Your Comments: The sky isn’t falling

By Lorianna De Giorgio, guest blogger, Your Best Stuff

According to you, our dear readers, the world isn’t going to end in 2012.

That’s the consensus when it came to last week’s Point of View surrounding the Hollywood flick 2012 and whether you subscribe to the end-of-world prophecy from the ancient Mayans.

While the Roland Emmerich-directed film predicts the world’s demise in three years, most of your comments show you don’t buy into the ill-fated forecast.

The majority of the 120 comments say the Mayans got it wrong.

A reader named Trooper believes that while the Earth’s makeup will suddenly change one day, the Halifax-based reader doesn’t think it will happen in December 2012.

“Eventually the reset button will be hit and the Earth will change drastically,” Trooper commented on Nov. 16.

“Odds are in favour of a meteor hitting us, but you never know. A couple of large solar flares could fry all of our satellites, putting us back to the 1950s.

“I won't be hiding on Dec. 21, 2012, I think we’re pretty safe.”

Another reader who won’t be hiding that day is Si|enus.

“I have to disagree,” wrote the London, Ont.-based reader, who says the onset of the planet’s destruction was closer in the Emmerich blockbuster The Day After Tomorrow, than in 2012.

“After all, one's about three or so years away and the other is the day after tomorrow.”

Si|enus added that he’ll only watch 2012 if his wife makes him.

“Much like Independence Day (a romantic movie with explosions) and the preceding movie that I mentioned, the science in 2012 will more than likely irk me,” he wrote.

Record number of votes

Viewers also responded well to our Point of View poll surrounding Omar Khadr and whether the Supreme Court of Canada should get involved in foreign policy, concerning the federal government's appeal of a ruling forcing Ottawa to press for the release of the 22-year-old from Guantanamo Bay.

As of 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 16, 4,014 votes were received.

Ten per cent of you voted “Yes, and the court should be involved,” while 61 per cent voted “Yes, and the court should stay out of such matters.”

Twenty-eight per cent voted “No, this is about the rights of Canadian citizens.”
Two per cent were undecided.

Nineteen comments came in from people who believe the Supreme Court should definitely get involved in the issues, to those, who argue the national court should stay out.

“Courts shouldn't be involved,” commented a reader from Toronto named WookieInHeat. “Sometimes I wonder why we even have a court system in Canada.

“We should just free every criminal and give them each a million dollars for the inconvenience; save everyone a lot of time and hassle.”

Hugh Andrew from Ottawa said: “He should be tried in the country where the alleged crime took place. There is no reason to make an exception to world practice. This case has just become so politicized that reality is lost.”

Other Point of View topics that caught people's attention late last week and this past weekend include: If you follow any superstitions, given that last Friday was Friday the 13th; and if you would pay for extra leg room after Air Canada’s decision to charge extra for preferred seats with extra leg room, including emergency exit rows and bulkhead seats.

Choo-lovers?

Strangely, our Nov. 13 Point of View on Jimmy Choo’s collaboration with the Swedish clothing chain H&M received only one comment by Nov. 16. And the comment came from someone who says he hasn’t heard of the luxe American label.

“Who?” wrote Dartmouth-based reader Sebastian Leblanc. “Never heard of him or her ... or whatever this designer is.”

Where are the fashionistas?

What do you think of the daily roundup? Questions? Comments? Are there any Point of View issues you think we should ask about?

Let us know.