Jewelz & Foolz 2011: The Day After International Women’s Day.

Hope you were kind to women yesterday? This being the day after International Women’s Day and the third annual naming of Jewelz & Foolz.

So, what are you ask?

Both are groups of men. The former, Jewelz , are men who I would like to share a glass of wine, a beer or a cocktail with today, pick their brains, get to know their hearts and maybe flirt with them, just for one day, on the day after International Women’s Day.

Then there are Foolz, not the harmless kind, but instead men who’s judgment at the present time makes them not good for womankind.

And yes, for the majority of people, sociopaths excluded, Foolz can become Jewelz and vice versa.

In this third annual offering of my Jewelz and Foolz column, I offer 31 Jewelz and 20 Foolz for your consideration (in no particular order) .

 

 

Jamie Oliver

For shining a light on the unhealthy food fed to children in the American school system. We cannot expect to grow healthy brains and bodies went the fuel is junk.

Every adult in society has moral duty to look out for children.  Kudos to Jamie for doing just that!

 

Paul Rieckhoff & Pat Stogran

 

 

 

 

For tirelessly working for American and Canadian soldiers by telling their truths and fighting for Veterans, Veterans’ Rights, and Injured Veterans.

 

James Parrish

For welcoming three badly abused boys, Terrel, TreShawn and Michael into your heart and your home and for showing them that a real parent and a real man loves his children.

 

Julian Assange

For creating an online site for whistleblowers and for forcing us to think about secrecy and power.  It should not be a revolutionary concept that citizens have the right to know what their government is doing.  Sadly it seems that WikiLeaks has forced us to realize that it presently is.  While some things should be kept secret, too many presently are.  For me, WikiLeaks is a message, a message that we should not be criminalizing whistleblowing and that we should be re-examining what we keep secret.  Once we have, we need to start again from a place of transparency about what we keep secret.

 

Vankatesh Mannar

For co-developing salt that has been fortified with both iron and iodine. By addressing nutritional deficiencies, this double fortified salt will better the health of at least a billion people.

 

 

Theo Fleury & Tyler Perry

  -

For telling their stories of childhood male sexual abuse that will hopefully free other men to so the same, because what we repress, we express, so if even one man finds the courage the tell the truth of his childhood sexual abuse to the woman in his life, one family will live a healthier future.

 

Tyler Perry

Yes, you made this list twice…

For his genuine and heartfelt emotional expression of thanks to Oprah on her October 20, 2010 episode on behalf of all of us who have been helped by her at some point over her 25 year Oprah show career.

 

Arsham Parsi

For helping Iranian gays, who do not exist according to Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, escape Iran as he did.

A few years ago Arsham was an Iranian refugee living in Turkey.  Now he and his Iranian Queer Railroad are working to help gay refugees escape to the US, Canada and Australia.  

 

Hossein Derakhshan

For training Iranian pro-democracy activists in blogging and podcasting for the last decade.   This blogger has now been sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison for “propagating against the regime" and "co-operating with hostile states”.

 

Michael Moore

 

For fighting for the middle class and the working poor at a time in US history when doing just that is a really important thing to do.

 

 

Justin Beiber

 

 

 

For telling the truth about the stark reality of our healthcare system.

 

“You guys are evil,” he says with a laugh. “Canada’s the best country in the world. We go to the doctor and we don’t need to worry about paying him, but here, your whole life, you’re broke because of medical bills. My bodyguard’s baby was premature, and now he has to pay for it. In Canada, if your baby’s premature, he stays in the hospital as long as he needs to, and then you go home.”

 

Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey, Biz Stone & Evan Williams

 

For creating Facebook and Twitter, both of which have been instrumental in supporting the peoples of the Arab Middle East  in their revolutions to liberate themselves from authoritarian states. 

 

Jon Stewart

For making us laugh while you tell us the truth.  That is quite the gift you have.  And, in particular, for what you did for the 9/11 First Responders…yes, YOU did that.

            

 

Zach Wahl

For speaking out against a resolution attempting to end civil unions in Iowa by telling his story as the the son of two lesbians in a stirring speech before the Iowa House of Representatives.  I may have to disagree with one part of his speech, where he said that “the sexual orientation of my parents has had zero effect on the content of my character."  Apparently having two lesbians for parents can make you a very fine man.

 

Clarence Dupnik

For telling the truth about the danger of inciting violence.  Free speech may be free but it is not free of consequences.  Anyone who still refuses to accept that should talk to the Rwandans.  

 

Daniel Hernandez

For bravely running toward gunfire, something most people would run from, and for helping save the life of his boss Gabrielle Giffords.

 

Sami Mahdi

For creating the Afghan TV show, Niqab (“The Mask”) which gives women a voice.  From what I have heard so far, I hope he is around for a long time.

 

Michael Bublé

 

For giving 15 year old Sam Hollyman his moment.

 

 

Michael Bloomberg

For speaking out eloquently against the Islamophobia surrounding the planned mosque and Islamic cultural center near Ground Zero.

 

 

 

“…should government attempt to deny private citizens the right to build a house of worship on private property based on their particular religion? That may happen in other countries, but we should never allow it to happen here. …Let us not forget that Muslims were among those murdered on 9/11 and that our Muslim neighbors grieved with us as New Yorkers and as Americans. We would betray our values – and play into our enemies' hands – if we were to treat Muslims differently than anyone else. In fact, to cave to popular sentiment would be to hand a victory to the terrorists – and we should not stand for that.”

 

Roland Lauster

For giving men hope that baldness may soon be a thing of the past with his accomplishment of growing the world’s first hair follicle using stem cells.  Maybe by the time I am old enough to love a balding man I won’t have to watch the man I love emotionally suffer from loosing his hair…though personally I find a bald head very sexy. :)

 

Luis Urzua

For doing his foreman job really well and keeping the Chilean miners alive for 69 days seven hundred meters below Mother Earth through his leadership which included rigid rules.  So many things could have gone wrong down there and the women who love those men would not have seen them again.

 

Eddie Afekafe

For reminding us during his moving speech for England's presentation as part of its bid to host the 2018 World Cup that we all have the power to change a life and that by giving people opportunities we can do just that. 

 

Mahmoud Abbas

For pursuing new and alternative diplomatic options to gain freedom from Israeli occupation and recognition for the country of Palestine.   Freezing the building of settlements on occupied land is a small thing and Israel cannot even do that.  As such, peace talks are meaningless and a waste of Palestinian efforts.  Recognizing that the settlements are illegal is a small thing and we, the US, cannot even do that.  At the present time, President Abbas must continue to explore alternatives with every country in the world other than us and Israel.  

 

Francois Paulette

For speaking out against the effects of climate change and the poisoning of the land, air and water in his community downstream from the Alberta Oil Sands.

 

Munir Sheikh

For resigning his post as Chief Statistician of Canada because he felt that the government had said that he, Chief Statistician, felt that the quality of the data from the voluntary survey (shorter) that Prime Minister Harper’s Government had decided in June 2010 to replace the mandatory census (longer) with, would be as good as data from the mandatory census.  The integrity of the agency had been compromised in his opinion by the perception that he has sanctioned a decision he felt no statistician would.  I am not normally a fan of the British and Canadian system of MPs falling on their swords when they have done nothing wrong but this was the action of an honorable public servant.  Statistics, Sage? Really? Boring! Statistics may sound boring to many people but the actions of of honorable man never are.  On the other hand, Canadian Industry Minister Tony Clement suggesting Statistics Canada was supporting the government's move to end the mandatory census should have fallen on his sword.

 

Greg Walsh

For doing the right thing, standing up to racism and pulling his team from the ice after one of his players had the N-Word directed at him and the referee allowed the player who used the racial slur to play on.  Sadly on December 17, 2010 he was punished by The Ontario Minor Hockey Association for pulling his team (Hockey Canada rules endeavour to prevent coaches from pulling teams off the ice) and suspended until April 10.  Three days later, after much received flak I am sure, the suspension was rescinded.  Yeah!  You are my hero Sir.

  

Mohamed Bouazizi

I don’t normally include the deceased in this annual column but if you were still alive Mohamed, I would love to share a drink with you (a cola instead of alcohol) and listen to whatever you had to say.  In death Sir, you may in fact be responsible for setting off a chain of events that will liberate the Arab Middle East from authoritarian governments. I certainly hope that is the case.

 

And then there were:

   

 

Sven Kramer

For being rude, arrogant, unsportsmanlike, entitled and decidedly unOlympian by responding to a reporter, after he had just won a gold medal at the Vancouver Olympics, who asked him, "If you can say your name and your country and what you just won here” with:

"Are you stupid? Hell no I'm not going to do that."

Afterwards,  in a Dutch interview, Kramer stated:

"Come on, this is ridiculous. You've just become Olympic gold medal winner. She was there when it happened and then you have to sum up your whole biography, etc. She's crazy."

This was all before he shoved a Vancouver Olympic volunteer, for which he later made amends by buying a small gift…or one of his servants did.

 

Howard Stern

For disparaging Gabourey Sidibe in a vicious attack days after the 2010 Academy Awards celebration of her nomination as Best Actress.

 

"There's the most enormous, fat black chick I've ever seen. She is enormous. Everyone's pretending she's a part of show business and she's never going to be in another movie," he said. "She should have gotten the Best Actress award because she's never going to have another shot. What movie is she gonna be in?"

"Oprah's another liar, a filthy liar.   She's telling an enormous woman the size of a planet that she's going to have a career."

Alex Knepper

 

For his ignorant comments on rape.

 

Let's get this straight: any woman who heads to an EI party as an anonymous onlooker, drinks five cups of the jungle juice, and walks back to a boy's room with him is indicating that she wants sex, OK?

and

"real rape," which occurs when a stranger "thrusts sex into a non-sexual situation," is a heinous crime and rapists should be severely punished.

 

Robert Dewar

 

For convicting Kenneth Rhodes of rape and then giving him a non jail sentence of two years (so he is free in the community to rape again) and for excusing the perpetrator’s actions and blaming the victim.

 

Tony Hayward

For attending a yacht race as oil spewed into the Gulf.

Clearly having anything to do with yachts sailing on a body of clean water when your company has maimed another body of water...is...well... dumbass...but we already know Tony Hayward and PR are... like... well... oil and water.
Apparently, Tony was spending time with his son. I do not begrudge him that. Children need to spend time with their parents, even if said parents have F - - - ed up the Gulf. I just wish he could have gone to his child’s soccer game instead of well you know…yachts and a clean body of water.

 

Glenn Beck

For holding your Rally to Restore Honor, on the National Mall on the same day as Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" speech.

Martin Luther King believed in non violent conflict resolution and you incite hatred and violence, including even toward someone on this very Jewelz and Foolz list. 

 

Mel Gibson  

For being an abusive boyfriend.  In case you somehow missed his monstrous boyfriend behaviour, you can read about the charming details here: What Women Don't Want! 

 

Jesse James

For humiliating your wife, Sandra Bullock, who while accepting an Academy Award and speaking of her deceased mother said :

 

“To that trailblazer that allowed me to have that (pointing to you Jesse James) and this (pointing to her Academy Award) I thank you so much for this opportunity that I share with these extraordinary women…”

only to discover soon after that you were a cheating husband.

 

Dharun Ravi

For internet streaming his roommate’s gay sexual encounter without his consent and thereby outing him.  For trying to do it a second time and for twittering about it as though it was actually a joke.

His victim, Tyler Clementi, committed suicide in response.

 

Ferdinand Bardamu

For inciting violence on his blog against two women he has never even met.

This self described misogynistic blogger who has declared Feminism “a hate movement designed to disenfranchise and dehumanize men” posted the contact information and addresses for Anna Ardin and Sofia Wilens, the two complainants in the Julian Assange Swedish sex charges.

In his words:

“They are arguably evil themselves for trying to destroy a man’s life over their feeeeelings. If there’s a part of me that would feel bad for releasing the info, there’s another part of me that would feel bad for not using my power to fight this evil when I am uniquely positioned to do so.

So, guilty or not, I’m posting the info.”

Ferd: I am sorry for whatever pain in your life had led to making you a violent misogynist. Whoever hurt you had no right to.

 

Alastair Macaulay

For calling professional ballerina Jenifer Ringer fat or in his words that “she'd eaten one sugar plum too many" when reviewing “The Nutcracker".

Jennifer Ringer is far from overweight Alastair!!??!!

 

Steven Green

For not being grateful that you received life without parole instead of the death penalty for the rape and murder by setting on fire, of 14 year old Abeer Qasim Hamza after the murder of her parents and six year old sister.  You are a disgrace to the Army not to mention your fellow soldiers who ended up tortured and beheaded in retaliation for your crimes.  

 

John McCain

For saying:

"Today is a very sad day"

in response to the repeal of the 17-year-old discriminatory "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.  You have previously stated that you regret voting against the creation of a federal holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr..  I hope that one day, before you die, you regret this as well.

 

RC Malherbe, Johnny Roberts, Schalk van der Merwe and Danie Grobler

For humiliating five black university domestic staff at the University of the Free State, South Africa, on a video which showed the five staff being made to kneel and forced to eat food which had apparently been urinated on by one of the students.  

What did they have to say for themselves…that the video was made to protest plans to make the university more racially mixed.

 

Joe Biden

For calling Julian Assange a “high-tech terrorist” because “he has made it more difficult for us to conduct our business with our allies and our friends.”  This is about criminalizing whistleblowers.  Anyone who seriously considers Julian a terrorist is someone we need to be afraid of and no, I do not mean the Vice-President.

 

Giles Muhame

For inciting violence against LGBT individuals.

His newspaper, Rolling Stone, in October 2010, published the names and photographs of 100 people calling for their execution as homosexuals.

 

Charlie Sheen

Dude!!!!?????!!!!

Because your carousel of porn stars and drugs will, if it hasn’t already, hurt your kids.   How long will it be until the day one of your precious daughters Googles, “mommy, what does daddy did porn stars and drugs this weekend mean?”  I think you are a drug addict and are mentally ill.   Dude, you need to stop listening to the the people who are telling you are okay.  They are enabling you; you are like so not okay.  If you are winning, I’d rather be loosing.

 

Who are presently your ?

 

Sage Spencer

Next Blogum: April 2011