So what is a dangerous wealthy person lump?
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Fiscal Conservatives? Not!
Remember when a vote for conservative politicians meant lower taxes, smaller government, more free markets and less government intrusion?
Obviously, the leaders of two of the biggest spending governments in history can not. They simple pick their winners and spend like drunken sailors.
Oh My, Marcia Brady is 50
Actress Maureen McCormick, who played Marcia on “The Brady Bunch” came out in this month’s issue of People magazine, admitting that she once suffered from bulimia and cocaine use.
But what surprised me was the discovery that she is 50. And she still looks cute.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Friday's Headlines
These are the headlines for Friday, March 23, 2007:
Mom, Dad and Molester Son Accused of Sex Attack, Murder of 6-year-old [AP]
Woman Impaled in Face with Pipe Survives [Fox]
College Students Face Rising Costs for Contraceptives [Fox]
Houdini May Have Been Murdered [Reuters]
Texas Women Lied about Kidnapping Because They Broke Curfew [Fox]
Off-duty Chicago Cop Beats Up Female Bartender [NBC]
American Idol Fan on Hunger Strike Until Sanjaya Gets the Ax [Access Hollywood]
PA Man Convicted of 971 Sex Crimes for Abusing Girl for a Decade [AP]
White Couple has Black Child, Sues Fertility Clinic [NBC]
Teacher Accused of Affair with Student Who was Shot to Death Attempts Suicide [Fox]
And I thought I had problems
Mom, Dad and Molester Son Accused of Sex Attack, Murder of 6-year-old [AP]
Woman Impaled in Face with Pipe Survives [Fox]
College Students Face Rising Costs for Contraceptives [Fox]
Houdini May Have Been Murdered [Reuters]
Texas Women Lied about Kidnapping Because They Broke Curfew [Fox]
Off-duty Chicago Cop Beats Up Female Bartender [NBC]
American Idol Fan on Hunger Strike Until Sanjaya Gets the Ax [Access Hollywood]
PA Man Convicted of 971 Sex Crimes for Abusing Girl for a Decade [AP]
White Couple has Black Child, Sues Fertility Clinic [NBC]
Teacher Accused of Affair with Student Who was Shot to Death Attempts Suicide [Fox]
And I thought I had problems
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Is Anywhere Safe?
Vietnam veteran Dean Blevins figures he's had countless brushes with death.
A 58-year-old auto mechanic, Blevins has spent plenty of time underneath cars, too.
Early Tuesday morning, he could have died beneath the Jeep that crashed through his wall and pinned him in his bed until firefighters could get him out.
"If I'd a had my gun," Blevins said, "I'd a probably shot him."
The driver, whom police identified as 34-year-old Wesley Dewayne Smith of Roanoke, was charged with driving under the influence.
Fire officials did not have an estimate on the damage to the building. Blevins' apartment was condemned until repairs can be made; none of the tenants in the other four units were displaced.
Hide the hair clippers and stash the booze - she's out!
Britney Spears is back home from rehab "after successfully completing their program," her spokesman said yesterday.
And now - after a very public head shaving and an umbrella attack on the paparazzi - she is begging for privacy. Not likely.
Forbes magazine recently ranked Brit as the 12th-richest woman in entertainment. Her networth is estimated at $100 million. During her brief career, she has sold 75 million records and enjoyed seven hit singles. Her tours have grossed $145 million to date.
A single new hit could rake in millions, converting the negative publicity into just publicity.
Adam Sandler as an Emergency Replacement for Dave Letterman
When David Letterman went home sick with the stomach flu, Adam Sandler was recruited as a last-minute fill-in for the CBS "Late Show" host. He indicated that he had never interviewed anybody in my life, So he brought out his pet bulldog, Matzoball, who strutted confidently on stage and plopped down comfortably in the guest chair. Sadly, Sandler should never be a TV host based on this appearance. Although I recognize it was very last minute.
Calvert DeForest Passes Away
Character actor Calvert DeForest, best known for his dead-pan appearances as the pudgy, bespectacled everyman Larry "Bud" Melman on David Letterman's late-night TV show, has died at age 85.
DeForest, one of several quirky regulars used to comic effect by Letterman, debuted as Larry "Bud" Melman in 1982 during the premiere episode of NBC's "Late Night with David Letterman," which the network introduced following "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson." DeForest was 60 at the time.
With his thick glasses, pasty complexion and spacey demeanor, he went on to make dozens of appearances as Larry Bud on Letterman's NBC program, assigned such oddball chores as handing out hot towels to arriving passengers at New York's main bus terminal and pamphlets urging defection to passersby outside the Soviet Consulate.
DeForest, one of several quirky regulars used to comic effect by Letterman, debuted as Larry "Bud" Melman in 1982 during the premiere episode of NBC's "Late Night with David Letterman," which the network introduced following "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson." DeForest was 60 at the time.
With his thick glasses, pasty complexion and spacey demeanor, he went on to make dozens of appearances as Larry Bud on Letterman's NBC program, assigned such oddball chores as handing out hot towels to arriving passengers at New York's main bus terminal and pamphlets urging defection to passersby outside the Soviet Consulate.
He continued to show up on the "Late Show with David Letterman" after the host jumped to rival network CBS in 1993, but DeForest dropped the Larry "Bud" Melman moniker, which NBC claimed as its own intellectual property. His last appearance on the "Late Show" was in 2002, celebrating his 81st birthday.
He was my favourite Letterman character. Below is a classic clip greeting passengers at the bus terminal and approaching people in a bear suit.Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Federal Budget Sucks
I was lead to believe the pre-election government would have goodies for everyone. So I looked through the package. Nothing. Went over it again. Still nothing.
So the Conservative government creates a spending flurry like no one has ever seen before in Canada but nothing comes my way.
Lot of smoke but no fire.
So the Conservative government creates a spending flurry like no one has ever seen before in Canada but nothing comes my way.
Lot of smoke but no fire.
Afraid of Heights?
Scheduled to open to the public next week, the Grand Canyon Skywalk juts improbably from the Canyon’s lip, reaching 70 feet out into the void. (Well, it’s not exactly a void, but being that it would take 15 seconds to fall from the Skywalk to the Canyon floor 4,000 feet below, it may as well be.) Commissioned by the Hualapai Indian tribe, Skywalk is that rare Indian attraction that’s not gambling-related — unless you consider braving the 90-mph winds that whip upward from the Canyon gambling with your life. No other bridge in the world withstands that kind of force, though this transparent feat of engineering is designed to safely sustain the weight 700 hefty men at a time. If peering over a 400-story drop isn’t pants-peeingly scary enough for you, the tribe has plans to ferry visitors along the bottom of the walk in a modified maintenance car.
I'm going to Grand Canyon this fall but I'll pass on the Skywalk!
Animal Rights Activists Want to Kill Cute Baby Bear
Animal rights activists are calling for a baby polar bear raised by humans at the Berlin Zoo to be killed. The polar bear cub named Knut looks cute, cuddly and has become a front-page media darling, but now the activists insist he would have been better off dead than raised by humans. The cub was abandoned by its mother.
Animal rights activists suggest that feeding by hand is not species-appropriate and a gross violation of animal protection laws. The insist that the zoo must kill the bear. So much for protecting this particular cub.
Meanwhile, it is the first baby polar bear to be born at the Berlin Zoo in 30 years and school children and adults are ready to line up to see him. Knut has his own TV show and video podcast, a photo shoot with famed photographer Annie Leibovitz and a long-awaited public debut scheduled in the coming days.
NHL Continues to Market Violence Over Talent
The night the Devil's Cam Janssen leveled Maple Leaf Thomas Kaberle with a late hit and concussion, the players vowed to get even by coming back in the game to beat New Jersey. They did just that in a shootout but that's not how it works in the NHL. There is still the unwritten code that someone has to punish Janssen beyond the 3-game suspension handed out by the NHL.
So last night, despite public pronouncements that there would be no payback, Wade Belak challenged Janssen to a fight the first time the two were both on the ice. The officials allowed the fight to proceed for almost 2 minutes without intervening. The players and coaches watched with approval. The Toronto fans went wild chanting "Belak! Belak!" Of course no action or comment will from the NHL.
Hockey has always condoned this type of violence while other sports do not. And hockey is no where as popular as these other sports but the NHL sees no connection. The action taken by Belak has similarities to the attack by Todd Bertuzzi on Steve Moore. It was retribution for an earlier foul on a star teammate. The difference was Bertuzzi attacked from behind while Belak challenged his opponent face to face. No suspension for beating the crap out of a guy if he sees you coming.
The NHL continues to cling to the belief that fans want fighting. Well perhaps their small fan base like it. But maybe they would be more successful in expanding that base if they eliminated fighting from the game. Just look at the start of the CBC's Hockey Night in Canada broadcast each Saturday. The theme song is "'Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting".
In the NHL, every night is alright for fighting.
Peter McKay vs. Elizabeth May
Now a table comparing Peter McKay and Elizabeth May and their achievements:
Source
| May | MacKay | |
| Catapulted into Politics by | Leadership in the Sierra Club | Dad |
| Best Known for | Running the Sierra Club | Dating Belinda Stronach |
| Most Hated by | Jack Layton and the Smoggies | David Orchard and Dogs |
| Most Recent Goof-Up | Tried to recruit Senators and zombies | Covered up the Pearson Peace Prize Medal at a news conference |
| Most Recent Success | Failing to recruit Garth Turner | Getting photo taken with Condi Rice |
Source
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Psychiatrist Sodomizes Patient with Toilet Brush (and more)
An Ottawa psychiatrist accused of having depraved sex and torturing two of his male patients -- alleged acts that included tying a rope around one young man's genitals and leading him around the office -- will never practise again, a College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario disciplinary hearing heard yesterday.
Dr. Juan Ernesto Tejeda Rosario, 68, known as Dr. Tejeda has resigned his membership in the college and will never be allowed to reapply in Ontario or any other jurisdiction.
College documents allege Tejeda forced one patient to perform oral and oral-anal sex.
The same documents accuse Tejeda of raping a second young man, also a patient, while his head was in a toilet and sodomizing him with a toilet brush. He's also accused of piercing the patient's scrotum and penis with a needle so it would bleed. It's also alleged that the second patient was forced to perform oral sex with a plastic bag over his head.
This guy should be interrogating "enemy combatants" at Camp Gitmo.
Dr. Juan Ernesto Tejeda Rosario, 68, known as Dr. Tejeda has resigned his membership in the college and will never be allowed to reapply in Ontario or any other jurisdiction.
College documents allege Tejeda forced one patient to perform oral and oral-anal sex.
The same documents accuse Tejeda of raping a second young man, also a patient, while his head was in a toilet and sodomizing him with a toilet brush. He's also accused of piercing the patient's scrotum and penis with a needle so it would bleed. It's also alleged that the second patient was forced to perform oral sex with a plastic bag over his head.
This guy should be interrogating "enemy combatants" at Camp Gitmo.
"Bong Hits 4 Jesus" Goes to Supreme Court
Back in 2002, the Olympic torch was to pass in front of a school in Alaska. The school released the kids from class to watch the event, and one kid, a shit disturber, decides to unfurl a "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" banner on the other side of the street - land that is off of school property. He is suspended because of the content of the banner.
The message connected drug use and religion in a nonsensical phrase that was designed to provoke. Five years later, Joseph Frederick has a date at the Supreme Court in what is shaping up as an important test of constitutional rights. He said he first saw the slogan on a snowboard and thought it would make a good test of his rights because, though meaningless, it sounds provocative.
To make this more interesting, former independent counsel Kenneth Starr is representing the school district free of charge. Mr. Starr had the lead in the Clinton impeachment preceedings.
School bans 'unsafe' knotted ties
A school in Manchester, England has banned its pupils from wearing knotted ties because it says they could pose a safety risk. Clip-on ties will now be worn because they will prevent potential accidents. The tie rule will be strictly enforced from September with loose tie offenders sent home.It seems like another instance of political correctness and health and safety gone off the rail because the school or any other school haven't had any accidents to trigger the change.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Google Phone is in the works
Google Inc. is developing its own mobile phone, according to industry insiders and analysts. Google isn't commenting directly on leaks which describe a low-cost, Internet-connected phone with a color, wide-screen design.
Gadget enthusiasts who only two months ago were obsessed with the potential revolutionary impact on the phone industry of Apple Inc.'s iPhone device -- due out in June and at prices starting at $500 -- have shifted their attention to whether Google is developing an even lower-cost phone.
"Star Candidate" Peter Kent to Try Again
Yesterday, former journalist Peter Kent formally launched his campaign as the federal Tory candidate for Thornhill, hoping for his own victory in the next election.
Mr. Kent spent four decades in broadcast journalism in Canada and abroad before deciding to take a chance on politics in 2005 by running for the Conservatives. Kent lost the 2006 election to Liberal Cabinet minister Carolyn Bennett by more than 20,000 votes in the affluent downtown riding of St. Paul's.
Mr. Kent spent four decades in broadcast journalism in Canada and abroad before deciding to take a chance on politics in 2005 by running for the Conservatives. Kent lost the 2006 election to Liberal Cabinet minister Carolyn Bennett by more than 20,000 votes in the affluent downtown riding of St. Paul's.
But he believes his fortunes will be different in the 905 area.
Mr. Kent will have to unseat Liberal incumbent MP Susan Kadis, a former community news publisher and Thornhill city councillor, who won her second term last year. Ms. Kadis trounced her Conservative opponent by 10,000 votes in 2004 and 2006.Everyone Should Like the Federal Budget Except Conservatives
Definitely it can now be argued that the Conservative Party has shifted towards the centre of the political spectrum with the Budget tabled today. Lots and lots of spending and no corporate tax cut. Andrew Coyne looked at the budget and says that it spends more than Paul Martin did in his “frantic” last hours. Ouch!
The National Citizen Coalition issued a press release that concluded:
..."it’s wrong to dole out billions of tax dollars to the provinces to address the so-called “fiscal imbalance.”
“The real fiscal imbalance is the one taxpayers see in their wallets thanks to high taxes.”
The whole Blogging Tory community is in a deep funk.
The National Citizen Coalition issued a press release that concluded:
..."it’s wrong to dole out billions of tax dollars to the provinces to address the so-called “fiscal imbalance.”
“The real fiscal imbalance is the one taxpayers see in their wallets thanks to high taxes.”
The whole Blogging Tory community is in a deep funk.
Ouch!
I look at poor Salma Hayek and all I can say is thank God men don't get pregnant. Look what it can do to your body.
Hooters is heading for Holy Land
U.S. restaurant chain Hooters, known for waitresses in low-cut blouses and short skirts, will open its first branch in Israel this summer, in the Mediterranean seaside city of Tel Aviv."I strongly believe that the Hooters concept is something that Israelis are looking for," Ofer Ahiraz, who bought the Hooters franchise for Israel, told Reuters on Monday. "Hooters can suit the Israeli entertainment culture."
Food chains such as Starbucks, Dunkin' Donuts and Hard Rock Cafe failed, Kentucky Fried Chicken closed many locations, while others such as Burger King and McDonalds have thrived by altering their offerings to suit the Israeli market.
First Class Comes With All the Extras
A passenger in first class woke up to a shock when he found himself sitting near a corpse on a British Airways flight, newspapers reported on Monday.
Paul Trinder, 54, said cabin crew moved the body of the elderly woman from the economy section where she had died after take-off, the Mirror and Sun said. "The corpse was strapped into the seat but because of turbulence it kept slipping down on to the floor," Trinder, a businessman, was quoted as saying. "It was horrific. The body had to be wedged in place with lots of pillows." The woman's daughter was also upgraded and spent the rest of the nine-hour flight from Delhi to London grieving next to her dead mother, the Sun reported.
Paul Trinder, 54, said cabin crew moved the body of the elderly woman from the economy section where she had died after take-off, the Mirror and Sun said. "The corpse was strapped into the seat but because of turbulence it kept slipping down on to the floor," Trinder, a businessman, was quoted as saying. "It was horrific. The body had to be wedged in place with lots of pillows." The woman's daughter was also upgraded and spent the rest of the nine-hour flight from Delhi to London grieving next to her dead mother, the Sun reported.
May Day! May Day!
People likely have heard that, Green Party leader Elizabeth May has decided to take on Foreign Affairs Minister Peter McKay in the riding of Central Nova.
She has been ask why she wouldn’t run in "environment-friendly" B.C. or a vacant London, ON riding where she may have a better chance of victory. She has indicated she likes a challenging race. In fact she toyed with the idea of going head to head against Environment Minister John Baird in Ottawa. The woman has moxie.
Pretty much everyone has written off May as a no-hoper and they’re probably correct, but it should be noted that McKay only won the riding by 3,273 votes in the last election over his nearest rival Alexis MacDonald of the NDP. Hardly a cakewalk by any stretch of the imagination. Partly it depends on the Liberal's strategy who don't have a hope of taking the riding but could influence the outcome. So let’s see, is the Green leader out to lunch, or is she a cunning strategist?
Fred Thompson for President
The American readers of this blog need to explain to me sometime why the love affair with Fred Thompson. I keep hearing this background noise from Republicans similar to the Al Gore buzz from the Democrats. I know about his background but not sure why people think he would make a good president. Is it partly because the Republican field right now is weak?
Sunday, March 18, 2007
HP SAUCE... No Longer British
What's next?
Will they replace the House of Parliament with a Dutch windmill?
Jeopardy Game Ends in 3-Way Tie
After 23 years Jeopardy had its first 3-way tie this week. The show contacted a mathematician who calculated the odds of such a three-way tie happening — one in 25 million.
The three contestants were all declared champions and walked away with $16,000. They taped a rematch that will air Monday.
Movie Review - The Last King of Scotland
The Last King of Scotland" is not a bioflick. It was inspired by "true" events, which leaves more room for invention. It's the story of a young Scottish doctor who in 1971 signs up with the British Ministry of Health to work in a remote Ugandan village and winds up living the high life in Kampala, under the tight fist of Gen. Idi Amin. It's a bit of a letdown to discover the events depicted are only partially factual. Amin, of course, was real, as was his buffoonish charm, his brutal slaying of nearly 300,000 people and his kitschy love of all things Scottish (his sons were named McKenzie, Campbell, McLaren and Mackintosh).The general is played by Forest Whitaker, an actor whose sweet and jovial features counteract his imposing physique and vice versa, creating a curious tension that he fully exploits here. Dr. Nicholas Garrigan (James McAvoy), however, is fictional who became one of Amin's closest advisors and was known in the British press as "Amin's white rat." His vanity, idealism and lust for adventure make him especially vulnerable to Amin's insidious charm. And Nicholas willfully ignores early signs of trouble, the better to bask in his new role as the dictator's best friend and confidant, choosing to believe he is helping usher Uganda into its new iteration as a free black African nation.
Whitaker plunges deep into the psychology of the role, portraying Amin as an erratic personality whose charisma and sociability — first-rate survival mechanisms — mask a deep-seated insecurity, searing resentment of foreigners and a galloping paranoia. Nicholas is just as interesting of a character with blinding narcissism that makes him as dangerous as Amin.
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