For those who don't believe in global warming...

A giant ice shelf has snapped free from an island south of the North Pole, scientists said Thursday, citing climate change as a "major" reason for the event. The Ayles Ice Shelf — all 41 square miles of it — broke clear 16 months ago from the coast of Ellesmere Island, about 500 miles south of the North Pole in the Canadian Arctic.

This is a dramatic and disturbing event. It shows that we are losing remarkable features of the Canadian North that have been in place for many thousands of years. Scientist speculated that we are crossing climate thresholds, and these may signal the onset of accelerated change ahead.

It was the largest such break in nearly three decades, casting an ice floe with an area of 66 square km (25 square miles) adrift in the Arctic Ocean. To bring things into perspective, Manhattan has an area of 61 square km (24 square miles). The mass is now 50 square km (19 square miles) in size.

The Arctic is all frozen up for the winter and it's stuck in the sea ice about 50 km (30 miles) off the coast. The risk is that next summer, as that sea ice melts, this large ice island can then move itself around off the coast and one potential path for it is to make its way westward toward the Beaufort Sea, and the Beaufort Sea is where there is lots of oil and gas exploration, oil rigs and shipping.

A Stroll Down Memory Lane

The administrations of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush authorized the sale to Iraq of numerous items that had both military and civilian applications, including poisonous chemicals and deadly biological viruses, such as anthrax and bubonic plague in its war with Iran(1980-88). One of the people that pushed for close relations with Baghdad in 1983 was Donald H. Rumsfeld.

Stating the Obvious

Communications 101

Hizbullah paying for Kassam attacks

Hizbullah is paying Palestinian splinter groups "thousands of dollars" for each Kassam rocket fired at the western Negev, The Jerusalem Post has learned. According to Israeli intelligence information, Hizbullah is smuggling cash into the Gaza Strip and paying "a number of unknown local splinter groups" for each attack.

Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) sources said the Islamist organization paid several thousand dollars for each attack, with the amount dependent on the number of Israelis killed or wounded. "We know that Hizbullah is involved in funding terrorist activity in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank," a security official said.

According to security officials, Islamic Jihad gets the money via its headquarters in Damascus while Fatah's Tanzim terror group and the Popular Resistance Committees receive payment from Hizbullah in Lebanon.

All of the money originated in Iran, the officials said.

Government officials said Hamas was not currently involved in firing missiles, but was doing nothing to stop those who were.

Celebrity Scandal To-Do List

1. Make an ass out of yourself.

2. Try to sound sincere when making your public apology.

3. Hire a public relations firm.

4. Appear on Larry King or Oprah and admit to a troubled childhood.

5. Check into rehab.

6. Start process over again.

Now The Bloodshed Really Begins

Saddam Hussein al-Tikriti, April 28, 1937 - December 30, 2006

And Now a Word From the Dethroned Pageant Queen

A follow up to an earlier post.

How pathetic. After being dumped as Miss Nevada over raunchy photos posted online, Katie Rees is begging for her crown back. She appeared in photos revealing a breast, exposing her thong underwear and kissing other young women at a party in Tampa, now says her behavior was an "isolated incident." Good Lord, have you no shame. You acted like a drunk pig only once in your life. Go ahead Donald, give the slut a second chance. We are running low on role models anyway.

Global Warming

Evolution

No Free TTC Rides on New Year's Eve

There won't be any free rides on the Toronto Transit Commission this New Year's Eve. Many systems, including those in Vancouver, Edmonton and Halifax, offer the free service. But the TTC says the cost of opening the doors – more than $1 million for the night – is simply too high. A real shame but in the past corporate sponsors have come forward to pay the bill. Also reduces the number of drunks on the road as does the number of police spot checks.

Anyway there are still fee rides in Mississauga, York Region, Durham Region, and on GO Transit, thanks to sponsorship from Ontario Power Generation.

Exploiting the Poor - Pawnshop Charges 207,981% Interest

A Calgary pawnshop operator has been convicted of criminal usury for charging "unconscionable" loan rates, including one case where a man was charged 207,981 per cent interest. Although many pawnshops charge 30 per cent for a one-month loan, deals and extensions that provide the lender with more than 60 per cent interest are illegal in Canada. These types of people are worse than the Pay Day Loan companies in exploiting vulnerable and unsophisticated consumers.

From the Twisted Files - Wigs for Babies

I found this company Baby Toupee that sells wigs for babies. I guess for people who are concerned that their newborn has no hair. At first I thought it was a joke. But based on their mission statement, this is a serious product (for some).

The mission of Santa Barbara, CA-based BabyToupee and SmallHuman, LLC is to show that while parenting can be a great responsibility, it can also be a source of endless amusement. The company’s goal is to bring creative and fun products to market that make parenting a little more fun, all while bringing a smile to the face of their children. Life is too short to take seriously… have fun with your baby!

You tell me their isn't something terribly wrong with society when people are selling Donald Trump wigs ($24.99) for babies.

Works like a charm

Where is Osama Bin Laden?

An unconfirmed source reported that Bin Laden was recently spotted eating lunch at a MacDonalds in downtown Islamabad. The Pakistani secret police are investigating.

I'm working for the wrong government

SEOUL, Korea (Reuters) — The South Korean government is handing out gifts for office workers who promise not to visit brothels this holiday season. “If you promise yourself to make it a healthy night out at the end of the year, and if you recommend this to others, we are giving lots of prizes,” the Ministry of Gender Equality said in an Internet posting. The ministry is offering to pay companies whose employees pledge not to buy sex after what are typically alcohol-soaked, year-end parties.

A ministry spokesman confirmed the campaign but declined to answer questions about it. But a ministry official told the Korea Times daily: “Korean corporate culture that includes heavy drinking is also what makes buying sex acceptable as a way for male-bonding, which is proving to be a hard-to-break ritual.” The ministry is offering movie tickets based on the number of employees who pledge not to visit prostitutes as well as a cash prize of 1 million won ($1,077) for the company which enlists the most employees in the campaign.

Let the Israel Bashing Resume

A day after two teen-age boys were badly wounded by a rocket fired from Gaza, Israel ordered its military to partially end a cease-fire and resume attacks on the Palestinians who are firing the rockets. The order came more than a month after a cease-fire was declared between Israel and Palestinian groups in Gaza. The Palestinians promised to stop rocket fire on Nov. 26, and the Israelis promised not to carry out military activities inside Gaza. 66 rockets had been launched toward Israel since the cease-fire and 52 had landed there. The ruling militant group Hamas said it was respecting the cease-fire, but it was doing nothing to stop other militant groups, like Islamic Jihad and Fatah’s Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades, from firing rockets. Afterall, when should governments be accountable for armed thugs living in its midst.

I am guessing the Israel bashers will accuse Israel of being the first the break the cease fire.

Makes you want to go inside and check it out...

I Love Pandas

...hmm how come the panda has snow and we don't?

Since Gary Glitter is Out, Who's up for "Karma Chameleon"?

You know, it's a sad commentary that, in this day and age, a guy currently serving time in a Vietnamese prison for the statutory rape of 11 year old girls can't pump up the crowd at a football game. What's this world coming to?

The NFL has effectively banned stadiums from playing Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll Part 2" after the Brit rocker was convicted of molesting underage girls in Vietnam, prompting a search for a substitute celebratory anthem. The Denver Broncos switched to Big Bad Voodoo Daddy's "Go Daddy-o"; Kansas City Chiefs fans voted for P.O.D.'s "Boom."

Well, considering most of Michael Jackson's oeuvre is probably out, might we suggest some good-hearted music by ... uh ... OK, we don't know any rock bands who haven't had sex with girls under 18. Wait: Boy George. Boy George has probably never had sex with a woman under the age of 18. Who's up for "Karma Chameleon," yeah!

The Christmas Lights Are Amazing!

Just got back from seeing lights mentioned in an earlier post and they were incredible. If you live in the Toronto area I suggest getting up to Newmarket before Jan 2. Directions, pictures, videos etc. are here. I took a few of my own pictures.

Commercial Baby Ultrasounds

Ultrasounds are the latest craze for expectant mothers and a number of commercial vendors have popped including U C Baby, 3D Baby, and See3D. Parents are running to these centres to have imaging done to add their photo albums like it was just another Sears portrait. Here is an example of an ad: "For those searching for the perfect gift for a mom-to-be, we also offer gift certificates. Treat someone special to an unforgettable experience that instantly forges a deeper bond between a mother and her unborn baby."

The companies claim there is no risk but I noticed the Ontario Medical Association claims that ultrasound can affect a fetus and suggest that scans be conducted for medical reasons only and has asked the government to ban souvenir ultrasounds. The companies claim that radiologists don't like the competition. The Ontario Ministry of Health is reviewing the issue. I know I avoid any evasive medical procedure. I can't believe how stupid people can be with the unborn babies while trying to copy Tom Cruise.

Farewell Soul Brother Number 1

He was the hardest working man is show business....James Brown.

Movie Review - Blood Diamond

Last night I caught another movie which turned out to be much better than the last one I saw. Blood Diamond takes place during the civil war in Sierra Leone during the 1990s. The film is an action-adventure, romance story with politics in the background. It is exciting and stunningly well made but I must warn you with a fair amount of violence.

The civil war in Sierra Leone is fuelled by the trade in “blood diamonds”—in which gems are smuggled out of the country and sold to European buyers for arms money. Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou), a fisherman, loses his son to the guerrilla army, the Revolutionary United Front, which press-gangs the boy into service. The R.U.F. also forces Solomon to work in the diamond fields, where he pulls a pink stone from the marshy waters. He buries it, but word gets around. It’s a very big diamond, and a smuggler named Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), a white Rhodesian by birth and a former mercenary in Angola, wants it. In the capital city of Freetown, Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), a magazine reporter, tries to cozy up to Archer so that she can get the story of how the smuggling racket works. Solomon, Danny, and Maddy all want something, and they take turns using, helping, and half trusting one another to get it, stumbling in and out of war zones as young killers rampage through the towns firing AK-47s from the backs of pickup trucks.

What stands this movie apart from most other adventure films is the acting of DiCaprio and Hounsou who will both be strongly considered for Oscar nominations. DiCaprio is likely the most talented actor in his age group right now and he is totally believable in this role. He is almost as good as he was in The Departed.

Look What Santa Brung Me

Write a Speech for President Bush

Hey boys and girls wouldn't you like to write speechs for President Bush. You've heard him speak and mis-speak. Now you can put words into his mouth. Just click here. Make the man sound brillient, Good luck!