Saturday, April 14, 2007
Let's Hate Toronto
The dislike of Canada's biggest city, Toronto, in the rest of the country runs so deep that a filmmaker has made a documentary about it called "Let's All Hate Toronto."
The 73-minute film, which premieres at Toronto's Hot Docs documentary festival next week, follows a character called Mister Toronto, who embarks on a cross-Canada trip brandishing a sign that reads "Toronto Appreciation Day" and steels himself for the onslaught.
Canadian culture is very difficult to define. There are very few unifying traits that identify a person as a true Canadian. Sure, for the most part there's hockey,but one thing that brings all Canadians together is their hatred for Toronto.Crackdown on Teacher-Student Sex Creates New Problem
Who would have thought that the recent spate of teachers getting busted for having sex with their students would drive the school teachers and administrators to having sex with each other. If I had thought that any of my teachers were screwing the principal in his office I would never have grown up. I would have died laughing.
A video DVD showing a principal and teacher having sex in school has been circulated anonymously in Illinois. The graphic video (see above) has resulted in resignations and calls for prosecution. From the Chicago Sun-Times. I never realized how sex crazed teacher can be.
Historic City Landmark Moves To New Location
A historic landmark in south Etobicoke is changing address.
The city is removing the Joy Oil Station, the last remaining service station of its kind, from its location at Lakeshore and Windermere. Built in the 1930's, this outlet was designated as a historic site by City Council almost thirty years ago. It's being moved to a nearby park in the Western Beaches.
The fuel station move takes place amid another hike in gas prices this weekend.
Snoop Dogg on Imus
Snoop Dogg took time out from his community service as a result of his gun and drug convictions to comment on Don Imus. According to this model citizen, you can call a black woman a ho if she really is a ho. It's not alright to call a black female basketball player a ho. You got that Imus.
"It's a completely different scenario. (Rappers) are not talking about no collegiate basketball girls who have made it to the next level in education and sports. We're talking about hos that's in the hood that ain't doing shit, that's trying to get a nigg* for his money. These are two separate things. First of all, we ain't no old-ass white men that sit up on MSNBC going hard on black girls. We are rappers that have these songs coming from our minds and our souls that are relevant to what we feel. I will not let them mutha fuckas say we are in the same league as him. Kick him off the air forever."
-Snoop Dogg
"It's a completely different scenario. (Rappers) are not talking about no collegiate basketball girls who have made it to the next level in education and sports. We're talking about hos that's in the hood that ain't doing shit, that's trying to get a nigg* for his money. These are two separate things. First of all, we ain't no old-ass white men that sit up on MSNBC going hard on black girls. We are rappers that have these songs coming from our minds and our souls that are relevant to what we feel. I will not let them mutha fuckas say we are in the same league as him. Kick him off the air forever."
-Snoop Dogg
The Red Green Show
The agreement between Stephane Dion and Elizabeth May has certainly stirred up a hornet's nest in all camps. As a nonpartisan I'm starting to like it more and more because it in a small way it shakes up the status quo. If it succeeds in getting May elected it will be a strong environmental voice in Parliament which I think Canadians will like. This far different than the recent converts that have popped up all over the political map. The environment is sexy right now but how committed is John Baird to a green agenda? It certainly is unusual for a rival party leader endorsing another for Prime Minister but then May has not aspirations on becoming Prime Minister in the next election.
The Conservatives are characterizing the agreement as a typical unscrupulous Liberal move in their pursuit of power. But there are many examples to show that Harper is just as guilty. I wouldn't characterize it as unscrupulous but certain its in pursuit of power - that's what politicians do. Some believe that the Liberals are spending too much time on the environment file and there may be some truth to that. I have to agree, the public sees the environment as an important issue but not the only one. The NDP are going to go ballistic on this agreement. A new party in Parliament is another threat to the NDP although they may be the beneficiary of the Liberals' decision not to run a candidate in Central Nova. After all, the NDP came 2nd in the riding in the last 2 elections. So where will Liberals in Central Nova take their votes? For the Liberal riding association, the deal is difficult to accept. If you have voted Liberal your entire adult life, who do you turn to? The Green agenda beyond the environment is right of centre. And then there are all the Liberals who are dismayed that the party won't be running a candidate in every riding. But whats the difference between running a token candidate and no candidate. If the object is to win seats, then its no difference.
The Conservatives are characterizing the agreement as a typical unscrupulous Liberal move in their pursuit of power. But there are many examples to show that Harper is just as guilty. I wouldn't characterize it as unscrupulous but certain its in pursuit of power - that's what politicians do. Some believe that the Liberals are spending too much time on the environment file and there may be some truth to that. I have to agree, the public sees the environment as an important issue but not the only one. The NDP are going to go ballistic on this agreement. A new party in Parliament is another threat to the NDP although they may be the beneficiary of the Liberals' decision not to run a candidate in Central Nova. After all, the NDP came 2nd in the riding in the last 2 elections. So where will Liberals in Central Nova take their votes? For the Liberal riding association, the deal is difficult to accept. If you have voted Liberal your entire adult life, who do you turn to? The Green agenda beyond the environment is right of centre. And then there are all the Liberals who are dismayed that the party won't be running a candidate in every riding. But whats the difference between running a token candidate and no candidate. If the object is to win seats, then its no difference.
Friday, April 13, 2007
University Degree Counterfeiters Shut Down
A counterfeiting ring that was selling fake Canadian university degrees was busted in Markham.
Hmmm. Maybe I could have saved myself thousands of dollars and bought my daughter a couple of fancy degrees.
Hmmm. Maybe I could have saved myself thousands of dollars and bought my daughter a couple of fancy degrees.
Croc Bites Off Arm
This story is not for the queasy. A 200 kg crocodile has bitten off a zookeeper's arm - but surgeons managed to reattach it after reclaiming the limb from the reptile's mouth.
The male crocodile severed Chang Po-yu's forearm at the Shaoshan Zoo in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung. Mr Chang, a zookeeper and vet, had been trying to retrieve a tranquiliser dart from the crocodile's hide so he could give it medication.
But he appears not to have realised the reptile was not fully sedated when he stuck his arm through an iron rail.
As Chang was rushed to the hospital, a zoo worker ran up to the crocodile and carefully fired at its neck. The arm slipped from the animal's jaw and bounced across the ground. Fortunately, the forearm was reattached following seven hours of surgery.
The male crocodile severed Chang Po-yu's forearm at the Shaoshan Zoo in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung. Mr Chang, a zookeeper and vet, had been trying to retrieve a tranquiliser dart from the crocodile's hide so he could give it medication.
But he appears not to have realised the reptile was not fully sedated when he stuck his arm through an iron rail.
As Chang was rushed to the hospital, a zoo worker ran up to the crocodile and carefully fired at its neck. The arm slipped from the animal's jaw and bounced across the ground. Fortunately, the forearm was reattached following seven hours of surgery.
Beware of Falling Fat Men
Now this is an ugly story. People get hit by balls, bats, bottles, and giveaway items at ballparks. But who expect a 300-pound man would come crashing down the stands -- and on top of you.That's what happened on Monday, Opening Day at Shea. Shortly after the seventh-inning stretch, an apparently drunk man tumbled from higher seats and onto Ellen Massey's back, knocking the wind out of her and, ultimately, causing serious injury. Massey, who is a lawyer, is scheduled for surgery on a vertebra today.
Mets' officials sent Massey a goody basket last night that included autographed team memorabilia.
I see a massive lawsuit coming. She has already hired a lawyer.
So will the Mets now require fans to wear seatbelts to prevent them from flying down on other fans?
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Imus to become a Rapper
Now that Don Imus has been canned by MSNBC and CBS Radio for his highly offensive “nappy-headed hos” comment, the venerable morning shock jock has decided to call it quits in favor of a whole new career as a hip-hop rap artist.
The “I-Man,” to be known as “Vanilla Wrinkles,” will be leaving his country music roots in order to enter, as he put it, “the only industry that not only condones, but encourages, sexist and racist speech.”
Already, hip-hop labels are engaged in a fierce bidding war for the rights to Vanilla Wrinkles’ first single, to be called My Bitch Deirdre Uses ‘Green’ Cleaning Products.
Source
The “I-Man,” to be known as “Vanilla Wrinkles,” will be leaving his country music roots in order to enter, as he put it, “the only industry that not only condones, but encourages, sexist and racist speech.”
Already, hip-hop labels are engaged in a fierce bidding war for the rights to Vanilla Wrinkles’ first single, to be called My Bitch Deirdre Uses ‘Green’ Cleaning Products.
Source
New Revelations from Former British Hostages
The 15 British marines and sailors reveal some additional shocking tales of torture and mistreatment in the hands of the Iranian jailers:
Iranian brutes forced detainees to light their own cigars
"Our captors used bad words" laments a stricken British Navy lad
Chips were greasy, sailors forced to confess
Iranian internet connection so slow, British marine nearly went crazy
Misery pours forth: ordered chocolate pudding, received butterscotch
"They took our weapons." one sailor sobbed.
Iranian terrorists lie about size of detainee swimming pool
Iranian torture regime: 15 detainees, 14 pillows
I guess its a good thing they weren't sent to the Guantanamo Bay.
Iranian brutes forced detainees to light their own cigars
"Our captors used bad words" laments a stricken British Navy lad
Chips were greasy, sailors forced to confess
Iranian internet connection so slow, British marine nearly went crazy
Misery pours forth: ordered chocolate pudding, received butterscotch
"They took our weapons." one sailor sobbed.
Iranian terrorists lie about size of detainee swimming pool
Iranian torture regime: 15 detainees, 14 pillows
I guess its a good thing they weren't sent to the Guantanamo Bay.
First Marathon Game of the NHL Playoffs
Yesterday was day 1 of the NHL playoffs and we already had two long overtime games. The first overtime game was a 5-4 San Jose win over Nashville which ended midway through the 2nd overtime period. The next game was a 5-4 Vancouver win overe Dallas near the end of the 4th overtime period. Roberto Luongo faced 76 shots in that game for the win.
The Vancouver - Dallas game turns out to be one of the longest overtime games in NHL history.
Longest overtime games of all-time:
1. 116:30:00 minutes , Red Wings 1-0 Maroons, March 24, 1936
2. 104:46:00 minutes, Maple Leafs 1-0 Bruins, April 3, 1933
3. 92:01:00 minutes, Flyers 2-1 Penguins, May 4, 2000
4. 80:48:00 minutes, Mighty Ducks 4-3 Stars, April 24, 2003
5. 79:15:00 minutes, Penguins 3-2 Capitals, April 24, 1996
6. 78:06:00 minutes, Canucks 5-4 Stars, April 11, 2007
The Vancouver - Dallas game turns out to be one of the longest overtime games in NHL history.
Longest overtime games of all-time:
1. 116:30:00 minutes , Red Wings 1-0 Maroons, March 24, 1936
2. 104:46:00 minutes, Maple Leafs 1-0 Bruins, April 3, 1933
3. 92:01:00 minutes, Flyers 2-1 Penguins, May 4, 2000
4. 80:48:00 minutes, Mighty Ducks 4-3 Stars, April 24, 2003
5. 79:15:00 minutes, Penguins 3-2 Capitals, April 24, 1996
6. 78:06:00 minutes, Canucks 5-4 Stars, April 11, 2007
David Letterman is 60 Today
For his 48th birthday, Dave had Drew Barrymore on his show. Drew provided Dave with a surprise birthday gift. See video below.
A Black Person's View
Another post on the Don Imus controversy. The following comes from the Kansas City Star and is bang on. The black crusaders don't want to take on black rappers making fortunes by denigrating their own communities so instead the go after hacks like Imus.
Imus isn’t the real bad guy
Instead of wasting time on irrelevant shock jock, black leaders need to be fighting a growing gangster culture.
By JASON WHITLOCKColumnist
Thank you, Don Imus. You’ve given us (black people) an excuse to avoid our real problem.
You’ve given Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson another opportunity to pretend that the old fight, which is now the safe and lucrative fight, is still the most important fight in our push for true economic and social equality.
You’ve given Vivian Stringer and Rutgers the chance to hold a nationally televised recruiting celebration expertly disguised as a news conference to respond to your poor attempt at humor.
Thank you, Don Imus. You extended Black History Month to April, and we can once again wallow in victimhood, protest like it’s 1965 and delude ourselves into believing that fixing your hatred is more necessary than eradicating our self-hatred.
The bigots win again.
While we’re fixated on a bad joke cracked by an irrelevant, bad shock jock, I’m sure at least one of the marvelous young women on the Rutgers basketball team is somewhere snapping her fingers to the beat of 50 Cent’s or Snoop Dogg’s or Young Jeezy’s latest ode glorifying nappy-headed pimps and hos.
I ain’t saying Jesse, Al and Vivian are gold-diggas, but they don’t have the heart to mount a legitimate campaign against the real black-folk killas.
It is us. At this time, we are our own worst enemies. We have allowed our youths to buy into a culture (hip hop) that has been perverted, corrupted and overtaken by prison culture. The music, attitude and behavior expressed in this culture is anti-black, anti-education, demeaning, self-destructive, pro-drug dealing and violent.
Rather than confront this heinous enemy from within, we sit back and wait for someone like Imus to have a slip of the tongue and make the mistake of repeating the things we say about ourselves.
It’s embarrassing. Dave Chappelle was offered $50 million to make racially insensitive jokes about black and white people on TV. He was hailed as a genius. Black comedians routinely crack jokes about white and black people, and we all laugh out loud.
I’m no Don Imus apologist. He and his tiny companion Mike Lupica blasted me after I fell out with ESPN. Imus is a hack.
But, in my view, he didn’t do anything outside the norm for shock jocks and comedians. He also offered an apology. That should’ve been the end of this whole affair. Instead, it’s only the beginning. It’s an opportunity for Stringer, Jackson and Sharpton to step on victim platforms and elevate themselves and their agenda$.
I watched the Rutgers news conference and was ashamed.
Martin Luther King Jr. spoke for eight minutes in 1963 at the March on Washington. At the time, black people could be lynched and denied fundamental rights with little thought. With the comments of a talk-show host most of her players had never heard of before last week serving as her excuse, Vivian Stringer rambled on for 30 minutes about the amazing season her team had.
Somehow, we’re supposed to believe that the comments of a man with virtually no connection to the sports world ruined Rutgers’ wonderful season. Had a broadcaster with credibility and a platform in the sports world uttered the words Imus did, I could understand a level of outrage.
But an hourlong press conference over a man who has already apologized, already been suspended and is already insignificant is just plain intellectually dishonest. This is opportunism. This is a distraction.
In the grand scheme, Don Imus is no threat to us in general and no threat to black women in particular. If his words are so powerful and so destructive and must be rebuked so forcefully, then what should we do about the idiot rappers on BET, MTV and every black-owned radio station in the country who use words much more powerful and much more destructive?
I don’t listen or watch Imus’ show regularly. Has he at any point glorified selling crack cocaine to black women? Has he celebrated black men shooting each other randomly? Has he suggested in any way that it’s cool to be a baby-daddy rather than a husband and a parent? Does he tell his listeners that they’re suckers for pursuing education and that they’re selling out their race if they do?
When Imus does any of that, call me and I’ll get upset. Until then, he is what he is — a washed-up shock jock who is very easy to ignore when you’re not looking to be made a victim.
No. We all know where the real battleground is. We know that the gangsta rappers and their followers in the athletic world have far bigger platforms to negatively define us than some old white man with a bad radio show. There’s no money and lots of danger in that battle, so Jesse and Al are going to sit it out.
Imus isn’t the real bad guy
Instead of wasting time on irrelevant shock jock, black leaders need to be fighting a growing gangster culture.
By JASON WHITLOCKColumnist
Thank you, Don Imus. You’ve given us (black people) an excuse to avoid our real problem.
You’ve given Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson another opportunity to pretend that the old fight, which is now the safe and lucrative fight, is still the most important fight in our push for true economic and social equality.
You’ve given Vivian Stringer and Rutgers the chance to hold a nationally televised recruiting celebration expertly disguised as a news conference to respond to your poor attempt at humor.
Thank you, Don Imus. You extended Black History Month to April, and we can once again wallow in victimhood, protest like it’s 1965 and delude ourselves into believing that fixing your hatred is more necessary than eradicating our self-hatred.
The bigots win again.
While we’re fixated on a bad joke cracked by an irrelevant, bad shock jock, I’m sure at least one of the marvelous young women on the Rutgers basketball team is somewhere snapping her fingers to the beat of 50 Cent’s or Snoop Dogg’s or Young Jeezy’s latest ode glorifying nappy-headed pimps and hos.
I ain’t saying Jesse, Al and Vivian are gold-diggas, but they don’t have the heart to mount a legitimate campaign against the real black-folk killas.
It is us. At this time, we are our own worst enemies. We have allowed our youths to buy into a culture (hip hop) that has been perverted, corrupted and overtaken by prison culture. The music, attitude and behavior expressed in this culture is anti-black, anti-education, demeaning, self-destructive, pro-drug dealing and violent.
Rather than confront this heinous enemy from within, we sit back and wait for someone like Imus to have a slip of the tongue and make the mistake of repeating the things we say about ourselves.
It’s embarrassing. Dave Chappelle was offered $50 million to make racially insensitive jokes about black and white people on TV. He was hailed as a genius. Black comedians routinely crack jokes about white and black people, and we all laugh out loud.
I’m no Don Imus apologist. He and his tiny companion Mike Lupica blasted me after I fell out with ESPN. Imus is a hack.
But, in my view, he didn’t do anything outside the norm for shock jocks and comedians. He also offered an apology. That should’ve been the end of this whole affair. Instead, it’s only the beginning. It’s an opportunity for Stringer, Jackson and Sharpton to step on victim platforms and elevate themselves and their agenda$.
I watched the Rutgers news conference and was ashamed.
Martin Luther King Jr. spoke for eight minutes in 1963 at the March on Washington. At the time, black people could be lynched and denied fundamental rights with little thought. With the comments of a talk-show host most of her players had never heard of before last week serving as her excuse, Vivian Stringer rambled on for 30 minutes about the amazing season her team had.
Somehow, we’re supposed to believe that the comments of a man with virtually no connection to the sports world ruined Rutgers’ wonderful season. Had a broadcaster with credibility and a platform in the sports world uttered the words Imus did, I could understand a level of outrage.
But an hourlong press conference over a man who has already apologized, already been suspended and is already insignificant is just plain intellectually dishonest. This is opportunism. This is a distraction.
In the grand scheme, Don Imus is no threat to us in general and no threat to black women in particular. If his words are so powerful and so destructive and must be rebuked so forcefully, then what should we do about the idiot rappers on BET, MTV and every black-owned radio station in the country who use words much more powerful and much more destructive?
I don’t listen or watch Imus’ show regularly. Has he at any point glorified selling crack cocaine to black women? Has he celebrated black men shooting each other randomly? Has he suggested in any way that it’s cool to be a baby-daddy rather than a husband and a parent? Does he tell his listeners that they’re suckers for pursuing education and that they’re selling out their race if they do?
When Imus does any of that, call me and I’ll get upset. Until then, he is what he is — a washed-up shock jock who is very easy to ignore when you’re not looking to be made a victim.
No. We all know where the real battleground is. We know that the gangsta rappers and their followers in the athletic world have far bigger platforms to negatively define us than some old white man with a bad radio show. There’s no money and lots of danger in that battle, so Jesse and Al are going to sit it out.
Lost in Translation
Every so often I post a bizarre sign that has obviously been the product of a bad translator. A classic example of the story about the sofa set label indicating the colour as "Nigger - Brown". Beijing is embarking on a project to clean up all its English language signs.
China is littered with wrong, embarrassing and sometimes plain rude signs in Chinese English, such as writing "oil gate" for a gas station, and "the slippery are very crafty" for slippery when wet.
This is part of China's preparation for the 2008 Olympics. Improvements are supposedly already being observed for instance -- Beijing's "Hospital for Anus and Intestine Disease" is now the "Hospital for Proctology."
China is littered with wrong, embarrassing and sometimes plain rude signs in Chinese English, such as writing "oil gate" for a gas station, and "the slippery are very crafty" for slippery when wet. This is part of China's preparation for the 2008 Olympics. Improvements are supposedly already being observed for instance -- Beijing's "Hospital for Anus and Intestine Disease" is now the "Hospital for Proctology."
Dundas Square to be named Toronto Life Square
The Metropolis on the north side of Dundas Square has sold its naming rights, and, in an odd twist of fate, may have done so in a manner that actually contributes to the area's sense of place. The rights were purchased by Toronto Life, which means there will be at least once space in the square that is, you know, reflective of Toronto.
Early this summer, 20,000 square feet of digital signs should line the outside of the building, including a massive 30-ft.- by-50-ft. video panel, billed by the company as the largest in the country. This is an obvious attempt to copy Times Square in NYC and frankly its urban ugly to me. 20,000 square feet of billboards...gross!
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Happy Birthday Cheeta
Cheeta the chimpanzee, the animal star of 12 Tarzan films in the Thirties and Forties, celebrated his 75th birthday yesterday. I had no idea chimps lived that long but it appears he is the world's oldest chimp.
He has outlived both his human Tarzan costars. Johnny Weissmuller, who played the lead, died in 1984 aged 79, and Maureen O'Sullivan, who was Jane, died in 1998 at 87.
He has outlived both his human Tarzan costars. Johnny Weissmuller, who played the lead, died in 1984 aged 79, and Maureen O'Sullivan, who was Jane, died in 1998 at 87.
Toronto is full of....poop
Toronto bylaws requiring dog walkers to "stoop and scoop" are yielding an unmanageable amount of poop in park trash bins. An auditor's report this week showed that up to 27 per cent of all garbage collected from city parks is pet poop. Bagged pet waste from Toronto's city parks accounts for as much as 2,500 tonnes of landfill every year.This is an example of a public policy issue that was not thought through. The public complained about dog poop in parks and sidewalks. The politicians respond by requiring people to collect the poop. So responsible dog owners responded by cleaning up after their pets. Now what did the municipal politicians expect pet owners to do with the stuff? Save them for Christmas stocking stuffers.
Di Biase Wants Back In
Former Vaughan mayor Michael Di Biase won a partial victory in court today after a judge ruled that a recount was necessary to correct problems that occurred in last November’s elections, which Di Biase lost by 94 votes to his bitter rival, Linda Jackson.
Di Biase had been hoping for a fresh election.
The judge will hear arguments from both sides on how the recount should be conducted. It doesn’t necessarily mean a manual recount. One option might be to feed every single ballot back into the voting machines but this time the machines would be programmed differently. That would allow about 1,600 ballots that were rejected by the machines to be spit out so that they could be examined properly.
We are getting a real technical issue similar to the "hanging chads" in Florida in the 2000 presidential elections. The machines used in at least 25 other Ontario municipalities were set to reject ballots with markings that covered less than 10 per cent of one circle on the ballot or more than 20 per cent of two circles. The city argued that the programming decision by the city clerk was necessary to create order and balance the rights of those voters who wanted to spoil their ballots from those who had accidentally made mistakes and deserved a second chance to vote.
With only a 94 votes difference, it will be interesting to see how examining the 1600 rejected votes will impact on the final results. I'm sure Mayor Jackson is relieved that no new vote will take place.
Di Biase had been hoping for a fresh election.
The judge will hear arguments from both sides on how the recount should be conducted. It doesn’t necessarily mean a manual recount. One option might be to feed every single ballot back into the voting machines but this time the machines would be programmed differently. That would allow about 1,600 ballots that were rejected by the machines to be spit out so that they could be examined properly.
We are getting a real technical issue similar to the "hanging chads" in Florida in the 2000 presidential elections. The machines used in at least 25 other Ontario municipalities were set to reject ballots with markings that covered less than 10 per cent of one circle on the ballot or more than 20 per cent of two circles. The city argued that the programming decision by the city clerk was necessary to create order and balance the rights of those voters who wanted to spoil their ballots from those who had accidentally made mistakes and deserved a second chance to vote.
With only a 94 votes difference, it will be interesting to see how examining the 1600 rejected votes will impact on the final results. I'm sure Mayor Jackson is relieved that no new vote will take place.
Belinda Stronach Walks
Belinda Stronach’s decision to leave politics and return to the private sector is certainly disappointing news to some Liberals for purely tactical reasons but her short stint in politics turn out to be nonconsequential. I may be totally off base but my impression is that her attraction to public life was more about the power and prestige and less about serving the public. How else do you explain the quick jump from to Conservative leadership candidate to rookie MP to Liberal Cabinet Minister in the span of less than 2 years. I also see her as a political lightweight with a lot of ambition.
Her exit from politics may reflect the realization on how difficult it is to make a difference and to pursue a personal agenda. Obviously 3 years appears to be more than enough for her.
She certainly generated strong emotions from the right and left and from Conservatives and Liberals.
Her exit from politics may reflect the realization on how difficult it is to make a difference and to pursue a personal agenda. Obviously 3 years appears to be more than enough for her.
She certainly generated strong emotions from the right and left and from Conservatives and Liberals.
'Sofa Label' Story Picked up by Newswire
The story in the Toronto Star last week about a Toronto family that discovered the label to their sofa that had just bought describe the shade as "Nigger-brown" is now everywhere. The furniture originated from Guangzhou, China. But the reaction of the family is a bit much. "She's not sure she wants the sofa set in her home. 'Every time I sit on it, I'll think of that,' she said".
Once the Ontario Human Rights Commission get through with this complaint every furniture store in Ontario will have to go through sensitivity training as well as stop selling all brown and black sofas.
By the way if you want to get a set of the racist sofas and chairs, it was bought at Vanaik Furniture and Mattress store on Dundas St. E in Mississauga. And no, Don Imus had nothing to do with this.
Double Standards?
As Liberal Lean points out in his link to a Michelle Malkin post entitled Imus vs. the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks Chart (language warning), there is a double standard in play. Don Imus is being attacked for calling a group of black women "nappy-headed hos."
And he should be attacked because these women don't deserves this type of disrespect. No woman deserves that. But while Rev. Al Sharpton goes ballistic about the Imus comment, what about cleaning up the trash that appears on the top rap tracks. The stuff is racist, sexist and demeaning. But black artists are making big money doing it just like Imus so why not? Where is their "two-week suspensions"?
And he should be attacked because these women don't deserves this type of disrespect. No woman deserves that. But while Rev. Al Sharpton goes ballistic about the Imus comment, what about cleaning up the trash that appears on the top rap tracks. The stuff is racist, sexist and demeaning. But black artists are making big money doing it just like Imus so why not? Where is their "two-week suspensions"?
Snakes on a plane - what about mice?
A small mouse running around a Boeing 777 delayed a Vietnam Airlines flight to Tokyo for hours. A passenger saw the mouse on the aircraft, which had arrived in Hanoi from the central city of Danang at 10 p.m. Saturday and was scheduled to continue to Japan. Technicians were sent to seek and destroy the mouse but the mission took over 4 hours. The poor fellow was finally captured alive and taken into custody. It is suspected that he had an accomplice, one of the passengers, but no connection to anyone could be made.
Don Imus Update
Yesterday, a new wrinkle surfaced in the outcry over Don Imus: the bottom line. At least three advertisers associated with Mr. Imus's program on either radio or television -- including the nation's biggest marketer, Procter & Gamble -- suspended their ad support amid a growing controversy over his racist remarks about the Rutgers women's basketball team.It has become a rite of penance for American celebrities and politicians who jeopardize their careers by making racially charged remarks.
First apologize, then embark on an extended ‘healing campaign’ to prove their sensitivity to U.S. minorities. Maybe he can make a teary appearance on Letterman with Michael Richards to underscore his sincerity to racial harmony.
Don Cherry to appear on NBC
The loudest and most garish side show in Canada is being exported to the U.S. After 25 years on CBC's "Hockey Night In Canada', Don Cherry will make his U.S. broadcasting debut as part of NBC's Stanley Cup playoff telecasts. The "man in plaid" will team up with loud-mouth Brett Hull to provide "colour" to the NBC telecasts.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
World's First Underwater Restaurant
Ithaa Undersea Restaurant Dine 16 feet below sea level at the Hilton Maldives Resort & Spa's unique undersea restaurant. Marvel at 360° views of reef and marine life, sip champagne cocktails and sample Maldivian-Western fusion cuisine at this spectacular Maldives restaurant - the world's only all-glass undersea restaurant.
We Have a Winner!!
The DNA testing is complete and the results have come in. And we have a clear winner in the "I Think I'm the Father to Anna Nichol Smith's Baby" contest...former boyfriend Larry Birkhead.
Birkhead jubilantly announced the DNA results after the closed hearing, and then hugged his rival, Howard K. Stern. The reality TV star's lawyer-turned-companion has been caring for baby Dannielynn since Smith's sudden death in February.
Not sure what prize money comes with the baby but it must be substantial to have some many claimants. See my earlier post.
Passover Massacre Foiled, 19 Arrested
Israeli authorities on Tuesday said they have arrested 19 Palestinian militants for planning to set off a huge car bomb in Tel Aviv over the Jewish holiday of Passover.
The suspects are all were Hamas members from the West Bank town of Qalqiliya, the Shin Bet security agency said in a statement. The agency said the arrests took place in late March, but details were only cleared for publication on Tuesday, the day after the week-long holiday ended.
Of course, Hamas officials in Qalqiliya denied the account and said they were not involved in any plot.
Shin Bet said a Palestinian man who apparently intended to blow himself up drove a car packed with 220 pounds of explosives into the Tel Aviv area, then, for reasons not yet clear, returned to Qalqiliya where the car later exploded through a technical malfunction. No one was hurt.
The Israeli media report that the plot was ordered by Hamas renegades in the Gaza Strip who are displeased with the movement's November cease-fire with Israel and its acceptance of the more moderate Fatah movement into a coalition government.
The suspects are all were Hamas members from the West Bank town of Qalqiliya, the Shin Bet security agency said in a statement. The agency said the arrests took place in late March, but details were only cleared for publication on Tuesday, the day after the week-long holiday ended.
Of course, Hamas officials in Qalqiliya denied the account and said they were not involved in any plot.
Shin Bet said a Palestinian man who apparently intended to blow himself up drove a car packed with 220 pounds of explosives into the Tel Aviv area, then, for reasons not yet clear, returned to Qalqiliya where the car later exploded through a technical malfunction. No one was hurt.
The Israeli media report that the plot was ordered by Hamas renegades in the Gaza Strip who are displeased with the movement's November cease-fire with Israel and its acceptance of the more moderate Fatah movement into a coalition government.
Don Imus Suspended for 2 Weeks
"Nappy-Headed Hos" is what Don Imus called the Rutgers women's basketball team on his National radio show. MSNBC and CBS have decided to not fire Don, but suspend his show for two weeks. I have to tell you this guy looks pretty rough to me.
Well if the public radio gig crashes down on him there is always satellite radio.
Not So Subtle Ad
Wow this ad is quite creative. Put up for a job fair in Hamburg Germany and suggests that there are better ways to get ahead at work then....
Monday, April 09, 2007
The World's Most Livable Cities
A new Mercer study hat-tips Zurich and other European, North American, and Asian cities for delivering a stellar quality of life for expatriate executives
Mercer Human Resource Consulting, which provides advice to multinational companies on international assignments, has come up with a global ranking of the world's most livable cities based on 39 criteria ranging from personal safety to public transportation.
Here's the top 10 list:
Toronto (below) was rated #15.
Honolulu was the top American city at #27.
Mercer Human Resource Consulting, which provides advice to multinational companies on international assignments, has come up with a global ranking of the world's most livable cities based on 39 criteria ranging from personal safety to public transportation.
Here's the top 10 list:
Top Canadian city was Vancouver at #3 (below).
- Zurich, Switzerland
- Geneva, Switzerland
- Vancouver, Canada
- Vienna, Austria
- Auckland, New Zealand
- Dusseldorf, Germany
- Frankfurt, Germany
- Munich, Germany
- Bern, Switzerland
- Sydney, Australia
Toronto (below) was rated #15.
Honolulu was the top American city at #27.
Let's Get This Party Started
A couple of Florida Panthers got their off-season started in style, partying into the wee hours of Monday morning and ending up with a trip to the Miami-Dade County jail.
Goaltender Ed Belfour and winger Ville Peltonen "were at Nikki Beach around 1 a.m. when they were asked to leave for disorderly conduct. When the pair refused to leave, an officer responded to the scene." Nice to see Eddie acting his age.
This is where it gets good:
As the officer approached the men, Belfour got into a fighting position, and the two got into a scuffle, which forced the officer to taser Belfour.Belfour was charged with disorderly intoxication and resisting arrest without violence, while Peltonen was booked on criminal mischief charges. There's no word on what bail was set at, though as long as it was less than $1 billion, Belfour would have presumably had it covered. I just love the Crazy Eddie stories.
More than 100% Effort
From a strictly mathematical viewpoint it goes like this:
What Makes 100%?
What Makes 100%?
What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?
Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?
We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%.
How about achieving 103%?
What makes up 100% in life?
Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:
If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:
If:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
is represented as:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.
Then:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.
Then:
H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%
and
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%
But,
A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+9+20+21+4+5 =100%
and
B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T
2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%
AND,
B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T
2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%
AND,
look how far ass kissing will take you.
A-S-S-K-I-S-S-I-N-G
1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 118%
A-S-S-K-I-S-S-I-N-G
1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 118%
So, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that
While HARDWORK and KNOWLEDGE
will get you close,
ATTITUDE
will get you there,
it's the BULLSHIT and ASSKISSING
that will put you over the top.
6 CANADIANS KILLED
The six Canadian soldiers slain, their lives ended on the distant battlefield of Afghanistan. Just as those who came nine decades before gave their young manhood in the Battle of Vimy Ridge.
Keisha Knight Pulliam is 28 Today
She used to play Rudy on The Cosby Show. Today she looks just a little different and is rumoured to have quite the cocaine habit.
Unopposed Candidate Gets No Votes
Joe Selle didn't exactly get voted out office this week, but he wasn't re-elected, either.
Selle, who was running unopposed for Missouri City Council, didn't get any votes at all. Not even one from himself. He had forgotten that Tuesday was election day, and apparently so did Ward 3's other 34 registered voters.
The result was zero votes cast in Selle's race, but the city charter lets him keep the seat unless someone else is "successfully elected and qualified," the city attorney said.
In Memory of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, 9-12 April 1917
The Canadian victory at Vimy was a defining moment for Canada, when the country emerged from under the shadow of Britain. The Canadian Corps was ordered to seize Vimy Ridge in April 1917. The four Canadian divisions stormed the ridge at 5:30am on 9 April 1917. . Three more days of battle delivered final victory. The Canadian operation was an important success. But it was victory at a heavy cost: 3,598 Canadians were killed and another 7,000 wounded.
Personal Info found in Parking Lot
Well it is becoming obvious that privacy laws do not protect Canadians for possible privacy breaches. Not as long as those entrusted with personal information do stupid things.
Borrowed Movie Quiz
1. Name a movie that you have seen more than 10 times.
Annie Hall, The Producers (1968), Sunset Boulevard, Lawrence of Arabia, every Marx Brothers movie
2. Name a movie that you've seen multiple times in the theater.
Apocalypse Now
3. Name an actor that would make you more inclined to see a movie.
Kate Winslet
4. Name an actor that would make you less likely to see a movie.
Richard Gere
5. Name a movie that you can and do quote from.
Annie Hall
6. Name a movie musical that you know all of the lyrics to all of the songs.
Evita, Music Man
7. Name a movie that you have been known to sing along with.
I'm not permitted to sing - not even in the shower
8. Name a movie that you would recommend everyone see.
The Godfather
9. Name a movie that you own.
Schindler's List
10. Name an actor that launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who has surprised you with his/her acting chops.
definitely it would be Mark Wahlberg, Cybil Sheppard
11. Have you ever seen a movie in a drive-in? If so, what?
Animal House
12. Ever made out in a movie?
No
13. Name a movie that you keep meaning to see but just haven't yet gotten around to it.
Venus
14. Ever walked out of a movie?
Yes but can't remember it thank god.
15. Name a movie that made you cry in the theater.
Wizard of Oz
16. Popcorn?
Rarely
17. How often do you go to the movies (as opposed to renting them or watching them at home)?
once a month
18. What’s the last movie you saw in the theater?
Last King of Scotland
19. What’s your favorite/preferred genre of movie?
Indies
20. What’s the first movie you remember seeing in the theater?
Babes in Toyland
21. What movie do you wish you had never seen?
The Producers (2005)
22. What is the weirdest movie you enjoyed?
A Clockwork Orange
23. What is the scariest movie you’ve seen?
Psycho
24. What is the funniest movie you’ve seen?
The Producers (1968)
Annie Hall, The Producers (1968), Sunset Boulevard, Lawrence of Arabia, every Marx Brothers movie
2. Name a movie that you've seen multiple times in the theater.
Apocalypse Now
3. Name an actor that would make you more inclined to see a movie.
Kate Winslet
4. Name an actor that would make you less likely to see a movie.
Richard Gere
5. Name a movie that you can and do quote from.
Annie Hall
6. Name a movie musical that you know all of the lyrics to all of the songs.
Evita, Music Man
7. Name a movie that you have been known to sing along with.
I'm not permitted to sing - not even in the shower
8. Name a movie that you would recommend everyone see.
The Godfather
9. Name a movie that you own.
Schindler's List
10. Name an actor that launched his/her entertainment career in another medium but who has surprised you with his/her acting chops.
definitely it would be Mark Wahlberg, Cybil Sheppard
11. Have you ever seen a movie in a drive-in? If so, what?
Animal House
12. Ever made out in a movie?
No
13. Name a movie that you keep meaning to see but just haven't yet gotten around to it.
Venus
14. Ever walked out of a movie?
Yes but can't remember it thank god.
15. Name a movie that made you cry in the theater.
Wizard of Oz
16. Popcorn?
Rarely
17. How often do you go to the movies (as opposed to renting them or watching them at home)?
once a month
18. What’s the last movie you saw in the theater?
Last King of Scotland
19. What’s your favorite/preferred genre of movie?
Indies
20. What’s the first movie you remember seeing in the theater?
Babes in Toyland
21. What movie do you wish you had never seen?
The Producers (2005)
22. What is the weirdest movie you enjoyed?
A Clockwork Orange
23. What is the scariest movie you’ve seen?
Psycho
24. What is the funniest movie you’ve seen?
The Producers (1968)
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Naughty Burqa Girl
In Iran, according to der Speigel, the hottest selling product in the shops and kiosks around Tehran is a grainy two-year-old porno film that apparently shows a hugely popular Iranian film and TV star Sahra Amir Ebrahimi with her boyfriend, doing moves that make the Mullahs mad.
Over 100,000 of the DVDs have sold at the hefty price, for the Iranian ruin of an economy, at $13 each.
So in honour of those sex starved Iranians I've posted a very naughty Muslim girl.
Naked Gefilte Fish
Passover Seder is not like Thanksgiving. The shank bone, egg, parsley, horseradish, and salt water that are included on the traditional Seder Plate are there primarily for symbolic reasons, not because they're especially tasty.
Brad Levy, chef-owner of Firefly Restaurant in San Francisco, has done his best to change this, cooking Passover Seder for his customers for the last 13 years. See a slideshow of the process of making Naked Gefilte Fish.
Brad Levy, chef-owner of Firefly Restaurant in San Francisco, has done his best to change this, cooking Passover Seder for his customers for the last 13 years. See a slideshow of the process of making Naked Gefilte Fish.
Unrecycling: The Wave of the Future?
We all know what recycling is … but what about unrecycling?
How do you unrecycle something? Does the Chinese government fill up the can with trash and require pedestrians to take some with them? How else do you explain the unrecycling logo:
How do you unrecycle something? Does the Chinese government fill up the can with trash and require pedestrians to take some with them? How else do you explain the unrecycling logo:
Cool Toy - Remote Control R2D2
Thinkgeek is selling this cute, mini, remote-controlled R2D2 from Japan that will amaze Star Wars fanboys everywhere!
The size of a regular action figure, this tiny droid is fully controllable from the included lightsaber remote. Authentic R2-D2 sounds, turning head and red LED eye complete the package.
No more playing with your old skool Star Wars figures by shaking them and talking in a funny voice, this is the real deal... and we don't kid when it come to Star Wars. We would have killed for this little R2 gem as a kid and it's still pretty damn cool as an adult.
Be sure to watch the cool video!
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