Wednesday, September 17, 2014

What The BC Teachers Strike Truly Entails

Now this is a bit of a local post, for British Columbia, Canada only but I hope that a lot of you who see and read this will Facebook and retweet it or reddit it because this needs to be seen. We all know that British Columbia has not had school so far because of a Teacher's Strike between the BCTF and the Employer's Association. Why am I making this post when it is all but confirmed that the strike is over and that children will be back to school? Well, quite simply, even though kids do deserve to be back to school, the fact of the matter is if they are truly the future then they deserve better means to do so.
http://memecrunch.com/meme/3QMOI/be-a-teacher-work-for-free/image.jpg
Oooh, appealing.

Now I just love the plan the Employers Association and the BCTF have come up with. It is such a move that I would probably try myself if I wanted to get people back to work quickly. Reach a "tentative" deal. Teachers are smart, they know tentative means it is not in place yet, but if the ratify the deal, everything is a lock! So, 24 hours to vote, sure! But, since the full details will be released tomorrow (day of the vote, I believe) and Iker has only sent out in his email to the teachers what they will be getting, not losing, I doubt teachers are truly going to analyze the full deal and thus the majority will vote yes to end the strike.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwTULuLAb3vQkWnkh4y-dp93GWJJp26XyF9lkc7t1WbPEX-PyVPHbH_hIRnPqjsicoQzdxfPs93_AxF7dvfKkwb0PcAy6KjVm0NuvJ4ihzxXzRZQvO5GCc8qS6-RMD9voCwwyKT8Q_L38/s1600/peace.PNG
Har har.

So lets have a look at what the 'benefits' entail: release the details that teachers may like, this includes the 7.5% pay increase per six years, a special fund for public education and what was it? Oh yes, $400 000 000 approximately in that education fund which will primarily be spent on creating new jobs! What was it again? People who aren't teachers yet are not the ones who are on the picket lines and are not enduring financial stress? Well, why would that even be a part of the deal? Because big money sounds appealing. Now, lets go back to the 7.5% pay increase. If the deal is ratified, then teachers will have gotten a 2 % pay increase as of September. But that is part for the second year, because the first year supposedly starts in 2013 and they get no increase for that. So, don't call it a sex year deal, call it five. So for this five year deal, teachers will get 1.25% in January next year, so about 3.25% pay increase in about five months. Good deal, right? Well, given that they don't get another increase for an entire year and a half at which they only get it up by 1% after which it will fluctuate per year by 1 % or by 0.5 % up 2019 the deal really isn't as good as it should've been. Equal proportions over an equal five year radius starting from when the deal ended which would amount to an equal rate of 8 % would be much more favorable and in line with the 10 % teachers were demanding. Everyone knows that 7.5 % is just fancy for 7 % as $09.99 is fancy for $10.00. Then there is the fact that teachers want bigger class sizes and such. Nothing was given on that front, just that teachers get more time to prepare, and elementary teachers at that get the most time. In case I recall correctly, was it not secondary teachers who demanded this more than any others, why is it that it is them who are getting the least?
http://radiofreethinker.files.wordpress.com/2013/02/clark2.jpg
I wanted to point this out and say, if she truly cared and was appreciative about this visit, then she would not have posed for a picture. That is disrespectful in it's own. What this is up here is an attempts to gain the votes of the Indo-Canadian community. All that would have sufficed is simply saying that she visited, but to pose for an actual picture while looking away from Darbar Sahib is very disrespectful, using religion to gain votes. A shrewd tactic yes, but on this scale, you can tell that she cares only for her job and the money that it brings her. - Knight (as in, not the writer of this article)

 I haven't even hit the best part yet but let us hit this first: $105 000 000 sounds like a lot, right? That's going to be given out in grievances to the teachers. Lets assume 2 teachers per grade, that gives us 26 teachers from K-12. Lets assume 20 schools per district and six districts. That means 2600 teachers. No doubt that is far less than the actual amount of teachers in British Columbia down to school itself, but I am giving you the lowest possible number to give you this analysis. Some teachers have lost $10 000 and some even more but we'll use that number because it makes sense. Assume from the 26 teachers per school, that only a quarter of them have lost approximately that much. So that rounds us to 7 teachers. 7 teachers to whom $70 000 is owed. Lets go up the districts, for 20 schools of 520 teachers, 140 teachers are owed $1400000. How about my min district set at six districts. Well, that gives us 840 teachers out of 2600 to whom a hefty $8.4 Million is owed. No doubt because some teachers have likely lost more, the numbers owed for my said populace of 2600 should be higher and ultimately if we account this for the whole province, $105 000 000 just is not going to cut it. Do you want to know how I know that? Education. This means that because of what I have learned from education I can guarantee that the educators will only be getting a few thousand, maybe less, each and that will be much less for even those who aren't owed too much. That number is not big enough and maybe if you switched it around with the number which will be put into making new teachers, it would be acceptable (no, it probably WOULD be acceptable). Wait, given that there are actually approximately 41 000 teachers in BC, extrapolation of my data means that the $105 000 000 is definitely not acceptable because my data only accounts for 6.3 % of teachers in BC. Going into court for more money is the only way teachers will actually make back what they are owed, but we'll get into that next paragraph.
http://www.railforthevalley.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Christy-cartoon-257x300.jpg
Except if I remember, she didn't win. She lost and then she had to gain a seat in like Kelowna or something. People like the Liberal Party, not it's leader.

Read that meme? I hope you enjoyed it because now we are at the court cases. This strike was bound to end after October 6th if nothing happened earlier. That was the fact. The fact also was that as that date neared  Fassbender probably started getting more scared because how much teachers were owed would also be brought up in court. No jury in their right mind would give the government the win if this was brought up, no matter their political affiliation. If this deal is signed, all of that is off and the government has much more leverage. Let us say that only 30 % of possible people who will be selected for the jury are with Christy Clark and Peter Fassbender. That number will not matter, what will matter is what percent of that 30 make sup the jury. People are biased and some of those biases will affect the overall outcome of the court result. Now want to hear the real juicy facts, they said E80 was taken out of the contract because let court be dealt in court. Another great tactic to try and get teachers to vote yes! I hear there are a few devils in the contract, one of those which I have heard is that if the government does win the court case they will be allowed to change parts of this contract to their own will. Did I get you there? So does that mean, that if the government wants (the pay increase will probably be the only thing unaffected if the government wins) they'll be able to take away that four hundred million for new teachers or y'know, just take bits and pieces away and put them back as they please. Just good for business, y'see. Unfortunately, due to the way that this vote is being set up, a thorough analysis will not be given and teachers will likely vote yes on a, I'll say 60 to 40 % scale because we all know teachers aren't stupid, well, some of them are.
-
MYK

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Didn't I Tell You Annie Would Be Terrible?

I reiterate, didn't I tell you that Annie would be shit? Yeah, it's a hard knock life for sure when you realize that people are just remaking random crap for crap. I mean, I liked the Total Recall remake, it would have made a lot of money but some dumbass decided to release it next to The Dark Knight Rises. I mean, have you people seen the trailer for Annie? It's more shit than Like Mike.

It's me again, your resident black man from Saskatchewan: Muhammad Yafisz Khan. Now, try and watch that video up there. I mean, Cameron Diaz was just in a movie called Sex Tape, and then one before it which was also about sex with Leslie Mann and I'm pretty sure Bad Teacher was also about sex or at least featured it. Now, what the hell is the story of this? Cameron Diaz tries to persuade that actress who has an unpronounceable name not to become the adopted daughter of a billionaire who is at first using her but grows to be a father? Dang, y'know, I'd have sworn that the Muppets did a better job of this! Yeah, Sesame Street's Hard Knock Life is much better than this version and Jay Z's version.
The guy whose directing this had a Mila Kunis movie titled Friends with benefits. Also known as the movie where you saw Mila Kunis nude. Ha ha. Why the fuck would they choose him?

Now let me expand, Annie was a fun cartoon strip and a very enjoyable movie because it had purpose. I mean, this is just Will Smith pissing his pants because he can't get good numbers as an actor anymore. So he takes his cousin Jamie whose had success with Django Unchained and tries to get him to team up with his daughter. His daughter realizes that she can't act and nobody likes her so she drops out and they put in the girl with the unpronounceable name. Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but did they just give the whole fucking plot away in that trailer?
You Think you're Funny? We Can Fix that  Prognosis Man
As in, what the public should be asking the director.

I mean seriously. What the hell is up with this? Some remakes are unnecessary, like this one and the Mad Max one. But unlike the Mad Max one, which we know will be entertaining, this one is just stupid. I'll be damned if kids like this and given that Jada Pinkett's probably boning the reviewers it's going tos eem like they will. It's a stupid idea of a movie. I mean Benjamin Stacks, har har. He's got stacks of benjamins. Are they even going to call him Daddy Warbucks? No, they're going the grim'n'gritty Batman Begins style with this one.
Has two idiot kids.

SO, here's some more memes and a hot girl and peace out:
http://www.troll.me/images/keanu-reeves/what-if-apple-created-irobot-in-the-future-and-will-smith-is-just-an-advertiser.jpg
Maybe he'll be cool again.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP0xi-_Tx_bZMwZeqaHHHhvZJEMD7Q94MTx0sWA67DD5Kt4Qxzb9PwVTJE43noOtYoMi-RsvM4EMj6XT9vALvCMk5nLvQjw7SgszCDIMKOP7Hfj4u9uYmWh9OLNqCwEFsHjfaQ2a51JH6h/s640/leslie_mann_the_change_up_720p_5mSpS0y.jpg
Her husband gives her all her movie roles.

-
MYK

Monday, September 8, 2014

Man of Steel is a Smarter Movie Than You Remember

So I just finished playing BioShock Infinite today and began BioShock right after. Try it, the experience that that will provide will be much different than trying it the other way around. You see, Booker, Comstock, Elizabeth and Daisy are all just ideas. Yes, there are infinite number of Booker DeWitts born in 1872 in this video game universe at an infinite number of Comstocks born the day he either accepts or denies the baptism. Now people might think of the baptism, Anna and such as being constants. No, those are just events in history which may or may not repeat each other. Play BioShock first and then Infinite and the original story is viewed as a prelude, giving a glimpse into a world that is broadened by Infinite. Now play it the other way around. BioShock Infinite is still grand but this time BioShock does not whimper in comparison, but rather it becomes a different beast. You see the thing about it is this: the idea of Booker as the man who gets involved with the lighthouse is the constant, the idea that somehow he will come into contact with a version of himself that is not actually himself is the constant and the idea that he will encounter a girl is a constant as is the idea that there is some being involved with the girl, that too is a grand constant. So, Comstock can exist in the same world as Andrew Ryan, as seen by Burial at Sea, but only one of them is the constant and that is Andrew Ryan... but in the universe of Columbia, no, I'd say it's Comstock's presence as the constant there. So, when Elizabeth hunts the Multiverse for Comstocks, she is taking away her own personal demons but the constants will always remain constant.

So, what about Superman remains constant? His suit has changed. But he still has a suit. The S symbol is stranger and meshy. But it is still the S symbol. He doesn't fight for truth, justice and the American way. But he is still fighting for the human way. He inspires hope differently. But he still inspires hope. "Krypton had it's chance" and it lost that chance because it took away the element of chance. There is the one resounding word throughout all of Man of Steel, dare I say it, the one constant word? When he was a boy and bullied for being different, it was not because he looked different or acted different, there was just something about him that felt off. Like that one guy in my Grade 10 year who was trying to be a bully in a school full of people trying to be thugs. He moved to Prince George. He felt off. We did not give him a chance because we could not afford to. Look I love Man of Steel and I'm not trying to be philosophical right here or anything. All I really want is for you to watch this video:

But the fact remains is that people bash Man of Steel for being too much like Transformers: Age of Extinction. They are trying to say it is stupid. So I'm not here to defend the film, I'm here to tell you WhatCulture, that if your going to try and bash a movie because it's 'stupid', try and make sure it is first. Now I could talk about how even minor characters like Faora or Jenny have enough character development to make them important. Sorry WhatCulture, I guess this article is actually being sent to the Nostalgia Critic. Well, I mean, I'm guessing everybody realized he was full of bullshit after he said the new Spider-Man films were better than the old ones. But hey, everybody deserves a chance, right? So lets get started. What exactly defines a stupid movie? Well, dumb dialogue, more uninteresting characters than interesting ones, horrible direction, a load of Jack Black and an incoherent story dictation that makes much of what you've seen nonsense and yourself looking back at the years wondering if it was all worth it? Man of Steel does not have any of that in large degrees. A lot of dumb dialogue, check. I mean it's written by David Goyer, which is why I can expect Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, written by Chris Terrio to be a much more intelligent film in that regard. But the reason most of the dialogue appears dull and bland is because Goyer was trying to make inspirational quotes that people would put on kitty posters and try and have people quote them like they do Gandalf or yeah, Batman. Why do people quote The Dark Knight Rises? Well, it's because the quotes that were meant to be intentional were far and few and stuck and those that weren't did because they didn't come off as forward as: "That's what the symbol means... hope". So, the dialogue isn't bad, it's just that when it tries to be smart it ends up not being that. Just because of a few choppy quotes though, the movie is not stupid.What is stupid is that the idiocy of some of these quotes remains quite constant throughout.

Now lets go to uninteresting characters. Unfortunately Man of Steel had a major character who was boring: Lois Lane. Others were minor and forgivable, but Lois Lane was just so unfortunate that I find myself wondering, maybe it's better if they go the comic route and have Superman end up with Wonder Woman. Just one main uninteresting character, though. Many comic fans will punch you if you called Faora uninteresting. Superman himself, people said had no character development and was bland. An unfortunate lie, but I can't change those peoples minds and if I delve further into the topic, the worse it will be for the internet. Jor-El was cool enough and Michael Shannon ripped it up as General Zod and even though we never learned about his past, the fact is, I want to. That's how interesting he was. So, one bland character makes a movie stupid? Saying that like you mean it makes you seem stupid, whether you are or not is a different matter. It just makes you seems stupid.

No Jack Black. CHECK!

As for story coherence. The story was well done, intricate enough that it did not get labyrinthine. The only thing that might have confused people were the people who were told by their parents that genetic modification is just a myth. It was straightforward, Clark hears something that might relate to his past, checks it out. This draws Zod and his crew who give him a choice, finally belong and be a part of his own people, or choose those who will always shun him, despite their overall innocence. That seems like a very well done story to me.

So, if you want to bash the movie, don't just say it's stupid. Take one of the points I have placed in a paragraph and explain why you think one of those points makes the movie wrong for cinema.

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Woah! Black Adam and the Justice League

Dang, here I was thanking people for my MCU video and then my new video, in spite of quality issues, racks up almost 120 views in almost three days? That is a new record for me. So, to keep the loving flowing, here is the video again, lets get twice that amount now!:


But, in all honesty, I should've made a post when Dwayne Johnson was confirmed to be Black Adam. They've got a screenwriter and I'm sure they've got a director as well. I'm getting a Thor vibe from this movie and since it's basically confirmed to be set in the Man of Steel universe, though it could do well if it weren't, people have been speculating Black Adam is DC's Loki. I mean, who else has as much charisma, passion and electricity as Dwayne Johnson? Everything he does, he excels at and like Hercules, this is one of his passion projects. So, if the new Captain Marvel film is a success, don't doubt Black Adam as being the villain of the Justice League movie.

Short post, but, Anna's posted her first post, check that out. I have no clue what it's about or if she even knows I exist, but I'm sure she'll appeal somewhere.