At Home in Hespeler

In honour of Hunter Spanjer, the 3-year old deaf boy whose parents were told to get a different sign for his name, as his was too scary for his teachers, today we are doing the all Hunter Fluffernutter Friday.

First up, Ian Hunter in his prime (and yes, that’s Mick Ronson on guitar).

Here’s a question: how long until the former Mrs. Rod Stewart and Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Rachel Hunter has to change her name to Rachel Hooter, and go to the Sports Illustrated photo hug to get her picture taken?

Cool For Cats, Fluffernutter, Friday Hunter Spanjer, Rachel Hunter

…2-years on.

What’s in a name when it offends against the pimply minion mindset?

So you have a lovely son, and give him a not un-common name, Hunter. During his routine pediatric tests, you learn Hunter is deaf. What’s a family to do? You start by teaching him sign language, including the most basic of communications, his name.

Now three, Hunter is being told by some school administrator in Grand Island Nebraska to change how he signs his name because it looks like he’s shooting a gun. (actually, it looks to me like more like pleasing a woman 101, but no school administrator gets their knickers twisted over sexualizing 3-year olds)

Hunter’s dad, Brian Spanjer, in a classic bit of understatement, said “I feel l like it was an overreach…”

No Brian, it’s not an overreach, it’s who they are and what they do. It may have taken longer to come to Middle America, but there’s a rebellion being waged against the populace by the pimply minions of bureaucracy. This is merely a shot.

More at Adler.com.

Jacobian Piece of Impertinence, pimply minions of bureaucracy American sign language, Brian Spanjer, Grand Island Nebraska, Hunter Spanjer

In what may go down in the future as one of the dumbest product lines ever launched, and one of the most painful blowbacks a company has ever gotten, last November Bic released a line of pens called Bic for Her.

People, mostly women, have been reviewing Bic for Her on Amazon in a way that Bic can’t have been expecting:

So glad that There is finally a writing implement that I can use! Before all of the pens were not specifically marked as suitable for my soft disposition and I am so glad that I can now write in my diary between my housework and cooking.

or

This is a great product! So much lighter than pens made for men. I use it all the time to copy recipes from Good Housekeeping and Redbook. The case colors make it really easy to match with my daily outfits.

It helps me to write really clearly, so that my kids can always read their names when I write them on their school lunches…

Be sure to read the rest, it will become a case study on how not to condescend to your customers.

Uncategorized bic for her

All the fluffy news about those nutty celebrities

Wedding bells ring for two Canadian superstars, both of which carry a reputation of more star than super:

Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger and skater-gyrl Avril Lavigne are engaged. This is a match made in heaven: Heaven-fm 102.3, Kenora’s bad Canadian radio for those who can’t get played on any other station, that is.

Or as the wonderful and all wise @Yoda put it:

… Make music togetherI hope they never do. Hurting my ears already are

Speaking of bad Canadian acts that have far more fame than talent, Alanis Morissette seems to be “hot” again and, 20-years after her last hit, simply refuses to go away. This week she offered her opinion of the papparazzi:

I actually like the paparazzi. They’re forcing transparency… What are we afraid of?…

Here’s a question. Is there a faster route to starvation than being paparazzi to Alanis Morissette? And who cares if there’s transparency in Reese Witherspoon’s life? She a movie actress, not the president.

Review in Brief: The Dark Knight – On the bright side there’s Ann Hathaway in a Catwoman suit.

This one is a few weeks old, but I had it sittin’ on my computer, and may be my favorite story in a long time…

Oh, oh. Elton John’s gonna get his asked kicked.

A while ago, Madonna bashed Lady Gaga as a cheap imitation of herself. Gaga is godmother to John’s son Zachary, so…

Why is she (Madonna) such a nightmare? Sorry, her career is over. Her tour has been a disaster.

Welcome to the club Elton, I’ve been saying this since 1984.

Please Note: The Saturday Fluffernutter is now on twitter: twitter.com/SaturdayFluffer

Fluffernutter Alanis Morissette, Avril Levigne, Chad Kroeger, Elton John, Gaga, Madonna, Nickelback, Yoda

Robert Plant shot to fame over 40 years ago as the Golden God fronting Led Zeppelin. His 40 years in the spotlight has seen a remarkable career, which has changed direction a number of times.

Currently, Plant is performing old time American style bluegrass with rock crossover. He performs smaller halls and, although one of the most famous names in rock, travels without a posse. He is, in short, still an active creative musician willing to do the yeoman’s work of bringing his music to the people, regardless of how little he needs to do so.

Happy 64th Birthday Robert Plant CBE. For keeping the flame alive, and for the greatest opening line in rock music:

Hey Hey Mama, said the way you move,
gonna make you sweat gonna make you groove.

Birthday Wishes, The Mighty Zep Birthday, Robert Plant CBE

All the fluffy news about those nutty celebrities

Oh, thank God! I was getting worried there.

Summit Entertainment wants to assure fans that the last installment of the Twilight movie series, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, will open in November as planned.

The future of the series was put into some (but not really much) doubt when lead actress Kristen Stewart had an affair with her Snow White and the Huntsman director, Rupert Sanders. Problem is Stewart was in a two year relationship with Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson, and Sanders is married. Pattinson has moved out of the couple’s plush LA love-nest, and speculation amongst Twilight Sagaists was the franchise was in trouble.

In Hollywood, however, money trumps love/hate every time, and everything will go as planned – excepting maybe a couple of kisses during the movies promotional period.

One of the odder developments since l’affair de Twilight has been the way the dumber members of the entertainment press have taken to dubbing Robert Pattinson as R-Patz’. Seriously, this is what you got?

In the spirit of lazy typing and worse journalism, here’s some other suggestions for shortening Robert Pattinson’s name:

Bob
R-Son
Rintint’n
Bo.P’

Furthermore, here’s some possible future headlines using the above names (warning to news editors, consider them all under copyright):

“Little Bo.P’ has lost his She.”

“Another relationship goes down in flames for R-Son.”

Cuba Gooding Jr. made actual news this week. The once upon a time star was bothered by patrons at the Old Absinthe House in New Orleans. Instead of being grateful that somebody, anybody recognized and remembered him, Gooding got offended and loud. When asked to leave by a female bartender, CuGo© allegedly pushed the bar maid.

Police became involved and issued a warrant for CuGo’s© arrest. The actor, however, went to the police station, had a nice chat with some officers, and the incident is reportedly closed.

Fluffernutter Cuba Gooding Jr., Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Rupert Sanders, Snow White and the Huntsman, The Twilight Saga

On a day when the city breathlessly issues reports warning of – the horror – heat in August, Christine Tanner took her three kids to the splash pool in Scarborough.

She was denied access because she was one and her kids where three: one adult per three children six and under she was told ( her kids are 6, 5, 4). Except, the rule is three kids under six, not six and under.

Many years ago when I first suggested Toronto was in a death spiral, it was suggested the problem was I didn’t like the politicians in charge. The problem, however, is so far beyond the political class. It’s a notable absence in common sense in so much that happens.

Toronto

The economic disaster that is California is a powerhouse compared to Ontario

Both jurisdictions face deficits of about $16 billion… Ontario has approximately a third of California’s population and a third of it’s GDP…

Last word on this post to PC MPP Lisa McLeod: “He’s not been a responsible manager of our economy, and now we’re paying for it.”

Fair Pensions for All here.

Economic Fundamentalism, In Dalton McGuinty’s Ontario…

I’m not an Olympic fan, not spending every spare moment watching the games. In fact, I have them on my phone and have so far watched half-an-hour of cycling, and I’d watch that if it was the tour de Quebec.

Every Olympics, however, there’s a couple of events, couple of compelling stories that catch me. So far in this Olympic, it’s Shin A-Lam, the South Korean fencer.

I’m not up on the niceties of fencing, but here’s the gist. There was a timekeeper error, the timekeeper in the event being a 15-year old British volunteer. Shin A-Lam had, by rights and by rules, already won the match. However, the error meant the match went for one more session. A-Lam lost in that session, thus losing the match.

In order to protest the results, a fencer must stay in the fencing area. While the officials took 45 minutes to process the official protest, the fencer sat on the mat and sobbed in front of the 8,000 spectators.

Sadly, the officials decided, quite literally, that the clock runs the referee, not the other way around and South Korea’s Shin A-Lam was out of the gold medal hunt.

olympians I love 2012, London, Olympics, Shin A-Lam