The Daily Harold - Latest Comments

Re: Book Review: Getting Enough by Leonard Rosmarin

LenRoss — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 11:59:18 -0000

Superb review, Harold. You have really hit the nail right on the head. You have understood exactly what I hoped to achieve in this novel. May I wish the lucky winner many hours of happy reading!

Re: Valentine’s Day

LenRoss — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:45:12 -0000

Good afternoon, Harold:

I agree with you that Valentine's Day is significant when there is a person to whom one wants to show one's love. My present to my wife was lunch and then an afternoon at the opera is Toronto. This is the kind of gift she appreciated far more than flowers or chocolates. But--and I think you'll agree with me--any day can be Valentine's Day when you love someone deeply. So it is not necessary to wait for one specific day to show a person how much we care about her/him.
On an entirely unrelated subject, please get that contest going. I'm sure it will draw some very interested and interesting visitors to your site.
Your friend from Canada
Leonard

Re: Health Care from My Eyes

LenRoss — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 13:38:18 -0000

Dear Harold:
I am very sorry to find out that you have been ill with bronchitis and felt humiliated at having to seek medical assistance at a free clinic. In Canada you would never have to face this humiliation. Free health care is available to all citizens. Let me hasten to say that I am not idealizing our system, but it is much better than nothing. It does not constitute a "free ride" either. We pay for it through our taxes. Canada as well as many Western European countries prove that one can offer decent health care to one's citizens without being anti-capitalist or heavily socialist. In any event, I hope you get well very soon, and launch the contest you have been promising for a long time.
Your friend from Canada
Leonard

Re: Homophobic

A Traders Diary — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:22:18 -0000

The first one was funny, but for the public air waves, maybe still to forward thinking for now. Although I am sure if it was two girls , no problem.

The second one was just funny and see nothing wrong with it, jeesh,

Re: Homophobic

JasonB — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 20:23:40 -0000

For once the major networks made the right choice, with all three of these ads. The pro-life ad your referring to, shows Mrs. Tebow had a choice and she chose life. Are you against life and the fact that Tim Tebow is alive?

I had to laugh at the title of this post. If someone disagrees with any gay agenda they are homophobic...I guess they just can't have a different opinion, right?

Re: The World We Live In

Leonard Rosmarin — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 21:14:13 -0000

Dear Harold:

As you know, I am one of your ardent admirers. At first I was impressed by your sharp intellect, your ability to cut through all the dross and the swill to get right through to the truth of an issue,as well as your incisive style. Now I admire you as a human being who refuses to sink to the bottom and has bounced back fighting. Bravo. Sooner or later you will find another position. With the strength and love of your lady friend, you will re-emerge stronger than ever. Please keep your website going. It is one of the best things around on the Internet. And do pay me a visit on mine. I would be most honored.

Your friend from Canada
Leonard
P.S. Did you receive me e-mail of several weeks ago?

Re: Hey Idaho….WTF?

yanjiaren — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 13:28:35 -0000

This is strange and quite Petty. At the end of the day they are losing customers if they are turning non traditional families away. When it comes to being picky and choosy this bites the biscuit doesn't it lol? They don't worry about all the gangs and drugs that are going around but they criminalize a Gay couple. This is nuts, whatever any One's spiritual or religious persuasions are.

Re: Politically Incorrect

Harold's Dad Ed — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:59:26 -0000

He doesn't have to imagine what he would be like at 40. I am Harold's dad and I am 57 and I am not a curmudgeon, your fancy "South bound end of a North bound Mule" way of saying miser. I grew up with the standards Harold was taught we managed to state things the way they are and survive until "South bound end of a North bound Mules" like you decided to hide behind the fear of being sued, mugged, or attacked.

Now if you meant differently in your comment, then say it plain and simple, not behind some PC "Waste from a human's butt" answer.

I choose to use the words I do instead of cursing as I was taught that it was first, just plain WRONG, and second it showed a lack of intelligence to lower oneself to use the curse words.

Get some Gonads and say it like it is with some sense of respect but not disguised as a different color horse than what it really is.

Re: Politically Incorrect

Mike — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 11:18:41 -0000

Yeah dude, this PC shit has gone way too far. I've attempted racial commentary on my site before, but I've never been able to get my point across without sounding ignorant. That, and I always come to the conclusion that I don't have anything new to say. So I leave it alone.

The problem is, white people as a society have been guilted into catering to other groups for atrocities committed in the past. We've altered our language to try to atone but all it accomplishes is that it makes us look soft and vulnerable as a collective. Why do you think the Taliban think of us as a target they can defeat?

Remember "Hank the Angry Drunken Dwarf" from the Stern show a few years back? He said, "Calling a dwarf a 'midget' is the equivalent of calling a black person a 'n*****r'." I don't know that he spoke for all 'little people' (Christ here we go), but if the term Midget is considered derogatory we'd best not use it. Even though the word has other places in society - like Midget Racing (http://www.midgetmadness.com/) for example.

Hey maybe the Wings will win tonight and you can finally take that banner down!!

Later

Re: Politically Incorrect

Leonard Rosmarin — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 16:25:24 -0000

Dear Harold:

Bravo! It's high time eloquent that common sense like the brand you have just displayed, triumphs. Where is the crime in calling things or people by their names? Why should Americans, Canadians, or Europeans for that matter view themselves as hyphenated beings? My origins are triple in nature: I am of the Jewish faith and have absorbed three different cultures, the English, French as well as Jewish ones. Yet I don't go around telling people that I am a Franco-Anglo-Jewish Canadian. When people ask me what kind of a Canadian I am, I reply invariably, "I am an ethnic cocktail and a non-hyphenated Canadian. I will defend you to the death for the courage you have shown in demolishing these ugly sacred cows engendered by the policitally correct neurosis. More power to you!

Warmest regards from your Canadian friend
Leonard Rosmarin

Re: Politically Incorrect

Harold — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 15:07:20 -0000

Hey now I'm not ill-tempered. I just speak my mind unlike a vast majority of this world who hide behind the whole politically correct crap and are now scared to say how they really feel. It saddens me. It really does. My generation should be speaking their mind but most don't. Afraid of a lawsuit or something. Who knows.

Re: Politically Incorrect

Ralph Carlson — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 20:37:16 -0000

You are kind of young to be such a curmudgeon but it's great to see. Imagine what you might think at the ripe old age of 40?

Re: Is It Half Empty or Half Full

FutureExpat — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 18:24:16 -0000

Interesting. I'm here on a link from the ProBlogger 31-Day workout.

My nature has always been very optimistic, but I've found myself totally pessimistic for the past couple of years, due to overwhelming personal circumstances including some health issues. I've decided to embrace my pessimism for a while and see if there's any way to put it to work for me. . .

Re: Affirmative Racism

Joey — Sun, 31 May 2009 23:28:09 -0000

I agree that racism exists for all races including Caucasians. Jesse Jackson makes a living on it, just Google, “Jesse Jackson Coca-Cola shakedown” for an example.

Re: Affirmative Racism

Ralph Carlson — Fri, 29 May 2009 21:15:20 -0000

You have said what nobody has the nerve to say. Whites have been guilted to death over the past 50 years and we don't know when to say 'enough'. What majority has ever done as much as white Americans to fix what is wrong and what majority has ever been as villified while they do the right thing. But soon, they tell us, we will be the minority. Then we can get even. Right?

Re: Affirmative Racism

Rachel — Thu, 28 May 2009 22:37:27 -0000

I can see why you might feel that way.

However racism is more than just waving placards or yelling offensive remarks. Racism (and indeed, other forms of discrimination such as gender or sexual orientation) is so inherent in many of our institutions and practices that we are completely blind to it.

I'm not necessarily saying that affirmative action is the only way, or the right way - but it is one way.

I'll give you an example.

Here in Australia, in some places a criterion for granting someone parole is longevity at a particular address. Doesn't sound discriminatory, does it? This criterion is essentially testing someone's links to the community. A person with stronger links to the community has been found to be less likely to breach parole.

However Indigenous Australians don't usually have one fixed address for too long. This is for a number of cultural and societal reasons. Indigenous Australians were historically nomadic. Many Indigenous people today are essentially nomadic too however will travel between family groups or within family groups. Indigenous Australians are also more likely to rent and will accordingly move more often. Indigenous Australians however have very strong links to their communities.

What this particular criterion does is ties a particular thing "links to the community" to a particular cultural interpretation. Instead of having a criterion that can be assessed holistically based on the individual it is viewed through a white man's cultural filter.

This is but one example. It is everywhere. And people will not see it until people of all races and ethnicities are empowered to move into positions of influence.

Personally I think that affirmative action is a bit of a cop out. It doesn't properly address the true institutionalised racism which would involve a lot more thought, difficult questions and potentially unpopular actions. But it is better than nothing.

Re: How-To: Twitter

Joe — Mon, 25 May 2009 15:01:57 -0000

Very good newbie Twitter tutorial. I am planning on creating one for my site but I have about 40+ tutorials I want to create first. The next time someone asks me for basic help on Twitter or they want me to explain what it is I will point them to this page.

Thanks!

Re: What About Love?

Ralph Carlson — Fri, 22 May 2009 00:38:27 -0000

You made me think. But there's more.

Re: American Idol Season 8 Finale

Eve — Thu, 21 May 2009 10:51:43 -0000

Great rundown! I din't watch this season so it is nice to know what happened!

Re: Mad Skills

Byron — Wed, 20 May 2009 15:18:05 -0000

Wonder how many times he fell on his butt trying to perfect that...

Re: Five Ways to Have a Healthy Relationship

Harold — Wed, 20 May 2009 08:19:03 -0000

Josh,
I don't take it as sexist at all. Matter of fact when writing this I talked to a few different women and that's where that part came from. Comparing me saying "women for the most part are timid creatures" to a flat out racist comment like "black people for the most part are lazy" is apples to oranges. I'm basing what I wrote off of talking to various women before I wrote this. That was actually a direct comment from more than one woman. So your theory of why I've had so many bad relationships hold no water whatsoever. The reason I've had so many bad relationships is mostly because I've dated drama filled women who don't know what they want or some that didn't know how to grow up and get away from mommy and daddy. Sure I've been the constant in every failed relationship, but that does NOT make me necessarily the cause of each failure everytime. Sure I'm no angel by any means, but trust me I'm the last person that stereotypes people because I've been stereotyped my whole life. I've gotten the "oh he's fat so he's lazy" or the "oh he's overweight so he must eat a lot" when in actuality niether of those statements are true about me.

Re: Ten Ways to Survive a Divorce: Part 2

Joe — Wed, 20 May 2009 02:36:46 -0000

6-9 is excellent advice which basically tells people to stop moping, get out of the dam house and do some mingling.

Re: Why Do Women Cheat?

Eve — Wed, 20 May 2009 01:16:31 -0000

what a great post... I can really understand a lot of those... sadly :-( Even a great marriage has its troubles.

Re: Five Ways to Have a Healthy Relationship

Joshua — Wed, 20 May 2009 01:03:03 -0000

Women for the most part are timid creatures.

This is a sexist statement, equivalent to saying, "black people for the most part are lazy." I find that the best way to have a healthy relationship is to interact with a person and not a stereotype. I think I may have stumbled upon one reason you've had so many bad relationships.

Re: Why Do Women Cheat?

Issa — Tue, 19 May 2009 19:31:07 -0000

Here's another reason for you: Monogamy is weird. You can be perfectly happy in a relationship - getting plenty of awesome sex, feeling appreciated, madly in love with your partner - and still be attracted to other people. Loving one person does not suddenly eliminate the possibility that you can love another person. What if I'm wonderfully happy at home, but there's an awesome guy at the cubical next to me. Why does my love for one person completely obliterate my ability to nurture a relationship with another? It doesn't. Maybe people cheat simply because that's built into the contract that they've accepted, hook, line, and sinker.

If you've signed up for a relationship model that leaves room for no other possibility, then you're in big trouble when it turns out that you DO really like that guy next to you at work. The monogamy model says that you have two choices if you want to stay with your current partner: you can 1) cheat or 2) deny your desires. One of those is dishonest, but the other is soul-and-self limiting and does nothing but reduce the amount of love, sex, and happiness in the world.

Fortunately, there ARE other relationship models. I recommend googling the word "polyamory". It's too bad that so many think that monogamy is the only option. It's too bad that so many people think that denying relationships with the people around you is preferable to bucking the status quo. There ARE other options, though, ones that allow for the full exploration of human relating.