Thursday, March 31, 2011
Mayor Ford plans to make Toronto much blander than it already is
OMG, the citizens are expressing themselves through art! Art not commissioned and paid for by a corporation!
This has to stop!
905 aesthetics for everyone!
Mayor Rob Ford announced a major blitz of graffiti Wednesday.
Ford’s graffiti pledge came alongside the city’s annual 20-minute makeover announcement.
During the election campaign, Ford vowed to tackle graffiti, proclaiming he would “clean this city up once and for all” and within six months “I guarantee there will not be graffiti,” he said on the campaign trail.
I hope the artists of this city declare war on this nasty "little" man.
The most horrific part of the story: city hall's plan to "work closely with the arts community to create legal murals"
Let that sink in folks. "Legal" murals...
“There is no question, my friends, that art is beautiful,” Palacio said.
But the art that this will produce will be of surpassing hideousness.
Unless it is a life sized tableau depicting the main events in the lives of Our Glorious Leaders, The Brothers Ford.
There must be a wall big enough, somewhere. The dancing hippos scene from Fantasia would be perfect inspiration.
The pink colour of the tutus would have to be changed, out of respect of course.
Read more here.
Mayor Ford has dinner with shady businessman. And this is news?
Oh look, His Lordship Mayor Ford is acting like any other politician, not totally above board.
And he's only a few months in.
What fun we will have...
In an act that some say amounts to selling access to the city’s highest office, Mayor Rob Ford’s campaign auctioned off a meeting with him to a businessman once found by a civil court to have misappropriated hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The revelation Wednesday came as the full list of the mayor’s campaign donors was posted online, demonstrating that, although he raised much of his war chest from small contributions, he also garnered money from big-name developers, high-level politicians and the heads of companies holding city contracts.
On Feb. 4, Mr. Ford met with Johnathan Vrozos, who donated $2,000 to the mayor’s election campaign in two tranches. Mr. Ford said Mr. Vrozos bought the meeting at a fundraising golf tournament.
Hey Mr. Vrozos "may" be corrupt, but at least he's not a Pinko, eh Robbie?
Read more here.
And he's only a few months in.
What fun we will have...
In an act that some say amounts to selling access to the city’s highest office, Mayor Rob Ford’s campaign auctioned off a meeting with him to a businessman once found by a civil court to have misappropriated hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The revelation Wednesday came as the full list of the mayor’s campaign donors was posted online, demonstrating that, although he raised much of his war chest from small contributions, he also garnered money from big-name developers, high-level politicians and the heads of companies holding city contracts.
On Feb. 4, Mr. Ford met with Johnathan Vrozos, who donated $2,000 to the mayor’s election campaign in two tranches. Mr. Ford said Mr. Vrozos bought the meeting at a fundraising golf tournament.
Hey Mr. Vrozos "may" be corrupt, but at least he's not a Pinko, eh Robbie?
Read more here.
Ed Vaizey: Today's Threat to the Net
England's Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries is another of those snivelling politicians who think it is completley within their right to police and censor the Net.
These people are a danger, if only for the arrogance they have in thinking their opinions matter over anyone else.
Behold.
We [Open Rights Group] have received a reply from Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, about new website blocking discussions.
He has confirmed that discussion are ongoing between rights-holders and Internet Service Providers about 'self-regulatory' site-blocking measures.
We believe website blocking is a bad idea, especially on a self-regulatory basis where vital judicial oversight is bypassed.
The good news is that he has promised to invite civil society groups to participate in future discussions on the matter. In our reply we suggested, alongside Open Rights Group, that he consider Global Partners, Liberty, Article 19, and Consumer Focus.
You can help by writing to your MP explaining why website blocking is a bad idea and why it's important civil society groups are represented.
24 March 2011
Dear Jim
Thank you for your letter of 28 February about our recent meeting with stakeholders to discuss alternative plans for site-blocking measures in the Digital Economy Act (DEA).
Jeremy and I met with key players from the digital economy on 23 February to discuss developing new ways for people to access content online. Coming out of this meeting was a proposal for a Working Group to be formed to look at industry self-regulatory measures to tackle online copyright infringement through site-blocking.
I recognise that it is very important that consumer interests are considered very carefully, and we will be inviting consumer representative groups to participate in future discussions on the issue.
ED VAIZEY MP Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries
We must do all we can to make sure governments leave their slimy paws off the Net. They motivations for doing so are never, ever as they state.
Read more here.
These people are a danger, if only for the arrogance they have in thinking their opinions matter over anyone else.
Behold.
We [Open Rights Group] have received a reply from Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, about new website blocking discussions.
He has confirmed that discussion are ongoing between rights-holders and Internet Service Providers about 'self-regulatory' site-blocking measures.
We believe website blocking is a bad idea, especially on a self-regulatory basis where vital judicial oversight is bypassed.
The good news is that he has promised to invite civil society groups to participate in future discussions on the matter. In our reply we suggested, alongside Open Rights Group, that he consider Global Partners, Liberty, Article 19, and Consumer Focus.
You can help by writing to your MP explaining why website blocking is a bad idea and why it's important civil society groups are represented.
24 March 2011
Dear Jim
Thank you for your letter of 28 February about our recent meeting with stakeholders to discuss alternative plans for site-blocking measures in the Digital Economy Act (DEA).
Jeremy and I met with key players from the digital economy on 23 February to discuss developing new ways for people to access content online. Coming out of this meeting was a proposal for a Working Group to be formed to look at industry self-regulatory measures to tackle online copyright infringement through site-blocking.
I recognise that it is very important that consumer interests are considered very carefully, and we will be inviting consumer representative groups to participate in future discussions on the issue.
ED VAIZEY MP Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries
We must do all we can to make sure governments leave their slimy paws off the Net. They motivations for doing so are never, ever as they state.
Read more here.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Scott Adams: Idiot of the Day
I'm hoping this now deleted blog post was an exercise in satire, but I fear not.
The reality is that women are treated differently by society for exactly the same reason that children and the mentally handicapped are treated differently. It’s just easier this way for everyone. You don’t argue with a four-year old about why he shouldn’t eat candy for dinner. You don’t punch a mentally handicapped guy even if he punches you first. And you don’t argue when a women tells you she’s only making 80 cents to your dollar. It’s the path of least resistance. You save your energy for more important battles.
Just a small taste of the Neanderthal ravings of an isolated mind.
So ladies, if you ever find Mr. Adams in a burning wreck, leave him there. It is his wish...
Oh yes, Mr. Adams is also apparently the author of Dilbert.
Read more here.
The reality is that women are treated differently by society for exactly the same reason that children and the mentally handicapped are treated differently. It’s just easier this way for everyone. You don’t argue with a four-year old about why he shouldn’t eat candy for dinner. You don’t punch a mentally handicapped guy even if he punches you first. And you don’t argue when a women tells you she’s only making 80 cents to your dollar. It’s the path of least resistance. You save your energy for more important battles.
Just a small taste of the Neanderthal ravings of an isolated mind.
So ladies, if you ever find Mr. Adams in a burning wreck, leave him there. It is his wish...
Oh yes, Mr. Adams is also apparently the author of Dilbert.
Read more here.
Toronto Police PR disaster gives rise to the Slut Walk
One of the benefits of having a police department who seems completely clueless when it comes to dealing with the public in any kind of rational adult manor, is that rational adults will find intelligent ways to counter their rank stupidity.
Women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized,” Toronto police Const. Michael Sanguinetti told a class on rape at Osgoode Hall Law School. He then apologized and ran for cover, but the fact is, in the Sanguinetti world we live in, women are judged on their appearance.
SlutWalk, a beautifully conceived and organized protest against this kind of women-hating, starts at central Queen's Park at 1:30 this Sunday and winds up at Toronto Police Headquarters at 40 College St. Wear anything you like, the organizers told me when I emailed them. Because it isn't what you're wearing that matters, it's that cops, and indeed rapists, will assess you whatever you wear. Their assessment will invariably be different from yours.
SlutWalk will feature people in all sorts of garments and gear, dressed for the office, clubbing, yoga, walking the dog, whatever it is that people wear as they go about their lives not asking to be raped. It is a message of love and strength to all women (and men), especially those who have been assaulted at the core of their being.
What looks slutty? What is this cop's index of clothes that shout “I'm asking for it?”
Read more here.
Women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized,” Toronto police Const. Michael Sanguinetti told a class on rape at Osgoode Hall Law School. He then apologized and ran for cover, but the fact is, in the Sanguinetti world we live in, women are judged on their appearance.
SlutWalk, a beautifully conceived and organized protest against this kind of women-hating, starts at central Queen's Park at 1:30 this Sunday and winds up at Toronto Police Headquarters at 40 College St. Wear anything you like, the organizers told me when I emailed them. Because it isn't what you're wearing that matters, it's that cops, and indeed rapists, will assess you whatever you wear. Their assessment will invariably be different from yours.
SlutWalk will feature people in all sorts of garments and gear, dressed for the office, clubbing, yoga, walking the dog, whatever it is that people wear as they go about their lives not asking to be raped. It is a message of love and strength to all women (and men), especially those who have been assaulted at the core of their being.
What looks slutty? What is this cop's index of clothes that shout “I'm asking for it?”
Read more here.
Doug Ford's Primadonna gene is enhanced now that bro is Mayor
Oh so that's where the idea to restrict the press is coming from...
Doug Ford says the Star is ruthless.
Speaking at a meeting of the city’s government management committee, Ford condemned the Toronto Star for filing requests under the Municipal Freedom of Information Act, for asking questions of the mayor’s constituents and for what he called “stalking” his 76-year-old mother for a story.
“I’m the first to admit that 90 per cent of the media is very respectful; they don’t come charging through the office, but there is a media outlet that doesn’t respect that,” Ford told David Nickle, the city hall press gallery president, on Tuesday.
The committee was discussing a proposed change to security rules that would prevent reporters from entering the councillors’ office area without restrictions. Apparently, the idea is to require accredited media, who rent offices in City Hall, to sign in like the general public and be escorted to councillors’ offices.
It’s still before the committee.
Read more here.
And let's move on to the priorities of the non pinko crowd, now shall we?
A push to ban the sale of pop and sports drinks in city arenas fizzled on Tuesday when a committee voted to continue filling half of its vending machines with sugary drinks.
To emphasize the point that government should not be telling people what to drink, Councillor Doug Ford took a swig of Coke, and asked for someone to pass him a Pepsi.
“Once you get rid of all the sodas and the water, are you going to go after my butter tarts downstairs, too?” he asked members of the government management committee.
“I’m not being sarcastic. And the next step would be let’s dictate what we should eat, what we can drive. Should we take the bus because it’s not healthy to drive a car. Where does it stop? Where does the socialism stop?”
You sir, are an idiot. When right wingers make idiotic pronouncements such as that, it is a delight to behold. In a train wreck sort of way..
Has no one told him he lives in a socialist country?
Read more here.
Doug Ford says the Star is ruthless.
Speaking at a meeting of the city’s government management committee, Ford condemned the Toronto Star for filing requests under the Municipal Freedom of Information Act, for asking questions of the mayor’s constituents and for what he called “stalking” his 76-year-old mother for a story.
“I’m the first to admit that 90 per cent of the media is very respectful; they don’t come charging through the office, but there is a media outlet that doesn’t respect that,” Ford told David Nickle, the city hall press gallery president, on Tuesday.
The committee was discussing a proposed change to security rules that would prevent reporters from entering the councillors’ office area without restrictions. Apparently, the idea is to require accredited media, who rent offices in City Hall, to sign in like the general public and be escorted to councillors’ offices.
It’s still before the committee.
Read more here.
And let's move on to the priorities of the non pinko crowd, now shall we?
A push to ban the sale of pop and sports drinks in city arenas fizzled on Tuesday when a committee voted to continue filling half of its vending machines with sugary drinks.
To emphasize the point that government should not be telling people what to drink, Councillor Doug Ford took a swig of Coke, and asked for someone to pass him a Pepsi.
“Once you get rid of all the sodas and the water, are you going to go after my butter tarts downstairs, too?” he asked members of the government management committee.
“I’m not being sarcastic. And the next step would be let’s dictate what we should eat, what we can drive. Should we take the bus because it’s not healthy to drive a car. Where does it stop? Where does the socialism stop?”
You sir, are an idiot. When right wingers make idiotic pronouncements such as that, it is a delight to behold. In a train wreck sort of way..
Has no one told him he lives in a socialist country?
Read more here.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Canadian cable companies succeed in screwing Netflix over
Can't have us watching movies and tv on the net, thus avoiding their overpriced cable offerings, now can we?
The only bright light for now is more and more people see the crap the providers are up to.
Netflix is lowering its default setting for downloading movies and TV shows in Canada in response to internet service providers' monthly caps on the total amount of data consumed.
In a blog posted Monday, Netflix chief product officer Neil Hunt said starting immediately, streaming from Netflix will use two-thirds less data on average.
"Now Canadians can watch 30 hours of streaming from Netflix in a month that will consume only 9 GBytes of data, well below most data caps," he wrote, stressing that it would still be possible for users to change their default setting to the best quality.
Under the highest-quality default setting, viewing 30 hours could consume as much as 70 GB, if it was all in high definition. But more typically, 30 hours would use about 30 GB.
Usage-based billing has been making headlines in this country as the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission holds hearings on the issue.
Read more here.
The only bright light for now is more and more people see the crap the providers are up to.
Netflix is lowering its default setting for downloading movies and TV shows in Canada in response to internet service providers' monthly caps on the total amount of data consumed.
In a blog posted Monday, Netflix chief product officer Neil Hunt said starting immediately, streaming from Netflix will use two-thirds less data on average.
"Now Canadians can watch 30 hours of streaming from Netflix in a month that will consume only 9 GBytes of data, well below most data caps," he wrote, stressing that it would still be possible for users to change their default setting to the best quality.
Under the highest-quality default setting, viewing 30 hours could consume as much as 70 GB, if it was all in high definition. But more typically, 30 hours would use about 30 GB.
Usage-based billing has been making headlines in this country as the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission holds hearings on the issue.
Read more here.
Canadian cable companies admit they f*ck with the net for their benefit, not ours
The cable company submission to the CRTC on usage based billing confirms what has been readily apparent to consumers for some time: there is no link between the prices charged by ISPs for usage pricing and the actual costs to ISPs. According to the cable companies:
In order to be effective as an economic ITMP, the usage based price component needs to be established so as to discourage use above the set limit. The price should incent use in excess of the limit only to the extent that the consumer would gain significant value from that usage. If the price is set substantially below the consumer’s value, it will have little influence on usage. It follows that the price does not necessarily reflect the cost of supplying the network capacity.
In other words, UBB is behaviour based billing, not usage based billing. Notwithstanding the claims about fairness, paying what you use, or costs to the network, overage pricing is not connected to cost or even value - it is designed to price above the real value to stop Canadians from "overusing" the Internet.
via Michael Geist.
In order to be effective as an economic ITMP, the usage based price component needs to be established so as to discourage use above the set limit. The price should incent use in excess of the limit only to the extent that the consumer would gain significant value from that usage. If the price is set substantially below the consumer’s value, it will have little influence on usage. It follows that the price does not necessarily reflect the cost of supplying the network capacity.
In other words, UBB is behaviour based billing, not usage based billing. Notwithstanding the claims about fairness, paying what you use, or costs to the network, overage pricing is not connected to cost or even value - it is designed to price above the real value to stop Canadians from "overusing" the Internet.
via Michael Geist.
Now that their sidewalks are paved in gold, Yorkville bans hot dog verdors
We only eat street meat if it's purebred, darling.
Another sampling of Toronto's arrogant rich, who forget a city is a city to all.
To our non Toronto readers, we're talking about a very small area here, 2 or 4 blocks. But they've tarted it up, and are getting very territorial about it. Condos have solved the problem for them of having those nasty poor anywhere near their living space, but the street is still a problem.
Hot dogs just aren’t haute enough for Yorkville.
Fresh off a $20-million makeover, the Mink Mile won’t be welcoming back its hot dog vendors this spring.
Despite bigger sidewalks along Bloor St., the improvements installed as part of the renovation were built on or near the spots permitted for vending, squeezing out eight hot dog vendors, two street retailers and an ice cream truck.
The Bloor-Yorkville BIA says the old carts don’t fit into the new street but that’s a bitter deal to swallow for Marianne Moroney, executive director of the Street Vendors Association.
She told the Sun she’s baffled why the vendors — some who have served up sausage on Bloor for decades — are now being told they don’t cut the mustard...
Steady yourself for a healthy dose of snoot.
Briar de Lange, executive director of the Bloor-Yorkville BIA, says the stretch of Bloor St. between Church St. and Avenue Rd., is no place for street meat.
“Essentially the whole premise of vending on the street is not something that our BIA has been all that much in favour of,” she said.
The multi-million dollar renovation of Bloor, funded by members of the BIA, installed granite sidewalks, extended the sidewalks by more than a metre on each side, added planters and other street furniture and will see more than 100 trees planted this spring.
“Aesthetically we are trying to create a different street,” de Lange said.
“We’re not making any bones about the fact that this was done to be an enhancement to the pedestrian environment and sticking a cart in the middle of it doesn’t make any sense.”
Yorkville would build a walled gated community if it could. Great idea, if only to keep them in.
Read more here.
Another sampling of Toronto's arrogant rich, who forget a city is a city to all.
To our non Toronto readers, we're talking about a very small area here, 2 or 4 blocks. But they've tarted it up, and are getting very territorial about it. Condos have solved the problem for them of having those nasty poor anywhere near their living space, but the street is still a problem.
Hot dogs just aren’t haute enough for Yorkville.
Fresh off a $20-million makeover, the Mink Mile won’t be welcoming back its hot dog vendors this spring.
Despite bigger sidewalks along Bloor St., the improvements installed as part of the renovation were built on or near the spots permitted for vending, squeezing out eight hot dog vendors, two street retailers and an ice cream truck.
The Bloor-Yorkville BIA says the old carts don’t fit into the new street but that’s a bitter deal to swallow for Marianne Moroney, executive director of the Street Vendors Association.
She told the Sun she’s baffled why the vendors — some who have served up sausage on Bloor for decades — are now being told they don’t cut the mustard...
Steady yourself for a healthy dose of snoot.
Briar de Lange, executive director of the Bloor-Yorkville BIA, says the stretch of Bloor St. between Church St. and Avenue Rd., is no place for street meat.
“Essentially the whole premise of vending on the street is not something that our BIA has been all that much in favour of,” she said.
The multi-million dollar renovation of Bloor, funded by members of the BIA, installed granite sidewalks, extended the sidewalks by more than a metre on each side, added planters and other street furniture and will see more than 100 trees planted this spring.
“Aesthetically we are trying to create a different street,” de Lange said.
“We’re not making any bones about the fact that this was done to be an enhancement to the pedestrian environment and sticking a cart in the middle of it doesn’t make any sense.”
Yorkville would build a walled gated community if it could. Great idea, if only to keep them in.
Read more here.
Until conservative politicians have a FOX News North to whine to, they will restrict the press
Reality bites, and politicians are a soft skinned easily punctured lot.
While the mayor of Toronto is a self-styled “300 pounds of fun,” not a single member of the city hall press gallery carries that kind of punch.
We are skinny guys and gals — okay, most of us — whose only force of strength is the freedom of the press to probe and search and nudge and turn over every rock in search of good and ethical and responsible local government.
To achieve the goal requires free and unfettered access to elected officials. It allows journalists to seek clarification and explanation and expose matters of public interest.
So, it is with no little concern that television and newspaper reporters and columnists received news that the city’s government management committee Tuesday could severely restrict the media’s coming and going — in the name of enhanced city hall security.
You should be concerned as well.
Read more here.
While the mayor of Toronto is a self-styled “300 pounds of fun,” not a single member of the city hall press gallery carries that kind of punch.
We are skinny guys and gals — okay, most of us — whose only force of strength is the freedom of the press to probe and search and nudge and turn over every rock in search of good and ethical and responsible local government.
To achieve the goal requires free and unfettered access to elected officials. It allows journalists to seek clarification and explanation and expose matters of public interest.
So, it is with no little concern that television and newspaper reporters and columnists received news that the city’s government management committee Tuesday could severely restrict the media’s coming and going — in the name of enhanced city hall security.
You should be concerned as well.
Read more here.
Ugly Conservatives: Maine's Gov. Paul LePage
Maine GOP Gov. Paul LePage followed through with his decision to remove a mural depicting the history of the workers' movement from the state's labor department lobby, a spokeswoman said Monday.
"The mural has been removed and is in storage awaiting relocation to a more appropriate venue," said LePage press secretary Adrienne Bennett in a prepared statement. "We understand that not everyone agrees with this decision, but the Maine Department of Labor has to be focused on the job at hand."
Unlike the governor, who is acting in the most petty way possible.
You're a loser sir, and history will paint you as such.
Read more here.
"The mural has been removed and is in storage awaiting relocation to a more appropriate venue," said LePage press secretary Adrienne Bennett in a prepared statement. "We understand that not everyone agrees with this decision, but the Maine Department of Labor has to be focused on the job at hand."
Unlike the governor, who is acting in the most petty way possible.
You're a loser sir, and history will paint you as such.
Read more here.
Donald Trump: Idiot of the Day
Donald Trump made headlines earlier today when he provided what he said was a copy of his birth certificate -- but a quick check reveals it's actually not an official document...
...Trump's mother, it should be noted, was born in Scotland, which is not part of the United States. His plane is registered in the Bahamas, also a foreign country. This fact pattern -- along with the wave of new questions surrounding what he claims is a birth certificate -- raises serious doubts about his eligibility to serve as President of the United States.
Read more here.
...Trump's mother, it should be noted, was born in Scotland, which is not part of the United States. His plane is registered in the Bahamas, also a foreign country. This fact pattern -- along with the wave of new questions surrounding what he claims is a birth certificate -- raises serious doubts about his eligibility to serve as President of the United States.
Read more here.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Bell Canada's ravenous greed for the Internet stopped for now
They will not stop until you pay ever increasing amounts for the divine privilege they grant you to access the Internet.
Telecom giant Bell Canada has pulled its plan to impose usage-based billing to wholesale internet clients, following a widespread public outcry.
In a statement released Monday, the company said it has proposed an alternative plan to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, including an "aggregated volume pricing" structure for wholesale internet services.
As their role as middlemen, it is their nature to erect barriers, then invent ways to sell us on how they created competitive "solutions" to those same barriers.
Read more here.
Telecom giant Bell Canada has pulled its plan to impose usage-based billing to wholesale internet clients, following a widespread public outcry.
In a statement released Monday, the company said it has proposed an alternative plan to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, including an "aggregated volume pricing" structure for wholesale internet services.
As their role as middlemen, it is their nature to erect barriers, then invent ways to sell us on how they created competitive "solutions" to those same barriers.
Read more here.
Remove all references critical to nuclear energy from the Simpsons, yeah that will make everything all right again
FYI to everyone involved in these dumb choices...don't.
Japan's nuclear power plant crisis is no laughing matter in Springfield: Networks in several European countries are reportedly reviewing episodes of "The Simpsons" for any "unsuitable" references to nuclear disaster.
An Austrian network has apparently pulled two eps, 1992's "Marge Gets a Job" and 2005's "On a Clear Day I Can't See My Sister," which include jokes about radiation poisoning and nuclear meltdowns, respectively.
Al Jean -- exec producer of the animated Fox comedy featuring inept family man/nuclear power plant worker Homer Simpson -- tells EW that he can appreciate the concern.
Read more here.
Japan's nuclear power plant crisis is no laughing matter in Springfield: Networks in several European countries are reportedly reviewing episodes of "The Simpsons" for any "unsuitable" references to nuclear disaster.
An Austrian network has apparently pulled two eps, 1992's "Marge Gets a Job" and 2005's "On a Clear Day I Can't See My Sister," which include jokes about radiation poisoning and nuclear meltdowns, respectively.
Al Jean -- exec producer of the animated Fox comedy featuring inept family man/nuclear power plant worker Homer Simpson -- tells EW that he can appreciate the concern.
Read more here.
After months of exhaustive tests on the general public, TSA finds airport body scanner radiation 10x too high
The Transportation Security Administration is reanalyzing the radiation levels of X-ray body scanners installed in airports nationwide, after testing produced dramatically higher-than-expected results.
The TSA, which has deployed at least 500 body scanners to at least 78 airports, said Tuesday the machines meet all safety standards and would remain in operation despite a “calculation error” in safety studies. The flawed results showed radiation levels 10 times higher than expected.
Read more here.
The TSA, which has deployed at least 500 body scanners to at least 78 airports, said Tuesday the machines meet all safety standards and would remain in operation despite a “calculation error” in safety studies. The flawed results showed radiation levels 10 times higher than expected.
Read more here.
Note to JLo and other female singers out there. Quit ruining your songs by including the mandatory male rapper
So many songs by female vocalists are destroyed by the inclusion of a male guest singer...wtf?
Can't a woman sing by herself. Do male rappers bring in a female vocalist in the middle of their songs?
This has been happening for years, but I was reminded of it by comment at the iTunes store concerning the remixes of Jennifer Lopez's new song "On the Floor".
"This song could have been hot but it has Pitbull"
"I actually thought it was pretty decent until pitbull started spitting into the microphone! honestly, EVERY f*$ckin song she puts out has some rapper crapping all over what could have been a decent song!"
Can't a woman sing by herself. Do male rappers bring in a female vocalist in the middle of their songs?
This has been happening for years, but I was reminded of it by comment at the iTunes store concerning the remixes of Jennifer Lopez's new song "On the Floor".
"This song could have been hot but it has Pitbull"
"I actually thought it was pretty decent until pitbull started spitting into the microphone! honestly, EVERY f*$ckin song she puts out has some rapper crapping all over what could have been a decent song!"
FYI Mayor Ford, conflits of interest look bad to thinking voters...oh never mind then, you'll be fine
Documents released this week confirm that the mayor’s family business has earned tens of thousands of dollars over the past decade doing business with the city he now leads.
That may seem like a trifling thing. The contracts awarded to Etobicoke-based Deco Labels and Tags are small potatoes for a government with a budget of more than $9-billion. No one is suggesting that Deco got the business simply because Rob Ford was a city councillor. No one is saying that Mr. Ford exploited his influence to secure contracts for the company, which is a prominent name in its line of work and is quite capable of winning the business on its own merit.
Of course no one is saying it...openly...yet.
Read more here.
That may seem like a trifling thing. The contracts awarded to Etobicoke-based Deco Labels and Tags are small potatoes for a government with a budget of more than $9-billion. No one is suggesting that Deco got the business simply because Rob Ford was a city councillor. No one is saying that Mr. Ford exploited his influence to secure contracts for the company, which is a prominent name in its line of work and is quite capable of winning the business on its own merit.
Of course no one is saying it...openly...yet.
Read more here.
WTF made that Woodstock ON apartment building blow up?
Police and fire officials hope to enter what remains of an apartment building in Woodstock, Ont., on Monday following an explosion that injured half a dozen residents and left seven people missing.
Officials fear the missing may have died in the fire that followed the explosion in the small southwestern Ontario city.
With most of the building in rubble, "if we don't have any fatalities, I'll be very surprised," Sgt. Marvin Massecar of Woodstock police said late Sunday afternoon.
Massecar said the building exploded around 8:35 a.m. ET.
Two stories in two days, and not a mention of a cause. Even the story is closed for comments.
Hummm
Read more here.
Officials fear the missing may have died in the fire that followed the explosion in the small southwestern Ontario city.
With most of the building in rubble, "if we don't have any fatalities, I'll be very surprised," Sgt. Marvin Massecar of Woodstock police said late Sunday afternoon.
Massecar said the building exploded around 8:35 a.m. ET.
Two stories in two days, and not a mention of a cause. Even the story is closed for comments.
Hummm
Read more here.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Universal Studios Home Entertainment bets on there being 1000 braindead out there who think Scarface isn't crap
One of the worst films of the 80's, nay of all time, is being marketed to its, um ur, fans.
If you’ve been wanting to prove your masculinity by dropping $999.99 on Scarface, you’re in luck: As of Sept. 6, Universal Studios Home Entertainment is releasing a limited edition package of the film for nearly $1,000 which includes everything except a real-life Cuban drug lord and a pile of cocaine big enough to correct your inferiority complex.
On the plus side, the package will include a documentary on the film’s effect on culture, a scorecard feature (allowing you to keep track of the number of F-words said and bullets fired), a digital copy of the movie, a copy of the original 1932 black and white classic, and a new edition of the film (previewed below) that comes with a hand-painted humidor.
Yes, for just $999.99 all of that could be yours, but you have to act fast: only 1000 will be issued. And to think, this isn’t even the 30th anniversary edition.
If you’ve been wanting to prove your masculinity by dropping $999.99 on Scarface, you’re in luck: As of Sept. 6, Universal Studios Home Entertainment is releasing a limited edition package of the film for nearly $1,000 which includes everything except a real-life Cuban drug lord and a pile of cocaine big enough to correct your inferiority complex.
On the plus side, the package will include a documentary on the film’s effect on culture, a scorecard feature (allowing you to keep track of the number of F-words said and bullets fired), a digital copy of the movie, a copy of the original 1932 black and white classic, and a new edition of the film (previewed below) that comes with a hand-painted humidor.
Yes, for just $999.99 all of that could be yours, but you have to act fast: only 1000 will be issued. And to think, this isn’t even the 30th anniversary edition.
Principal Leon Lundie: Another moron forgets students are people
The censorship started March 8, when students, complying with Principal Leon Lundie's new "prior review" policy, showed Principal Lundie their news-page story about an Overland student who died after sustaining an injury at a wrestling meet. Principal Lundie said the student reporters had incorrectly listed the student's cause of death.
On March 10, students brought Principal Lundie a copy of the death certificate, confirming that the cause of death was correctly stated in the original article. Principal Lundie then complained that the article lacked "balance."
On March 11, Principal Lundie removed teacher Laura Sudik as newspaper adviser and informed students that, after this current issue had gone to press, the newspaper class would turn into a journalism class and stop publication.
And of course, he is doing what all scummy people in power are doing recently...blaming it on the budget...
Read more here and here.
On March 10, students brought Principal Lundie a copy of the death certificate, confirming that the cause of death was correctly stated in the original article. Principal Lundie then complained that the article lacked "balance."
On March 11, Principal Lundie removed teacher Laura Sudik as newspaper adviser and informed students that, after this current issue had gone to press, the newspaper class would turn into a journalism class and stop publication.
And of course, he is doing what all scummy people in power are doing recently...blaming it on the budget...
Read more here and here.
Friday, March 25, 2011
BBC2 controller Janice Hadlow finds that crap is "a perfect fit" for the channel
The makers of this cinematic epic must have been searching the planet for someone dumb enough to air this thing.
Seems they found someone...
A controversial mini-series about the Kennedy family that its US broadcaster refused to show is to be screened later this year on BBC Two.
The Kennedys was to air on the History Channel in the US before its parent company, A&E Television Networks, pulled the plug following complaints over its historical accuracy.
Greg Kinnear and Katie Holmes play John and Jackie Kennedy in the series.
BBC2 controller Janice Hadlow said it was "a perfect fit" for the channel.
Read more here.
Seems they found someone...
A controversial mini-series about the Kennedy family that its US broadcaster refused to show is to be screened later this year on BBC Two.
The Kennedys was to air on the History Channel in the US before its parent company, A&E Television Networks, pulled the plug following complaints over its historical accuracy.
Greg Kinnear and Katie Holmes play John and Jackie Kennedy in the series.
BBC2 controller Janice Hadlow said it was "a perfect fit" for the channel.
Read more here.
Ugly Conservatives: Carlos Lam
Just in case you're keeping score, these are the self named good guys...
An Indiana deputy prosecutor and Republican activist resigned Thursday after the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism uncovered an email to Gov. Scott Walker in which he suggested a fake attack on the governor to discredit union protesters.
Carlos F. Lam submitted his resignation shortly before the Center published a story quoting his Feb. 19 email, which praised Walker for standing up to unions but went on to say that the chaos in Wisconsin presented “a good opportunity for what’s called a ‘false flag’ operation.”
“If you could employ an associate who pretends to be sympathetic to the unions’ cause to physically attack you (or even use a firearm against you), you could discredit the unions,” the email said.
“Currently, the media is painting the union protest as a democratic uprising and failing to mention the role of the DNC and umbrella union organizations in the protest. Employing a false flag operation would assist in undercutting any support that the media may be creating in favor of the unions. God bless, Carlos F. Lam.”
Well thank goodness it's only one bad...uh, say what?
Lam is the second Indiana prosecutor to resign over suggestions to use violence in Wisconsin.
He sent this email the same Saturday on which another Indiana law-enforcement figure, state Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Cox, tweeted that riot police should “use live ammunition” to clear the Capitol of protesters.
Cox was fired Feb. 23 after Mother Jones magazine published the suggestion from his private Twitter account.
Oh...
Read more here.
An Indiana deputy prosecutor and Republican activist resigned Thursday after the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism uncovered an email to Gov. Scott Walker in which he suggested a fake attack on the governor to discredit union protesters.
Carlos F. Lam submitted his resignation shortly before the Center published a story quoting his Feb. 19 email, which praised Walker for standing up to unions but went on to say that the chaos in Wisconsin presented “a good opportunity for what’s called a ‘false flag’ operation.”
“If you could employ an associate who pretends to be sympathetic to the unions’ cause to physically attack you (or even use a firearm against you), you could discredit the unions,” the email said.
“Currently, the media is painting the union protest as a democratic uprising and failing to mention the role of the DNC and umbrella union organizations in the protest. Employing a false flag operation would assist in undercutting any support that the media may be creating in favor of the unions. God bless, Carlos F. Lam.”
Well thank goodness it's only one bad...uh, say what?
Lam is the second Indiana prosecutor to resign over suggestions to use violence in Wisconsin.
He sent this email the same Saturday on which another Indiana law-enforcement figure, state Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Cox, tweeted that riot police should “use live ammunition” to clear the Capitol of protesters.
Cox was fired Feb. 23 after Mother Jones magazine published the suggestion from his private Twitter account.
Oh...
Read more here.
Don Haase: Idiot of the Day
Some people really do think this is their business.
News flash, it isn't.
Gov. Sean Parnell's appointee for the panel that nominates state judges testified Wednesday that he would like to see Alaskans prosecuted for having sex outside of marriage...
...One blog post on the Eagle Forum Alaska site praised efforts at criminalizing adultery in Michigan, and [Sen. Joe Paskvan, D-Fairbanks] asked Haase if he thought it should be a felony in Alaska.
"I don't see that that would rise to the level of a felony," Haase said.
Paskvan: "Do you believe it should be a crime?"
Haase: "Yeah, I think it's very harmful to have extramarital affairs. It's harmful to children, it's harmful to the spouse who entered a legally binding agreement to marry the person that's cheating on them."
Paskvan: "What about premarital affairs -- should that be a crime?"
Haase: "I think that would be up to the voters certainly. If it came before (the state) as a vote, I probably would vote for it ... I can see where it would be a matter for the state to be involved with because of the spread of disease and the likelihood that it would cause violence. I can see legitimate reasons to push that as a crime."
Read more here.
News flash, it isn't.
Gov. Sean Parnell's appointee for the panel that nominates state judges testified Wednesday that he would like to see Alaskans prosecuted for having sex outside of marriage...
...One blog post on the Eagle Forum Alaska site praised efforts at criminalizing adultery in Michigan, and [Sen. Joe Paskvan, D-Fairbanks] asked Haase if he thought it should be a felony in Alaska.
"I don't see that that would rise to the level of a felony," Haase said.
Paskvan: "Do you believe it should be a crime?"
Haase: "Yeah, I think it's very harmful to have extramarital affairs. It's harmful to children, it's harmful to the spouse who entered a legally binding agreement to marry the person that's cheating on them."
Paskvan: "What about premarital affairs -- should that be a crime?"
Haase: "I think that would be up to the voters certainly. If it came before (the state) as a vote, I probably would vote for it ... I can see where it would be a matter for the state to be involved with because of the spread of disease and the likelihood that it would cause violence. I can see legitimate reasons to push that as a crime."
Read more here.
American pre-history being rewritten
The makers of this new discovery may be overhyping themselves, but...
The long-held theory of how humans first populated the Americas may have been well and truly broken.
Archaeologists have unearthed thousands of stone tools that predate the technology widely assumed to have been carried by the first settlers.
The discoveries in Texas are seen as compelling evidence that the so-called Clovis culture does not represent America's original immigrants.
Read more here.
The long-held theory of how humans first populated the Americas may have been well and truly broken.
Archaeologists have unearthed thousands of stone tools that predate the technology widely assumed to have been carried by the first settlers.
The discoveries in Texas are seen as compelling evidence that the so-called Clovis culture does not represent America's original immigrants.
Read more here.
Color Photo App seeks to make social networking just that much creepier
You never have to talk to a living breathing human being ever again!
This combination of narcissism and voyeurism might just make these fools rich.
When you launch Color, the app delivers a stream of content from anybody within 100 feet of your location, as well as anybody within your “elastic network.” In Color, you don’t choose your network; instead, the app determines your social network by figuring out who you’re hanging out with on a regular basis. Every time two friends use the app near each other, Color’s algorithms detect it and use it to essentially rank your friendship. You can also curate your elastic network through actions such as asking the app to “Show More” of a particular friend or liking/commenting on a friend’s picture.
Keeping your elastic network takes work, though; if you don’t see a friend for a while, his or her pictures start to lose their color until that person eventually disappears from your network.
Shiver
It’s the ultimate voyeur app for those who simply want to know what’s happening with their close friends or that cute neighbor that just happens to live next door.
Read more here.
This combination of narcissism and voyeurism might just make these fools rich.
When you launch Color, the app delivers a stream of content from anybody within 100 feet of your location, as well as anybody within your “elastic network.” In Color, you don’t choose your network; instead, the app determines your social network by figuring out who you’re hanging out with on a regular basis. Every time two friends use the app near each other, Color’s algorithms detect it and use it to essentially rank your friendship. You can also curate your elastic network through actions such as asking the app to “Show More” of a particular friend or liking/commenting on a friend’s picture.
Keeping your elastic network takes work, though; if you don’t see a friend for a while, his or her pictures start to lose their color until that person eventually disappears from your network.
Shiver
It’s the ultimate voyeur app for those who simply want to know what’s happening with their close friends or that cute neighbor that just happens to live next door.
Read more here.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Ugly Conservatives: Maine's Gov. Paul LePage
Mr. "Let's send the children back to the mines" LePage continues to delight those who pine after the 19th century.
Maine Tea Party Gov. Paul LePage (R) has ordered the removal of a 36-foot mural depicting Maine’s labor history from the lobby of the state’s Department of Labor offices, claiming they received “some complaints” from business owners. The Governor has also directed that eight conference rooms named after labor leaders — including Cesar Chavez — be renamed “after mountains, counties or something.”
The directive comes amidst rising tensions between the LePage Administration and organized labor over the governor’s support for a right-to-work bill and efforts to roll back the state’s child labor laws.
According to LePage spokesman Dan Demeritt, the administration felt the mural and the conference room monikers showed "one-sided decor" not in keeping with the department's pro-business goals.
"The message from state agencies needs to be balanced," said Demeritt, adding that the mural had sparked complaints from "some business owners" who complained it was hostile to business.
Complaints! How terrible!
Demeritt declined to name the businesses.
Yeah I guess having your business known as a censorship advocating destroyer of art may have a negative impact on your PR.
And book burning is so....showy.
Read more here.
Maine Tea Party Gov. Paul LePage (R) has ordered the removal of a 36-foot mural depicting Maine’s labor history from the lobby of the state’s Department of Labor offices, claiming they received “some complaints” from business owners. The Governor has also directed that eight conference rooms named after labor leaders — including Cesar Chavez — be renamed “after mountains, counties or something.”
The directive comes amidst rising tensions between the LePage Administration and organized labor over the governor’s support for a right-to-work bill and efforts to roll back the state’s child labor laws.
According to LePage spokesman Dan Demeritt, the administration felt the mural and the conference room monikers showed "one-sided decor" not in keeping with the department's pro-business goals.
"The message from state agencies needs to be balanced," said Demeritt, adding that the mural had sparked complaints from "some business owners" who complained it was hostile to business.
Complaints! How terrible!
Demeritt declined to name the businesses.
Yeah I guess having your business known as a censorship advocating destroyer of art may have a negative impact on your PR.
And book burning is so....showy.
Read more here.
The Opposition better know what the f*ck they're doing, or we're stuck with Harper for years
The Knuckle Draggers elected His Lordship Ford here in Toronto, they are certainly capable of electing a greater menace on a national scale.
If the federal opposition parties are determined to bring down Stephen Harper's government in Parliament, and force the country into an election, the axe will most likely fall on Friday, March 25.
That would send Canadians to the polls as early as Monday, May 2.
Read more here.
If the federal opposition parties are determined to bring down Stephen Harper's government in Parliament, and force the country into an election, the axe will most likely fall on Friday, March 25.
That would send Canadians to the polls as early as Monday, May 2.
Read more here.
Dumb Criminals: Please take down the video of me..oh and sorry I stole your laptop
Idiot steels laptop. Idiot makes video. Owner remotely accesses computer, finds video. Owner posts video to Youtube.
Thief shamed, requests video is taken down.
Video goes viral.
Karma's a bitch, fool.
Read more here.
Vatican says: Boo hoo hoo, homophobes are victims too!
A Vatican official told a United Nations body on Tuesday (March 22) that people who openly object to homosexual behavior are at risk of losing their human rights when they are prosecuted or stigmatized for their beliefs.
"People are being attacked for taking positions that do not support sexual behavior between people of the same sex," said Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi, the Vatican's representative to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.
"When they express their moral beliefs or beliefs about human nature, which may also be expressions of religious convictions, or state opinions about scientific claims, they are stigmatized, and worse -- they are vilified, and prosecuted," Tomasi said.
"The truth is, these attacks are violations of fundamental human rights, and cannot be justified under any circumstances."
HAHAHAHA
Fuck you.
The Middle Ages must have been a nightmare, what with these people in charge.
The stupidity of the "official's" statement can be summed up thusly:
Brodie Parker 10 minutes ago (8:00 AM)
That's right; pickup-truckloads of gays are roaming around searching for homophobes to beat up.
Read more here.
"People are being attacked for taking positions that do not support sexual behavior between people of the same sex," said Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi, the Vatican's representative to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.
"When they express their moral beliefs or beliefs about human nature, which may also be expressions of religious convictions, or state opinions about scientific claims, they are stigmatized, and worse -- they are vilified, and prosecuted," Tomasi said.
"The truth is, these attacks are violations of fundamental human rights, and cannot be justified under any circumstances."
HAHAHAHA
Fuck you.
The Middle Ages must have been a nightmare, what with these people in charge.
The stupidity of the "official's" statement can be summed up thusly:
Brodie Parker 10 minutes ago (8:00 AM)
That's right; pickup-truckloads of gays are roaming around searching for homophobes to beat up.
Read more here.
Australia continues to amuse the planet as the Keystone Nanny State
They scribble chalk drawings of fish and rainbows - but a council has branded these toddlers graffiti vandals.
The footpath outside a Nunawading cafe has become a battleground after Whitehorse Council put the kybosh on children's fun.
The council says the scrawlings contravene graffiti laws but White's Cafe says the comparison is like chalk and cheese.
Sally White, who owns the Mt Pleasant Rd cafe with husband PJ, said it was bureaucracy gone mad. "It's a little bit sad. This is not graffiti,," she said. "A council inspector visited us and said there had been a complaint and we had to stop.
"The children burst into tears when we told them."
Read more here.
The footpath outside a Nunawading cafe has become a battleground after Whitehorse Council put the kybosh on children's fun.
The council says the scrawlings contravene graffiti laws but White's Cafe says the comparison is like chalk and cheese.
Sally White, who owns the Mt Pleasant Rd cafe with husband PJ, said it was bureaucracy gone mad. "It's a little bit sad. This is not graffiti,," she said. "A council inspector visited us and said there had been a complaint and we had to stop.
"The children burst into tears when we told them."
Read more here.
Archbishop Timothy Dolan: Bigot of the Day
These are the kind of uninformed people we let make societal choices.
Big mistake.
Big mistake.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Indiana attempts to enshrine their bigotry into law
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 7-3 Wednesday to pass a resolution amending Indiana’s Constitution to ban gay marriage.
The resolution now goes to the full Senate, where it has passed five times in the past.
The vote was along party lines, with Democrats against.
Read more here.
The resolution now goes to the full Senate, where it has passed five times in the past.
The vote was along party lines, with Democrats against.
Read more here.
China: The lady doth protest too much, methinks
China, the world's most childish superpower, has yet another tandrum.
If anyone wonders whether the Chinese government has tightened its grip on electronic communications since protests began engulfing the Arab world, Shakespeare may prove instructive.
A Beijing entrepreneur, discussing restaurant choices with his fiancée over their cellphones last week, quoted Queen Gertrude’s response to Hamlet: “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” The second time he said the word “protest,” her phone cut off.
He spoke English, but another caller, repeating the same phrase on Monday in Chinese over a different phone, was also cut off in midsentence.
A host of evidence over the past several weeks shows that Chinese authorities are more determined than ever to police cellphone calls, electronic messages, e-mail and access to the Internet in order to smother any hint of antigovernment sentiment. In the cat-and-mouse game that characterizes electronic communications here, analysts suggest that the cat is getting bigger, especially since revolts began to ricochet through the Middle East and North Africa, and homegrown efforts to organize protests in China began to circulate on the Internet about a month ago.
Read more here.
If anyone wonders whether the Chinese government has tightened its grip on electronic communications since protests began engulfing the Arab world, Shakespeare may prove instructive.
A Beijing entrepreneur, discussing restaurant choices with his fiancée over their cellphones last week, quoted Queen Gertrude’s response to Hamlet: “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” The second time he said the word “protest,” her phone cut off.
He spoke English, but another caller, repeating the same phrase on Monday in Chinese over a different phone, was also cut off in midsentence.
A host of evidence over the past several weeks shows that Chinese authorities are more determined than ever to police cellphone calls, electronic messages, e-mail and access to the Internet in order to smother any hint of antigovernment sentiment. In the cat-and-mouse game that characterizes electronic communications here, analysts suggest that the cat is getting bigger, especially since revolts began to ricochet through the Middle East and North Africa, and homegrown efforts to organize protests in China began to circulate on the Internet about a month ago.
Read more here.
Juban Park Junior High: Idiots of the Day
What year do they think this is, 1966?
An American Indian junior high student has been suspended for refusing to cut his hair, which he says he keeps long for cultural and religious reasons.
Seth Chaisson, a member of the United Houma Nation from Denham Springs, La., was suspended from Juban Park Junior High Tuesday, WDSU-TV in New Orleans reported.
Chaisson told the TV station school officials say he will not be allowed back in class until he trims his locks.
Read more here.
An American Indian junior high student has been suspended for refusing to cut his hair, which he says he keeps long for cultural and religious reasons.
Seth Chaisson, a member of the United Houma Nation from Denham Springs, La., was suspended from Juban Park Junior High Tuesday, WDSU-TV in New Orleans reported.
Chaisson told the TV station school officials say he will not be allowed back in class until he trims his locks.
Read more here.
Just what the Net needs, another navel gazing site about Toronto
Of the Toronto Standard, says Frey: "It is a general-interest sort of publication about Toronto."
"But I think one of the things we're doing, instead of going hyperlocal—which is a general trend even with some of the dailies to some extent—is, we're looking at direction. We're interested in Toronto and its place in the world."
"There'd be lots of stuff from Toronto, but you'd also read stuff from Tokyo, or something from the Philippines, or something from Melbourne, Rio, Rotterdam."
Oh you mean there'll be articles about places that actually matter, sprinkled around all the crap about Tocondo.
I can hardly wait...
Read more here.
"But I think one of the things we're doing, instead of going hyperlocal—which is a general trend even with some of the dailies to some extent—is, we're looking at direction. We're interested in Toronto and its place in the world."
"There'd be lots of stuff from Toronto, but you'd also read stuff from Tokyo, or something from the Philippines, or something from Melbourne, Rio, Rotterdam."
Oh you mean there'll be articles about places that actually matter, sprinkled around all the crap about Tocondo.
I can hardly wait...
Read more here.
Advertisers hardly able to restrain themselves from using FUCK
Once upon a time that word had power.
Fuck, that time is gone.
They don’t like it, but the Toronto Catholic District School Board says its hands are tied when it comes to the profanity some students can see on a billboard across the street from their school.
The billboard, posted since last week in the city’s west end, shows music star Usher with the tagline “Shirt On: OMG, Shirt Off: OMFG.”
For the less text savvy, the abbreviation stands for “Oh My F---ing God.”
Read more here.
Fuck, that time is gone.
They don’t like it, but the Toronto Catholic District School Board says its hands are tied when it comes to the profanity some students can see on a billboard across the street from their school.
The billboard, posted since last week in the city’s west end, shows music star Usher with the tagline “Shirt On: OMG, Shirt Off: OMFG.”
For the less text savvy, the abbreviation stands for “Oh My F---ing God.”
Read more here.
Councillor Giorgio "Obscenely Oversized Flag" Mammoliti want to set up Whore Island
If giant oversized flags won't bring in the tourists, perhaps this will.
You're just a fount of brilliance Mr. Mannoliti.
If Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti gets his way, ferries full of sex-seekers will steam across the harbour to a Toronto Islands red light district.
Mammoliti has for years said Toronto should regulate and tax brothels, and made the establishment of a distinct prostitution zone a central plank in his aborted run for mayor last year.
Now part of Mayor Rob Ford’s inner circle, Mammoliti (Ward 7, York West) is renewing the push, along with the leafy islands as his top choice for location.
Read more here.
You're just a fount of brilliance Mr. Mannoliti.
If Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti gets his way, ferries full of sex-seekers will steam across the harbour to a Toronto Islands red light district.
Mammoliti has for years said Toronto should regulate and tax brothels, and made the establishment of a distinct prostitution zone a central plank in his aborted run for mayor last year.
Now part of Mayor Rob Ford’s inner circle, Mammoliti (Ward 7, York West) is renewing the push, along with the leafy islands as his top choice for location.
Read more here.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
BBC dummies down Wuthering Heights
Heathcliff, you're a God Damn Motherfucker.
Nope, doesn't make it better for me.
A contemporary adaptation of Emily Bronte's 1847 classic Wuthering Heights is to air on BBC Radio 3 on Sunday - complete with swear words.
Playwright Jonathan Holloway said he had introduced expletives into the tempestuous tale of romance "to shift the production to left field".
He said he wanted to "capture the shock" of the book's original release.
These people need to get out more.
The article is fuzzily written, and it's hard to tell if the words come from the original novel.
Maybe I need to get out more.
Read more here.
Nope, doesn't make it better for me.
A contemporary adaptation of Emily Bronte's 1847 classic Wuthering Heights is to air on BBC Radio 3 on Sunday - complete with swear words.
Playwright Jonathan Holloway said he had introduced expletives into the tempestuous tale of romance "to shift the production to left field".
He said he wanted to "capture the shock" of the book's original release.
These people need to get out more.
The article is fuzzily written, and it's hard to tell if the words come from the original novel.
Maybe I need to get out more.
Read more here.
Has-been Victoria Jackson puts her bigotry in writing
Every few months this woman rants and raves...
She wrote in her column, "Did you see 'Glee' this week? Sickening! And, besides shoving the gay thing down our throats, they made a mockery of Christians -- again! I wonder what their agenda is? Hey, producers of 'Glee' -- what's your agenda? One-way tolerance?"
Jackson's comments came after she expressed some strong thoughts and words for the Muslim and Arab world, where she referenced the 'Glee' kiss first. "This new al-Qaida magazine for women has beauty tips and suicide-bomber tips! Gimme a break! That is as ridiculous as two men kissing on the mouth!"
She continued, "And I don't care what is politically correct. Everyone knows that two men on a wedding cake is a comedy skit, not an 'alternate lifestyle!' There I said it! Ridiculous!"
Yup, you said it, and now we all know what a shrivelled dried up heart you have.
The comments in the story are filled with those who agree with her. If you are one, I suggest you consult your cardiologist immediately.
Read more here.
She wrote in her column, "Did you see 'Glee' this week? Sickening! And, besides shoving the gay thing down our throats, they made a mockery of Christians -- again! I wonder what their agenda is? Hey, producers of 'Glee' -- what's your agenda? One-way tolerance?"
Jackson's comments came after she expressed some strong thoughts and words for the Muslim and Arab world, where she referenced the 'Glee' kiss first. "This new al-Qaida magazine for women has beauty tips and suicide-bomber tips! Gimme a break! That is as ridiculous as two men kissing on the mouth!"
She continued, "And I don't care what is politically correct. Everyone knows that two men on a wedding cake is a comedy skit, not an 'alternate lifestyle!' There I said it! Ridiculous!"
Yup, you said it, and now we all know what a shrivelled dried up heart you have.
The comments in the story are filled with those who agree with her. If you are one, I suggest you consult your cardiologist immediately.
Read more here.
Councillor Chin Lee: Making sure the citizens have as little fun as possible. First: Ban Kiting
And Toronto wonders why it is a source of such amusement in the rest of the world...
Seven months after Toronto banned the flying of kites at one Scarborough park in a response to complaints about the sport of kite fighting, Councillor Chin Lee is seeking new city-wide restrictions.
Citing continued safety concerns, Lee (Ward 38, Scarborough-Rouge River) wants council’s parks and environment committee to ask staff to “consider the issue of regulating kite fighting and the banning of hazardous kite strings in city parks.”
Oh well, we still have laughing at idiot politicians to wile away the hours...until they ban that too.
Read more here.
Seven months after Toronto banned the flying of kites at one Scarborough park in a response to complaints about the sport of kite fighting, Councillor Chin Lee is seeking new city-wide restrictions.
Citing continued safety concerns, Lee (Ward 38, Scarborough-Rouge River) wants council’s parks and environment committee to ask staff to “consider the issue of regulating kite fighting and the banning of hazardous kite strings in city parks.”
Oh well, we still have laughing at idiot politicians to wile away the hours...until they ban that too.
Read more here.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Pushy Christians: Jeff Buchanan: Our app doesn't do what it clearly does
Ignore the man behind the curtain.
The Christian group, under fire by gay rights activists for the so-called "gay cure" app, responded to the controversy Monday, saying its Apple app is being grossly misrepresented.
"In no way shape or form is our message about trying to cure or do we try to promote that type of methodology or message," Jeff Buchanan, Exodus International's Senior Director of Church Equipping & Student Ministries, told The Christian Post.
So what is your loving, caring message?
"Our message is to promote the love of Jesus Christ to all those who have been impacted by unwanted same-sex attractions," he continued. "Really, the point of the application is to provide the material that is also on our website in a smartphone format. Nothing more and nothing less."
*Facepalm*
"Exodus believes the opposite of homosexuality is not heterosexuality. It is holiness...
Ya know, after that one Mr. Buchanan, you can go fuck yourself.
Read more here.
The Christian group, under fire by gay rights activists for the so-called "gay cure" app, responded to the controversy Monday, saying its Apple app is being grossly misrepresented.
"In no way shape or form is our message about trying to cure or do we try to promote that type of methodology or message," Jeff Buchanan, Exodus International's Senior Director of Church Equipping & Student Ministries, told The Christian Post.
So what is your loving, caring message?
"Our message is to promote the love of Jesus Christ to all those who have been impacted by unwanted same-sex attractions," he continued. "Really, the point of the application is to provide the material that is also on our website in a smartphone format. Nothing more and nothing less."
*Facepalm*
"Exodus believes the opposite of homosexuality is not heterosexuality. It is holiness...
Ya know, after that one Mr. Buchanan, you can go fuck yourself.
Read more here.
Another day, another war crime
The German newsmagazine Der Spiegel has published two photographs depicting U.S. Army soldiers posing next to the corpse of an Afghan civilian moments after he was killed in an incident the Army has classified as a murder.
The photos are among several hundred the Army has sought to keep under wraps as it prosecutes five members of the 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, for the alleged murders of three unarmed Afghan civilians last year. The photographs published by Der Spiegel were among those covered by a judicial protective order issued by a military judge, prohibiting their public release.
The photos were published in the print edition of the magazine scheduled for distribution Monday. An advance copy was made available to subscribers in an e-mail over the weekend.
Read more here.
The photos are among several hundred the Army has sought to keep under wraps as it prosecutes five members of the 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, for the alleged murders of three unarmed Afghan civilians last year. The photographs published by Der Spiegel were among those covered by a judicial protective order issued by a military judge, prohibiting their public release.
The photos were published in the print edition of the magazine scheduled for distribution Monday. An advance copy was made available to subscribers in an e-mail over the weekend.
Read more here.
First nonentity makes bid for presidency in 2012
Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty has taken the first formal step towards running for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012.
Mr Pawlenty is the first high-profile Republican to show serious intent to run. He made the announcement in a video posted to his Facebook page.
Cause he's so hip, in a neo nazi kind of way.
He's just the first of a parade of frightening creatures the Republicans will send our way.
In the slickly-edited video announcement, he said: "We, the people of the United States, will take back our government."
Gee, whatever could *that* mean....?
Ready your sunglasses, as this much white will be blinding.
Read more here.
Mr Pawlenty is the first high-profile Republican to show serious intent to run. He made the announcement in a video posted to his Facebook page.
Cause he's so hip, in a neo nazi kind of way.
He's just the first of a parade of frightening creatures the Republicans will send our way.
In the slickly-edited video announcement, he said: "We, the people of the United States, will take back our government."
Gee, whatever could *that* mean....?
Ready your sunglasses, as this much white will be blinding.
Read more here.
Again, WTF was Google doing?
France's privacy watchdog has handed down its largest fine ever against Google for improperly gathering and storing potentially sensitive data from Wi-Fi networks for its Street View application.
Monday's euro100,000 ($141,300) fine sanctions Google for collecting personal data – including e-mails, web browsing histories and online banking details – from 2007 to 2010 through its roaming camera-mounted cars and bicycles.
They did this on a planetary scale, and it was all an accident?
Of course.
Monday's euro100,000 ($141,300) fine sanctions Google for collecting personal data – including e-mails, web browsing histories and online banking details – from 2007 to 2010 through its roaming camera-mounted cars and bicycles.
They did this on a planetary scale, and it was all an accident?
Of course.
MPs' report finds government contemptible, um I mean, in contempt
The Conservative government is in contempt of Parliament, a report by a committee of MPs tabled Monday concludes.
The government's failure to produce all documents that had been requested from it or to provide a satisfactory explanation for withholding them impedes the ability of MPs to carry out their duties, the report said, and the government is therefore in contempt.
Read more here.
The government's failure to produce all documents that had been requested from it or to provide a satisfactory explanation for withholding them impedes the ability of MPs to carry out their duties, the report said, and the government is therefore in contempt.
Read more here.
Rebecca Black - Friday - The worst pop song ever?
The honour undoubtedly goes to Rihanna's "Umbrella", but you decide.
A song by a 13-year-old American teenager has gone viral on the internet after being widely described as the worst one ever recorded.
Rebecca Black's pop song called Friday has been viewed on YouTube more than 29 million times.
It has trended on Twitter and been the subject of huge online comment and discussion.
Mainly because it's been derided by millions of people for what they say are its awful lyrics.
Read more here.
Umm let's see, yes this seems fair. One billion G20 dollars to butch up the police, and fifty cents to compensate business owners
More than eight months after last summer’s G20 summit, Ottawa has started to recompense downtown business owners who say they lost millions of dollars in the fallout.
But the message Friday at a news conference organized by local MP Olivia Chow was: It is nowhere near enough.
Kevin Parker, who manages Steve’s Music on Queen Street West, was among a number of business owners who complain they were shortchanged after suffering extensive damages during the G20. His business put in a claim for about $100,000, he said, but received a compensation offer for one-fifth of that.
“I think that’s a little ridiculous,” Mr. Parker said. “You guys held it in Toronto. You guys knew something was going to happen. People should be compensated for what was out of their pocket.”
Silly business owner, don't you realize buying sound cannons for the police has far greater priority?
Read more here.
But the message Friday at a news conference organized by local MP Olivia Chow was: It is nowhere near enough.
Kevin Parker, who manages Steve’s Music on Queen Street West, was among a number of business owners who complain they were shortchanged after suffering extensive damages during the G20. His business put in a claim for about $100,000, he said, but received a compensation offer for one-fifth of that.
“I think that’s a little ridiculous,” Mr. Parker said. “You guys held it in Toronto. You guys knew something was going to happen. People should be compensated for what was out of their pocket.”
Silly business owner, don't you realize buying sound cannons for the police has far greater priority?
Read more here.
Pushy Christians: Councillor Michael Thompson picks up God's tab
Amen.
Councillor Michael Thompson was writing a cheque Friday to bring an end to any debate over the $300 donation he gave from his taxpayer-funded budget to the church of the pastor who blessed his office.
After receiving a mixed response from his community to the issue, he was writing the cheque to reimburse the city for the expense, Thompson said Friday.
But he maintained the donation was allowed under the city’s current policies for councillors office budgets. The same policy allows councillors to donate to churches in their ward or sponsor children’s sports teams.
“At the end of the day if I was told I couldn’t have done it, I wouldn’t have done it,” Thompson said.
Writing the city a cheque puts an end to the matter, he said, while maintaining its not an admission he did something wrong.
“Heck no,” he said.
A Christian admitting a mistake? Hell will freeze over first.
Read more here.
Councillor Michael Thompson was writing a cheque Friday to bring an end to any debate over the $300 donation he gave from his taxpayer-funded budget to the church of the pastor who blessed his office.
After receiving a mixed response from his community to the issue, he was writing the cheque to reimburse the city for the expense, Thompson said Friday.
But he maintained the donation was allowed under the city’s current policies for councillors office budgets. The same policy allows councillors to donate to churches in their ward or sponsor children’s sports teams.
“At the end of the day if I was told I couldn’t have done it, I wouldn’t have done it,” Thompson said.
Writing the city a cheque puts an end to the matter, he said, while maintaining its not an admission he did something wrong.
“Heck no,” he said.
A Christian admitting a mistake? Hell will freeze over first.
Read more here.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Cable and satellite providers jubilant as free TV is finally officially dead in Canada
Next stop, the Internet.
Get ready for a national ad campaign about the transition to digital television.
Some Canadian homes will be forced to buy satellite service if they want to continue to receive TV signals. Associated Press
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission issued an order Friday for Canada's over-the-air networks to begin airing public service announcements about the switchover to digital TV, starting May 1.
The CRTC ordered broadcasters to roll out digital TV signals (already sent out in some cities) nationwide by Aug. 31. Analog, over-the-air signals are to be shut down over the following year.
Viewers who rely exclusively on analog signals will have to find a new way of receiving their favourite stations.
New ways that are no longer free.
Mahou Shoujo
2011/03/19
at 10:23 PM ET
There are people out there willing to pay to watch commercials? The place gets curiouser and curiouser, the outright silly.
Read more here.
Get ready for a national ad campaign about the transition to digital television.
Some Canadian homes will be forced to buy satellite service if they want to continue to receive TV signals. Associated Press
The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission issued an order Friday for Canada's over-the-air networks to begin airing public service announcements about the switchover to digital TV, starting May 1.
The CRTC ordered broadcasters to roll out digital TV signals (already sent out in some cities) nationwide by Aug. 31. Analog, over-the-air signals are to be shut down over the following year.
Viewers who rely exclusively on analog signals will have to find a new way of receiving their favourite stations.
New ways that are no longer free.
Mahou Shoujo
2011/03/19
at 10:23 PM ET
There are people out there willing to pay to watch commercials? The place gets curiouser and curiouser, the outright silly.
Read more here.
Utah: Barbaric Throwbacks of the Day
Americans must have the tinniest penises on Earth, they are constantly compensating.FYI Utah, you look like morons on a global scale, except among those who believe the gun is a thing to be admired.
Like Zardoz.
Think of the company you keep...like Mozambique.
Until this week, Utah had 24 state symbols, from tree (the blue spruce) to insect (the honeybee) to even cooking pot (the Dutch oven).
Now it's added an official state firearm -- the John M. Browning-designed M1911 pistol, becoming the first state in the nation to have one, according to the state legislator who sponsored the law.
Utah Gov. Gary Herbert signed the new symbol into law this week.
Oh good Lord, now all the whiny little states will want one, each larger than the next.
The battle for the Death Star will be most entertaining.
Read more here.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
British ISPs attempt to defend their unbridled naked greed
Their greed fools no one, but they will win only because money usually does.
And listen to their exasperated tone in all this. "People with money should be able to pay for the privilege of priority, on the Net as in life. It's the natural order of things. My goodness, what is all the fuss about?"
ISPs have defended their right to operate a two-speed internet, at a key debate into the future of the web.
The debate was organised by the government, which is keen to see the principles of a free and equal net maintained.
ISPs are increasingly looking to prioritise some traffic on their networks and block some.
For this alone they should be pulled apart by wild horses, but read on brave reader.
They argue that if content providers want to pay to get their traffic prioritised on the network, then they should be allowed to do so.
Thus making them the Scum of the Earth.
And then there's this little gem from Simon Milner, head of policy of BT:
"In our view if someone wants to offer a service in which things are blocked - for example the Church of England might want to deliver Christian-friendly broadband - then they should be allowed to do that. It is no different from the walled gardens we used to have," he said.
And in the "multi-channelled" internet of the future, he said, firms should be allowed to prioritise certain traffic.
The Nightmare Vision of the Corporate Internet. All for "our" benefit of course.
Read more here.
And listen to their exasperated tone in all this. "People with money should be able to pay for the privilege of priority, on the Net as in life. It's the natural order of things. My goodness, what is all the fuss about?"
ISPs have defended their right to operate a two-speed internet, at a key debate into the future of the web.
The debate was organised by the government, which is keen to see the principles of a free and equal net maintained.
ISPs are increasingly looking to prioritise some traffic on their networks and block some.
For this alone they should be pulled apart by wild horses, but read on brave reader.
They argue that if content providers want to pay to get their traffic prioritised on the network, then they should be allowed to do so.
Thus making them the Scum of the Earth.
And then there's this little gem from Simon Milner, head of policy of BT:
"In our view if someone wants to offer a service in which things are blocked - for example the Church of England might want to deliver Christian-friendly broadband - then they should be allowed to do that. It is no different from the walled gardens we used to have," he said.
And in the "multi-channelled" internet of the future, he said, firms should be allowed to prioritise certain traffic.
The Nightmare Vision of the Corporate Internet. All for "our" benefit of course.
Read more here.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Dave Grohl makes an extremely wise choice re Glee
...the Foo Fighters won't be on "Glee" anytime soon.
Grohl, the band's lead singer, spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the high school choir dramedy's penchant for using current pop music. He's not a fan of the pressure the show's creator puts on bands to give permission to use their songs.
"It's every band's right, you shouldn't have to do fucking 'Glee,'" Grohl told The Hollywood Reporter. "And then the guy who created 'Glee' is so offended that we're not, like, begging to be on his f**king show... f**k that guy for thinking anybody and everybody should want to do 'Glee.'"
Amen brother, testify.
Read more here.
Grohl, the band's lead singer, spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the high school choir dramedy's penchant for using current pop music. He's not a fan of the pressure the show's creator puts on bands to give permission to use their songs.
"It's every band's right, you shouldn't have to do fucking 'Glee,'" Grohl told The Hollywood Reporter. "And then the guy who created 'Glee' is so offended that we're not, like, begging to be on his f**king show... f**k that guy for thinking anybody and everybody should want to do 'Glee.'"
Amen brother, testify.
Read more here.
BlogTO has verbal orgasm over what might be Toronto's ugliest new condo
This is what gets Tocondo's cold dead heart a'beating.
This might be Toronto's most exciting condo project
It gets worse...
Read more here.
This might be Toronto's most exciting condo project
It gets worse...
Read more here.
Pushy Christians: Councillor Michael Thompson
So that's now non pinkos prioritize spending.
Must have been terrifying getting by the rattles and beads.
In Rob Ford’s City Hall, gravy is the ultimate sin. But what if the gravy was blessed by a Baptist pastor?
According to an expense form filed Jan. 4, Councillor Michael Thompson spent $300 of taxpayers’ money to have his office blessed by a Baptist pastor in December.
“(Having my office blessed) helps me to perform my task, the enormous task, of being a councillor,” Thompson explained Thursday night. “I believe a little faith is a tremendous guiding hand and principle in my ability to make my decisions on a daily basis.”
The hour-long blessing took place on Dec. 7, 2010, the inaugural day of the newly-elected council under Mayor Ford, who campaigned on a platform of austerity and derailing the “gravy train.”
Read more here.
Must have been terrifying getting by the rattles and beads.
In Rob Ford’s City Hall, gravy is the ultimate sin. But what if the gravy was blessed by a Baptist pastor?
According to an expense form filed Jan. 4, Councillor Michael Thompson spent $300 of taxpayers’ money to have his office blessed by a Baptist pastor in December.
“(Having my office blessed) helps me to perform my task, the enormous task, of being a councillor,” Thompson explained Thursday night. “I believe a little faith is a tremendous guiding hand and principle in my ability to make my decisions on a daily basis.”
The hour-long blessing took place on Dec. 7, 2010, the inaugural day of the newly-elected council under Mayor Ford, who campaigned on a platform of austerity and derailing the “gravy train.”
Read more here.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
U.S. Army Sock Puppets want to be your friend
If you can't win through honest debate, lie.
The US military is developing software that will let it secretly manipulate social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter by using fake online personas to influence internet conversations and spread pro-American propaganda...
...Once developed, the software could allow US service personnel, working around the clock in one location, to respond to emerging online conversations with any number of co-ordinated Facebook messages, blogposts, tweets, retweets, chatroom posts and other interventions.
Read more here.
The US military is developing software that will let it secretly manipulate social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter by using fake online personas to influence internet conversations and spread pro-American propaganda...
...Once developed, the software could allow US service personnel, working around the clock in one location, to respond to emerging online conversations with any number of co-ordinated Facebook messages, blogposts, tweets, retweets, chatroom posts and other interventions.
Read more here.
World stunned to learn Fanta still produced
Fanta is #10?
Oh yeah, Coke won the cola wars.
The cola war is over for the time being, and the winner appears to be Coke — twice.
For the first time ever, Diet Coke has topped rival Pepsi-Cola to become the second-most popular soft drink in the United States. Coca-Cola Classic took the top spot, with more than 1.6 billion cases sold across the U.S. in 2010.
Read more here.
Oh yeah, Coke won the cola wars.
The cola war is over for the time being, and the winner appears to be Coke — twice.
For the first time ever, Diet Coke has topped rival Pepsi-Cola to become the second-most popular soft drink in the United States. Coca-Cola Classic took the top spot, with more than 1.6 billion cases sold across the U.S. in 2010.
Read more here.
Moose population plummets as Patricia Regular takes to the wheel
An eastern Newfoundland woman, who has collided with three moose since May 2010, is calling on the provincial government to do more to keep the large animals off the province's highways.
"The numbers are increasing obviously. I see them quite often coming and going from work," said Patricia Regular of Harbour Grace.
One can not top reality.
Read more here.
"The numbers are increasing obviously. I see them quite often coming and going from work," said Patricia Regular of Harbour Grace.
One can not top reality.
Read more here.
Nursery Rhymes with Storytime: Oh my God, this sad, pathetic man
Someone please release him from the steel dungeon he finds himself in. Think of the children!
Florida state Rep. Kathleen Passidomo: Idiot of the Day
Seems the best way to sell legislation these days is that it'll be good for the economy. That's how Rep. Hazelle Rogers (D-Lauderhill) pitched her so-called "sagging pants" bill to members of the House's K-20 education innovation subcommittee today.
"This pro-family, pro-education, pro-jobs bill provides each school district ... adopt a student dress code of conduct, a policy that explains to each student their responsibility," she said. "This would make for a better school district and more productive students."
The bill passed the subcommittee unanimously.
Now that is dumb enough, but wait, there's more!
One committee member, Rep. Kathleen Passidomo (R-Naples) said she'd read recently a horrible story out of Texas about the rape of a young girl.
"There was an article about an 11 year old girl who was gangraped in Texas by 18 young men because she was dressed like a 21-year-old prostitute," she said. "And her parents let her attend school like that. And I think it’s incumbent upon us to create some areas where students can be safe in school and show up in proper attire so what happened in Texas doesn’t happen to our students."
No one commented on that line of reasoning.
Simple enough to figure out. It is the fault of women that they get raped. Now if there was just a law to regulate what women wear, our men would be safe to walk the streets at night without being tempted to rape.
Simple.
Read more here.
"This pro-family, pro-education, pro-jobs bill provides each school district ... adopt a student dress code of conduct, a policy that explains to each student their responsibility," she said. "This would make for a better school district and more productive students."
The bill passed the subcommittee unanimously.
Now that is dumb enough, but wait, there's more!
One committee member, Rep. Kathleen Passidomo (R-Naples) said she'd read recently a horrible story out of Texas about the rape of a young girl.
"There was an article about an 11 year old girl who was gangraped in Texas by 18 young men because she was dressed like a 21-year-old prostitute," she said. "And her parents let her attend school like that. And I think it’s incumbent upon us to create some areas where students can be safe in school and show up in proper attire so what happened in Texas doesn’t happen to our students."
No one commented on that line of reasoning.
Simple enough to figure out. It is the fault of women that they get raped. Now if there was just a law to regulate what women wear, our men would be safe to walk the streets at night without being tempted to rape.
Simple.
Read more here.
Oh well, it was nice reading The New York Times online while it lasted
You mean I'll have to pay to read the U.S. doesn't commit torture, but everyone least does?
The New York Times announced Thursday that it will begin charging readers for online access to its content, marking a dramatic shift in the relationship that a news outlet with the largest online readership in the country will have to the Web.
In a letter to readers, Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., the publisher of the paper, laid out the details of the impending paywall, which he said will go into effect immediately in Canada and on March 28 for the rest of the world. He called the move, which has been in the works for over a year, a "significant transition" and "an important step that we hope you will see as an investment in The Times, one that will strengthen our ability to provide high-quality journalism to readers around the world and on any platform."
Read more here.
The New York Times announced Thursday that it will begin charging readers for online access to its content, marking a dramatic shift in the relationship that a news outlet with the largest online readership in the country will have to the Web.
In a letter to readers, Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., the publisher of the paper, laid out the details of the impending paywall, which he said will go into effect immediately in Canada and on March 28 for the rest of the world. He called the move, which has been in the works for over a year, a "significant transition" and "an important step that we hope you will see as an investment in The Times, one that will strengthen our ability to provide high-quality journalism to readers around the world and on any platform."
Read more here.
Catholic school annoyed by tit for their tat
A Catholic school in Thunder Bay has disciplined seven students who sported homemade pro-choice stickers during a school-sanctioned pro-life Day of Silence.
Oh I see, so the school can have a "day" and speak their minds, but no one else can. Yes, I get it now.
The St. Patrick's Catholic High School students were either sent home or suspended for refusing to remove green pieces of tape with the word "choice" during a pro-life event Thursday, organized by a school chaplain and a student group, in which students sported similar labels with the word "life."
Read more here.
Oh I see, so the school can have a "day" and speak their minds, but no one else can. Yes, I get it now.
The St. Patrick's Catholic High School students were either sent home or suspended for refusing to remove green pieces of tape with the word "choice" during a pro-life event Thursday, organized by a school chaplain and a student group, in which students sported similar labels with the word "life."
Read more here.
World class engineers called in to reenforce stage as His Lord Mayor Rob Ford makes his "theatre debut"
Didn't anyone tell His Highness that theatre is mainly for pinko limp wristed types?
Oh I see...
Everyone finds their own way of coming out. Mayor Ford, I'm sure you'll look Fabulous!
Mayor Rob Ford will make his “theatre debut” to an auditorium full of March Break giddy children this Friday in a special cameo appearance in the musical Thomas Saves the Day. His Worship will make his entrance at 2:25 p.m. on the Sony Centre stage, according to a playfully worded press release entitled “The Gravy Train is NOT stopping here!”
In what surely means something to legions of Thomas the Tank Engine fans, the release advises that “Sir Topham Hatt will welcome Mayor Ford to the Island of Sodor as they prepare for the Magic Lantern Festival.”
Thomas & Friends Live! On Stage in “Thomas Saves the Day” is a 90 minute touring show that is in Toronto this weekend.
Oh I see...
Everyone finds their own way of coming out. Mayor Ford, I'm sure you'll look Fabulous!
Mayor Rob Ford will make his “theatre debut” to an auditorium full of March Break giddy children this Friday in a special cameo appearance in the musical Thomas Saves the Day. His Worship will make his entrance at 2:25 p.m. on the Sony Centre stage, according to a playfully worded press release entitled “The Gravy Train is NOT stopping here!”
In what surely means something to legions of Thomas the Tank Engine fans, the release advises that “Sir Topham Hatt will welcome Mayor Ford to the Island of Sodor as they prepare for the Magic Lantern Festival.”
Thomas & Friends Live! On Stage in “Thomas Saves the Day” is a 90 minute touring show that is in Toronto this weekend.
Toronto Police PR Disaster of the Day: What the F*ck was that cop doing with that gun on the roof?
Was it an example of bringing lethal force to a peaceful protest or simply the police being properly prepared?
There are plenty of opinions.
With all of the social media chatter Wednesday about this sniper’s rifle photographed on a terrace at Toronto Police headquarters, you’d swear it had been fired at protesters.
This did not happen. In fact the gun, which in pictures is resting on the ground, was never supposed to be seen by the public.
However, like it did during the G20, citizen journalism has struck once again.
With government seemingly lacking the courage to properly oversee police, amateur photographers and social media commentators are taking it upon themselves.
But while some of my copper contacts question the deployment of such a weapon, many others tell me there is no story here and that it’s just routine policing.
If that's routine, then we have some very fucked up people running our police.
Of course, there are dangerously uninformed members of the public ready to justify any dumb action the police may take:
Steven Blenkinsop 13 hours ago
The way people are talking about it, they're making it sound like the sniper rifle was used. It wasn't. It wasn't even pointed at anybody. Police have guns with them all the time. A handgun will kill you just as good as a sniper rifle. A sniper rifle's just more precise (ie, innocent bystanders are much, much less likely to get hit), and much more useful for a guy watching from the rooftops should a dangerous situation arise in a crowd.
A sniper has to get authorization to engage. It isn't like he'll see something, misinterpret it, and snipe some innocent dude in the crowd.
Oh well, that makes everything all right again. I'm so relieved.
Read more here.
There are plenty of opinions.
With all of the social media chatter Wednesday about this sniper’s rifle photographed on a terrace at Toronto Police headquarters, you’d swear it had been fired at protesters.
This did not happen. In fact the gun, which in pictures is resting on the ground, was never supposed to be seen by the public.
However, like it did during the G20, citizen journalism has struck once again.
With government seemingly lacking the courage to properly oversee police, amateur photographers and social media commentators are taking it upon themselves.
But while some of my copper contacts question the deployment of such a weapon, many others tell me there is no story here and that it’s just routine policing.
If that's routine, then we have some very fucked up people running our police.
Of course, there are dangerously uninformed members of the public ready to justify any dumb action the police may take:
Steven Blenkinsop 13 hours ago
The way people are talking about it, they're making it sound like the sniper rifle was used. It wasn't. It wasn't even pointed at anybody. Police have guns with them all the time. A handgun will kill you just as good as a sniper rifle. A sniper rifle's just more precise (ie, innocent bystanders are much, much less likely to get hit), and much more useful for a guy watching from the rooftops should a dangerous situation arise in a crowd.
A sniper has to get authorization to engage. It isn't like he'll see something, misinterpret it, and snipe some innocent dude in the crowd.
Oh well, that makes everything all right again. I'm so relieved.
Read more here.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
MGM hopes its jingoistic remake Red Dawn doesn't offend the wrong totalitarians
Look up C.B. deMille's "The Cheat" from 1915. Same crap, different time.
"Red Dawn" is one of the worst 80's movies there is. What genius thought this was a good idea? (see the second link below for a clue. It rhymes with "swarmy")
China has become such an important market for U.S. entertainment companies that one studio has taken the extraordinary step of digitally altering a film to excise bad guys from the Communist nation lest the leadership in Beijing be offended.
When MGM decided a few years ago to remake "Red Dawn," a 1984 Cold War drama about a bunch of American farm kids repelling a Soviet invasion, the studio needed new villains, since the U.S.S.R. had collapsed in 1991. The producers substituted Chinese aggressors for the Soviets and filmed the movie in Michigan in 2009.
But potential distributors are nervous about becoming associated with the finished film, concerned that doing so would harm their ability to do business with the rising Asian superpower, one of the fastest-growing and potentially most lucrative markets for American movies, not to mention other U.S. products.
Read more here.
On a similar topic, try How the '80s programmed us for war.
"Red Dawn" is one of the worst 80's movies there is. What genius thought this was a good idea? (see the second link below for a clue. It rhymes with "swarmy")
China has become such an important market for U.S. entertainment companies that one studio has taken the extraordinary step of digitally altering a film to excise bad guys from the Communist nation lest the leadership in Beijing be offended.
When MGM decided a few years ago to remake "Red Dawn," a 1984 Cold War drama about a bunch of American farm kids repelling a Soviet invasion, the studio needed new villains, since the U.S.S.R. had collapsed in 1991. The producers substituted Chinese aggressors for the Soviets and filmed the movie in Michigan in 2009.
But potential distributors are nervous about becoming associated with the finished film, concerned that doing so would harm their ability to do business with the rising Asian superpower, one of the fastest-growing and potentially most lucrative markets for American movies, not to mention other U.S. products.
Read more here.
On a similar topic, try How the '80s programmed us for war.
Pushy Christians: No Flowers for you, icky poo!
A florist in Riverview, N.B., is refusing to provide wedding flowers to a same-sex couple, according to the event's planner.
After agreeing to provide the flowers for a wedding, Kim Evans of Petals and Promises Wedding Flowers sent an email last month to the couple, saying she didn't know it was a same-sex wedding and would have no part of the ceremony.
"I am choosing to decline your business. As a born-again Christian, I must respect my conscience before God and have no part in this matter," the email said.
Evans has not returned calls from CBC News to explain her decision.
The Devil made her do it.
Read more here.
After agreeing to provide the flowers for a wedding, Kim Evans of Petals and Promises Wedding Flowers sent an email last month to the couple, saying she didn't know it was a same-sex wedding and would have no part of the ceremony.
"I am choosing to decline your business. As a born-again Christian, I must respect my conscience before God and have no part in this matter," the email said.
Evans has not returned calls from CBC News to explain her decision.
The Devil made her do it.
Read more here.
Ta-Nehisi Coates completes misses the point of Little Zangief
The Disappointing Taste of Revenge
Disappointing you say? Nonsense, it is one of the most satisfying videos ever made.
That kid--the aggressive one--was out of his head, and there was no one to put the right kind of hands on him.
Out of his head? I think not. He seemed the model of the preening bully, fully in control. And hands were put on him, of a most effective kind.
And now he's famous.
And rightly so, as he is now world famous as The Rat, a celebrity manufactured of his own making (it was the Rat and Co. doing the video recording that day).
Read more here.
Disappointing you say? Nonsense, it is one of the most satisfying videos ever made.
That kid--the aggressive one--was out of his head, and there was no one to put the right kind of hands on him.
Out of his head? I think not. He seemed the model of the preening bully, fully in control. And hands were put on him, of a most effective kind.
And now he's famous.
And rightly so, as he is now world famous as The Rat, a celebrity manufactured of his own making (it was the Rat and Co. doing the video recording that day).
Read more here.
31 Republicans vote that climate change doesn't exist
Willful ignorance must be comforting, or these metal geniuses wouldn't be that way.
One gets the impression that the politicians aren't as dumb as the people that they pray vote for them...
"Base" is a well used word.
Thirty-one Republicans on the House Energy And Commerce Committee -- the entire Republican contingent on the panel -- declined on Tuesday to vote in support of the very idea that climate change exists.
Read more here.
One gets the impression that the politicians aren't as dumb as the people that they pray vote for them...
"Base" is a well used word.
Thirty-one Republicans on the House Energy And Commerce Committee -- the entire Republican contingent on the panel -- declined on Tuesday to vote in support of the very idea that climate change exists.
Read more here.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
$26-million will not be enough to convince thinking Canadians Harper and Co. aren't full of shit
Prime Minister Stephen Harper defended the multi-million dollar public relations effort Tuesday that is promoting his government's economic stimulus plan ahead of a possible election.
Read more here.
Read more here.
PHYSICIST PROFESSOR BRIAN COX THINKS SHOUTING MAKES SCIENCE EASIER TO UNDERSTAND
THE GREAT DUMBING...sorry, The Great Dumbing Down continues.
Physicist Professor Brian Cox has said the BBC made a mistake by agreeing to turn down the music volume for his scientific series Wonders of the Universe.
The BBC agreed to lower the sound after receiving 118 complaints about the background music on the first episode being too loud and/or intrusive.
Speaking on Radio 4's Start the Week, Cox said he thought it was an error.
"We can sometimes be too responsive to the minority of people that complain."
He added: "It should be a cinematic experience - it's a piece of film on television, not a lecture."
Translation: it was made for idiots, turn the sound back UP.
Read more here.
Physicist Professor Brian Cox has said the BBC made a mistake by agreeing to turn down the music volume for his scientific series Wonders of the Universe.
The BBC agreed to lower the sound after receiving 118 complaints about the background music on the first episode being too loud and/or intrusive.
Speaking on Radio 4's Start the Week, Cox said he thought it was an error.
"We can sometimes be too responsive to the minority of people that complain."
He added: "It should be a cinematic experience - it's a piece of film on television, not a lecture."
Translation: it was made for idiots, turn the sound back UP.
Read more here.
Stop me if you've heard this one. Three dumb Jews get on a plane...
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present you the modern day Three Stooges, minus the intellect.
Alaska Airlines has apologized for a weekend incident in which three Orthodox Jewish businessmen triggered security concerns by conducting a prayer ritual on board a flight to Los Angeles.
The men began praying out loud in Hebrew shortly after takeoff on Flight 241 from Mexico City. Flight attendants alerted the flight deck, which then called the tower and alerted law enforcement. When the plane arrived at Los Angeles International Airport, it was met by the FBI, Customs and Border Protection and airport police.
The men were questioned, their bags searched, and it was determined they were not a threat according to the FBI.
Read more here.
Alaska Airlines has apologized for a weekend incident in which three Orthodox Jewish businessmen triggered security concerns by conducting a prayer ritual on board a flight to Los Angeles.
The men began praying out loud in Hebrew shortly after takeoff on Flight 241 from Mexico City. Flight attendants alerted the flight deck, which then called the tower and alerted law enforcement. When the plane arrived at Los Angeles International Airport, it was met by the FBI, Customs and Border Protection and airport police.
The men were questioned, their bags searched, and it was determined they were not a threat according to the FBI.
Read more here.
Disney, to the relief of movie lovers everywhere, kills Yellow Submarine remake
The Walt Disney Co. has deep-sixed Mars Needs Moms producer Robert Zemeckis’ planned next project for the studio, the high-profile remake of the classic Beatles film Yellow Submarine, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.
Submarine was already facing a few rocky reefs before this weekend. There were budget issues, and a key presentation Zemeckis was to have made before the Beatles heirs kept being pushed back. A December date for the confab was scrapped and never rescheduled. But sources say the disastrous $6.9 million opening for the $150 million-budgeted Mars, produced by Zemeckis, guaranteed that Submarine would never set sail at Disney. The producer-director is now free to shop the project to another studio.
Read more here.
Submarine was already facing a few rocky reefs before this weekend. There were budget issues, and a key presentation Zemeckis was to have made before the Beatles heirs kept being pushed back. A December date for the confab was scrapped and never rescheduled. But sources say the disastrous $6.9 million opening for the $150 million-budgeted Mars, produced by Zemeckis, guaranteed that Submarine would never set sail at Disney. The producer-director is now free to shop the project to another studio.
Read more here.
Obama lets the Presidency suck the morals right out of him
Pfc. Bradley Manning, who has been imprisoned for nine months on charges of handing government files to WikiLeaks, has not even been tried let alone convicted. Yet the military has been treating him abusively, in a way that conjures creepy memories of how the Bush administration used to treat terror suspects. Inexplicably, it appears to have President Obama’s support to do so.
Read more here.
Read more here.
A Day Made of Glass... Made possible by Corning
Well made industrial video.
As predictions of this sort are always rendered quint and sometimes laughable by the time the real technology comes around, what will that technology actually be like?
Before this glorious new future can arrive though, one major technological hurtle must be overcome: the fingerprint.
Harper and Co. play up divisions among Canadians to maintain their slimey grip on power
Hey, it worked for Our Lord Mayor Alleged Fat Fuck Ford. Damn Pinkos...
There was once a legend, concocted deep in the countryside of Quebec and recited to little children to keep them in their beds at night. As the legend would have it, one day the entire Island of Montreal would sink beneath the waters of the Saint-Lawrence River and be gone. Suspicion of the city ran deep: ours was the realm of decadence and deviance and such sinful liberties that was inevitable that it would be struck down. This story was told at least up until the 1960s. Perhaps it still is.
But lately the stories about Montreal have slipped from the realm of legends to the rhetoric of politicians. The Conservative Party of Canada, perhaps motivated by a “divide and conquer” mentality, seems to be reinforcing – if not re-inventing - tensions between urban and rural voters in Quebec.
The party has been running brutal campaigns against all their opponents, but their TV smear campaign against Bloc Québecois leader Gilles Duceppe hinges on his being "trop Montréalais" - too much of a Montrealer.
Read more here.
There was once a legend, concocted deep in the countryside of Quebec and recited to little children to keep them in their beds at night. As the legend would have it, one day the entire Island of Montreal would sink beneath the waters of the Saint-Lawrence River and be gone. Suspicion of the city ran deep: ours was the realm of decadence and deviance and such sinful liberties that was inevitable that it would be struck down. This story was told at least up until the 1960s. Perhaps it still is.
But lately the stories about Montreal have slipped from the realm of legends to the rhetoric of politicians. The Conservative Party of Canada, perhaps motivated by a “divide and conquer” mentality, seems to be reinforcing – if not re-inventing - tensions between urban and rural voters in Quebec.
The party has been running brutal campaigns against all their opponents, but their TV smear campaign against Bloc Québecois leader Gilles Duceppe hinges on his being "trop Montréalais" - too much of a Montrealer.
Read more here.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Audiences dislike movie characters with dead zombie eyes
Mars Needs Moms. Major box office bomb. Disney, Hollywood, stop making this crap.
Justice
Casey Heynes of Australia, Crusher of Rats*. Crude but effective.
Youtube is seems is not on the side of Right, as it keeps taking this one down.
* aka Ritchard Gale, proud new owner of a dislocated knee, 22 day suspension, plus eternal and universal internet scorn. Not bad for 41 seconds work.
Twitter, in a surprisingly stupid move, kills third party apps
In a statement issued today by Twitter on its official developer mailing list, the company informed third-party developers that they should no longer attempt to build conventional Twitter client applications. In a move to increase the "consistency" of the user experience, Twitter wants more control over how its service is presented to users in all contexts.
The announcement is a major blow to the third-party application developers who played a key role in popularizing Twitter's service. More significantly, it demonstrates the vulnerability of building a business on top of a Web platform that is controlled by a single vendor. The situation highlights the importance of decentralization in building sustainable infrastructure for communication.
Read more here.
The announcement is a major blow to the third-party application developers who played a key role in popularizing Twitter's service. More significantly, it demonstrates the vulnerability of building a business on top of a Web platform that is controlled by a single vendor. The situation highlights the importance of decentralization in building sustainable infrastructure for communication.
Read more here.
UK broadband companies offer graphic proof they f*ck with the Net
They will do anything, anything, to guarantee they make as much money as they can off the Net, and don't care if they fundamentally change it in the process.
The UK's biggest broadband providers are to give clearer information about how they slow down users' connections to maintain their network performance.
BT, Virgin Media and Sky are among the companies that will publish details of their "traffic management" policies.
The firms say they want to help customers understand why they need to vary connection speeds.
Read more here.
The UK's biggest broadband providers are to give clearer information about how they slow down users' connections to maintain their network performance.
BT, Virgin Media and Sky are among the companies that will publish details of their "traffic management" policies.
The firms say they want to help customers understand why they need to vary connection speeds.
Read more here.
Both the National Post and the Globe and Mail send sweet little love letters to His Lord Mayor Rob Ford
Aww, such touching tomes of affection...
100 Days of Forditude and Our favourite moments from Rob Ford’s first 102 days
Chris Selley's gots the hots for you Mr. Mayor. Oh you lucky man!
Fuck journalism, they just want to have his babies.
100 Days of Forditude and Our favourite moments from Rob Ford’s first 102 days
Chris Selley's gots the hots for you Mr. Mayor. Oh you lucky man!
Fuck journalism, they just want to have his babies.
General Petraeus makes the military more disgusting than it already is
Bomb civilians, then blame them for it.
Hard to paint murder for anything other than what it is.
To the shock of President Hamid Karzai's aides, Gen. David H. Petraeus suggested Sunday at the presidential palace that Afghans caught up in a coalition attack in northeastern Afghanistan might have burned their own children to exaggerate claims of civilian casualties, according to two participants at the meeting.
Read more here.
Hard to paint murder for anything other than what it is.
To the shock of President Hamid Karzai's aides, Gen. David H. Petraeus suggested Sunday at the presidential palace that Afghans caught up in a coalition attack in northeastern Afghanistan might have burned their own children to exaggerate claims of civilian casualties, according to two participants at the meeting.
Read more here.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Family Guy writer Alec Sulkin: Greater Scumbag of the Day
Mr. Sulkin tweets:
If you wanna feel better about this earthquake in Japan, google “Pearl Harbor death toll”.
Coming from anyone involved in Family Guy, this comes as no shock.
Read more here.
If you wanna feel better about this earthquake in Japan, google “Pearl Harbor death toll”.
Coming from anyone involved in Family Guy, this comes as no shock.
Read more here.
State Department spokesman P. J. Crowley pushed out for telling the truth
Opps, another person dares to speak the unspeakable.
Oh Mr. Crowley, don't you realize that's why Bradley Manning is in jail in the first place?
P.J. Crowley is resigning as spokesman for the State Department, CNN reports.
Michael van Poppel at BNO News, however, notes on Twitter, "Crowley released a statement on Yemen just 2 hours ago. Seems really abrupt."
According to CNN, Crowley came under pressure from the Obama administration to step down in the wake of making controversial comments about the Pentagon's treatment of Army private Bradley Manning, who is currently detained over suspicion he was complicit in leaking classified government documents to WikiLeaks.
Blogger Philippa Thomas relayed what Crowley had to say about the matter to a small audience at M.I.T. last week. He characterized the way in which the Pentagon has handled Manning's detainment as "ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid." He also said, "None the less Bradley Manning is in the right place."
Read more here.
Oh Mr. Crowley, don't you realize that's why Bradley Manning is in jail in the first place?
P.J. Crowley is resigning as spokesman for the State Department, CNN reports.
Michael van Poppel at BNO News, however, notes on Twitter, "Crowley released a statement on Yemen just 2 hours ago. Seems really abrupt."
According to CNN, Crowley came under pressure from the Obama administration to step down in the wake of making controversial comments about the Pentagon's treatment of Army private Bradley Manning, who is currently detained over suspicion he was complicit in leaking classified government documents to WikiLeaks.
Blogger Philippa Thomas relayed what Crowley had to say about the matter to a small audience at M.I.T. last week. He characterized the way in which the Pentagon has handled Manning's detainment as "ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid." He also said, "None the less Bradley Manning is in the right place."
Read more here.
The New York Times has to defend a piece of atrocious writing
By public editor Arthur S. Brisbane:
The story quickly climbed The Times’s “most emailed” list but not just because of the sensational facts of the crime involved. “Vicious Assault Shakes Texas Town,” published on Tuesday, reported the gang rape by 18 boys and men of an 11-year-old girl in the East Texas town of Cleveland.
The viral distribution of the story was, at least in part, because of the intense outrage it inspired among readers who thought the piece pilloried the victim.
My assessment is that the outrage is understandable...
He is referring to an article by one James C. McKinley Jr:
Read more here.
The story quickly climbed The Times’s “most emailed” list but not just because of the sensational facts of the crime involved. “Vicious Assault Shakes Texas Town,” published on Tuesday, reported the gang rape by 18 boys and men of an 11-year-old girl in the East Texas town of Cleveland.
The viral distribution of the story was, at least in part, because of the intense outrage it inspired among readers who thought the piece pilloried the victim.
My assessment is that the outrage is understandable...
He is referring to an article by one James C. McKinley Jr:
Read more here.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
Mayor Ford and Co. stunned some Torontonians may not be greedy f*cks
Tell a conservative that some taxes are actually good and beneficial, and you will be greeted with a deer caught in the headlights stare. The concept is unknown to them.
Vision thus impaired, the Ford Nation will be easily led.
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford scored an early victory when council voted to do away with the vehicle registration tax, but some people unhappy with the move are returning their refunds.
When council killed the tax in December it meant a savings for car owners but a monetary hit to the city coffers of $56 million.
The city started mailing out $60 rebates in February to those who had pre-paid to register their passenger vehicles for 2011.
After Etobicoke resident Stephen Douglas got his cheque, he said he "really felt torn."
"It means that there isn't funding in the city for other things the city really needs the funding for," he said.
So Douglas decided to deliver the cheque earlier this week to the mayor's office with a letter.
Read more here.
Vision thus impaired, the Ford Nation will be easily led.
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford scored an early victory when council voted to do away with the vehicle registration tax, but some people unhappy with the move are returning their refunds.
When council killed the tax in December it meant a savings for car owners but a monetary hit to the city coffers of $56 million.
The city started mailing out $60 rebates in February to those who had pre-paid to register their passenger vehicles for 2011.
After Etobicoke resident Stephen Douglas got his cheque, he said he "really felt torn."
"It means that there isn't funding in the city for other things the city really needs the funding for," he said.
So Douglas decided to deliver the cheque earlier this week to the mayor's office with a letter.
Read more here.
AOL f*cks over 900 employees after Huffington Post purchase
Bet this ain't the top story at the Huffington Post...
US internet firm AOL is to cut 900 jobs, nearly 20% of its 5,000-strong workforce, as part of a move to restructure the company in the wake of its purchase of online newspaper the Huffington Post.
AOL bought the Huffington Post in February for $315m (£196m).
The job losses are intended to offset duplication between the two companies.
Read more here.
US internet firm AOL is to cut 900 jobs, nearly 20% of its 5,000-strong workforce, as part of a move to restructure the company in the wake of its purchase of online newspaper the Huffington Post.
AOL bought the Huffington Post in February for $315m (£196m).
The job losses are intended to offset duplication between the two companies.
Read more here.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Boston Bruins make epic mistake of f*cking with the Canadians...in Montreal
Never fuck with hockey in Montreal.
Had a Canadian's player done this to a Boston player, they give him a parade and the keys to the city..
Police in Montreal said Thursday they will investigate a hit in Tuesday night's National Hockey League game as a possible crime, Canadian media report.
The hit by Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara on the Montreal Canadiens' Max Pacioretty left Pacioretty with a severe concussion and a fractured vertebra, according to a CTV report.
Chara was given two penalties on the play and ejected from the game. On Wednesday, the NHL said the penalties assessed on the ice were appropriate and it would take no further action.
But Quebec's top prosecutor, Louis Dionne, asked for the police investigation after watching video of the play, the CBC reported.
Read more here.
Had a Canadian's player done this to a Boston player, they give him a parade and the keys to the city..
Police in Montreal said Thursday they will investigate a hit in Tuesday night's National Hockey League game as a possible crime, Canadian media report.
The hit by Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara on the Montreal Canadiens' Max Pacioretty left Pacioretty with a severe concussion and a fractured vertebra, according to a CTV report.
Chara was given two penalties on the play and ejected from the game. On Wednesday, the NHL said the penalties assessed on the ice were appropriate and it would take no further action.
But Quebec's top prosecutor, Louis Dionne, asked for the police investigation after watching video of the play, the CBC reported.
Read more here.
Gertie the Dinosaur vaudeville act recreation
Gertie the Dinosaur is a 1914 American animated short film by Winsor McCay. Although not the first animated film, as is sometimes thought, it was the first cartoon to feature a character with an appealing personality...
...Gertie the Dinosaur was originally created to be used in McCay's vaudeville performances...The performance consisted of McCay interacting with Gertie...
Read more here.
The Globe and Mail hints his Lord Mayor Rob Ford may be an arrogant f*ck
You don't say?
The first 100 days of Rob Ford have been enough to make the head spin. Transit City: killed by the mayor on his very first day. The car-registration tax: dead and gone. Taxes: Frozen for a year. The 2011 budget: rushed through at an unheard-of pace, leaving all the tough decisions for next year.
Mr. Ford has shown himself to be an impatient, often high-handed leader who has little time for opposition or complaint. That is the Ford approach: deliver a command, ignore the objections and wait for everyone to fall into line. If they don’t, well, off with their heads!
Read more here.
The first 100 days of Rob Ford have been enough to make the head spin. Transit City: killed by the mayor on his very first day. The car-registration tax: dead and gone. Taxes: Frozen for a year. The 2011 budget: rushed through at an unheard-of pace, leaving all the tough decisions for next year.
Mr. Ford has shown himself to be an impatient, often high-handed leader who has little time for opposition or complaint. That is the Ford approach: deliver a command, ignore the objections and wait for everyone to fall into line. If they don’t, well, off with their heads!
Read more here.
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Bronze Age burial pots found beneath toppled Carlinwell Stone
Two Bronze Age burial pots have been discovered at the base of an Angus standing stone which toppled over during this winter’s bad weather.
The pots, known as collared urns, are more than 3,500 years old, and contain human bone fragments.
They were found beneath the Carlinwell Stone at Airlie, near Kirriemuir, which fell during last month’s thaw as the heavy snow and deep ice retreated.
Read more here.
The pots, known as collared urns, are more than 3,500 years old, and contain human bone fragments.
They were found beneath the Carlinwell Stone at Airlie, near Kirriemuir, which fell during last month’s thaw as the heavy snow and deep ice retreated.
Read more here.
Cranky New Yorker John Cassidy annoyed at bike lanes because it make it harder to park his Jaguar
Oh you poor thing!
The bitter rant of an angry motorist? Perhaps. Since 1989, when I nervously edged out of the Ford showroom on Eleventh Avenue and 57th Street, the proud leaser of a sporty Thunderbird coupe, I have owned and driven six cars in the city, none of which could be classed as a fuel-economy vehicle: the Thunderbird, a Mercedes E190, an ancient Oldsmobile Delta 88 that could have done double duty as a paddle steamer on the Hudson, two Cadillac Sedan de Villes, and (my current heap) an old Jaguar XJ6.
And bikes are the problem? How does he keep a drivers licence being that blind?
Read more here.
The bitter rant of an angry motorist? Perhaps. Since 1989, when I nervously edged out of the Ford showroom on Eleventh Avenue and 57th Street, the proud leaser of a sporty Thunderbird coupe, I have owned and driven six cars in the city, none of which could be classed as a fuel-economy vehicle: the Thunderbird, a Mercedes E190, an ancient Oldsmobile Delta 88 that could have done double duty as a paddle steamer on the Hudson, two Cadillac Sedan de Villes, and (my current heap) an old Jaguar XJ6.
And bikes are the problem? How does he keep a drivers licence being that blind?
Read more here.
Phil Collins retires while millions Google: Who is Phil Collins?
British singer and drummer Phil Collins has announced his retirement on his personal website in a bid to clarify recent speculation over his career.
Read more here.
Read more here.
Now schools are not even safe havens from advertising
Cash starved schools and greedy marketers, a match made in heaven...
The Toronto District School Board is set to vote on a proposal to fully institute a pilot program allowing digital video screens featuring artwork, announcements and some advertising at more than 90 schools.
The video screens have already been installed at four high schools, and the board will vote Wednesday evening on whether to introduce them to 70 more this month. Another 20 would get them next year.
Announcements, exam information, even how much time is remaining until the next class are displayed on the screens. But about 30 per cent of the time is reserved for advertising, which the school board estimates could generate an extra $100,000 a year.
Read more here.
Update, they voted against it...
The Toronto District School Board is set to vote on a proposal to fully institute a pilot program allowing digital video screens featuring artwork, announcements and some advertising at more than 90 schools.
The video screens have already been installed at four high schools, and the board will vote Wednesday evening on whether to introduce them to 70 more this month. Another 20 would get them next year.
Announcements, exam information, even how much time is remaining until the next class are displayed on the screens. But about 30 per cent of the time is reserved for advertising, which the school board estimates could generate an extra $100,000 a year.
Read more here.
Update, they voted against it...
Cars 2, or the horror that is Disney
Who thought following a poor motion picture like Cars with a sequel was a good idea?
Disney I guess, as their name appears larger and more often in this trailer....
Lady Gaga dumps Target because of their rabid homophobia
In the US, corporations are people, and Target is that crazy old homophobic grandpa who shouts obscenities from his porch.
And grandpa has been seeking out the most hateful politicians in his area, targeting them with his pocketbook.
"Born This Way" is Lady Gaga's minority and gay rights anthem, and as such, she's decided not to partner with a chain retailer known for its donations to anti-gay rights political candidates...
...In July, it was revealed that Target's Political Action Committee had made donations to MN Forward, a PAC that supportered Minnesota State Rep. Tom Emmer's campaign for governor. Emmer is a hardline conservative who holds staunch anti-gay rights stances, and has been linked to a ministry that advocates killing gay people.
Following the revelation, Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel apologized and promised Target would more closely oversee its donations, but in December it was discovered that the company's PAC had donated over $30,000 to anti-gay rights politicians, 3/4 of its political spending in 2010. That included donations to MN Reps. Erik Paulsen and John Kline, both of whom are vehemently anti-gay rights.
When Gaga first struck the deal with the retailer in February, she noted the difficulty she had with Target's history, and said that it had become part of their negotiations.
Read more here.
And grandpa has been seeking out the most hateful politicians in his area, targeting them with his pocketbook.
"Born This Way" is Lady Gaga's minority and gay rights anthem, and as such, she's decided not to partner with a chain retailer known for its donations to anti-gay rights political candidates...
...In July, it was revealed that Target's Political Action Committee had made donations to MN Forward, a PAC that supportered Minnesota State Rep. Tom Emmer's campaign for governor. Emmer is a hardline conservative who holds staunch anti-gay rights stances, and has been linked to a ministry that advocates killing gay people.
Following the revelation, Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel apologized and promised Target would more closely oversee its donations, but in December it was discovered that the company's PAC had donated over $30,000 to anti-gay rights politicians, 3/4 of its political spending in 2010. That included donations to MN Reps. Erik Paulsen and John Kline, both of whom are vehemently anti-gay rights.
When Gaga first struck the deal with the retailer in February, she noted the difficulty she had with Target's history, and said that it had become part of their negotiations.
Read more here.
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
Confederate Soldiers Marching 1863 - Authentic American Civil War Footage (is a fake)
Video purporting to show:
Authentic American Civil War footage shot by French experimental photographer and inventor Léon-Alexandre Cànular (1810 - 1896) using a single lens camera that he had devised. It is one of the earliest examples of motion picture and the first with war as the subject matter. Shot at 16-18 frames per second, only photographic copies of parts of the paper filmstrip exist today.
Actually, go to 1:30 in the video below...
Busted.
Obama's stand on Gitmo gives John Yoo a chance to gloat
Disgusting.
Torture enabler John Yoo sighs in relief. No war crimes trial for him....
The Obama administration's anti-war campaign rhetoric and naive first-year promises continue to collide with reality. And happily, reality continues to prevail. The Obama administration has finally admitted, I think, that the Bush administration's decision to detain al Qaeda operatives and terrorists at Gitmo was sensible. It wasn't driven by some bizarre desire to mistreat terrorists, but instead was the best way to address security concerns without keeping them in Afghanistan or inside the United States.
" It wasn't driven by some bizarre desire to mistreat terrorists". Maybe so, but it sure was a benefit, now wasn't it John?
Read more here.
Torture enabler John Yoo sighs in relief. No war crimes trial for him....
The Obama administration's anti-war campaign rhetoric and naive first-year promises continue to collide with reality. And happily, reality continues to prevail. The Obama administration has finally admitted, I think, that the Bush administration's decision to detain al Qaeda operatives and terrorists at Gitmo was sensible. It wasn't driven by some bizarre desire to mistreat terrorists, but instead was the best way to address security concerns without keeping them in Afghanistan or inside the United States.
" It wasn't driven by some bizarre desire to mistreat terrorists". Maybe so, but it sure was a benefit, now wasn't it John?
Read more here.
Mayor Ford ex-brain Kouvalis plans to bring the Tea Party north. Monkey see, monkey do.
The Parade of Dumb this produces should be most entertaining...
“I think we can harness the enthusiasm for smaller government and lower taxes and more efficiencies and more outsourcing,” says Mr. Kouvalis, who recently left his post as Mr. Ford’s chief of staff to return to his political organizing business. And why not? Toronto is about to enter into a fierce debate on these issues. The right could use an organization to tell its side and make its case.
Love the little reach around the Globe and Mail writer gives Mr. Kouvalis. Subtle.
When conservatives say we're going to enter "a fierce debate", you know they plan on doing something unpopular and completely underhanded.
Be warned.
Read more here.
“I think we can harness the enthusiasm for smaller government and lower taxes and more efficiencies and more outsourcing,” says Mr. Kouvalis, who recently left his post as Mr. Ford’s chief of staff to return to his political organizing business. And why not? Toronto is about to enter into a fierce debate on these issues. The right could use an organization to tell its side and make its case.
Love the little reach around the Globe and Mail writer gives Mr. Kouvalis. Subtle.
When conservatives say we're going to enter "a fierce debate", you know they plan on doing something unpopular and completely underhanded.
Be warned.
Read more here.
Lucius Catilius Pamphilus and Servilia reunited
A married couple from Pompeii have been reunited with the recovery of a missing piece of a 2000-year-old marble puzzle made of several inscribed fragments.
Broken apart and buried during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., the pieces belonged to a tomb inscription.
They were unearthed in 1813 along the Via dei Sepolcri in Pompeii near a burial tomb known as "Tomb of the Marble Door."
Read more here.
Broken apart and buried during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D., the pieces belonged to a tomb inscription.
They were unearthed in 1813 along the Via dei Sepolcri in Pompeii near a burial tomb known as "Tomb of the Marble Door."
Read more here.
New Hampshire Speaker William O'Brien: Take the vote away from those we disagree with
Here with your morning dose of undemocratic Republican blathering:
Oh look, the room is filled with greying old white people. Quelle surprise!
New Hampshire's new Republican state House speaker is pretty clear about what he thinks of college kids and how they vote. They're "foolish," Speaker William O'Brien said in a recent speech to a tea party group.
"Voting as a liberal. That's what kids do," he added, his comments taped by a state Democratic Party staffer and posted on YouTube. Students lack "life experience," and "they just vote their feelings."
New Hampshire House Republicans are pushing for new laws that would prohibit many college students from voting in the state - and effectively keep some from voting at all.
Read more here.
Oh look, the room is filled with greying old white people. Quelle surprise!
New Hampshire's new Republican state House speaker is pretty clear about what he thinks of college kids and how they vote. They're "foolish," Speaker William O'Brien said in a recent speech to a tea party group.
"Voting as a liberal. That's what kids do," he added, his comments taped by a state Democratic Party staffer and posted on YouTube. Students lack "life experience," and "they just vote their feelings."
New Hampshire House Republicans are pushing for new laws that would prohibit many college students from voting in the state - and effectively keep some from voting at all.
Read more here.
Sunday, March 06, 2011
Marilyn Monroe legacy doomed to tacky irrelevance as Toronto man acquires rights to her image
This does not bode well...
Audiences may one day see Marilyn Monroe back on the big screen starring in new roles.
It's a real possibility as technology evolves, says Toronto businessman Jamie Salter, who recently bought the rights to the image of the late 1950s Hollywood icon.
"We're pretty comfortable that Marilyn Monroe, in the next couple of years, will be in a real feature film and be playing a part," Salter said Friday in a phone interview.
This is Toronto's idea of style...
Marilyn's image will be handled tasteful, of course...
The two sides decided to do with Monroe's image what Salter's company has done with the Bob Marley brand — steer it away from the souvenir business *.
Instead, they want to bring Monroe's brand into what Salter called "bigger categories," including fragrance, personal care, beauty aids, apparel, footwear and handbags.
They also want to create an official Marilyn Monroe "hand tag" that they can put on all of their packaging and products.
* meaning here of course, focusing all the revenue generation into the hands of one man, and into more "upscale" ("bigger categories") items priced accordingly. Next, sue every street vendor planet wide for copyright violation, and ca-ching!.
They got their hands on Bob Marley?. The Horror, the Horror...
Read more here.
Audiences may one day see Marilyn Monroe back on the big screen starring in new roles.
It's a real possibility as technology evolves, says Toronto businessman Jamie Salter, who recently bought the rights to the image of the late 1950s Hollywood icon.
"We're pretty comfortable that Marilyn Monroe, in the next couple of years, will be in a real feature film and be playing a part," Salter said Friday in a phone interview.
This is Toronto's idea of style...
Marilyn's image will be handled tasteful, of course...
The two sides decided to do with Monroe's image what Salter's company has done with the Bob Marley brand — steer it away from the souvenir business *.
Instead, they want to bring Monroe's brand into what Salter called "bigger categories," including fragrance, personal care, beauty aids, apparel, footwear and handbags.
They also want to create an official Marilyn Monroe "hand tag" that they can put on all of their packaging and products.
* meaning here of course, focusing all the revenue generation into the hands of one man, and into more "upscale" ("bigger categories") items priced accordingly. Next, sue every street vendor planet wide for copyright violation, and ca-ching!.
They got their hands on Bob Marley?. The Horror, the Horror...
Read more here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
