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• 2 Plus 2 Equals Miley
  By: Steven James
  
  News Report: A US College Professor introduces a course on Miley Cyrus, and her importance to modern social life. News Report: Too many Canadian children are no longer being taught the basics of Mathematics, but rather learn on a ‘discovery’ basis. (SNN) - News from Manitoba that a group of High School teachers are fighting to re-introduce basic math - including learning by Rote, and the ‘times tables’- to their curriculum...
  
  
• The Dying City and how it should move to the future.
  By: Steven James
  
  (SNN) - I am lucky to live in a beautiful city, and never forget to remind myself of it daily. Its location is on a coast, and it has Mountains, too. It is more attractive than most people can envision as a four-season paradise. It IS still a city, though, and for most of us we look at these Mega-opoli with some kind of Post-Dickensian dislike: Places where we have to be, rather than – like me – choose to be. Here’s news...
  
  
• 2013 - The year WE STOPPED being 'Canadian'
  By: Steven James
  
  (SNN) - It was wonderful to watch the Prime Minister passionately defend the rights and actions of a country this week. Sadly, it wasn’t his country. In another ‘brick in the wall’ of Canada becoming something else entirely, Stephen Harper hand-dug the grave of a Palestinian future of any kind, and left the dirt on all of his citizen’s hands. Of all the countries in the World that can use its own past and present...
  
  
• Trains, Pipes, and Great Balls of Fire
  By: Steven James
  
  (SNN) - When I was growing up, train travel was a romantic adventure akin to luxury cruising. Having been brought up ingesting Thomas the Tank Engine stories, I looked at trains as somewhat Gentle Giants: Huge, articulated hunks of metal that smilingly pulled passengers gently, caressing them at speed through verdant countryside to parts unknown, and the adventures that awaited them. Despite attempts at further romanticising from Harry Potter...
  
  
• A Quiet Christmas -a Loud 2013 - Dec 28, 2013
  By: Steven James
  
  (SNN) - Why do all of the house fires happen at Christmas? In a slow news cycle, this is the kind of daily human tragedy that is suddenly promoted to major headline. Otherwise, this year’s Festive news cycle was headed by Heads of Governments going on vacation, a non-Bieber-act-of-vadalism-moment, and the Wrath of God being aimed at Toronto. I did get excited momentarily when Rob Ford was asked about the Ice Storm. Surely he couldn’t...
  
  
• What really happened at the Mandela Memorial.
  By: Steven James
  
  Photo: The Canadian delegation's view of the Mandela memorial. (SNN) - Are we really expected to believe that one of the largest meetings of global political leaders (and Bono) in history get together this week, and discussed, ...nothing at all? Haven’t we (and Bono) been asking for this for years, that everyone puts aside their own problems, and meet, casually, and just chat about stuff that they can agree on as a precursor to...
  
  
• Importing Personal Disaster
  By: Steven James
  
  (SNN) - So, this week we all enjoyed Thanksgiving and Black Friday – two dates so important in the Canadian year, they were at least the second lead on news broadcasts for two days. Strangely, they didn’t take place in Canada, but in ‘our neighbours to the South’. It is sad to see that Canadian retailers have to copy America’s marketing in order to stop our citizens stampeding there to buy lots of crap they...
  
  
• Post Grey Cup Day By-elections? Bad idea
  By: Steven James
  
  (SNN) - It’s By-election day in Canada on Monday, November 25th. Voters in four Canadian ridings will be able to change the local and national conversation as least as far as their own constituency is concerned. So, what are the vital voting points being discussed? In Manitoba, things are quiet. In the last all Candidate debate, the federal Conservatives ensured that their rookie candidate missed it all together. Scared, much? Would...
  
  
• Giving Thanks that we aren't American? Think Again.
  By: Steven James
  
  (SNN) - Before we start giving thanks that our Political system is so much more adult, productive, and caring that the US system we now see in hopeless gridlock, it’s worth reminding ourselves of the truth that is out there (somewhere!), and that all is not well in “The Socialist Republic of Canuckistan”, as we were once so comically named on FOX News. The US system may be as broken as the FIFA World Soccer rankings, but...
  
  
• Dear Mr. Rizzuto ...
  By: Steven James
  
  ... questions concerning your 2008 return. Sincerely Audit Department Ottawa CRA Steve James is an Actor, Stand up, and Comedy writer in Vancouver BC. He has just changed his address and phone number. Photo provided by Steven James.
  
  
• Moving Backward with Quebec.
  By Steven James
  
  Photo: As part of the Quebec’s Charter of Values, Montreal Gendarmerie check on skirt-lengths in an immigrant neighborhood to ensure they are short enough.  (SNN) - Brava, Premier Marois! With the release of the PQ’s Charter of Values you are proudly moving the Province back in time faster than Michael J. Fox. Being English born, I found it eye-opening to hear her state that a multiracial, multi-faith society causes...
  
  
• I've got a Secret: Politician's Edition
  By Steven James
  
  ... entire life he still believes that we care about Canada`s North. Steve James is an Actor, Stand up, and Comedy writer in Vancouver BC. He refuses to vote for anyone that hasn`t smoked pot.  Photo Credit:  (c) Steven James, All Rights Reserved.
  
  
• The Senate: Near-sighted, and memory-impaired.
  Has Canadian Politics become incredibly short-sighted?
  By Steven James
  
  (SNN) - Any week now, Parliament will reconvene and the Senatorial expenses row (Cheque-Gate?) will completely explode in the government’s face. I imagine Trudeau hasn’t been getting much sleep lately, lying in bed excitedly counting down the days like Justin Bieber looking forward to getting his monkey back – and probably spanked. He’s hoping that the savaging he’s going to give the PM at Question period will...
  
  
• Power - Pink and Petty: Putin Punks Prez
  By Steven James
  
  (SNN) - There was a time, when war meant war: When we feared that any small spat between the US and USSR would either lead to a proxy war, or an imminent atomic bomb drop. These days, when the former Superpowers face the same financial and environmental suicides, Foreign policy has changed somewhat. Lately, the Russians have started simply pranking the States, then sniggering behind their back about it. Russia realised that it could ‘stick...
  
  
• Waiting for Baby:
  The Royal baby with his Batman on the lower bunk
  By Steven James
  
  (SNN) - As the agonizing wait for the appearance of the Royal baby enters its second week, millions of people around the world, hooked to US daytime television and Supermarket check-out line magazines, are entering a barely-controlled frenzy. How can this nightmare be happening? With celebrity news being sprung upon us every few days, the amount of concentration it is taking to continue to think about other ‘celeb-insider-stuff’,...
  
  
• Generation "Bwaaaah"
  By Steven James
  
  ... now. Steve James is an Actor, Stand up, and Comedy writer in Vancouver BC. He has suddenly realised that he’s turning into his Father, and will soon start hiking his pants up toward his nipples. Photo provided by Steven James.
  
  
• Did someone mention Heat and Kitchens?
  By Steven James
  
  ... to grab a snack – but not by the throat. Steve James is an Actor, Stand up, and Comedy writer in Vancouver BC. He cooks but gets frustrated enough to throttle someone while he’s doing it. Photo Provided by: Steven James, Vancouver, BC.
  
  
• Family Problems? Reach for the mirror, not the Poison
  By Steven James, lovers, fights, quarrel, domestic
  
  (SNN) - We all have problems at home. Who would have thought that, in an extraordinarily short time, you moved from making those wedding vows about Forever, Poor, and ill-health, to the point where the smallest habits that your spouse has just sends you insane? That time gap between looking deeply into your Parents eyes as a small, dependent child, to realising that you are now a number of disparate adults living together, and not really...
  
  
• When Knowledge ISN'T Power
  By Steven James
  
  (SNN) - When I finally left home in my late teenage years, I moved to a completely different world, along with a bunch of other teens that were equally as lost as me. Our Supervisor had seen this for many years, and was ready for this invasion of ineptitude by supplying us all with a book of rules, regulations, job duties and general ‘do’s and don’ts’. “Read it.”, was his stern command. “Not to know...
  
  
• Taxes, Offshore money, and Canadians
  By Steven James
  
  (SNN) - Every Government, no matter what its size, has to earn taxes in order to earn revenue. It doesn’t matter which party is in charge, Peter and Paul still need to be robbed and rewarded on a regular basis, whether the money goes to Welfare-receiving wastrels, or megalomaniac corporate executives. Is anyone, really surprised, therefore, about US admissions that the Internal Revenue Service took ‘long, hard looks’ at...
  
  
• The Prime Ministerial Legacy Project.
  By Steven James
  
  (SNN) - Every now and again, the real world serves up such an unexpected comedic gift it makes you think that God is looking after you, after all. The announcement this week that the President George W. Bush Presidential Library is opening was the cue for many online comic observations: “Does it supply it’s own crayons?’, and “It’s probably only open two days per week.”, were obvious, but I particularly...
  
  
• Fear Itself
  By Steven James
  
  (SNN) - Of all of the results of the entire Boston Marathon Bombing we have all been through this week, the one that confused me most looking from afar was the absolute panic that it fired in all Americans – no matter where they were at the time, or what their relationship with anyone involved with the crime, itself. Lots of people have always accused me of being ‘solid and unfeeling’, when – in fact – I’m...
  
  
• Margaret Thatcher - A Reluctant Obituary - April 8th, 2013
  By Steven James
  
  (SNN) - There is a famous sketch from the 1980’s British satirical TV show, Spitting Image. Prime Minister Thatcher is treating her Cabinet to a restaurant Meal: Waiter: “What would madam like?” Thatcher: “I’ll take the Steak – Raw” Waiter: “And the Vegetables?” Thatcher” They’ll have the same.” The reasons that this was, and is, funny to Brits really illustrate the...
  
  
• Who's that on the phone? Facebook will Tell You
  By Steven James
  
  (SNN) - Anyone that thought that Social Media had completed its insidious journey into our lives was in for a rude awakening this week with the news that Facebook was looking at launching its own phone service. Lucky owners of these multi-million dollar homing devices will now no longer have to boot up, and retrieve their Facebook profile. It will download automatically, and probably alert everyone on your phone list that you are available....
  
  
• Prison: God fearing, and Pink-Walled
  By Steven James
  
  (SNN) - Among the groups of people I have been thinking of recently, prisoners come to mind. Most of us really don’t know about daily life in incarceration, but a couple of news items I found have me thinking about this more than usual. In the UK, two multiple murderers in prison on life sentences have applied for sex-change operations at the Taxpayers expense! Now, I am a fair believer in using prison as a punishment, a chance to...
  
  
• The sodden politics of the BC Liberals
  By Steven James
  
  (SNN) - The weather out here has been of the kind not usually reported for ‘Beautiful BC – The best place on Earth.’ Usually derided by the rest of the country as a province that has no clue what a Canadian winter really is, we have been living through weeks of non-stop torrential rain. Of course, we all knew it was coming when we had a two-month long drought last summer but, now that it’s here, we have...
  
  
• Are you doing your job correctly?
  By Steven James
  
  (SNN) - If you are confused about what is expected of you at your job, I would check with your boss soon. If current affairs are any guide, things that you take for granted, could get murky. Hosting the Oscars ceremony would – you would think – have a simple job description. Simply link award giving, and don’t look better than the dresses that accompany them. Unfortunately, as there is absolutely nothing trusted to actors...
  
  
• Of Beyonce, Bieber and Bloody Rulers
  By Steven James
  
    (SNN) - Can we all get over Beyoncé, now, please? She didn’t sing ‘live’ at the Presidential Inauguration, she did at the Superbowl. She was lambasted for doing both by the mainstream media who have long forgotten how to report real news, and now point and sticks it’s tongue out at the famous like five-year-olds in a schoolyard that weren’t allowed to join the cool kids’ gang. Hey – Canada!...