Bill C-38: The Civil Marriage Act

So, was searching for TSN channel today, looking to get some Wimbledon fix. I came across this channel, CPAC Live, on which some people from the Parliament appeared to be debating. So I stopped flipping. I must have watched for almost half an hour. The debate at hand was on Bill C-38, the Civil Marriage Act, concerning the marriage of same-sex couples. The funny thing was that the "House" was housing less than 20 people; the rest, I assume, being on summer-long vacation?

One of the speaking members, notably Betty Hinton, Conservative MP for BC's Kamloops Thompson Cariboo, carried out her speech in a fashion that i found particularly appealing; enough to make me wanna write about it here. Of her arguments, two that left me thinking: 1. marriage is the intellectual property of the churches and not of the government, and 2. same-sex marriage is not a human-rights issue, but a social issue.

The rest of her speech, i googled it and partially posted it here, just to give you a taste for it. I highly recommend you read the rest.

Mr. Speaker, it is a pleasure to have the opportunity to speak to one of the most controversial bills we will see in this 38th Parliament. It is also gratifying to see so many Canadians speaking out on the bill. Regardless of whether they are in favour or opposed to it, it is generating an outpouring from Canadians, and that is positive.

This is a bill that they feel so strongly about that my office is being inundated on a daily basis with hundreds of letters and faxes, and they are not just from my riding. They are from all over Canada. They are from young and old alike. If we could get this kind of response during an election, we would have a 90% turnout at the polls.

I must be clear from the beginning that my approach to any emotionally charged issue has always been the same. I take the emotion out of the argument, examine the facts and reach a sound conclusion based on logic. I remain open-minded to any and all arguments presented and am prepared to shift position if new information is revealed.

My husband and children lovingly refer to this method of thinking on emotionally charged issues as Spock mode, so named for the famous Vulcan character from Star Trek. I make no apologies. It has served me well in both domestic situations and in 20-plus years of public service.

Based on that preamble, let us examine the facts.

Read the rest of Betty Hinton's speech here

Link to print copy of Bill C-38, directly from the House

Programming riddle

A while ago i posted about a pretty addictive internet riddle.

Recently, I have just come across another riddle. This one is more oriented towards programming however. I have only completed the first few levels, so i don't really know how complex it will get.

For those with even some minor programming experience it should be great fun, i believe.

So challenge yourself here: Programming Riddle - The Python Challenge

TIME: 50 Coolest

Check out this one, maybe there will be some sites you'll find interesting. The reputable TIME magazine has made a list with 2005's coolest sites. The list, of 50, is split into 5 categories:

Arts & Entertainment
Blogs
Lifestyle, Health & Hobbies
News & Information
Shopping

This year's finalists are a mix of newcomers, new discoveries and veterans that have learned some new tricks.

Visit: 50 Coolest Website 2005 @ Time.com