570News Blog: Kate Stockmann

I was walking to work the other day, and this young guy rides past me on a bike.

He was wearing pants about 5 sizes too big pulled down so you could see his underwear.

 I know, for some people this is a fashion statement. But seriously, how can you not be embarrassed?

Those rappers on TV are at least wearing expensive, designer undies. One could make an argument that they want to show them off.

 But when you are riding a bike in downtown Kitchener with your Walmart-specials hanging  out,  worn so thin they could be saran wrap, all you’re saying is: “hey I haven’t bought gotchies since ‘97.”

Since when was that cool? Pull your pants up.

 Kate

Pop star and Disney darling Miley Cyrus is in trouble with fans for posing for racy photos.

The Star of the Hannah Montana series says she thought the pictures taken for Vanity Fair were artistic but is now embarrassed by them.

Ya think? You have a 15 year old girl covered by only a sheet with her back exposed. That’s not art, that’s child pornography.

What’s worse, her “handlers” and family were at the photo shoot and loved the pictures at the time. 

Pardon me for being graphic but for argument’s sake lets say that same picture was taken in a dingy basement with a digital camera by a family member and posted on the Web. Someone would be doing hard jail time for it.

I’m shocked celebrity photography Annie Leibovitz took the picture. I would have thought she surely would have been sentitive to the fact she was photographing a child.

Kate

I’ve been on a “green” kick for a while now, being a big fan of Waterloo Region’s Green Bin program.

There’s a new program of sorts circulating around the web: The 3 Minute Shower.

Apparently, showering for 3 minutes uses as much water as a person in a third world country uses for their entire days activities.  That include bathing, food and drinking.

I’ve been feeling really guilty about the length of my showers ever since I read that. I’ve tried to keep my showers to 3 minutes.  But between the shampoo, conditioning, soap and shaving I just can’t do it.

 It’s my own shame that I just can’t be more efficient in the shower. Some people I’ve read about can even get their teeth brushed in those 3 minutes.

I’m going to keep working on limiting my shower time, and I challenge you to do the same.

 Kate

Today in the Legislature,  Liberal backbencher, David Orazietti is proposing a bill that would make it okay to apologize. That’s right, we need permission for that kind of thing.

 Right now, under the law, if a doctor for example makes a mistake and says they are sorry, it can be used against them in civil court.

Orazietti’s Apology Act will allow people to say they are sorry without worrying it will be used against them.

 The Ontario Medical Association, Registered Nurses Association of Ontario and patient’s rights advocates all support the measure.

People feel remorse, it’s only natural. I’d like to think most people are good people and would like to express that remorse. But in our lawsuit-happy society, the legal system twists that into an admission of guilt.

I hope this bill passes. It will bring a little humanity back into the world.

Kate

The weather this week is supposed to be in the double digits every day!

 Even though these temperatures come with a bit of rain, I’m still excited for the warm weather.

For the first time in a long time, I went for a jog outside this past weekend and it felt great!

It’s amazing how a little exercise and sunshine can improve a person’s outlook.

I hope this weather is here to stay and we won’t relapse into winter.

Kate

By law, cyclists have to use roadways and are not permitted to ride their bikes on side walks.

 Presumably this is to prevent injury and upset to pedestrians using side walks.

I would never describe myself as a math wizard, but two equations have me thinking politicians should take a second look at this legislation:

1) bicycle + pedestrian = minor injury, possible broken bones

2) bicycle + automobile = major injury, possible death

A lot of cyclists are little kids. If everyone just paid attention to their surroundings, we could save lives.

 Kate