About a third of the 400-person auditorium was composed of left wing students dressed in black. These students staged a walk-out about a minute into Shapiros opening remarks, refusing to heed his calls to learn a new yet controversial perspective.

Shapiro made the argument that parenting, not race, is the dominant factor in setting up young people for success in life. He claimed the political left uses race as a wedge issue, while the right attempts to judge people by the content of their character. I tend to agree.

The protesters went outside the lecture hall to hold a rally against perceived racism and bigotry while dozens of tolerant conservative and liberal students poured into their empty seats to hear Shapiro.

I sent the video into Campus Reform, a website dedicated to covering left wing intolerance in higher education. Later that year, I interned as a correspondent for the outlet and covered similar stories.

Through the Shapiro walkout and Campus Reform internship, the scope of the college free speech crisis became clear to me. Many of the countrys brightest young minds cannot bear to hear opinions different from their own, and they will go to extreme lengths to shut out diverse thought.

This should alarm citizens concerned about the state of free speech in society, as positive societal advancements are driven by constructive dialogue and criticism. Opposition to free speech in the nations top academic enclaves threatens to stall the progress of American prosperity.

Speech codes, safe spaces, protests against minority opinionsoften those held by conservativesand attempts at keeping politically incorrect speakers off campus have made colleges some of the most intolerant places in America.

In the fall of 2015, students at Yale University hysterically confronted Nicholas and Erika Christakis, two married professors serving as residential directors. The students were upset after Mrs. Christakis called into question the illiberal condemnation of culturally appropriate Halloween costumes.

The professor eventually resigned because her students could not live and learn with someone who refused to cloak them in an intellectual and emotional bubbleleftist intolerance has claimed victims.

A protest at the University of California, Berkeley approached the definition of a riot this spring. There, a black-clad mob effectively shut down a speech scheduled by Milo Yiannopoulos, an outlandish free speech provocateur of the alt-right.

The protest against Yiannopoulos drew national media attention, and subsequent speaking attempts made by other right wing figures were met with threats of violence and dissuading letters from university administrators.

In the 1960s, Berkeley students protested when administrators prevented communist speakers from addressing the campus. Now they shut out speakers whom they deem deplorable. The original home of the college free speech movement of the 1960s became the epicenter of the anti-free speech movement of today.

College students should test their beliefs through exposure to new ideas and debate. Learning from diverse perspectives can strengthen their intellectual growth. You can find another opinion repulsive, but still accept its right to be spoken.

By welcoming all forms of free speech on the college campus, students and administrators may grow in empathy and knowledge. This will add value to the college degree and help prepare Americas future leaders for a diverse world.

I wish that the protesters at the Shapiro lecture had stayed to hear what an intelligent stranger had to say and engaged in debate. Leaders from student government, ethnic groups, and social justice coalitions were among the crowd that refused.

We need voices for tolerance and free speech at all levels of the education and public policy communities. Opinion leaders should stand up and speak out for the rights of everyone to be heard.

Will Rierson is a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he is chairman of the College Republicans. He has participated in the Koch Internship and Fellow programs.

More:
College Students Can't Learn If They Won't Listen - The Daily Caller

Chris Hemsworth is best known for his role as the Norse god Thor in the Avengers movies. But outside of cinema, Hemsworth has had a hard time fitting in with the progressive left, who have slammed him for violating every progressive tenet, ranging from cultural appropriation to transphobia.

Unable to stop making politically incorrect gaffes, Hemsworth has now taken it upon himself to call for a woman to play the role of the next James Bond.

In an interview with W Magazine about the new film Atomic Blonde, the actor revealed that he would like to see Charlize Theron take on the role.

She embodies every ounce of strength and nobility and dignity and integrity that that character should have, he said, perhaps forgetting that as a character, James Bond embodies every bit of the toxic masculinity feminists complain about. Hes a womanizer, and a drunk, who has on multiple occasions expressed misogynistic views toward women or treated them as little more than sexual conquests who usually end up dead.

Several actors had been suggested to fill in the void left by Daniel Craig, who has said hed rather break this glass and slash [his] wrists than perform as James Bond for a fifth time, despite being contracted to do so. Tom Hardy, Tom Hiddleston and Idris Elba have been listed as potential candidates to play the character, though Craig is now expected to be back for the next film. The X-Files and The Fall star Gillian Anderson expressed interest in the role of Jane Bond, if it was available.

Shes smart as hell. Shes physically able. You know watching her in those fight scenes, doing it in high heels by the way and 8-foot long gown [in Snow White and the Huntsman], was even more impressive, said Hemsworth of Theron. And I just think why not? Its time.

Theron told E! News said she was flattered by his remarks. Wow, thats just so insanely generous and nice. I dont even know what to do with that, Theron said. Thats really sweet.

There is little doubt that Theron has the acting chops to effortlessly deliver any character she portrays, but perhaps Hemsworth should take a step back and realize she might be better off playing a new character instead of slipping into the role of a character thats been rode hard and put away wet.

Ian Miles Cheong is a journalist and outspoken media critic. You can reach him through social media at @stillgray on Twitter.

More:
Chris Hemsworth Says 'It's Time' For A Woman To Play James Bond - The Daily Caller

NEW DELHI: There were murmurs in Congress circles in Parliament over party vice-president Rahul Gandhis absence in the Lok Sabha during Wednesdays hardearned debate on farmers distress. Though his absence was justified by citing a scheduled rally in Rajasthan on Wednesday afternoon over the same issue, the fact that he chose to miss the debate that the Congress-led united Opposition had wangled after staging a series of protests and forcing three adjournments of the House in Gandhis presence left many wondering whether Gandhi has his priorities right.

It looks like a case of Rahulji preferring a district stage over a national platform to address a burning national issue, said a party MP. Many wondered why he let his Rajasthan trip clash with the debate since it was a forgone conclusion that the Opposition would seek a debate on farmers issue. They said he could have held the rally before the session or during the weekend. With the leader missing, Congress fielded Jyotiraditya Scindia to open the debate, with a strong denouncement of Centres handling of farmers issues.

There is no clarity on whether the debate will conclude on Monday or spill over to next working days so that Gandhi can catch up. As per government-Opposition pact, Parliament will adjourn on Thursday after Question Hour as counting of votes in presidential poll will be held then. Gandhi is expected to skip Parliament on Friday too, to address a Dalit conference in Bangalore.

Congress leaders want Gandhi to make best use of the session for two reasons: As opposition parties unite over several issues, they want Gandhi to emerge as the leading voice. Secondly, given this could be the last session before his planned takeover as party chief, they hope he will make an effort to repair his sloppy parliamentary track-record to set the right atmospherics.

However, his absence during Wednesdays debate made them mindful of his penchant for vanishing acts at politically incorrect times. He had gone abroad last year for two months at the height of the Congress agitation against the land acquisition bill and on a 20+ day trip to Europe during Oppositions unity show over farmer suicides, cow vigilantism and during pre-presidential poll deliberations.

Read the rest here:
Congress scion has opposition within, as he skips debate on farmers' plight - Economic Times

Trolls are taking over the Internet. John Lucas / Edmonton Journal

Its an exercise in restraint these days when it comes to comments on articles, tweets or other social media posts regarding news stories.

The restraint needed is on the part of the reader, to not want to gouge ones eyes out after digesting the intense vitriol some posters have for their fellow citizens.

It almost doesnt matter what or whom the story is about; everyone has an opinion that, too often, many mistakefor fact.

Whether its about the NDP, the Liberal prime minister, the Republican president, terrorists, city hall or even anthem singers at ball games, trolls are waging war on respectful dialogue, one keyboard stroke at a time.

Some recent examples include telling a local singer that her rendition of the Canadian anthem is a national embarrassment and she owes the country an apology; that Justin Trudeau is a super sad excuse for (expletive) prime minister and a joke across the planet; that a former prime minister is a racist among other unprintables, and another politician is an ignoramus and a clown.

Ever since the advent of social media, there have been those who relish stirring the pot with a few chosen online slurs.But those drips of literary poison have turned into a torrent of verbal abuse.

Trump certainly didnt cause this to occur but it could be argued that his presidency has lent a certain credibility to this behaviour. Because the leader of the United States feels empowered to speak his mind so freely, regardless of consequence, others are following suit. Those who have been chastened in the past for politically incorrect, socially unacceptable opinions, now broadcast them proudly, almost daring the other side to respond.

This is not to say that people should not hold diverse opinions. Public debate is essential in a free and democratic society. Its how we keep our political parties in check. Its how we keep society as a whole in line.

But theres a not-so-fine line between polite disagreement over the facts and hate-filled personal attacks on the person.

If opposing sides were to debate their points in person, one would hope theyd never unleash the diatribe they do anonymously online.

Faceless rants do not solve issues or sway anyones opinion. They just harden the heart and add to the breakdown of society.

We need a return to civility. If you wouldnt say it out loud in a crowd, dont type it. Think deeply, do the research and then intellectually express your views while respecting those who hold other views. Its not about winning; its about sharing.

See the original post here:
Editorial: The social demise of civility - Calgary Herald