Sometimes a diagram is best.

For the record, as a writer, I fully support your “right” to be assholes, get arrested, and spend time in jail.

As a pro, I seldom I turn down a paying writting opportunity, but this morning’s request for a “balanced article on whether Mubarak should stay or go along with the pros and cons” has to be the most insane request I’ve received.  I’m not going to mention the publication — they don’t deserve the traffic. And they certainly don’t know me.

There’s no debate on this one. Mubarak is done.  Right now he’s simply confirming to the world that he is utterly unfit to lead. He’s risking the lives of the citizens he purports to serve, and he’s ultimately risking a civil war — all presumably to feed his feeble ego.  Were he a man of even moderate vision he would have stepped down weeks ago.

Mubarak, your citizens have spoken.  You’re done.  Don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out.

I received quite a few emails from readers about my post on Monday and one forwarded me an interesting link to an article by Health Councilor MeMe Roth. It’s great to see such a straight-shooter in the weight loss field.

I’m a strong proponent of human rights. but there are some people that take things way too far.  For example, there’s the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA).  I’ll admit that the first time I heard of them I thought it was a spoof. But no, they’re serious.  Despite the fact that the health consequences of excess weight are well known — type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, some cancers and gallbladder disease – these folks want us to “accept fat.”

According to the latest data from the CDC, approximately one third of adults in the US are obese and annual medical costs may be as high as $147 billion. If you own a business and would like to figure out what obesity costs you, you can check out their Obesity Cost Calculator.

Our problem is that we’re already way to accepting of fat.  It’s about time that we start finding it less acceptable and start doing more to prevent it.  If the folks at the NAAFA really want to help fat people, they’d help them start loosing weight.

Free speech advocates have labelled today “Everybody Draw Mohammad Day” to protest threats of violence against artists who drew representations of the prophet Muhammad.

To sum it up, a bunch of so-called Muslim troublemakers have successfully provoked a larger group of predominantly non-Muslims to do something that supposedly offends all 1.5 billion or so Muslims.  It all leaves me wondering who the real winners and losers are.

If Muhammad was alive today I don’t know if he’d be ashamed or just amused.  Why would he want anything to do with uninsightful ‘followers’ who squabble over ancient words without any understanding of context?  He’d probably laugh at the suggestion that there was anything wrong with drawing his picture and email you a jpeg from his iPhone.

Of course if Jesus was alive today, he’d be shaking his head and laughing at the gullible folks who believe that his mother was a virgin and that his father was God.  “I said to be nice to each other,” he’d mumble, and then crack open another beer.

I’ve spent much of the summer on vacation, and overall it’s been quite enjoyable.  But to hear some of my fellow Canadians whine, you’d think it was the end of the world.  Sure it’s been a bit rainy this summer, and yes it was cooler than usual in June and much of July, but it’s still been a pleasant break.  So quit whining and let’s have this conversation again in February, shall we? Then — as my old man used to say — we’ll have a good reason to complain.

I heard a saying once that there is one thing that transcends race, religion and language:  Everyone thinks that they’re an above-average driver.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 2008 was a good year.  Only 37,261 motor vehicle fatalities in 2007, down from 41,259 in 2008. An estimated 2.35 million were injured.

Over the past week I’ve seen people driving holding cell phones, applying make-up, smoking and eating.  I’ve watched kamikaze bus drivers pull out into traffic without looking, and police cars that must have defective turn signals.

Then there are those driving 20 under the speed limit with the steering wheel in a two-handed death grip.  You know, the ones you’re dying to get past, but the thought of having them behind you in traffic is also terrifying?

If we trained pilots with the same lackadaisical attitude, aircraft would be crashing faster than Airbus and Boeing could build them.  This concept of passing a driver’s test when you’re a teen and managing to get to the age of 80 without as much as a review of the rules is absurd. Surely with all the modern technology available today we can devise a few tests to ensure that drivers know the rules of the road and have something that at least remotely passes as reflexes?

Driving isn’t a right.  It’s a privilege and a responsibility.  Perhaps if we take it more seriously less people will have to die.