GEORGE FLOYD; BLOG # 2386 FRI ARIL 21, 2023

THE COMEBACK:

HEY DOGGIE! IS YOUR LAST NAME TRUDEAU?

ARF ARF! 

THE MESSAGE:

George Floyd died on Mat 25, 2020 after being cuffed and pinned for more than 9 minutes under the knee of police officer Mr Chauvin.

A disturbing video incited large protests of police brutality and systemic racism  across the United States. The National Guard was activated in at least 21 states, and cities announced curfews as protesters filled the streets for demonstrations that sometimes turned destructive. They were often responded to with force. Police would  spray tear gas and shoot rubber bullets at protesters, and conducted many arrests.

After a video of the arrest surfaced and went viral, Chauvin and the three other officers involved were subsequently fired by the Minneapolis Police. The jury has found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all the counts he faced over the death of George Floyd. The trial has been one of the most closely watched cases in recent memory, setting off a national reckoning on police violence and systemic racism even before the trial commenced. At trial Chauvin, 45, has been found guilty of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter.

TONY TODAY:

A friend recently emailed to me a relatively unknown and questionable history of George Floyd. 

It was entitled: "Who Says Crime Doesn’t Pay?" 

The family (brothers and sister) of George Floyd opened a Go Fund Me account to "help the family"?  It has already raised $14,732,000 and is still counting. 

"All this is for a corrupt felon who was arrested NINE times, did prison terms three different times totaling roughly eight years; was a convicted drug dealer (and was at a drug deal the day he died); had abandoned his wife and kids 6 years prior; showed recent use of meth and fentanyl in his system; held a gun to the stomach of a pregnant lady while his five buddies robbed her home; and clearly cared nothing about our society or our penal system. 

America is memorializing him now by painting murals of the guy on the sides of buildings like he's a hero? "

THIS EMAIL CONTAINS MANY STATEMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN CHALLENGED:

 

                   ANOTHER STORY

Floyd was the son of a single mother, who moved to Houston from North Carolina when he was a toddler so she could find work. They settled in what's called "Cuney Homes," a low-income public housing complex of more than 500 apartments in the city's predominately Black Third Ward. As a teen, Floyd was a star football and basketball player for Jake Yates High School, and later he played basketball for two years at a Florida community college. After that, in 1995, he spent one year at Texas A&M University in Kingsville before returning to his mother's Cuney apartment in Houston to find jobs in construction and security.

As to the details of Floyd's arrests, the first occurred on Aug. 2, 1997, when he was almost 23 years old. According to prosecutors, police in that case caught him delivering less than one gram of cocaine to someone else, so they sentenced him to about six months in jail. Then, the following year, authorities arrested and charged Floyd with theft on two separate occasions (on Sept. 25, 1998, and Dec. 9, 1998), sentencing him to a total of 10 months and 10 days in prison.

RICHARD REDDICK, A COLLEGE ASSOCIATE  DEAN DECLARES:

"This is something that Black men are subject to quite a bit. They are  often not seen as complex, whole human beings, who may have done wonderful things but not so many great things in their lives, but simply seen as  criminals. This is something that seems to be very specific to Black men who are ex-judiciously murdered. We have to find a rationale, or excuse, or justification for it, no matter what it was."

THE MUSIC:

THE PLATTERS - Great Pretender

:

0:07 / 6:41

THE STUFF:

From a nerd

THE PUN:

The greatest difference between a man and a woman lies in the interpretation of the phrase: "WHAT AN ASS".

THE QUESTION:

Did Mr. Chauvin use totally unnecessary force in dealing with the arrest of George Floyd?

THE LEMON:

THE QUOTE:

"Justice grows out of the recognition of ourselves in each other and that my liberty depends on you being free too."
— Barack Obama

THE CLIP:

CELINE DION; BLOG # 2385; FRI MAR 31,2023

THE COMEBACK:

DID YOU SAY I WAS FULL OF WISDOM?

I KNOW I SAID YOU WERE FULL OF 

SOMETHING

THE MESSAGE:

Celine Dion has revealed that she has been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS), a rare neurological disorder with features of an autoimmune disease.

Stiff Person Syndrome is a rare condition for which there is no cure. It is characterised by fluctuating muscle rigidity in the trunk and limbs and a heightened sensitivity to stimuli such as noise, touch, and emotional distress. These symptoms, can set off sudden muscle spasms. Abnormal postures, such as  hunched over and stiffened, are also characteristic of the disorder. People with SPS can may not be able to walk or move. They are afraid to leave the house because street noises, such as the sound of a horn, can trigger spasms and falls. Most individuals with SPS have frequent falls due to a lack of the normal defensive reflexes. Some injuries are described as serious. There is yet no cure for SPS; however, there are  anti-anxiety medicines and muscle relaxants that can be used to slow down its progression.

TONY TODAY: 

The condition causes Celine's muscles to spasm uncontrollably. She knows that It has led to difficulties walking and singing. As a result she will be unable to play scheduled  shows in the year 2023 in the UK and mainland Europe. I've been dealing with problems with my health for a long time, said Dion, and it's been really difficult for me to face these challenges and to talk about everything that I've been going through. Unfortunately, the spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal chords to sing the way I'm used to.

 

BRIEF HISTORY

In 2014, the diva, whose ballad My Heart Will Go On, from the Titanic soundtrack, won the Oscar for best song. Dion said she was putting her career on hold indefinitely as her husband René Angélil battled cancer. Although her performances resumed a year later, she stepped away from the stage again in early 2016, following the tragic deaths of both Angélil and her brother, Daniel Dion. She eventually returned with the 2019 studio album Courage, which featured collaborations with Sia, Sam Smith and David Guetta. Dion  reassures her fans that she has a great team of doctors working alongside her to help her get better. Celine also stated that her 'precious children' were supportive and very helpful. She further explained that she was working hard with a sports medicine therapist every day to build back  her strength and the ability to perform again. Dion proclaims "I have to admit it's been a struggle. All I know is singing. It's what I've done all my life and it's what I love to do the most. I miss you so much. I miss seeing all of you and being on the stage, performing for you." 

MUSIC:

0:04 / 3:35

 Elvis & Celine Dion Duet If I Can Dream

THE STUFF:

THE PUN:

THE QUESTION:

Why do so many women dislike Celine Dion?

THE QUOTE:

THE LEMON:

Awarded to Hunter Biden (the son of Joe) for his reported criminal behaviour. 

THE CLIP:

The Rainy Day - H. W. Longfellow

       

NOTES ON MARRIAGE; BLOG # 2384; FRI MAR 17,2023

THE COMEBACK:

WHEN ARE WE TYING THE KNOT?

AFTER THE ROPE IS SLUNG OVER THE TREE LIMB!

THE MESSAGE:

MARRIAGE IN CANADA

Some History

Marriage in Canada has undergone many changes since the 1960s. The marriage rate is in decline and the traditional idea of a family is being transformed. After the turn of the millennium, the marriage rate fell to 4.7 marriages per 1,000 people (compared to 10.9 in the 1940s). Married couples are still the predominant family structure; however, between 2001 and 2016, the number of common-law couples rose by 51.4 per cent; more than five times the increase for married couples over the same period. The definition of what constitutes a married couple also changed in 2005 with the legalization of same- sex marriage.  In 2016, 65.8 per cent of Canadian families were headed by married couples. This is down from 70.5 per cent in 2001. Since the 1960s, marriage in Canada has undergone profound changes. The period (1946 to 1965) was a time when couples married relatively young. By current standards, they also had large families. Today, there are more couples without children. Meanwhile, couples are also less likely to marry early or have children. Marriage ceremonies are performed either by clergy during a religious ceremony, or by a local official during a civil ceremony. At the beginning of the 21st century, 76 per cent of marriage ceremonies were religious.

Age at First Marriage

The overall number of young people who are marrying is decreasing. The average age for both men and women when they first marry has been gradually rising. In 1950, the average age for first marriage for men was 28.5; for women it was 25.9 years. This was higher than the 1960s and 1970s, when people married at younger ages; for example, in 1972 the average age was 23.0 years for women and 25.4 years for men. By 2008, the average age for first marriage was much higher; 29.6 years for women and 31.6 years for men. What has remained stable is that men are generally two years older than women. This has implications both during the marriage and towards its end. Women, on average, live longer than men.  In 2004, the life expectancy was 82.6 years for women and 77.8 years for men. A married woman is therefore much more likely to die as a widow. A married man is much more likely to die with a living spouse.

The age of newlyweds is also a key factor for first marriage dissolution. Teens who marry face a marriage dissolution risk that is almost double that of individuals who marry between the ages of 25 and 29. People who wait until their mid-30s or later have a 43 per cent lower risk

Arrangements and Duties  

In the past, there was a rather strict division of labour between husbands and wives in most marriages. In general, husbands were responsible for the economic well-being of the family. Wives were considered responsible for child care, housework, keeping the family in good emotional and physical health, and generally for many of the service functions associated with a family. In addition, farm wives also worked on the farm. Many wives in working-class households took in boarders or sold their household services, to contribute to their family’s income.

Since the early 1980s, the majority of Canadian wives have been earning an independent income and contributing financially to the family. This situation has reduced the economic dependency of wives on husbands. It has also shifted the balance of power within marriages. It meant that most preschool children are cared for by somebody other than a parent during portions of their day. By 2003, more than one half (54 per cent) of Canadian children were in some form of childcare.

Although the gap between men and women still exists, the division of labour for such tasks as housework is slowly narrowing. In 1986, 48 per cent of men and 78 per cent of women reported doing some housework; by 2010, 65 per cent of men and 76 per cent of women of the same age range reported doing housework.

Separation and Divorce

Marriages can be dissolved through annulment or divorce. Both of these involve a judicial decree. Remarriage to another person can occur only after a previous marriage has been legally terminated.

Divorce law is under Federal Jurisdiction.  In 1968, Canada’s first unified divorce law was passed. At that time, divorce became easier to obtain; although considerable legal and other difficulties remained. Divorce could be obtained on the basis of a matrimonial offence (previously the only basis on which divorce was available) or on the basis of marriage breakdown. Before 1986, if marital breakdown was cited as the reason for divorce, a couple had to have lived three years apart before they could obtain a divorce.

In 1986, a revised Divorce Act (1985) was proclaimed in force. The revised act included a “no-fault” divorce; the sole reason for divorce now is marriage breakdown, which is defined as either living apart for at least one year or committing adultery or treating the other spouse with physical or mental cruelty.

Divorce rates alone are not sufficient indicators of the breakdown of relationships. This is because they do not include judicial separations, divorces granted in other countries and desertions. The break-up of Common-law Unions is also not reflected in divorce rates, despite the increase in the number of these unions.

TONY TODAY:

Single-Parent Families

Lone-parent families can result from divorce, separation, death, or having a child outside of a union. Recent studies indicated that common-law families are five times more likely to experience a parental split than married parents. When there are dependent children involved, divorce usually leads to the formation of one-parent households.

In 2002, about one in four Canadian families with children (around 1.4 million families) were headed by one parent; a 58 per cent increase from 1986. About one-third of all lone parents were divorced, one-quarter were separated, and a fifth were widowed.

In 1986, figures for joint custody began to be recorded. In that year, joint custody was awarded for 1.2 per cent of the children involved; but by 2002, the rate had increased to 41.8 per cent. Joint custody does not mean that the child spends 50 per cent of the time with each parent; rather, it may only mean that both parents have an equal right to make certain decisions about the child’s life. In 2006, there were about four times as many female lone-parent families as male lone-parent families. However, from 2001 to 2006, male lone-parent families grew more rapidly (15 per cent) than did female lone-parent families (6.3 per cent). These changes were partially a result of greater acceptance of births outside marriage and a result of the changes in legislation. 

In 2016, approximately 1.6 million families were headed by a  single parent. This accounted for 16.4 per cent of all families. There were 3.6 times as many female single-parent families as male single-parent families.

THE MUSIC:

Tammy Wynette - "D-I-V-O-R-C-E”

THE STUFF:

What Are Some Reasons for Divorce in Canada?

• Married to young.  
• Education differences. 
• Sex life inadequencies.
• Previous relationships
• Attractions for others
• Abuse of Children
• Abuse of Spouse

What Percentage of Marriages End in Divorce in Canada?

When couples can not stay happily together, most of them decide on a divorce, although it is not a good solution.

In Canada, we see that the percentage of a marriage ending, as well as the  rate of divorce is increasing at an alarming rate day by day. In most cases, the length of a marriage in Canada exists not more than fourteen years. And shockingly, almost half of the total marriages end in divorce. Various stats show that almost 38 percent of marriages end in divorce in Canada. On average, the duration of a Canadian marriage is between twelve to fourteen years.  This percentage is low at only 42 percent. Only  a few marriages last for twenty years or more.

THE PUN:

;

THE QUESTION:

WHO INITIATES A MARITAL BREAKUP MORE OFTEN, THE FATHER OR THE MOTHER?

THE LEMON:

TO THE FATHER WHO DESERTS HIS CHILDREN AND REFUSES TO PAY SUPPORT

THE QUOTE:

AFTER A DIVORCE, THE MARITAL HOME SHOULD BE OWNED AND LIVED IN BY THE CHILDREN.  THE THE PARENTS SHOULD ARRANGE ALTERNATING, MONTHLY VISITS.  TONY

THE CLIP:

The Rainy Day - H. W. Longfellow