The UN cultural organisation has voted strongly in favour of membership for the Palestinians - a move opposed by Israel and the United States.
Of 173 countries voting, 107 were in favour, 14 opposed and 52 abstained.
In response, Washington announced it is cutting funding to Unesco. Its membership dues provide around a fifth of the organisation's budget.
The UN Security Council will vote next month on whether to grant the Palestinians full UN membership.
Read more here.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Possible video evidence of Police Infiltrators and Provocateurs at Occupy Oakland
I'd be surprised if they didn't use this underhanded technique.
Gatineau police: Massively Incompetent police of the Day
[A] YouTube video is raising some disturbing questions about the judgment and training of police in Gatineau, Canada. The police are shown responding to a call of an escaped calf by shooting the animal about a dozen times.
The horrific scene has left many asking why the police could not throw a rope around the animal or use a tranquilizer gun rather than move immediately from bovine to beef.
Best bullshit:
Const. Pierre Lanthier defended the action, saying police “have to decide if it’s threatening for the population” and, in this case, determined that “they had no choice but to shoot the animal.”
Read more here.
The horrific scene has left many asking why the police could not throw a rope around the animal or use a tranquilizer gun rather than move immediately from bovine to beef.
Best bullshit:
Const. Pierre Lanthier defended the action, saying police “have to decide if it’s threatening for the population” and, in this case, determined that “they had no choice but to shoot the animal.”
Read more here.
Google pulls a bait and switch
Users of Google Map links for their websites will be charged for heavy usage of the service, it has been revealed.
From 1 January 2012, Google will charge for the Google Maps API service when more than the limit of 25,000 map "hits" are made in a day.
Websites, especially travel firms, use Google Maps to link customers to a view of the destinations they inquire about.
Google is rumoured to be charging $4 per 1,000 views in excess of the limit.
Read more here.
From 1 January 2012, Google will charge for the Google Maps API service when more than the limit of 25,000 map "hits" are made in a day.
Websites, especially travel firms, use Google Maps to link customers to a view of the destinations they inquire about.
Google is rumoured to be charging $4 per 1,000 views in excess of the limit.
Read more here.
Blue Cross Medavie: Soulless Bastards of the Day
If you ever needed a reason why the private "for profit" sector should have nothing to do with health decisions, this may be one...
A 26-year-old woman fighting breast cancer was shocked to find she doesn't qualify for long-term disability payments, despite having disability insurance through her employer's group plan.
Best bullshit:
Blue Cross Medavie refused to discuss Evans' case, citing privacy. The industry association also declined a request for an interview, because it said it won't talk about specific cases.
Afraid of the torches and pitchforks are we?
Read more here.
A 26-year-old woman fighting breast cancer was shocked to find she doesn't qualify for long-term disability payments, despite having disability insurance through her employer's group plan.
Best bullshit:
Blue Cross Medavie refused to discuss Evans' case, citing privacy. The industry association also declined a request for an interview, because it said it won't talk about specific cases.
Afraid of the torches and pitchforks are we?
Read more here.
Rob Ford now the "Worst Person in the World"
Well maybe not worst, but most divisive in word and deed perhaps. Certainly unfit to be mayor of a major city.
If you ask Keith Olbermann, Rob Ford is the worst person in the world.
Toronto’s mayor was featured in Olbermann’s Worst Persons segment of his Countdown program Friday for his behaviour when he called 911 after his encounter with This Hour has 22 Minutes’ Mary Walsh.
Read more here.
If you ask Keith Olbermann, Rob Ford is the worst person in the world.
Toronto’s mayor was featured in Olbermann’s Worst Persons segment of his Countdown program Friday for his behaviour when he called 911 after his encounter with This Hour has 22 Minutes’ Mary Walsh.
Read more here.
Why the cloud is a really bad idea..cont
On the net, trust no one, not even the cloud.
ON APRIL 13 of this year, a Wednesday, my wife got up later than usual and didn’t check her e‑mail until around 8:30 a.m. The previous night, she had put her computer to “sleep,” rather than shutting it down. When she opened it that morning to the Gmail account that had been her main communications center for more than six years, it seemed to be responding very slowly and jerkily. She hadn’t fully restarted the computer in several days, and thought that was the problem. So she closed all programs, rebooted the machine, and went off to make coffee and have some breakfast.
When she came back to her desk, half an hour later, she couldn’t log into Gmail at all.
Her gmail account had been hacked...
a message from Google’s help system arrived in my account, with instructions on how Deb could at last reset her password and regain control of her information.
She did so, and logged into her Gmail account with enormous relief, which lasted perhaps five seconds. When she looked at her Inbox, and her Archives, and even the Trash and Spam folders in her account, she found—absolutely nothing. Of her allocated 7 gigabytes of storage, 0.0 gigabytes were in use, versus the 4+ gigabytes shown the day before. Six years’ worth of correspondence and everything that went with it were gone. All the notes, interviews, recollections, and attached photos from our years of traveling through China. All the correspondence with and about her father in the last years of his life. The planning for our sons’ weddings; the exchanges she’d had with subjects, editors, and readers of her recent book; the accounting information for her projects; the travel arrangements and appointments she had for tomorrow and next week and next month; much of the incidental-expense data for the income-tax return I was about to file—all of this had been erased. It had not just been put in the “Trash” folder but permanently deleted.
Read more here.
ON APRIL 13 of this year, a Wednesday, my wife got up later than usual and didn’t check her e‑mail until around 8:30 a.m. The previous night, she had put her computer to “sleep,” rather than shutting it down. When she opened it that morning to the Gmail account that had been her main communications center for more than six years, it seemed to be responding very slowly and jerkily. She hadn’t fully restarted the computer in several days, and thought that was the problem. So she closed all programs, rebooted the machine, and went off to make coffee and have some breakfast.
When she came back to her desk, half an hour later, she couldn’t log into Gmail at all.
Her gmail account had been hacked...
a message from Google’s help system arrived in my account, with instructions on how Deb could at last reset her password and regain control of her information.
She did so, and logged into her Gmail account with enormous relief, which lasted perhaps five seconds. When she looked at her Inbox, and her Archives, and even the Trash and Spam folders in her account, she found—absolutely nothing. Of her allocated 7 gigabytes of storage, 0.0 gigabytes were in use, versus the 4+ gigabytes shown the day before. Six years’ worth of correspondence and everything that went with it were gone. All the notes, interviews, recollections, and attached photos from our years of traveling through China. All the correspondence with and about her father in the last years of his life. The planning for our sons’ weddings; the exchanges she’d had with subjects, editors, and readers of her recent book; the accounting information for her projects; the travel arrangements and appointments she had for tomorrow and next week and next month; much of the incidental-expense data for the income-tax return I was about to file—all of this had been erased. It had not just been put in the “Trash” folder but permanently deleted.
Read more here.
Prince Charles forgets the lessons of King Charles
He's not even a fucking king.
Off with his head.
Ministers have been forced to seek permission from Prince Charles to pass at least a dozen government bills, according to a Guardian investigation into a secretive constitutional loophole that gives him the right to veto legislation that might impact his private interests.
Since 2005, ministers from six departments have sought the Prince of Wales' consent to draft bills on everything from road safety to gambling and the London Olympics, in an arrangement described by constitutional lawyers as a royal "nuclear deterrent" over public policy. Unlike royal assent to bills, which is exercised by the Queen as a matter of constitutional law, the prince's power applies when a new bill might affect his own interests, in particular the Duchy of Cornwall, a private £700m property empire that last year provided him with an £18m income.
Neither the government nor Clarence House will reveal what, if any, alterations to legislation Charles has requested, or exactly why he was asked to grant consent to such a wide range of laws.
Read more here.
Off with his head.
Ministers have been forced to seek permission from Prince Charles to pass at least a dozen government bills, according to a Guardian investigation into a secretive constitutional loophole that gives him the right to veto legislation that might impact his private interests.
Since 2005, ministers from six departments have sought the Prince of Wales' consent to draft bills on everything from road safety to gambling and the London Olympics, in an arrangement described by constitutional lawyers as a royal "nuclear deterrent" over public policy. Unlike royal assent to bills, which is exercised by the Queen as a matter of constitutional law, the prince's power applies when a new bill might affect his own interests, in particular the Duchy of Cornwall, a private £700m property empire that last year provided him with an £18m income.
Neither the government nor Clarence House will reveal what, if any, alterations to legislation Charles has requested, or exactly why he was asked to grant consent to such a wide range of laws.
Read more here.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Saddam Hussein's ass fails to sell at auction
A chunk from the Saddam Hussein statue famously toppled in central Baghdad in 2003 has failed to meet its reserve of £250,000 at a Derby auction.
The 2ft (0.6m) wide bronze "buttock" was being sold by a former SAS soldier who brought it back to the UK.
Nigel Ely, who used a sledgehammer and crowbar to grab the unusual memento, was hoping to raise money for charity.
But the highest bid at the auction held at the city's Mackworth Hotel by Hansons Auctioneers was £21,000.
The bid came from a telephone bidder in New York.
Read more here.
The 2ft (0.6m) wide bronze "buttock" was being sold by a former SAS soldier who brought it back to the UK.
Nigel Ely, who used a sledgehammer and crowbar to grab the unusual memento, was hoping to raise money for charity.
But the highest bid at the auction held at the city's Mackworth Hotel by Hansons Auctioneers was £21,000.
The bid came from a telephone bidder in New York.
Read more here.
Law offices of Steven J. Baum: Scumbags of the Day
Joe Nocera, writing in today’s New York Times op-ed section, explains how the owner of this deeply evil law firm encourages its employees to see their neighbors and comrades fighting foreclosure as enemies, as weak people who cannot game the system, as a worthless “other” not worthy of anything but bile and mockery:
[A] former employee of Steven J. Baum recently sent me snapshots of last year’s party. In an e-mail, she said that she wanted me to see them because they showed an appalling lack of compassion toward the homeowners — invariably poor and down on their luck — that the Baum firm had brought foreclosure proceedings against.
When we spoke later, she added that the snapshots are an accurate representation of the firm’s mind-set. “There is this really cavalier attitude,” she said. “It doesn’t matter that people are going to lose their homes.” Nor does the firm try to help people get mortgage modifications; the pressure, always, is to foreclose.
Read more here.
[A] former employee of Steven J. Baum recently sent me snapshots of last year’s party. In an e-mail, she said that she wanted me to see them because they showed an appalling lack of compassion toward the homeowners — invariably poor and down on their luck — that the Baum firm had brought foreclosure proceedings against.
When we spoke later, she added that the snapshots are an accurate representation of the firm’s mind-set. “There is this really cavalier attitude,” she said. “It doesn’t matter that people are going to lose their homes.” Nor does the firm try to help people get mortgage modifications; the pressure, always, is to foreclose.
Read more here.
The Joy of Sex: Images that turned a generation off sex
Nothing is less appealing than hippie sex.
Forty years ago, a London publisher was working on a groundbreaking sex manual - a "gourmet guide" to sexual pleasure, with copious and detailed illustrations. But how could this be done tastefully and legally?
Think of The Joy of Sex and chances are your mind will drift to an image of a man with a bushy beard and a woman with hairy armpits.
It's not a photograph, but the nearest thing to it in pen and ink.
Read more here.
Forty years ago, a London publisher was working on a groundbreaking sex manual - a "gourmet guide" to sexual pleasure, with copious and detailed illustrations. But how could this be done tastefully and legally?
Think of The Joy of Sex and chances are your mind will drift to an image of a man with a bushy beard and a woman with hairy armpits.
It's not a photograph, but the nearest thing to it in pen and ink.
Read more here.
Developers always trump history in Toronto
A building that played a major role in the production of aircraft for the Allies in their fight against Hitler during the Second World War is facing the wrecking ball.
It's located in Toronto's Downsview Park and is described in federal heritage documents simply as "CFB Plant .1, Building .1."
Just one month after the federal government celebrated Canada's aviation history by reintroducing the name, "Royal Canadian Air Force," it was sending an eviction notice to a building where RCAF planes were assembled.
Best bullshit:
Up until Oct. 26., the Canada's Historic Places website listed the facility as "a recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations and its architectural and environmental value."
Then the listing disappeared.
The site is maintained by Parks Canada and, when contacted, a media-relations official there said the building was listed in error on the website and had to be removed.
Attempts were made to interview an official with the Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office, which is run by Parks Canada, without success.
Read more here.
It's located in Toronto's Downsview Park and is described in federal heritage documents simply as "CFB Plant .1, Building .1."
Just one month after the federal government celebrated Canada's aviation history by reintroducing the name, "Royal Canadian Air Force," it was sending an eviction notice to a building where RCAF planes were assembled.
Best bullshit:
Up until Oct. 26., the Canada's Historic Places website listed the facility as "a recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations and its architectural and environmental value."
Then the listing disappeared.
The site is maintained by Parks Canada and, when contacted, a media-relations official there said the building was listed in error on the website and had to be removed.
Attempts were made to interview an official with the Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office, which is run by Parks Canada, without success.
Read more here.
Sovereigntists rally in Montreal to remember when even a fixed vote didn't work
Hundreds of people took to the streets of Montreal Saturday renewing the call for a sovereign nation on the anniversary of the failed 1995 referendum.
The rally, organized by the Cap sur l’indépendance network, was meant as a show of solidarity.
Read more here.
The rally, organized by the Cap sur l’indépendance network, was meant as a show of solidarity.
Read more here.
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Release the f*cking 911 recording, bitches
Toronto police Chief Bill Blair has waded into the controversy surrounding Mayor Rob Ford and his 911 calls earlier this week.
In a statement released late Friday afternoon, Blair is adamant that the mayor did not call 911 operators "bitches" as was reported by CBC News on Thursday.
Someone's gonna need lip chap from all the butt kissing.
Read more here.
In a statement released late Friday afternoon, Blair is adamant that the mayor did not call 911 operators "bitches" as was reported by CBC News on Thursday.
Someone's gonna need lip chap from all the butt kissing.
Read more here.
Quebec is a land of traditions, like silencing those that expose corruption
Je me souviens
You do? You're fired.
The man some credit for forcing the hand of the Quebec government to call a corruption inquiry has been fired from the province's anti-collusion task force.
Jacques Duchesneau was reportedly notified Friday morning his contract with the province's anti-collusion squad had been terminated.
A spokesperson with the permanent anti-corruption unit (UPAC) confirmed early Friday afternoon Duchesneau would no longer be heading the squad.
Read more here.
You do? You're fired.
The man some credit for forcing the hand of the Quebec government to call a corruption inquiry has been fired from the province's anti-collusion task force.
Jacques Duchesneau was reportedly notified Friday morning his contract with the province's anti-collusion squad had been terminated.
A spokesperson with the permanent anti-corruption unit (UPAC) confirmed early Friday afternoon Duchesneau would no longer be heading the squad.
Read more here.
Oy bitches, I'm Rob Nepotism Ford
Mayor Rob Ford has outsourced the printing of business cards for himself and his staff to his family’s printing company, billing taxpayers up to four times as much per card as councillors who have them printed by the city.
Read more here.
Read more here.
Commonwealth agrees to continue acting like swine
Commonwealth leaders meeting in Perth, Australia, have wrapped up their discussions for the day without being able to settle the most contentious issues dealing with human rights.
They did not adopt a charter of rights nor appoint a human rights commissioner despite Australia, Britain and Canada's backing for the proposals, which were floated in a report aimed at making the Commonwealth more relevant in the modern age.
Commonwealth leaders remained undecided Saturday over what to do with the report, even though they commissioned the 11-member Eminent Persons Group, or EPG, two years ago to study human rights in member countries.
The group recommended leaders become more aggressive in monitoring and policing human rights violations among the 54 member states, but smaller countries balked at those proposals, saying it's a matter once again of rich nations telling poorer ones how to behave.
Read more here.
They did not adopt a charter of rights nor appoint a human rights commissioner despite Australia, Britain and Canada's backing for the proposals, which were floated in a report aimed at making the Commonwealth more relevant in the modern age.
Commonwealth leaders remained undecided Saturday over what to do with the report, even though they commissioned the 11-member Eminent Persons Group, or EPG, two years ago to study human rights in member countries.
The group recommended leaders become more aggressive in monitoring and policing human rights violations among the 54 member states, but smaller countries balked at those proposals, saying it's a matter once again of rich nations telling poorer ones how to behave.
Read more here.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Two US acting unions sue IMDB because Hollywood producers are scum
Two US acting unions have criticised movie website IMDb over its policy of giving actor's ages and dates of birth.
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) said the site was "facilitating age discrimination".
They claim actors are losing work because of details published on site.
Read more here.
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) said the site was "facilitating age discrimination".
They claim actors are losing work because of details published on site.
Read more here.
Conservative MP and Homophobe David Sweet bullsh*ts that It Gets Better
The reason it sometimes doesn't get better kids, is because of people like David Sweet.
A Conservative MP who once described homosexuality as a sin is refusing to explain his participation in a video honouring a gay teen who was bullied before his suicide.
The video featuring several Tory MPs has sparked a debate about the Harper government's approach toward gay rights and anti-discrimination measures.
David Sweet, who represents a southern Ontario riding, was once the president of the Christian men's organization Promise Keepers Canada. The Toronto Star asked Sweet if he felt homosexuality was a sin in a 2002 interview.
"Yes, absolutely," Sweet said at the time. "We take the Scriptures as the word of God. We look at homosexual behaviour and say that's not what's prescribed in the Scripture."
Not all bullies are children, they just play them in government.
Read more here.
A Conservative MP who once described homosexuality as a sin is refusing to explain his participation in a video honouring a gay teen who was bullied before his suicide.
The video featuring several Tory MPs has sparked a debate about the Harper government's approach toward gay rights and anti-discrimination measures.
David Sweet, who represents a southern Ontario riding, was once the president of the Christian men's organization Promise Keepers Canada. The Toronto Star asked Sweet if he felt homosexuality was a sin in a 2002 interview.
"Yes, absolutely," Sweet said at the time. "We take the Scriptures as the word of God. We look at homosexual behaviour and say that's not what's prescribed in the Scripture."
Not all bullies are children, they just play them in government.
Read more here.
Bank of America Chief Executive Officer Brian T. Moynihan: Boohoohoo, you've hurt my feelings
Bank of America Corp. (BAC) Chief Executive Officer Brian T. Moynihan said he’s “incensed” by public criticism of his company and is pushing back by reminding local leaders of its contributions to their economies.
Oh you poor thing, do tell us more.
“I, like you, get a little incensed when you think about how much good all of you do, whether it’s volunteer hours, charitable giving we do, serving clients and customers well,” Moynihan said during the Oct. 18 gathering. To the bank’s critics, he said, “You ought to think a little about that before you start yelling at us.”
Ok, thinking....done...now STFU.
Read more here.
Oh you poor thing, do tell us more.
“I, like you, get a little incensed when you think about how much good all of you do, whether it’s volunteer hours, charitable giving we do, serving clients and customers well,” Moynihan said during the Oct. 18 gathering. To the bank’s critics, he said, “You ought to think a little about that before you start yelling at us.”
Ok, thinking....done...now STFU.
Read more here.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Conservative Sen. Nicole Eaton prefers bears over beaver
There they go again, butching it up.
A Conservative senator says it's time Canada was symbolized by something more majestic than a buck-toothed rodent.
Sen. Nicole Eaton wants the polar bear to replace the beaver as an official emblem of Canada.
She says the polar bear is Canada's "most majestic and splendid mammal," and a powerful symbol in the lives of aboriginal peoples in the North. She believes the furry white carnivore's "strength, courage, resourcefulness and dignity" is an appropriate symbol for modern-day Canada.
Roarrrrr
Read more here.
A Conservative senator says it's time Canada was symbolized by something more majestic than a buck-toothed rodent.
Sen. Nicole Eaton wants the polar bear to replace the beaver as an official emblem of Canada.
She says the polar bear is Canada's "most majestic and splendid mammal," and a powerful symbol in the lives of aboriginal peoples in the North. She believes the furry white carnivore's "strength, courage, resourcefulness and dignity" is an appropriate symbol for modern-day Canada.
Roarrrrr
Read more here.
Latest bid by entertainment industry to control the Net: Stop Online Piracy Act
Imagine a world in which any intellectual property holder can, without ever appearing before a judge or setting foot in a courtroom, shut down any website's online advertising programs and block access to credit card payments. The credit card processors and the advertising networks would be required to take quick action against the named website; only the filing of a “counter notification” by the website could get service restored.
It's the world envisioned by Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) in today's introduction of the Stop Online Piracy Act in the US House of Representatives. This isn't some off-the-wall piece of legislation with no chance of passing, either; it's the House equivalent to the Senate's PROTECT IP Act, which would officially bring Internet censorship to the US as a matter of law.
Read more here.
It's the world envisioned by Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) in today's introduction of the Stop Online Piracy Act in the US House of Representatives. This isn't some off-the-wall piece of legislation with no chance of passing, either; it's the House equivalent to the Senate's PROTECT IP Act, which would officially bring Internet censorship to the US as a matter of law.
Read more here.
Oakland police arrogance and stupidity lead to call for general strike
When will they catch on they're not dealing with hippies anymore?
At this point, it’s probably too early to report this without recomemmnding the rhetorical “grain of salt,” but according to several tweets from Mother Jones, Occupy Oakland and elsewhere, last night at Occupy Oakland, the General Assembly passed a resolution calling for a nationwide general strike on November 2nd, with 1184 votes of approval. I can’t wait to hear what happens in NYC this evening and if Occupy Wall Street will also vote to approve a General Strike in their assembly.
Read more here.
At this point, it’s probably too early to report this without recomemmnding the rhetorical “grain of salt,” but according to several tweets from Mother Jones, Occupy Oakland and elsewhere, last night at Occupy Oakland, the General Assembly passed a resolution calling for a nationwide general strike on November 2nd, with 1184 votes of approval. I can’t wait to hear what happens in NYC this evening and if Occupy Wall Street will also vote to approve a General Strike in their assembly.
Read more here.
I’m Rob f*king Ford, the mayor of this city
Waaaaaaa, take me seriously, I'm the fucking mayor.
Hahahahaha
Toronto’s 911 dispatchers are accusing the city’s mayor, Rob Ford, of calling them "bitches" and hurling a string of profanity at them during an emergency call early Monday.
Ford called for police assistance when Mary Walsh, part of the CBC-TV comedy show This Hour Has 22 Minutes, ambushed him in his driveway dressed as the character Marg Delahunty, with cameras rolling.
In the video of the encounter, Ford seems at first to be playing along, but becomes increasingly agitated, asking, “Can I go to my car please?”
Ford eventually walked back inside his home and called 911 — not once, but twice.
Several police sources tell CBC News that Ford asked for police assistance but became agitated as he waited, and called back to ask when officers would arrive.
Sources say Ford turned on the dispatcher, yelling: “You … bitches! Don’t you f--king know? I’m Rob f--king Ford, the mayor of this city!”
Read more here.
Hahahahaha
Toronto’s 911 dispatchers are accusing the city’s mayor, Rob Ford, of calling them "bitches" and hurling a string of profanity at them during an emergency call early Monday.
Ford called for police assistance when Mary Walsh, part of the CBC-TV comedy show This Hour Has 22 Minutes, ambushed him in his driveway dressed as the character Marg Delahunty, with cameras rolling.
In the video of the encounter, Ford seems at first to be playing along, but becomes increasingly agitated, asking, “Can I go to my car please?”
Ford eventually walked back inside his home and called 911 — not once, but twice.
Several police sources tell CBC News that Ford asked for police assistance but became agitated as he waited, and called back to ask when officers would arrive.
Sources say Ford turned on the dispatcher, yelling: “You … bitches! Don’t you f--king know? I’m Rob f--king Ford, the mayor of this city!”
Read more here.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Orlando Jones: Twidiot of the Day
You sir, are an asshole.
“Libyan Rebels kill Gaddafi, if American liberals want respect they better stop listening to Aretha & kill Sarah Palin (:”
The moron has actually succeeded in gaining Ms. Palin some sympathy.
Read more here.
“Libyan Rebels kill Gaddafi, if American liberals want respect they better stop listening to Aretha & kill Sarah Palin (:”
The moron has actually succeeded in gaining Ms. Palin some sympathy.
Read more here.
Harper and Co. set to wallow in their gun fetish
Canada's Conservative government has introduced legislation to abolish the long-gun registry.
The registry requires owners of shotguns and rifles to register the weapons, but when Stephen Harper's Conservative government took power in 2006, they vowed to abolish the law.
Opponents of the registry say most violent crime involves handguns.
While a repeal failed last year, the Conservative's new majority has a much greater chance of success.
Read more here.
The registry requires owners of shotguns and rifles to register the weapons, but when Stephen Harper's Conservative government took power in 2006, they vowed to abolish the law.
Opponents of the registry say most violent crime involves handguns.
While a repeal failed last year, the Conservative's new majority has a much greater chance of success.
Read more here.
Rob Ford announces the Toronto Going out of Business Sale! Cheap cheap cheap! Everything must go!
Toronto Mayor Ford says the city should consider the sale of a number of publicly owned assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars in a bid to pay down the city's estimated $2.6-billion debt.
The proposal to sell assets is included in a staff report that will be considered by council's executive committee next Tuesday.
The report suggests the city sell a 10 per cent stake in Toronto Hydro, and all of the city's 43 per cent share of the Enwave Corporation, which draws water from Lake Ontario to cool a number of large downtown buildings in the summer.
In addition, the report suggests some of the city's real estate holdings be sold. In total, some $600 million can be generated to pay down the debt, staff estimate. That would save the city $65 million in interest payments in its annual operating budget for the next 10 years, although that benefit will be offset by an expected loss of $10 million annually, staff projects.
The sale of the 10 per cent portion of Toronto Hydro does not have "significant downside," staff say, although the report notes dividends would be reduced "slightly."
Read more here.
The proposal to sell assets is included in a staff report that will be considered by council's executive committee next Tuesday.
The report suggests the city sell a 10 per cent stake in Toronto Hydro, and all of the city's 43 per cent share of the Enwave Corporation, which draws water from Lake Ontario to cool a number of large downtown buildings in the summer.
In addition, the report suggests some of the city's real estate holdings be sold. In total, some $600 million can be generated to pay down the debt, staff estimate. That would save the city $65 million in interest payments in its annual operating budget for the next 10 years, although that benefit will be offset by an expected loss of $10 million annually, staff projects.
The sale of the 10 per cent portion of Toronto Hydro does not have "significant downside," staff say, although the report notes dividends would be reduced "slightly."
Read more here.
Oakland police give the Occupy movement more of a reason to exist
What put the 60's protest movements out of business was Kent State.
Are we heading for that?
The police in Oakland dispersed hundreds of protesters using tear gas and flash bombs on Tuesday night as crowds tried to re-enter a plaza outside of City Hall that the authorities had cleared of an encampment earlier in the day.
The forceful response by the police to protesters in Oakland came as the police in Atlanta moved in early Wednesday morning to clear an encampment from the city’s central Woodruff Park. At least 53 people connected to the protest group Occupy Atlanta were arrested, and the park was cleared by 2 a.m. Eastern time, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported.
By Wednesday morning in downtown Oakland, a dim cloud of gas still hung in the air over Frank Ogawa Plaza, according to images broadcast on CNN. A small number of police in riot gear stood by barricades around the plaza and a handful of protesters held signs nearby.
Read more here.
Are we heading for that?
The police in Oakland dispersed hundreds of protesters using tear gas and flash bombs on Tuesday night as crowds tried to re-enter a plaza outside of City Hall that the authorities had cleared of an encampment earlier in the day.
The forceful response by the police to protesters in Oakland came as the police in Atlanta moved in early Wednesday morning to clear an encampment from the city’s central Woodruff Park. At least 53 people connected to the protest group Occupy Atlanta were arrested, and the park was cleared by 2 a.m. Eastern time, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported.
By Wednesday morning in downtown Oakland, a dim cloud of gas still hung in the air over Frank Ogawa Plaza, according to images broadcast on CNN. A small number of police in riot gear stood by barricades around the plaza and a handful of protesters held signs nearby.
Read more here.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Saskatchewan MP David Anderson: Offensive Conservative of the Day
This passes for wit and humour among conservatives...
A Conservative MP who posted an animated video on his website that uses the controversial phrase "talking Eskimo" has taken it down.
Saskatchewan MP David Anderson, parliamentary secretary for the Canadian Wheat Board, posted the video on his website to explain some farmers' opposition to the board. The video is generated from a website where users enter text and a computerized voice reads the text as a conversation between two characters. The video was later pulled off the website.
The script is meant to be a conversation between a fictional wheat board executive and a Saskatchewan wheat farmer who wants to sell his grain to a baker in Calgary.
"Slow down, young man. You are talking Eskimo," the executive tells him. "You cannot do those things in Saskatchewan."
"That seems kind of communist," the farmer says later.
"Watch your smart mouth, boy, or I will put your name on a list for an immediate audit by the board," the fictional executive says.
Read more here.
A Conservative MP who posted an animated video on his website that uses the controversial phrase "talking Eskimo" has taken it down.
Saskatchewan MP David Anderson, parliamentary secretary for the Canadian Wheat Board, posted the video on his website to explain some farmers' opposition to the board. The video is generated from a website where users enter text and a computerized voice reads the text as a conversation between two characters. The video was later pulled off the website.
The script is meant to be a conversation between a fictional wheat board executive and a Saskatchewan wheat farmer who wants to sell his grain to a baker in Calgary.
"Slow down, young man. You are talking Eskimo," the executive tells him. "You cannot do those things in Saskatchewan."
"That seems kind of communist," the farmer says later.
"Watch your smart mouth, boy, or I will put your name on a list for an immediate audit by the board," the fictional executive says.
Read more here.
Rob Ford: OMG OMG it's Pinko comics!!! CALL 911!!!!
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford called police after a crew from CBC's satirical show This Hour Has 22 Minutes showed up unexpectedly outside his house to interview him.
"I came out of my house and I was ambushed," Ford said.
Actress Mary Walsh, playing the character of journalist Marg Delahunty, was trying to interview Ford for a regular segment on This Hour Has 22 Minutes, in which Delahunty approaches politicians for surprise comedic interviews. Scores of Canadian politicians, including former Ontario premier Mike Harris, Quebec Premier Jean Charest and former prime minister Jean Chrétien, have been subjected to Walsh's surprise approach. Most try to endure the questions in Walsh's mock interviews with good humour.
Read more here.
"I came out of my house and I was ambushed," Ford said.
Actress Mary Walsh, playing the character of journalist Marg Delahunty, was trying to interview Ford for a regular segment on This Hour Has 22 Minutes, in which Delahunty approaches politicians for surprise comedic interviews. Scores of Canadian politicians, including former Ontario premier Mike Harris, Quebec Premier Jean Charest and former prime minister Jean Chrétien, have been subjected to Walsh's surprise approach. Most try to endure the questions in Walsh's mock interviews with good humour.
Read more here.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Rick Perry looks for supporters at the bottom of the birther barrel
Texas Gov. Rick Perry, struggling to claw back to prominence in the race for the U.S. Republican Party's presidential nomination, is renewing the so-called birther issue, suggesting in a new interview he harbours doubts that President Barack Obama was born in the United States.
"I don't have any idea," Perry told Parade magazine when asked whether he believes the authenticity of the long-form birth certificate Obama released in April, largely to silence real estate mogul Donald Trump's claims that the president wasn't born in the U.S.
"I had dinner with Donald Trump the other night," Perry said. "He doesn't think it's real."
When the Parade interviewer reminded Perry that he's actually seen Obama's birth certificate, Perry replied: "I don't know. Have I?"
Read more here.
"I don't have any idea," Perry told Parade magazine when asked whether he believes the authenticity of the long-form birth certificate Obama released in April, largely to silence real estate mogul Donald Trump's claims that the president wasn't born in the U.S.
"I had dinner with Donald Trump the other night," Perry said. "He doesn't think it's real."
When the Parade interviewer reminded Perry that he's actually seen Obama's birth certificate, Perry replied: "I don't know. Have I?"
Read more here.
Scientology to South Park: Don't f*ck with our money
For Matt Stone and Trey Parker, nothing is holy or immune to satire. And since the launch of their groundbreaking animated TV series "South Park," they've skewered a multitude of world religions, pointing out hypocrisies, inanities or just playing with ridiculous stereotypes. One of their most famous religious satires, 2005's Scientology-targeting "Trapped In The Closet" episode, allegedly struck such a nerve with the church's leaders that the group responded by targeting Stone, Parker and their friends in a long-term covert investigation.
"Phone records. Bank records. Personal letters that expose some kind of vulnerability,"..."They'll read stuff into the kind of alcohol you're drinking and how much. Prescriptions. They'll figure out your diet. They can find out a lot about you through your trash."
Read more here.
"Phone records. Bank records. Personal letters that expose some kind of vulnerability,"..."They'll read stuff into the kind of alcohol you're drinking and how much. Prescriptions. They'll figure out your diet. They can find out a lot about you through your trash."
Read more here.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Stephen Harper watching porn
Well, conservative porn.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper is given a technical briefing by General Charles Bouchard prior to delivering a speech at Camp Fortin on the Trapani-Birgi Air Force Base in Trapani, Italy, on Thursday, Sept. 1, 2011.
If you enjoy your right wing pornography full length, the Globe and Mail has just the ticket, read more here.
...when asked, Canada can deliver
Oooo baby you're so hot when you're agressive.
Black Christians: America's Biggest Hypocrites
He does touch upon the weapon homophobes everywhere love to use: Being gay is a choice.
I would love to witness the moment they choose to be straight.
ASSALLAMUALAIKUM HABIBI: Spam of the Day
Spam email:
It's my pleasure to contact you with this proposal, I am Aisha Gaddafi the only daughter to Muhammed Gaddafi formal Libya president. I know this message may come to you as a surprise.
I am in position with my father fund and asset and my dad also deposited some money in my name in a bank in United Kingdom.
If nothing else tips you off, like incomprehensible grammar..."my dad"????
It's my pleasure to contact you with this proposal, I am Aisha Gaddafi the only daughter to Muhammed Gaddafi formal Libya president. I know this message may come to you as a surprise.
I am in position with my father fund and asset and my dad also deposited some money in my name in a bank in United Kingdom.
If nothing else tips you off, like incomprehensible grammar..."my dad"????
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Marco Rubio gets caught bullsh*tting, calls it "outrageous allegations"
Yeah sure, I lied, and it's outrageous you dare say I did...
A Florida Republican often touted as a possible 2012 vice-presidential candidate has admitted his Cuban parents did not come to the US as exiles from Fidel Castro's rule.
Senator Marco Rubio acknowledges "getting a few dates wrong" about when they left the Caribbean island.
But the 40-year-old says any suggestion he had spun his background story for political advantage was "outrageous".
It won't harm him among his Tea Party and Republican friends. Like Paul Ryan, they love the young ones with as little heart and feelings as a stone.
Read more here.
A Florida Republican often touted as a possible 2012 vice-presidential candidate has admitted his Cuban parents did not come to the US as exiles from Fidel Castro's rule.
Senator Marco Rubio acknowledges "getting a few dates wrong" about when they left the Caribbean island.
But the 40-year-old says any suggestion he had spun his background story for political advantage was "outrageous".
It won't harm him among his Tea Party and Republican friends. Like Paul Ryan, they love the young ones with as little heart and feelings as a stone.
Read more here.
Friday, October 21, 2011
US Republicans choose the rich over the unemployed
The US Senate has blocked a key piece of President Barack Obama's jobs bill that would have imposed higher taxes on the rich to help create jobs for teachers, police and emergency workers.
Senators voted 50-50 on the legislation, 10 short of the 60 votes needed to allow debate on the measure.
The proposal is part of Mr Obama's $447bn (£283bn) package designed to kickstart the flagging US economy.
The plan also failed in the Senate and is now being proposed piece-by-piece.
The president has been on the road regularly in recent weeks pushing his plan, but Republicans remain opposed.
"For the second time in two weeks, every single Republican in the United States Senate has chosen to obstruct a bill that would create jobs and get our economy going again," Mr Obama said in a statement, describing their position as "unacceptable".
Read more here.
Senators voted 50-50 on the legislation, 10 short of the 60 votes needed to allow debate on the measure.
The proposal is part of Mr Obama's $447bn (£283bn) package designed to kickstart the flagging US economy.
The plan also failed in the Senate and is now being proposed piece-by-piece.
The president has been on the road regularly in recent weeks pushing his plan, but Republicans remain opposed.
"For the second time in two weeks, every single Republican in the United States Senate has chosen to obstruct a bill that would create jobs and get our economy going again," Mr Obama said in a statement, describing their position as "unacceptable".
Read more here.
New finding pushes North American history further back
An ancient bone with a projectile point lodged within it appears to up-end - once and for all - a long-held idea of how the Americas were first populated.
The rib, from a tusked beast known as a mastodon, has been dated precisely to 13,800 years ago.
This places it before the so-called Clovis hunters, who many academics had argued were the North American continent's original inhabitants.
News of the dating results is reported in Science magazine.
Read more here.
The rib, from a tusked beast known as a mastodon, has been dated precisely to 13,800 years ago.
This places it before the so-called Clovis hunters, who many academics had argued were the North American continent's original inhabitants.
News of the dating results is reported in Science magazine.
Read more here.
Football trumps art in Rob Ford's world
A funny thing happened Thursday on Mayor Rob Ford’s way to the sixth annual edition of the Mayor’s Arts Awards lunch. Ford, who had previously confirmed his attendance, was detained by “urgent business.”
That was the explanation offered by Councillor Gary Crawford, who came to represent the mayor. The line was met with some audible guffaws and sarcastic groans of disappointment in a room full of inside players in the Toronto cultural world.
At the time, Ford was attending the last game of the season for the football team he coaches, the Don Bosco Eagles.
Read more here.
That was the explanation offered by Councillor Gary Crawford, who came to represent the mayor. The line was met with some audible guffaws and sarcastic groans of disappointment in a room full of inside players in the Toronto cultural world.
At the time, Ford was attending the last game of the season for the football team he coaches, the Don Bosco Eagles.
Read more here.
Zombie at Pajamasmedia: OMG, The Occupy movement are Nazis
You just knew some moron would make that connection eventually...
“An Occupy Denver community organizer leads the bizarre chanting ritual. Never have I seen anything that comes as close to a mind-control exercise in a free society. The orange tape insignia on this woman’s arm indicates that she is a leader. I was told that any questions I had could be addressed to someone with this type of insignia. When I first saw this militant-looking marking, it reminded me of the Order of the Double-Cross, made famous in the Charlie Chaplin movie, The Great Dictator.”
Read more here.
“An Occupy Denver community organizer leads the bizarre chanting ritual. Never have I seen anything that comes as close to a mind-control exercise in a free society. The orange tape insignia on this woman’s arm indicates that she is a leader. I was told that any questions I had could be addressed to someone with this type of insignia. When I first saw this militant-looking marking, it reminded me of the Order of the Double-Cross, made famous in the Charlie Chaplin movie, The Great Dictator.”
Read more here.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
World's tiniest violin is playing for convicted kidnapper Willem Holleeder
Boo hoo hoo
A court in Amsterdam has heard from lawyers for a convicted kidnapper, who wants to use the legal system to protect his reputation from a new film.
Willem Holleeder is hoping to prevent the release of The Heineken Kidnapping, a new thriller starring Blade Runner star Rutger Hauer.
The film portrays the 1983 kidnapping of brewing executive Freddy Heineken.
Holleeder was among those convicted of the crime, and is unhappy with the portrayal of his character in the film.
Read more here.
A court in Amsterdam has heard from lawyers for a convicted kidnapper, who wants to use the legal system to protect his reputation from a new film.
Willem Holleeder is hoping to prevent the release of The Heineken Kidnapping, a new thriller starring Blade Runner star Rutger Hauer.
The film portrays the 1983 kidnapping of brewing executive Freddy Heineken.
Holleeder was among those convicted of the crime, and is unhappy with the portrayal of his character in the film.
Read more here.
Bell Canada blinks
Bell says it may stop slowing downloads and uploads of files shared through peer-to-peer applications by the customers of independent internet service providers.
Earlier this week, Bell sent a letter to its wholesale customers – independent ISPs that rent access to Bell's network in order to connect customers to their own networks – informing them that effective November 2011, new network links in its expanded network may no longer be affected by equipment designed to slow down peer-to-peer traffic during peak periods.
Since 2008, Bell has been selectively slowing down or throttling file sharing applications between the "peak" hours of 4:30 p.m. and 2 a.m., saying that it was necessary to deal with congestion. The company said peer-to-peer traffic is targeted because it is not as time sensitive as other applications, such as video or voice calling.
In this week's letter, Bell said "while congestion still exists, the impact of peer-to-peer file sharing applications on congestion has reduced."
Read more here.
Earlier this week, Bell sent a letter to its wholesale customers – independent ISPs that rent access to Bell's network in order to connect customers to their own networks – informing them that effective November 2011, new network links in its expanded network may no longer be affected by equipment designed to slow down peer-to-peer traffic during peak periods.
Since 2008, Bell has been selectively slowing down or throttling file sharing applications between the "peak" hours of 4:30 p.m. and 2 a.m., saying that it was necessary to deal with congestion. The company said peer-to-peer traffic is targeted because it is not as time sensitive as other applications, such as video or voice calling.
In this week's letter, Bell said "while congestion still exists, the impact of peer-to-peer file sharing applications on congestion has reduced."
Read more here.
Huffington Post continues to misdirect traffic to the Canadian site about 1 times in 10
When it first launched, you couldn't get to Huffingtonpost.com, being directed to the Canadian. They claimed it was an error.
Now one in ten times it still goes there. Guess they have to fake traffic numbers somehow.
Now one in ten times it still goes there. Guess they have to fake traffic numbers somehow.
Some students at Keller High School in Texas are clueless on the concept of hate
Students at Keller High School say a Facebook page called "Abolish the GSA, Gay-Straight Alliance, at Keller High School" went up about a week ago. But it will soon be a part of the past.
While the person or persons who started it posted on the page that it is "not intend[ed] to be a hate group," it has certainly sparked controversy.
Oh you little angels, what did you intend?
many students said because of their Christianity, there should also be a "Straight Club" — another Facebook page that developed on this issue.
Mathew Murphy, a 15-year-old who spoke to News 8, didn't start the Straight Club page, but he supports what's on it.
"I think I'm standing up for my rights; if they want to call me a 'gay-basher,' you can call me a 'gay-basher,'" Murphy said. "But I just don't think it's right to be a homosexual."
And I don't think it's right to hide your hate behind a Bible, and call it a "right". Are we even?
Btw Master Murphy, that quote is part of your resume for the rest of your life. Enjoy.
Read more here.
While the person or persons who started it posted on the page that it is "not intend[ed] to be a hate group," it has certainly sparked controversy.
Oh you little angels, what did you intend?
many students said because of their Christianity, there should also be a "Straight Club" — another Facebook page that developed on this issue.
Mathew Murphy, a 15-year-old who spoke to News 8, didn't start the Straight Club page, but he supports what's on it.
"I think I'm standing up for my rights; if they want to call me a 'gay-basher,' you can call me a 'gay-basher,'" Murphy said. "But I just don't think it's right to be a homosexual."
And I don't think it's right to hide your hate behind a Bible, and call it a "right". Are we even?
Btw Master Murphy, that quote is part of your resume for the rest of your life. Enjoy.
Read more here.
Canada Border Services Agency: Idiots of the Day
The RCMP are racing to track down and seize hundreds of replica AK-47 BB guns imported from China that investigators fear can be easily reconfigured into deadly prohibited weapons.
The Mounties launched raids and seizures last week on a number of gun stores in B.C., Ontario, and Quebec. Investigators believe the toys — assembled with authentic parts from the Chinese Type-56 version of the AK-47 semi-automatic assault rifle — can be transformed into weapons with a simple switch of the gun's barrel and bolt.
The weapons were allowed into the country as BB guns after being inspected and approved by the Canada Border Services Agency.
The stunning stupidity of some in government never ceases to amaze.
Read more here.
The Mounties launched raids and seizures last week on a number of gun stores in B.C., Ontario, and Quebec. Investigators believe the toys — assembled with authentic parts from the Chinese Type-56 version of the AK-47 semi-automatic assault rifle — can be transformed into weapons with a simple switch of the gun's barrel and bolt.
The weapons were allowed into the country as BB guns after being inspected and approved by the Canada Border Services Agency.
The stunning stupidity of some in government never ceases to amaze.
Read more here.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Dumb Science of the Day: Facebook friend count linked to brain region size
O..k..
The number of Facebook friends that people have may be related to the size of brain regions involved in social interaction, research suggests.
In a study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, scientists looked at brain scans of 125 university students in London who were all active Facebook users and counted the number of friends each had on the social network and in real life.
Read more here.
The number of Facebook friends that people have may be related to the size of brain regions involved in social interaction, research suggests.
In a study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, scientists looked at brain scans of 125 university students in London who were all active Facebook users and counted the number of friends each had on the social network and in real life.
Read more here.
French ruling delights police everywhere
The one method citizens have to make sure police don't overstep their bounds, and it's removed.
Quelle surprise.
The Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris on Friday ordered French Internet service providers to block access to Copwatch Nord Paris I-D-F, a website designed to allow civilians to post videos of alleged police misconduct. The decision was applauded by the police union, Alliance Police Nationale (APN), which argued that the website incited violence against police. Jean-Claude Delage, secretary general of the APN, said that "[t]he judges have analyzed the situation perfectly—this site being a threat to the integrity of the police — and made the right decision." Opponents of Internet censorship were also quick to comment on the judgment. Jeremie Zimmermann, spokesman for La Quadrature du Net, a Paris-based net neutrality organization, called the order "an obvious will by the French government to control and censor citizens' new online public sphere." The site was ordered to be blocked immediately.
Read more here.
Quelle surprise.
The Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris on Friday ordered French Internet service providers to block access to Copwatch Nord Paris I-D-F, a website designed to allow civilians to post videos of alleged police misconduct. The decision was applauded by the police union, Alliance Police Nationale (APN), which argued that the website incited violence against police. Jean-Claude Delage, secretary general of the APN, said that "[t]he judges have analyzed the situation perfectly—this site being a threat to the integrity of the police — and made the right decision." Opponents of Internet censorship were also quick to comment on the judgment. Jeremie Zimmermann, spokesman for La Quadrature du Net, a Paris-based net neutrality organization, called the order "an obvious will by the French government to control and censor citizens' new online public sphere." The site was ordered to be blocked immediately.
Read more here.
John Lennon's tooth to be auctioned
One of John Lennon's teeth is expected to make £10,000 when it is auctioned next month.
The tooth was given to the former Beatles' house keeper Dot Jarlett when she worked for him at Kenwood mansion in Surrey in the late 1960s.
He told her to give it her daughter "as a souvenir" after he had pulled it out in the kitchen of the Weybridge property.
Read more here.
The tooth was given to the former Beatles' house keeper Dot Jarlett when she worked for him at Kenwood mansion in Surrey in the late 1960s.
He told her to give it her daughter "as a souvenir" after he had pulled it out in the kitchen of the Weybridge property.
Read more here.
Ardnamurchan Viking boat burial
The UK mainland's first fully intact Viking boat burial site has been uncovered in the west Highlands, archaeologists have said.
The site, at Ardnamurchan, is thought to be more than 1,000 years old.
Artefacts buried alongside the Viking in his boat suggest he was a high-ranking warrior.
Archaeologist Dr Hannah Cobb said the "artefacts and preservation make this one of the most important Norse graves ever excavated in Britain".
Read more here.
The site, at Ardnamurchan, is thought to be more than 1,000 years old.
Artefacts buried alongside the Viking in his boat suggest he was a high-ranking warrior.
Archaeologist Dr Hannah Cobb said the "artefacts and preservation make this one of the most important Norse graves ever excavated in Britain".
Read more here.
Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment: Arrogant Pricks of the Day
Psssst, MLSE, nobody likes you.
For nearly seven decades, the name Maple Leaf Gardens was synonymous with hockey triumphs, iconic concerts and raucous political rallies in the heart of Toronto. But when the venue at Carlton and Church streets re-opens as an arena for Ryerson University’s hockey team next year, it will not carry its historic moniker.
Faced with a lawsuit by Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the school said it will find a different name for the site.
“We never had the intention to brand ourselves as ‘Maple Leaf,’ ” Ryerson president Sheldon Levy said. “We have a plan to use a different name.”
Read more here.
For nearly seven decades, the name Maple Leaf Gardens was synonymous with hockey triumphs, iconic concerts and raucous political rallies in the heart of Toronto. But when the venue at Carlton and Church streets re-opens as an arena for Ryerson University’s hockey team next year, it will not carry its historic moniker.
Faced with a lawsuit by Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the school said it will find a different name for the site.
“We never had the intention to brand ourselves as ‘Maple Leaf,’ ” Ryerson president Sheldon Levy said. “We have a plan to use a different name.”
Read more here.
Supreme Court of Canada rules links not libel..no sh*t Sherlock
It would have delighted lawyers, politicians and general scum everywhere had they ruled otherwise.
Hyperlinking to defamatory material on the internet does not constitute publishing the defamatory material itself, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled Wednesday.
The ruling will alleviate fears that holding someone liable for how they use hyperlinks on websites, personal ones or others, could cast a chill on internet use.
Also at issue in the case was how someone can protect their reputation in the internet age when content is passed around with the quick click of a button.
The case was closely watched by civil liberty groups and media organizations because of its potential impact.
In its unanimous decision, the court upheld the arguments about a potential chilling effect.
"The internet cannot, in short, provide access to information without hyperlinks. Limiting their usefulness by subjecting them to the traditional publication rule would have the effect of seriously restricting the flow of information and, as a result, freedom of expression," the ruling said. "The potential 'chill' in how the internet functions could be devastating, since primary article authors would unlikely want to risk liability for linking to another article over whose changeable content they have no control. "
Read more here.
Links to the man who tried to sue the Internet:
Wayne Crookes.
Wayne Crookes Reportedly Sues Me Over My Blogroll.
I’m Being Sued by Wayne Crookes.
Wayne Crookes sues Google, Wikipedia.
The Curious Case of Wayne Crookes.
Hyperlinking to defamatory material on the internet does not constitute publishing the defamatory material itself, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled Wednesday.
The ruling will alleviate fears that holding someone liable for how they use hyperlinks on websites, personal ones or others, could cast a chill on internet use.
Also at issue in the case was how someone can protect their reputation in the internet age when content is passed around with the quick click of a button.
The case was closely watched by civil liberty groups and media organizations because of its potential impact.
In its unanimous decision, the court upheld the arguments about a potential chilling effect.
"The internet cannot, in short, provide access to information without hyperlinks. Limiting their usefulness by subjecting them to the traditional publication rule would have the effect of seriously restricting the flow of information and, as a result, freedom of expression," the ruling said. "The potential 'chill' in how the internet functions could be devastating, since primary article authors would unlikely want to risk liability for linking to another article over whose changeable content they have no control. "
Read more here.
Links to the man who tried to sue the Internet:
Wayne Crookes.
Wayne Crookes Reportedly Sues Me Over My Blogroll.
I’m Being Sued by Wayne Crookes.
Wayne Crookes sues Google, Wikipedia.
The Curious Case of Wayne Crookes.
Gingers are Neanderthals
No, really.
Scientists are now finding research that the gene responsible for red hair and freckles may have actually come from Neanderthal man. It is believed that the gene could be as much as 100,000 years old and was found in Neanderthals living in Europe. They believe that the gene was passed to our Homo sapiens ancestors about 40,000 years ago. That was when our ancestors migrated to the area from Africa.
Read more here.
Scientists are now finding research that the gene responsible for red hair and freckles may have actually come from Neanderthal man. It is believed that the gene could be as much as 100,000 years old and was found in Neanderthals living in Europe. They believe that the gene was passed to our Homo sapiens ancestors about 40,000 years ago. That was when our ancestors migrated to the area from Africa.
Read more here.
Dozens of exotic animals in Ohio make daring escape
Dozens of exotic animals have escaped from a private zoo in Zanesville, Ohio, and are roaming the area, say police.
Police have been receiving sightings of cheetahs, grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, tigers and lions. Twenty-five animals have reportedly been shot dead.
The animals' owner, Terry Thompson, was found dead at the zoo, Muskingum County Animal Farm, but police have not said how he died.
Fences were left open at the farm, police said.
One animal was seen riding a motorcycle to avoid the Nazi soliders *
Read more here.
* this is of course a joke, as Ohio now has its Nazi problem relatively under control...
Police have been receiving sightings of cheetahs, grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, tigers and lions. Twenty-five animals have reportedly been shot dead.
The animals' owner, Terry Thompson, was found dead at the zoo, Muskingum County Animal Farm, but police have not said how he died.
Fences were left open at the farm, police said.
One animal was seen riding a motorcycle to avoid the Nazi soliders *
Read more here.
* this is of course a joke, as Ohio now has its Nazi problem relatively under control...
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Australia's Gaming Minister Michael O'Brien is a complete idiot...so sue me, I'm Canadian
Someone thinks highly of themselves, don't they? Well, that's one.
State Parliament is set to pass new legislation making it a criminal offence to "insult" Gaming Minister Michael O'Brien.
Fines of up to $11,945 will be given to anyone found guilty of upsetting the minister and his staff under the extraordinary new offence.
The Baillieu Government is seeking changes to the Gaming Regulation Act which it says are "reasonably necessary to respect the rights and reputation of the minister and authorised persons". If passed, the ruling will become law.
The amendment proposed to the Act will make it an offence to "assault, obstruct, hinder, threaten, abuse, insult or intimidate" the minister or authorised persons exercising "due diligence" in monitoring gambling systems such as pokies.
Read more here.
State Parliament is set to pass new legislation making it a criminal offence to "insult" Gaming Minister Michael O'Brien.
Fines of up to $11,945 will be given to anyone found guilty of upsetting the minister and his staff under the extraordinary new offence.
The Baillieu Government is seeking changes to the Gaming Regulation Act which it says are "reasonably necessary to respect the rights and reputation of the minister and authorised persons". If passed, the ruling will become law.
The amendment proposed to the Act will make it an offence to "assault, obstruct, hinder, threaten, abuse, insult or intimidate" the minister or authorised persons exercising "due diligence" in monitoring gambling systems such as pokies.
Read more here.
Harper and Co. deny any wrongdoing in release of "sensitive economic data" to 69 lucky, totally honest, individuals
What could possibly go wrong?
Federal officials disputed a report Monday that alleges dozens of government workers are needlessly granted access to sensitive economic data well ahead of their public release.
“It is important for certain ministers to receive information that impacts the economy in a timely fashion,” Andrew MacDougall, the deputy communications director at the Prime Minister’s office told CBC News Monday. “Our government does treat confidential data with extreme caution.”
MacDougall was responding to a request for comment by CBC on a Bloomberg report that says Statistics Canada sends economic releases such as employment data and inflation numbers to dozens of government workers and political aides well before the information is released publicly.
Citing access to information requests and interviews with individuals, the news agency says at least 69 people have access to a host of releases of official Canadian economic data.
Read more here.
Federal officials disputed a report Monday that alleges dozens of government workers are needlessly granted access to sensitive economic data well ahead of their public release.
“It is important for certain ministers to receive information that impacts the economy in a timely fashion,” Andrew MacDougall, the deputy communications director at the Prime Minister’s office told CBC News Monday. “Our government does treat confidential data with extreme caution.”
MacDougall was responding to a request for comment by CBC on a Bloomberg report that says Statistics Canada sends economic releases such as employment data and inflation numbers to dozens of government workers and political aides well before the information is released publicly.
Citing access to information requests and interviews with individuals, the news agency says at least 69 people have access to a host of releases of official Canadian economic data.
Read more here.
USA sends a big F*ck You to Canada
There will be no exemption for Canada in the latest incarnation of the Buy American clause, according to the United States' ambassador to Canada David Jacobson.
The stimulus bill U.S. President Barack Obama is fighting to pass says no government money can go to infrastructure projects unless "all of the iron, steel, and manufactured goods used in the project are produced in the United States."
Next they'll be proposing a wall....oh wait..
Read more here.
The stimulus bill U.S. President Barack Obama is fighting to pass says no government money can go to infrastructure projects unless "all of the iron, steel, and manufactured goods used in the project are produced in the United States."
Next they'll be proposing a wall....oh wait..
Read more here.
Scientists cling to Witchcraft Dark Matter
I know I know, I'm not a scientist, but it does appear they thought up Dark Matter because they just don't understand it all yet.
Dark matter almost certainly exists - otherwise, galaxy clusters wouldn't have sufficient gravity to hold themselves together*. It was hoped dwarf galaxies could confirm the leading dark matter theories. But a new study has drawn a big, frustrating blank.
It will provide amusement for future readers of science: "Back in the early 21st century, Dark Matter was proposed much as the theory of the Ether was in the 19th century, as knowledge of the Universe was understandably more primitive. We of course now know...."
* there's so much wrong with this sentence as a piece of reasoning: Fairies must exist, as what else explains the lights at the end of the garden....
Read more here.
Dark matter almost certainly exists - otherwise, galaxy clusters wouldn't have sufficient gravity to hold themselves together*. It was hoped dwarf galaxies could confirm the leading dark matter theories. But a new study has drawn a big, frustrating blank.
It will provide amusement for future readers of science: "Back in the early 21st century, Dark Matter was proposed much as the theory of the Ether was in the 19th century, as knowledge of the Universe was understandably more primitive. We of course now know...."
* there's so much wrong with this sentence as a piece of reasoning: Fairies must exist, as what else explains the lights at the end of the garden....
Read more here.
Roland Emmerich's film "Anonymous" purpetuates notion only upper classes could have produced Shakespeare
The elitist snobbery of this viewpoint is staggering.
SO mercurial was his verse and so wonderful his storytelling, William Shakespeare was "no one and everyone", said the 19th-century critic William Hazlitt.
Hollywood, however, is hoping to teach America's schoolchildren a rather different version of events: that the Bard was an illiterate fraud.
Anonymous, a film due for release in Britain on October 28, is based on the theory that masterpieces such as Hamlet and King Lear were penned by Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford.
To accompany the movie Sony Pictures, the studio behind it, has produced a package of lesson plans for American high schools.
They suggest that it is "impossible to believe that a mere grammar school graduate could have written the plays and poems attributed to Shakespeare. Wouldn't it make more sense to suppose that William Shakespeare was only the stand-in for a better educated author?"
Sony Pictures, not run by geniuses, as they clearly don't understand the concept.
Read more here.
SO mercurial was his verse and so wonderful his storytelling, William Shakespeare was "no one and everyone", said the 19th-century critic William Hazlitt.
Hollywood, however, is hoping to teach America's schoolchildren a rather different version of events: that the Bard was an illiterate fraud.
Anonymous, a film due for release in Britain on October 28, is based on the theory that masterpieces such as Hamlet and King Lear were penned by Edward de Vere, the 17th Earl of Oxford.
To accompany the movie Sony Pictures, the studio behind it, has produced a package of lesson plans for American high schools.
They suggest that it is "impossible to believe that a mere grammar school graduate could have written the plays and poems attributed to Shakespeare. Wouldn't it make more sense to suppose that William Shakespeare was only the stand-in for a better educated author?"
Sony Pictures, not run by geniuses, as they clearly don't understand the concept.
Read more here.
The Toronto Sun is against Occupy Toronto. I'm shocked, shocked!
People are expressing anger in a controlled democratic way. This must be stopped immediately!!
First they occupied a city park without permits or permission.
Then they briefly blocked one of Canada’s busiest intersection’s with their phony act of pretending there is some sort of movement going on.
Who knows what this small group of a few hundred will do next to get some attention.
But whatever it will be, there is virtually nothing anybody seems to be able to do about it.
To our readers outside of Toronto, The Sun is our little bastion of right wing culture, filled with intellects of the highest order. Read the comments to the story to have your faith in Humanity confirmed...
Read more here.
First they occupied a city park without permits or permission.
Then they briefly blocked one of Canada’s busiest intersection’s with their phony act of pretending there is some sort of movement going on.
Who knows what this small group of a few hundred will do next to get some attention.
But whatever it will be, there is virtually nothing anybody seems to be able to do about it.
To our readers outside of Toronto, The Sun is our little bastion of right wing culture, filled with intellects of the highest order. Read the comments to the story to have your faith in Humanity confirmed...
Read more here.
Occupy Toronto commits greatest sin this city can imagine...stopping cars!
OMG call the Army, call the Navy, call the RCAF!!!!!!
Occupy Toronto protesters clogged the city's busy downtown core during the rush hour, staging sit-ins that snarled traffic and transit.
Don't think the army line is a joke, they called it in once before because snow had the unmitigated gaul to slow down a Torontonian's God given right to drive.
Hell hath no fury....
Read more here.
Occupy Toronto protesters clogged the city's busy downtown core during the rush hour, staging sit-ins that snarled traffic and transit.
Don't think the army line is a joke, they called it in once before because snow had the unmitigated gaul to slow down a Torontonian's God given right to drive.
Hell hath no fury....
Read more here.
Police tell themselves tasering an 11 year old is ok. What a shock...
And beating protesters is ok, not wearing name tags is ok...
Did you really think the police would ever endanger the continued use of one of their new toys?
An RCMP officer was justified in using a Taser an 11-year-old boy in a stand-off near Prince George, B.C., because of the boy's violent past and the danger he presented to himself and others, an investigation has concluded.
The Chief of the West Vancouver police, Pete Lepine, who investigated the incident, released an open letter Monday explaining why he decided not to recommend charges against the officer, who was among several Mounties called to a residence on April 7.
Read more here.
Did you really think the police would ever endanger the continued use of one of their new toys?
An RCMP officer was justified in using a Taser an 11-year-old boy in a stand-off near Prince George, B.C., because of the boy's violent past and the danger he presented to himself and others, an investigation has concluded.
The Chief of the West Vancouver police, Pete Lepine, who investigated the incident, released an open letter Monday explaining why he decided not to recommend charges against the officer, who was among several Mounties called to a residence on April 7.
Read more here.
Monday, October 17, 2011
There's no honor in this shit
United States Marine Corps. Sgt. Shamar Thomas from Roosevelt, NY went toe to toe with the New York Police Department.
Lady Goo Goo
The EVIL FORBIDDEN video Lady GaGa doesn't want you to see.
Watch it anyway, anything to revenge ourselves on her for that abismal disaster she released this year.
Get those animals off those horses
Chant heard in NYC as the police react cluelessly to Occupy Wall Street.
Do they not realize they are being recorded by hundreds of cameras?
Sunday, October 16, 2011
NYC police in yet another PR disaster
The descriptions of this video don't seem to be entirely accurate ["Close Your Bank Account and Get Arrested!"]. Protesters inside the bank are trying to close their accounts, and gets the bank all freaked out.
This poor woman then comes along to do some banking..
Opps.
All those big brave officers take down a dangerous woman who dares to try to be a CitiBank customer.
No wonder police hate video.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Lady Gaga does something monumentally stupid
Yes, this will make sure no one takes notice. Well played you moron.
Lady Gaga has won an injunction at London's High Court to stop animated character Lady Goo Goo from releasing a single, its makers have said.
Lady Goo Goo, a baby with a long blonde fringe from the Moshi Monsters online game - owned by UK firm Mind Candy - released The Moshi Dance on YouTube.
But Lady Gaga's injunction has stopped its full release, Mind Candy said.
Law firm Mishcon de Reya confirmed it had represented Lady Gaga but said it could not comment further.
Read more here.
Lady Gaga has won an injunction at London's High Court to stop animated character Lady Goo Goo from releasing a single, its makers have said.
Lady Goo Goo, a baby with a long blonde fringe from the Moshi Monsters online game - owned by UK firm Mind Candy - released The Moshi Dance on YouTube.
But Lady Gaga's injunction has stopped its full release, Mind Candy said.
Law firm Mishcon de Reya confirmed it had represented Lady Gaga but said it could not comment further.
Read more here.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Felix Salmon of Reuters wonders aloud about Reuters hit piece on Occupy Wall Street
Propaganda's a bitch
Wouldn’t it be ironic if Occupy Wall Street — the soi-disant “99%” — were being secretly funded by billionaire Davos Man George Soros, exemplar of the 1%? Well, no, it wouldn’t, actually. As Noreen Malone points out, lots of the 1% have, like Soros, expressed sympathy with OWS, including Bill Clinton, Ben Bernanke, and at least one member of the Buffett family. And when you’re sympathetic to a cause, and have lots of money, often you donate money to that cause.
But in this case it looks very much as though there’s no connection at all between Soros and OWS. That makes sense: for one thing, Soros is a creature of Wall Street himself, and for another, he tends to fund well-organized groups with specific goals. Which, clearly, OWS isn’t.
Which is why today’s Reuters story about the connection between Soros and OWS has elicited so much derision around the blogosphere. Beyond allowing us to shoehorn the #ows and #soros hashtags into a single tweet, there’s no real substance to it at all:
Read more here.
Wouldn’t it be ironic if Occupy Wall Street — the soi-disant “99%” — were being secretly funded by billionaire Davos Man George Soros, exemplar of the 1%? Well, no, it wouldn’t, actually. As Noreen Malone points out, lots of the 1% have, like Soros, expressed sympathy with OWS, including Bill Clinton, Ben Bernanke, and at least one member of the Buffett family. And when you’re sympathetic to a cause, and have lots of money, often you donate money to that cause.
But in this case it looks very much as though there’s no connection at all between Soros and OWS. That makes sense: for one thing, Soros is a creature of Wall Street himself, and for another, he tends to fund well-organized groups with specific goals. Which, clearly, OWS isn’t.
Which is why today’s Reuters story about the connection between Soros and OWS has elicited so much derision around the blogosphere. Beyond allowing us to shoehorn the #ows and #soros hashtags into a single tweet, there’s no real substance to it at all:
Read more here.
Late Medieval English Scribes
Late Medieval English Scribes is an online catalogue of all scribal hands (identified or unidentified) which appear in the manuscripts of the English writings of five major Middle English authors: Geoffrey Chaucer, John Gower, John Trevisa, William Langland and Thomas Hoccleve.
Read more here.
Read more here.
British government minister Oliver Letwin is a tosser
A British minister has acknowledged dumping official documents in garbage cans at a London park, his office said Friday.
Oliver Letwin, a Cabinet Office minister who works on government strategy, was spotted discarding letters, including some related to national security.
Britain's Daily Mirror tabloid reported that Letwin had been seen dropping documents into trash cans in St. James's Park on five occasions, and that some of the documents related to al-Qaeda and to inquiries on extraordinary rendition.
Read more here.
Oliver Letwin, a Cabinet Office minister who works on government strategy, was spotted discarding letters, including some related to national security.
Britain's Daily Mirror tabloid reported that Letwin had been seen dropping documents into trash cans in St. James's Park on five occasions, and that some of the documents related to al-Qaeda and to inquiries on extraordinary rendition.
Read more here.
Toronto National Post laughs at the idea war criminals should face justice
What the #!%*?: Should Canada arrest George W. Bush?
Yes folks, that's the article's title..gee I wonder what point of view they'll take...
Moral Bankruptcy, not just for Americans anymore:
Peter Ferguson, a professor of American politics at the University of Western Ontario: Waterboarding, the interrogation technique that gives subjects the sensation of drowning, was not illegal when Mr. Bush authorized its use on a handful of prisoners
Oh well then, it must be AOK....
The article is a hit piece on Amnesty International, cause God forbid the National Post ever take a stand against torture.
And the torture lovers (aka the commenters to the story) are out in their Sunday Waterboarding Best.
Read more here.
Yes folks, that's the article's title..gee I wonder what point of view they'll take...
Moral Bankruptcy, not just for Americans anymore:
Peter Ferguson, a professor of American politics at the University of Western Ontario: Waterboarding, the interrogation technique that gives subjects the sensation of drowning, was not illegal when Mr. Bush authorized its use on a handful of prisoners
Oh well then, it must be AOK....
The article is a hit piece on Amnesty International, cause God forbid the National Post ever take a stand against torture.
And the torture lovers (aka the commenters to the story) are out in their Sunday Waterboarding Best.
Read more here.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Darth Maul returns in The Clone Wars
Virgin births, resurrections..where does Lucas get his inspiration...?
Almost perfectly complete fossil dinosaur found in Germany
Darren Naish, palaeontologist at the University of Southampton, says the fossil is “incredible”. Rauhut says that fossils of theropod dinosaurs, which include the genus Tyrannosaurus, are rare and usually fragmented. "The best-preserved Tyrannosaurus we have are about 80 percent preserved, and that is already terrific," he says. The new fossil is around 98% intact.
The dinosaur died around 135 million years ago at a site near the present town of Kelheim in the southern German state of Bavaria. Rauhut and his team of palaeontologists think it was no more than a year old.
Read more here.
The dinosaur died around 135 million years ago at a site near the present town of Kelheim in the southern German state of Bavaria. Rauhut and his team of palaeontologists think it was no more than a year old.
Read more here.
Covington, Kentucky city commissioner Steve Frank (R): Idiot of the Day
Another Republican compensates for a tiny penis..
Covington, Kentucky city commissioner Steve Frank (R) recently took to Facebook to rail against the Wall Street protesters who are spreading across the country. In a post on Oct. 9, he wrote, “Turn out the lights on the Occupiers, I feel like going Taliban on them!!!”
Read more here.
Covington, Kentucky city commissioner Steve Frank (R) recently took to Facebook to rail against the Wall Street protesters who are spreading across the country. In a post on Oct. 9, he wrote, “Turn out the lights on the Occupiers, I feel like going Taliban on them!!!”
Read more here.
Business Insider presents a depressing series of charts
So, what are the protesters so upset about, really?
Do they have legitimate gripes?
To answer the latter question first, yes, they have very legitimate gripes.
Read more here.
Do they have legitimate gripes?
To answer the latter question first, yes, they have very legitimate gripes.
Read more here.
NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg wises up (for now) and avoids PR disaster
"Mr. Mayor, sir, it's probably a really really bad idea to break up the protest like this..."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes sir"
"Damn damn damn damn....oh everyone smiles and giggles, here comes the press...."
A cleaning planned for the Manhattan park where "Occupy Wall Street" protesters have camped out for weeks has been postponed, a move that averts a showdown between demonstrators and police.
The New York mayor's office said Brookfield Properties, the owners of Zuccotti Park, told the city late Thursday the scheduled cleaning is off for now and "for the time being" they are "withdrawing their request" made earlier in the week for police assistance during the cleaning operation.
Read more here.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes sir"
"Damn damn damn damn....oh everyone smiles and giggles, here comes the press...."
A cleaning planned for the Manhattan park where "Occupy Wall Street" protesters have camped out for weeks has been postponed, a move that averts a showdown between demonstrators and police.
The New York mayor's office said Brookfield Properties, the owners of Zuccotti Park, told the city late Thursday the scheduled cleaning is off for now and "for the time being" they are "withdrawing their request" made earlier in the week for police assistance during the cleaning operation.
Read more here.
Toronto police attempt to remove foot from mouth...again
The Toronto police are responding to a story published last week, in which an officer told a school principal that students of a prep school might want to avoid wearing school uniforms after two young girls complained of being harassed and leered at while riding the TTC.
Two female students at Greenwood College, a private prep school for students in Grades 7 to 12, complained to police last week that a man had leered at them and attempted to look up their skirts as they travelled to school on the subway. The two were wearing their school uniforms, which includes a blazer and skirt.
The girls filed a report with police. The school’s principal sought advice from the investigating officer. The principal then sent out an email to parents and teachers based on that advice, the Toronto Sun reported.
In the email the principal wrote: “Students, especially females, should consider not wearing their school uniforms while riding the TTC.”
Read more here.
Two female students at Greenwood College, a private prep school for students in Grades 7 to 12, complained to police last week that a man had leered at them and attempted to look up their skirts as they travelled to school on the subway. The two were wearing their school uniforms, which includes a blazer and skirt.
The girls filed a report with police. The school’s principal sought advice from the investigating officer. The principal then sent out an email to parents and teachers based on that advice, the Toronto Sun reported.
In the email the principal wrote: “Students, especially females, should consider not wearing their school uniforms while riding the TTC.”
Read more here.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Amnesty International urges Canada to arrest Bush for war crimes..Harper's Canada...HAHAHAHAHA
Harper will be at the airport in his best frock giving him a medal.
Amnesty International today urged Canadian authorities to arrest and either prosecute or extradite former US President George W. Bush for his role in torture, ahead of his expected visit to Canada on 20 October.
As Harper may or may not be implicated in some teeny war crimes of his own in Afghanistan, the chances of this are, um, remote.
Read more here.
Amnesty International today urged Canadian authorities to arrest and either prosecute or extradite former US President George W. Bush for his role in torture, ahead of his expected visit to Canada on 20 October.
As Harper may or may not be implicated in some teeny war crimes of his own in Afghanistan, the chances of this are, um, remote.
Read more here.
100,000 year old "paint factory" found in South Africa
The kits used by humans 100,000 years ago to make paint have been found at the famous archaeological site of Blombos Cave in South Africa.
The hoard includes red and yellow pigments, shell containers, and the grinding cobbles and bone spatulas to work up a paste - everything an ancient artist might need in their workshop.
Read more here.
The hoard includes red and yellow pigments, shell containers, and the grinding cobbles and bone spatulas to work up a paste - everything an ancient artist might need in their workshop.
Read more here.
Mullets responsible for bad haircuts
Five men suspected of forcefully cutting the beards of fellow Amish were arraigned Wednesday and released on $50,000 bonds posted by the leader of their breakaway group.
Levi Miller, Johnny Mullet, Lester Mullet and two other men were in Holmes County Municipal Court in eastern Ohio on kidnapping and burglary charges, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (http://bit.ly/nRMIdG) reported. Miller and the Mullets had been arrested Saturday, and various media outlets reported the other two men turned themselves in Wednesday.
Read more here.
Levi Miller, Johnny Mullet, Lester Mullet and two other men were in Holmes County Municipal Court in eastern Ohio on kidnapping and burglary charges, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (http://bit.ly/nRMIdG) reported. Miller and the Mullets had been arrested Saturday, and various media outlets reported the other two men turned themselves in Wednesday.
Read more here.
Mark Egan and Michelle Nichols of Reuters pen hit piece on Occupy Wall Street
A parade of illogic, even sighting Rush Limbaugh as a source of "speculation"...
Anti-Wall Street protesters say the rich are getting richer while average Americans suffer, but the group that started it all may have benefited indirectly from the largesse of one of the world's richest men.
They go on to string unrelated events and innuendo into a piece of propaganda writing Goebbels would be proud of.
Someone must be worried if they are resorting to these tactics.
Read more here.
Anti-Wall Street protesters say the rich are getting richer while average Americans suffer, but the group that started it all may have benefited indirectly from the largesse of one of the world's richest men.
They go on to string unrelated events and innuendo into a piece of propaganda writing Goebbels would be proud of.
Someone must be worried if they are resorting to these tactics.
Read more here.
Giorgio 'Let's Tax Prostitution" Mammoliti is a thundering hypocrit
In March he wanted legal prostitution on the Islands, today he's all high and mighty.
Do these people actually hear what they say?
Neon-lit city-licensed body rub parlours may soon be popping up everywhere in a neighbourhood near you if a staff committee at City Hall has its way.
At least one city councillor is fuming over plans by a consultative committee for suggesting on Tuesday that permits for body rub parlours be increased tenfold or more from the existing 25 to “several hundreds” by early next year.
“This will make us the biggest pimps in North America,” an outraged Giorgio Mammoliti said on Wednesday. “These clubs will be springing up in strip malls and residential areas across the city.”
Read more here.
Do these people actually hear what they say?
Neon-lit city-licensed body rub parlours may soon be popping up everywhere in a neighbourhood near you if a staff committee at City Hall has its way.
At least one city councillor is fuming over plans by a consultative committee for suggesting on Tuesday that permits for body rub parlours be increased tenfold or more from the existing 25 to “several hundreds” by early next year.
“This will make us the biggest pimps in North America,” an outraged Giorgio Mammoliti said on Wednesday. “These clubs will be springing up in strip malls and residential areas across the city.”
Read more here.
The sun comes up, Doug Ford says something dumb. The Universe unfolds as it should
Councillor Doug Ford wants to know why Toronto is foregoing thousands of dollars to “force-feed” healthy drinks to kids.
Click below for more, if you can stomach this much conservative nonsense ["free-market economy" "nanny state social engineering"] this early in the day.
Read more here.
Click below for more, if you can stomach this much conservative nonsense ["free-market economy" "nanny state social engineering"] this early in the day.
Read more here.
Elizabeth Snyder: Idiot of the Day
The County College of Morris acknowledged today that an adjunct history professor acted improperly when she told a stuttering student not to speak in class because he was "infringing on other students’ time."
Administrators declined to say whether any explicit disciplinary action was taken against the professor, Elizabeth Snyder, but expressed disappointment with the e-mail she sent sent to Philip Garber Jr. several weeks ago.
"The message was that because it does take him awhile to ask a question or answer a question, that it was interfering with the rights of other students," said Bette Simmons, vice president of student development for the Randolph college.
Read more here.
Administrators declined to say whether any explicit disciplinary action was taken against the professor, Elizabeth Snyder, but expressed disappointment with the e-mail she sent sent to Philip Garber Jr. several weeks ago.
"The message was that because it does take him awhile to ask a question or answer a question, that it was interfering with the rights of other students," said Bette Simmons, vice president of student development for the Randolph college.
Read more here.
Florida State Rep. Brad Drake butches it up for us all
Here's a piece of legislation you don't see every day. One Florida state Rep. is proposing a big change to the way his state handles executions. Brad Drake, a Republican, filed a bill Tuesday to eliminate lethal injection and bring back executions by electrocution or firing squad.
"We still have Old Sparky. And if that doesn't suit the criminal, then we will provide them a .45 caliber lead cocktail instead," he said in a press release.
Mr. Drake is one the people your parents warned you about kids.
Read more here.
"We still have Old Sparky. And if that doesn't suit the criminal, then we will provide them a .45 caliber lead cocktail instead," he said in a press release.
Mr. Drake is one the people your parents warned you about kids.
Read more here.
Another dumb idea for Toronto, this time from Steven Dale
Monorail! Monorail! Mono...huh what?
If Steven Dale had his way, Toronto's transit system would include a network of gondola cable lines ferrying people around the city in pods held aloft by steel cables.
Dale is an urban planner and the founder of Creative Urban Projects, a group that does consulting for agencies on gondola systems. He believes it's time to start talking about "expanding our public transport portfolio of tools," and gondola travel is a cheap and effective way of doing so.
Cause nothing says safety than being trapping in a tiny box with a total stranger hundreds of feet in the air.
Urban planning, when insanity just isn't good enough.
Read more here.
If Steven Dale had his way, Toronto's transit system would include a network of gondola cable lines ferrying people around the city in pods held aloft by steel cables.
Dale is an urban planner and the founder of Creative Urban Projects, a group that does consulting for agencies on gondola systems. He believes it's time to start talking about "expanding our public transport portfolio of tools," and gondola travel is a cheap and effective way of doing so.
Cause nothing says safety than being trapping in a tiny box with a total stranger hundreds of feet in the air.
Urban planning, when insanity just isn't good enough.
Read more here.
China whines about situation they created
"We locked up a world famous artist...what is everyone looking at?"
Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has been named the most powerful person in the art world, according to a poll compiled by ArtReview magazine.
But Mr Ai, who was released in June after being detained for more than 80 days by Chinese authorities, told the BBC he does "not feel powerful at all".
The magazine said he was chosen by the panel because of his political activism, as much as his artwork.
China criticised the selection saying it was based on "political bias".
China, world power and totally clueless. A winning combination.
Read more here.
Chinese artist Ai Weiwei has been named the most powerful person in the art world, according to a poll compiled by ArtReview magazine.
But Mr Ai, who was released in June after being detained for more than 80 days by Chinese authorities, told the BBC he does "not feel powerful at all".
The magazine said he was chosen by the panel because of his political activism, as much as his artwork.
China criticised the selection saying it was based on "political bias".
China, world power and totally clueless. A winning combination.
Read more here.
Ryanair's CEO Michael O'Leary: Cheap, Heartless Bastard of the Day
It's been more than a year since we've heard much about cheapy European airline Ryanair's grand plan to charge people to use the toilet. That's because the carrier has apparently ditched the scheme in favor of simply removing two out of three toilets from each of their planes.
But it's not just about making flights more uncomfortable for travelers. Those removed toilets would be used to squeeze on another six seats.
"It would fundamentally lower air fares by about five percent for all passengers" Ryanair's always colorful CEO Michael O'Leary tells The Independent.
Read more here.
But it's not just about making flights more uncomfortable for travelers. Those removed toilets would be used to squeeze on another six seats.
"It would fundamentally lower air fares by about five percent for all passengers" Ryanair's always colorful CEO Michael O'Leary tells The Independent.
Read more here.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Microsoft blames the flaws in its hideous OS on..wait for it...YOU!
If your computer is infected, it's probably because of something you did, according to a Microsoft study released this week.
If I read the average Windows user right, they'll buy this piece of blame shifting from MS.
Read more here.
If I read the average Windows user right, they'll buy this piece of blame shifting from MS.
Read more here.
Mayor Menino of Boston, home of the American Revolution, is clueless about history
Mayor Menino called in to "The Morning Show" to discuss the chaotic situation [aka Occupy Wall Street].
"I sympathize with their issues, some of those issues we really have to look at in America, but when it comes to civil disobedience I will not tolerate civil disobedience in the city of Boston," Mayor Menino said.
Read more here.
"I sympathize with their issues, some of those issues we really have to look at in America, but when it comes to civil disobedience I will not tolerate civil disobedience in the city of Boston," Mayor Menino said.
Read more here.
Assh*le at FBI off the hook for extreme stupidity, reckless driving and monumental arrogance
A federal judge in Detroit has dismissed a lawsuit against the U.S. government over the wreck of a $750,000 Ferrari driven by an FBI agent.
Judge Avern Cohn said in his recent decision that the crash of the 1995 F50 sports car was "certainly unfortunate," but cited a law making the government immune to lawsuits when property is in custody of law enforcement.
Michigan-based Motors Insurance believes an agent and a federal prosecutor were out for a joyride in Lexington, Ky., in 2009 when the agent lost control of the Ferrari. The government has refused to pay for the car, which had been stolen and was being kept as part of an investigation.
Judge Avern Cohn said in his recent decision that the crash of the 1995 F50 sports car was "certainly unfortunate," but cited a law making the government immune to lawsuits when property is in custody of law enforcement.
Michigan-based Motors Insurance believes an agent and a federal prosecutor were out for a joyride in Lexington, Ky., in 2009 when the agent lost control of the Ferrari. The government has refused to pay for the car, which had been stolen and was being kept as part of an investigation.
NHS reforms: England begins scrapping universal health care
Hey, if you can afford it, you'll live.
The Government is struggling to get its health reforms through the House of Lords. Here we explain why the changes are proving so controversial:
Thus does life become more brutish, nasty and short...unless you pay.
And you wonder why people are taking to the streets.
Read more here.
The Government is struggling to get its health reforms through the House of Lords. Here we explain why the changes are proving so controversial:
Thus does life become more brutish, nasty and short...unless you pay.
And you wonder why people are taking to the streets.
Read more here.
93 Cents Canadian
US bargain retailer 99 Cents Only Stores has agreed a takeover bid by a private equity firm and a Canadian pension agency worth $1.6bn (£1bn).
The company said the offer of $22 a share, made by Ares Management and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, represented "significant value" to shareholders.
The takeover should be completed during the first three months of next year.
Read more here.
The company said the offer of $22 a share, made by Ares Management and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, represented "significant value" to shareholders.
The takeover should be completed during the first three months of next year.
Read more here.
Topeka Kansas votes to become the most vile city in North America
Topeka’s governing body voted 7-3 Tuesday evening to repeal the part of city ordinance banning domestic battery.
Read more here.
Read more here.
Opportunist Newt Gingrich gleefully finds excuse to jail his political enemies
Fave screen name of a Youtube commenter: ObamaIsAGayCokeHead
Occupy Toronto pleads with the police to behave in a civilized manner
To the protesters involved, video everything you see. Upload your video asap, so if your phone is, um, broken, the video will survive.
City police at this weekend’s Occupy Toronto protests should take steps to avoid a repeat of the mass arrests and kettling that occurred during last year’s G20 summit, a local blogger says.
Toronto activists say they will gather in front of the Toronto Stock Exchange at the corner of King and York Streets on Oct. 15 to protest the gap between the wealthiest one per cent of people and the rest of the world. The demonstration is one of hundreds planned in cities around the world and will mimic the Occupy Wall Street protest, which began three weeks ago.
And whatever you do, don't, under any circumstances, blow bubbles at the police. They are delicate creatures and easily riled.
Read more here.
City police at this weekend’s Occupy Toronto protests should take steps to avoid a repeat of the mass arrests and kettling that occurred during last year’s G20 summit, a local blogger says.
Toronto activists say they will gather in front of the Toronto Stock Exchange at the corner of King and York Streets on Oct. 15 to protest the gap between the wealthiest one per cent of people and the rest of the world. The demonstration is one of hundreds planned in cities around the world and will mimic the Occupy Wall Street protest, which began three weeks ago.
And whatever you do, don't, under any circumstances, blow bubbles at the police. They are delicate creatures and easily riled.
Read more here.
Movie so bad it skips going straight to DVD and goes straight to HBO
Why did Liberace play the piano?
Because he sucked on the organ*.
HBO has picked up director Steven Soderbergh's Liberace film "Behind the Candelabra."
Starring Michael Douglas as the performer, the HBO film will also star Matt Damon as Liberace's lover, Scott Thorson. Completed script is by Richard LaGravenese, who has penned several bigscreen films including "The Fisher King" and, more recently, "Water for Elephants."
Beware tho, they're still going to try to scam the unwary...
After debuting on HBO, "Candelabra" will get a theatrical release outside the U.S. and Canada. Plan is for HBO Enterprises to sell the pic to independent distributors. Production is set to begin next summer.
* overheard on a late night bus in Montreal in the late '80's...
Read more here.
Because he sucked on the organ*.
HBO has picked up director Steven Soderbergh's Liberace film "Behind the Candelabra."
Starring Michael Douglas as the performer, the HBO film will also star Matt Damon as Liberace's lover, Scott Thorson. Completed script is by Richard LaGravenese, who has penned several bigscreen films including "The Fisher King" and, more recently, "Water for Elephants."
Beware tho, they're still going to try to scam the unwary...
After debuting on HBO, "Candelabra" will get a theatrical release outside the U.S. and Canada. Plan is for HBO Enterprises to sell the pic to independent distributors. Production is set to begin next summer.
* overheard on a late night bus in Montreal in the late '80's...
Read more here.
Iran continues to be a global embarrassment
For one Iranian actor, life is mirroring art, in the most gruesome of ways. Two years ago Marzieh Vafamehr starred in a film about an actor whose theatre work is banned in Iran.
Now she faces a year in prison and 90 lashes after Iranian officials took exception to the film, which is itself banned inside the country.
Her crime? Appearing in an Australian film which is critical of the Islamic regime with her head uncovered.
Read more here.
Now she faces a year in prison and 90 lashes after Iranian officials took exception to the film, which is itself banned inside the country.
Her crime? Appearing in an Australian film which is critical of the Islamic regime with her head uncovered.
Read more here.
US Republicans (and two very brave Democrats) valiantly defend millionaires
Fucking over the unemployed is a route to election?
Forty-six Republican senators joined with two Democrats to filibuster the $447bn (£287bn) package.
Reacting to the vote, Mr Obama said: "Tonight's vote is by no means the end of this fight."
Republicans oppose the measure citing its spending to stimulate the economy and its tax rise on millionaires. The US unemployment rate is jammed at 9.1%.
Read more here.
Forty-six Republican senators joined with two Democrats to filibuster the $447bn (£287bn) package.
Reacting to the vote, Mr Obama said: "Tonight's vote is by no means the end of this fight."
Republicans oppose the measure citing its spending to stimulate the economy and its tax rise on millionaires. The US unemployment rate is jammed at 9.1%.
Read more here.
540, 208 reasons to recall Wisconsin's Scott Walker
Good to see people fighting back.
Organizers in Wisconsin will have 60 days to collect 540,208 signatures as they announce plans to kick off an effort to recall Governor Scott Walker, the man whose extreme levels of union-busting intransigence led to hundres of thousands of protesters descending on the capital, in a standoff that riveted the nation and led to a resurgence of pro-labor activism. One group, United Wisconsin already has over 200,000 promised recall signatures through its organizing efforts.
Read more here.
Organizers in Wisconsin will have 60 days to collect 540,208 signatures as they announce plans to kick off an effort to recall Governor Scott Walker, the man whose extreme levels of union-busting intransigence led to hundres of thousands of protesters descending on the capital, in a standoff that riveted the nation and led to a resurgence of pro-labor activism. One group, United Wisconsin already has over 200,000 promised recall signatures through its organizing efforts.
Read more here.
From church to club to hideous food
In an unconventional move raising eyebrows among retail brokers, the affordably-priced pancake restaurant IHOP is moving to Ashkenazy Acquisition's Limelight Marketplace, the former church and nightclub at 656 Sixth Avenue in Chelsea, a spokesperson for Ashkenazy told The Real Deal.
Read more here.
Read more here.
Fast and Furious outdoes Irangate in epic stupidity
Shucks, this sounds like a good idea...
In Fast and Furious, the ATF allegedly allowed thousands of assault rifles and other weapons into the hands of suspected traffickers for Mexican drug cartels. The idea was to see where the weapons ended up, and take down a cartel. But the guns have been found at many crime scenes in Mexico and the U.S., including the murder scene of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry last December.
What could possibly go wrong?
There as some really dumb people in government behind this.
Read more here.
In Fast and Furious, the ATF allegedly allowed thousands of assault rifles and other weapons into the hands of suspected traffickers for Mexican drug cartels. The idea was to see where the weapons ended up, and take down a cartel. But the guns have been found at many crime scenes in Mexico and the U.S., including the murder scene of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry last December.
What could possibly go wrong?
There as some really dumb people in government behind this.
Read more here.
Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis: Idiot of the Day
Classic government thinking. Until you can outlaw the dumb things young people will do...
Damn, I'm just giving them ideas.
A fatal high-speed crash in Toronto over the weekend that tore a car in two pieces has strengthened a federal lawmaker's resolve to force a law requiring all new cars to be fitted with speed limiters.
Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis, the member for Scarborough-Agincourt, said the collision Monday at Kennedy Road and Finch Avenue East underscores the need for the electronic devices that restrict a car from exceeding a particular speed.
Read more here.
Damn, I'm just giving them ideas.
A fatal high-speed crash in Toronto over the weekend that tore a car in two pieces has strengthened a federal lawmaker's resolve to force a law requiring all new cars to be fitted with speed limiters.
Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis, the member for Scarborough-Agincourt, said the collision Monday at Kennedy Road and Finch Avenue East underscores the need for the electronic devices that restrict a car from exceeding a particular speed.
Read more here.
Pathetic closet case Bill Whatcott gets the attention he craves
Me thinks the Lady doth protest too much.
A man accused of hate speech for distributing flyers in Saskatchewan condemning homosexuality will appear before the Supreme Court of Canada on Wednesday.
Bill Whatcott was charged with promoting hate after he distributed flyers in Regina and Saskatoon in 2001 and 2002 calling homosexuals sodomites and child molesters.
Read more here.
A man accused of hate speech for distributing flyers in Saskatchewan condemning homosexuality will appear before the Supreme Court of Canada on Wednesday.
Bill Whatcott was charged with promoting hate after he distributed flyers in Regina and Saskatoon in 2001 and 2002 calling homosexuals sodomites and child molesters.
Read more here.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Boston police make stunningly stupid PR move
Cameron's Nanny State England uses old warhorse of "protecting children" to begin controlling the Net
Governments use this as they know it works.
Subscribers to four of the UK's biggest internet service providers will have to "opt in" if they want to view sexually explicit websites, as part of government-sponsored curbs on online pornography.
The measures will be unveiled on Tuesday as David Cameron hosts No 10 meeting with the Mothers' Union, which earlier this year produced a raft of proposals to shield children from sexualised imagery.
Read more here.
Subscribers to four of the UK's biggest internet service providers will have to "opt in" if they want to view sexually explicit websites, as part of government-sponsored curbs on online pornography.
The measures will be unveiled on Tuesday as David Cameron hosts No 10 meeting with the Mothers' Union, which earlier this year produced a raft of proposals to shield children from sexualised imagery.
Read more here.
Glenn Beck spews dangerous lies about Occupy Wall Street
Beck then made the first of his dark analogies. Saying that the only thing that could control the movement would be a forceful crushing from "the top," he added, "It will be the Night of Long Knives. It will be a purging of this country."
"Capitalists, if you think that you can play footsies with these people, you're wrong. They will come for you and drag you into the streets and kill you...they're Marxist radicals...these guys are worse than Robespierre from the French Revolution...they'll kill everybody."
Read more here.
"Capitalists, if you think that you can play footsies with these people, you're wrong. They will come for you and drag you into the streets and kill you...they're Marxist radicals...these guys are worse than Robespierre from the French Revolution...they'll kill everybody."
Read more here.
Geraldo and Fox News gets an earful on Wall Street
Below, Geraldo tries desperately to ignore the obvious.
Monday, October 10, 2011
Netflix outdoes New Coke in turn around time
Netflix has abandoned plans to split off its DVD rental division into a separate business.
The US online movie company told subscribers in September that it was spinning off its disc delivery service and rebranding it as Qwikster.
Customers wishing to continue receiving DVDs by post would have needed two separate accounts.
However, the firm says it now accepts the move would have made things more difficult for its members.
Customers will now be able to continue renting discs and streaming online films using a single Netflix password.
The US online movie company told subscribers in September that it was spinning off its disc delivery service and rebranding it as Qwikster.
Customers wishing to continue receiving DVDs by post would have needed two separate accounts.
However, the firm says it now accepts the move would have made things more difficult for its members.
Customers will now be able to continue renting discs and streaming online films using a single Netflix password.
Yachts International: Yo ho ho and a bottle of Château Lafite '59
A big fuck you from the yachting industry:
We used to sell yachts as luxury items. In today's world they're really a necessity...
...Years ago buying a yacht like the 136' Hargrave 'DREAMER' pictured above was fun and exciting and represented a once-in-a-lifetime reward for those of you who made the sacrifices and paid the price to reach the pinnacle of your profession.
Today things have changed and successful people have now become the target of every two bit politician from the White House on down, tolerated by most on the right and vilified by most on the left. It almost seems like when they are not discussing ways to take away your personal assets they are drafting some piece of legislation that will shut down your business.
Read more here.
We used to sell yachts as luxury items. In today's world they're really a necessity...
...Years ago buying a yacht like the 136' Hargrave 'DREAMER' pictured above was fun and exciting and represented a once-in-a-lifetime reward for those of you who made the sacrifices and paid the price to reach the pinnacle of your profession.
Today things have changed and successful people have now become the target of every two bit politician from the White House on down, tolerated by most on the right and vilified by most on the left. It almost seems like when they are not discussing ways to take away your personal assets they are drafting some piece of legislation that will shut down your business.
Read more here.
Patrick Howley, Assistant Editor of The American Spectator: Scumbag of the Day
He should work for the Toronto Police Department.
The following photograph taken by opednews.com shows a confrontation in the lobby of the National Air and Space Museum between two individuals and an officer shortly before video shows officers with the Museum’s security forces rush outside indiscriminately pepper-spraying numerous individuals.
It appears that one of the two in the confrontation with the security officer is Patrick Howley, Assistant Editor of The American Spectator. [See the following photograph in which Howley's Facebook Profile Photo is side-by-side with the person pictured at the Air and Space Museum]
Immediately after the incident began hitting the newswires Howley published a “Breaking News” story with The American Spectator online in which he reveals that he had consciously infiltrated the group on Friday with the intent to discredit the movement. He states that “as far as anyone knew I was part of this cause — a cause that I had infiltrated the day before in order to mock and undermine in the pages of The American Spectator — and I wasn’t giving up before I had my story.”
Read more here.
The following photograph taken by opednews.com shows a confrontation in the lobby of the National Air and Space Museum between two individuals and an officer shortly before video shows officers with the Museum’s security forces rush outside indiscriminately pepper-spraying numerous individuals.
It appears that one of the two in the confrontation with the security officer is Patrick Howley, Assistant Editor of The American Spectator. [See the following photograph in which Howley's Facebook Profile Photo is side-by-side with the person pictured at the Air and Space Museum]
Immediately after the incident began hitting the newswires Howley published a “Breaking News” story with The American Spectator online in which he reveals that he had consciously infiltrated the group on Friday with the intent to discredit the movement. He states that “as far as anyone knew I was part of this cause — a cause that I had infiltrated the day before in order to mock and undermine in the pages of The American Spectator — and I wasn’t giving up before I had my story.”
Read more here.
Sunday, October 09, 2011
Oh, they have a "Secret U.S. Memo"..guess that makes everything ok...
It seems to be a one time hit document...
The Obama administration’s secret legal memorandum that opened the door to the killing of Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born radical Muslim cleric hiding in Yemen, found that it would be lawful only if it were not feasible to take him alive, according to people who have read the document.
The memo, written last year, followed months of extensive interagency deliberations and offers a glimpse into the legal debate that led to one of the most significant decisions made by President Obama — to move ahead with the killing of an American citizen without a trial.
The secret document provided the justification for acting despite an executive order banning assassinations, a federal law against murder, protections in the Bill of Rights and various strictures of the international laws of war, according to people familiar with the analysis. The memo, however, was narrowly drawn to the specifics of Mr. Awlaki’s case and did not establish a broad new legal doctrine to permit the targeted killing of any Americans believed to pose a terrorist threat.
It's not personal, it's only business.
Read more here.
The Obama administration’s secret legal memorandum that opened the door to the killing of Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born radical Muslim cleric hiding in Yemen, found that it would be lawful only if it were not feasible to take him alive, according to people who have read the document.
The memo, written last year, followed months of extensive interagency deliberations and offers a glimpse into the legal debate that led to one of the most significant decisions made by President Obama — to move ahead with the killing of an American citizen without a trial.
The secret document provided the justification for acting despite an executive order banning assassinations, a federal law against murder, protections in the Bill of Rights and various strictures of the international laws of war, according to people familiar with the analysis. The memo, however, was narrowly drawn to the specifics of Mr. Awlaki’s case and did not establish a broad new legal doctrine to permit the targeted killing of any Americans believed to pose a terrorist threat.
It's not personal, it's only business.
Read more here.
In Harper's Canada, "company officials" from Contemporary Security Canada are free from prosecution
The private security company awarded a controversial $21-million contract to do checkpoint screening inside the security perimeters at last year's G8 and G20 summits in Ontario has pleaded guilty to doing business without a licence ahead of the event...
...The Ontario Provincial Police laid a string of charges in March against CSC, including three counts of offering security services while not licensed, two counts of failing to ensure proper uniforms and one charge of hiring an unlicensed guard for the G20 and G8 summits. Many of its top executives were also charged.
The Crown dropped most of those charges — including the more than 20 against company officials — on Friday, telling the court that it was the RCMP that solicited CSC's business and granted the contract without considering bids from other, licensed Ontario security firms.
I'm sure there are lots of little people who can pay for the wrong doing of their, um, betters.
Isn't that the natural way of things? Uncharged "company officials" won't spill the beans.
Read more here.
...The Ontario Provincial Police laid a string of charges in March against CSC, including three counts of offering security services while not licensed, two counts of failing to ensure proper uniforms and one charge of hiring an unlicensed guard for the G20 and G8 summits. Many of its top executives were also charged.
The Crown dropped most of those charges — including the more than 20 against company officials — on Friday, telling the court that it was the RCMP that solicited CSC's business and granted the contract without considering bids from other, licensed Ontario security firms.
I'm sure there are lots of little people who can pay for the wrong doing of their, um, betters.
Isn't that the natural way of things? Uncharged "company officials" won't spill the beans.
Read more here.
Saturday, October 08, 2011
Xenophobic, homophobic Tim Hudak likes to campaign in a traveling strip club
A secret kept under wraps by the Progressive Conservative campaign has finally been revealed — it concerns Tim Hudak's bus, a Vegas crooner and a stripper pole.
One of the most closely guarded secrets of the Ontario Tory leader's election campaign was that it literally stalled early on.
Hudak's custom Greyhound bus broke down in Ottawa just two days into his campaign. Tory staffers, anxious to avoid journalists using the breakdown as a metaphor for the party's campaign, decided to hide the evidence.
They parked the hobbled bus far down the suburban street where Hudak was expected to do his first announcement of the day, and arranged for a replacement bus to be brought in.
But the only substitute to be found once belonged to Las Vegas-based singer Wayne Newton, and featured a stage complete with a stripper pole in the back.
The bus was used only briefly and Hudak was back with his official campaign wheels the next day.
Reporters following the campaign were only told the story by campaign staff after the election results were in Thursday night.
But, but, it was a good old fashion traveling mobile * heterosexual* strip club...all is good.
One of the most closely guarded secrets of the Ontario Tory leader's election campaign was that it literally stalled early on.
Hudak's custom Greyhound bus broke down in Ottawa just two days into his campaign. Tory staffers, anxious to avoid journalists using the breakdown as a metaphor for the party's campaign, decided to hide the evidence.
They parked the hobbled bus far down the suburban street where Hudak was expected to do his first announcement of the day, and arranged for a replacement bus to be brought in.
But the only substitute to be found once belonged to Las Vegas-based singer Wayne Newton, and featured a stage complete with a stripper pole in the back.
The bus was used only briefly and Hudak was back with his official campaign wheels the next day.
Reporters following the campaign were only told the story by campaign staff after the election results were in Thursday night.
But, but, it was a good old fashion traveling mobile * heterosexual* strip club...all is good.
Don "I'm no Pinko, just a Raging Idiot" Cherry waxes eloquent again
Mayor Ford's favorite Man in Pink gives us all the fruits of his wisdom...
Hockey commentator Don Cherry sparked more controversy and a flurry of opinion on social media sites after accusing three former NHL enforcers of being "pukes" and "hypocrites" for speaking out against fighting.
Speaking on the season opener of CBC's Coach's Corner, Cherry criticized Brendan Shanahan, the National Hockey League’s vice-president of safety, for the suspensions he handed out during the pre-season. Cherry lamented that Shanahan's crackdown would prompt players to be less aggressive on the ice out of fear of hitting someone and being suspended.
Cherry also slammed those who oppose fighting, saying they had exploited the deaths of former NHLers Derek Boogard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak.
"You people that are against fighting, you should be ashamed of yourselves," Cherry said. "You took advantage of that to make your point on fighting."
You go girl, keep butching it up. Someday, somewhere, someone might buy it.
Read more here.
Hockey commentator Don Cherry sparked more controversy and a flurry of opinion on social media sites after accusing three former NHL enforcers of being "pukes" and "hypocrites" for speaking out against fighting.
Speaking on the season opener of CBC's Coach's Corner, Cherry criticized Brendan Shanahan, the National Hockey League’s vice-president of safety, for the suspensions he handed out during the pre-season. Cherry lamented that Shanahan's crackdown would prompt players to be less aggressive on the ice out of fear of hitting someone and being suspended.
Cherry also slammed those who oppose fighting, saying they had exploited the deaths of former NHLers Derek Boogard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak.
"You people that are against fighting, you should be ashamed of yourselves," Cherry said. "You took advantage of that to make your point on fighting."
You go girl, keep butching it up. Someday, somewhere, someone might buy it.
Read more here.
Friday, October 07, 2011
Pushy Christians: Robert Jeffress, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Dallas
A pastor of a mega church in Dallas said Friday that Republicans shouldn't vote for White House hopeful Mitt Romney because he's a Mormon and described the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as a "cult."
Read more here.
Read more here.
Eric Cantor: Hypocrite of the Day
Tea Party toting guns = patriots
Dare to protest Wall Street = mob
Yes, I get it now.
Entertainment Industry continues bid to take over the Net in England
BT and TalkTalk will launch a fresh challenge against the controversial Digital Economy Act.
The companies have been granted permission to appeal against a High Court ruling that upheld most of the anti-piracy law.
Like many service providers, they believe that the law unfairly compels them to police users' behaviour.
The government has said it wants to protect the creative industries such as music and film making.
The Digital Economy Act had been subject to an ongoing legal challenge since it was passed during the wash up period before the last general election.
Under its provisions, ISPs would be compelled to send out warning letters, at the behest of rights holders such as film and record companies, warning about illegal downloading.
The act also allows for sanctions, known as "technical measures", which could include disconnection.
Read more here.
The companies have been granted permission to appeal against a High Court ruling that upheld most of the anti-piracy law.
Like many service providers, they believe that the law unfairly compels them to police users' behaviour.
The government has said it wants to protect the creative industries such as music and film making.
The Digital Economy Act had been subject to an ongoing legal challenge since it was passed during the wash up period before the last general election.
Under its provisions, ISPs would be compelled to send out warning letters, at the behest of rights holders such as film and record companies, warning about illegal downloading.
The act also allows for sanctions, known as "technical measures", which could include disconnection.
Read more here.
Ford denies his governance hurt Ontario PCs
Such modesty. But he's right, it's conservatives across North America doing the damage...
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is brushing off suggestions his aggresive moves to slash spending may have cost the Ontario Progressive Conservatives the provincial election.
Read more here.
Toronto Mayor Rob Ford is brushing off suggestions his aggresive moves to slash spending may have cost the Ontario Progressive Conservatives the provincial election.
Read more here.
Herman Cain continues his brilliant performance as an unfeeling, callous Republican
He's either God Damn Olivier or an epic idiot...you decide.
Lawrence O'Donnell hammers Republican frontrunner Herman Cain on a variety of questions including "brainwashing" by the Democrats, Hank Williams Jr. comparing Obama to Hitler, the Freedom Rides, and Cain's opinion that being gay is a choice.
Says Cain: "It's a difference of opinion. Next question."
They also debate Cain as VP for Perry or Romney, the Vietnam war, and Cain's remarks that those who are not rich should blame themselves.
Cain seems baffled by O'Donnell's phrasing of inquiry than anything else.
"Lawrence, do you stay up at night to come up with the wording of these questions or do you have someone writing them for you?"
Read more here.
Lawrence O'Donnell hammers Republican frontrunner Herman Cain on a variety of questions including "brainwashing" by the Democrats, Hank Williams Jr. comparing Obama to Hitler, the Freedom Rides, and Cain's opinion that being gay is a choice.
Says Cain: "It's a difference of opinion. Next question."
They also debate Cain as VP for Perry or Romney, the Vietnam war, and Cain's remarks that those who are not rich should blame themselves.
Cain seems baffled by O'Donnell's phrasing of inquiry than anything else.
"Lawrence, do you stay up at night to come up with the wording of these questions or do you have someone writing them for you?"
Read more here.
Thursday, October 06, 2011
Canadian Business Magazine pens article it hopes will save the rich from the pitchforks
See, we're poor too!!
For once it wasn’t a case of the rich getting richer.
According to the latest edition of Canadian Business magazine, many of Canada’s wealthiest people have actually seen their fortunes shrink in the past year.
But none of the leading names on the Top 100 list is exactly claiming poverty either, including the perennial top finisher, Toronto’s Thomson family whose wealth shrank an estimated 8.7 per cent from 2010.
Canadian Business estimates the Thomson family fortune currently stands at $21.34 billion, down more than $2 billion from last year.
Also a little worse off this year is No. 2 on the list, supermarket magnate Galen Weston with an estimated worth of $8 billion, down 5.8 per cent, and the Rogers family of cable TV and cellphone fame. It came in No. 4 with a fortune that was down 1.3 per cent at $5.94 billion.
Doing a little better year-over year was the Irving family of Saint John, N.B., up 4.5 per cent at 7.8 billion and No. 3 on the list, and Vancouver’s Jim Pattison, No. 5 at $5.73 billion, up 3.7 per cent.
All of those in the top five maintained the same rankings they enjoyed in 2010.
Read more here.
For once it wasn’t a case of the rich getting richer.
According to the latest edition of Canadian Business magazine, many of Canada’s wealthiest people have actually seen their fortunes shrink in the past year.
But none of the leading names on the Top 100 list is exactly claiming poverty either, including the perennial top finisher, Toronto’s Thomson family whose wealth shrank an estimated 8.7 per cent from 2010.
Canadian Business estimates the Thomson family fortune currently stands at $21.34 billion, down more than $2 billion from last year.
Also a little worse off this year is No. 2 on the list, supermarket magnate Galen Weston with an estimated worth of $8 billion, down 5.8 per cent, and the Rogers family of cable TV and cellphone fame. It came in No. 4 with a fortune that was down 1.3 per cent at $5.94 billion.
Doing a little better year-over year was the Irving family of Saint John, N.B., up 4.5 per cent at 7.8 billion and No. 3 on the list, and Vancouver’s Jim Pattison, No. 5 at $5.73 billion, up 3.7 per cent.
All of those in the top five maintained the same rankings they enjoyed in 2010.
Read more here.
McDonald's wants exemption from Toronto sign law, so they can stick out like a sore thumb
A Toronto city committee on Thursday is considering a request by McDonald’s for an exemption to municipal signage rules as the company rebrands.
The fast-food giant has applied to the city for an amendment to the municipal signage bylaw that would permit its 89 Toronto restaurants to erect the company’s familiar golden arches logo in normally prohibited ways.
McDonald’s wants to install two-metre-tall versions of the red-and-yellow logo on the overhanging roofs at some of its locations; the current city bylaw only permits one-metre-tall signs in such cases.
The company also wants to display signs above the roofline at its restaurants, a practice that is normally banned, and to have more than the regulated number of signs in its drive-thrus.
Read more here.
The fast-food giant has applied to the city for an amendment to the municipal signage bylaw that would permit its 89 Toronto restaurants to erect the company’s familiar golden arches logo in normally prohibited ways.
McDonald’s wants to install two-metre-tall versions of the red-and-yellow logo on the overhanging roofs at some of its locations; the current city bylaw only permits one-metre-tall signs in such cases.
The company also wants to display signs above the roofline at its restaurants, a practice that is normally banned, and to have more than the regulated number of signs in its drive-thrus.
Read more here.
Harper and Co. just inching to throw more of us in jail
Justice Minister Rob Nicholson and Public Safety Minister Vic Toews touted their government's omnibus crime bill Thursday saying it targets the right people while protecting victims and urging its speedy passage...
..More people are expected to be in jail once the changes are enacted due to the introduction of mandatory minimum sentences for some drug crimes, including the possession of more than six marijuana plants. The ministers were asked for more specifics on that provision, such as whether someone having six seedling plants in a window box would qualify them for a jail sentence if convicted.
Oh and, marijuana users are addicts now, don't ya know.
Nicholson said the bill is meant to target drug traffickers, not drug addicts, and that his critics often neglect to mention that the person has to be in possession of the drugs for the purpose of selling them in order to fall under the provision.
Read more here.
..More people are expected to be in jail once the changes are enacted due to the introduction of mandatory minimum sentences for some drug crimes, including the possession of more than six marijuana plants. The ministers were asked for more specifics on that provision, such as whether someone having six seedling plants in a window box would qualify them for a jail sentence if convicted.
Oh and, marijuana users are addicts now, don't ya know.
Nicholson said the bill is meant to target drug traffickers, not drug addicts, and that his critics often neglect to mention that the person has to be in possession of the drugs for the purpose of selling them in order to fall under the provision.
Read more here.
They only call it class warfare when we fight back
I can't take credit for the title..
As anti-Wall Street protests have begun to move from Wall Street to main streets in other cities, the issue has also started to bubble up in the presidential campaign.
Greeting an overflow room of voters Tuesday at a community center in The Villages, a retirement community in Florida, Mitt Romney was asked about the protests, and said that he had spoken to the people involved.
“I think it’s dangerous — this class warfare,” Mr. Romney said.
Read more here.
As anti-Wall Street protests have begun to move from Wall Street to main streets in other cities, the issue has also started to bubble up in the presidential campaign.
Greeting an overflow room of voters Tuesday at a community center in The Villages, a retirement community in Florida, Mitt Romney was asked about the protests, and said that he had spoken to the people involved.
“I think it’s dangerous — this class warfare,” Mr. Romney said.
Read more here.
"My little nightstick's going to get a workout tonight"
NYPD Officer on Wall Street bragging "My little nightstick's going to get a workout tonight"
JPMorgan Chase employees beat Occupy Wall Street protesters
October 5th, around 8:45 PM. Cops beating up and pepper spraying people at the occupy wall street protest.
Johnny Depp apologises for dumb comments used by moronic World of Warcraft users every single day
Morons (aka teenagers) use this unfortunate term constantly in Warcraft, and won't stop even if told they sound like ignorant fools.
They just put you on ignore.
Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp has apologised for "regretful" comments made in an interview, comparing photo shoots to being raped.
He told Vanity Fair magazine he found being photographed "just weird" and said: "You just feel like you're being raped somehow. Raped. The whole thing."
In a statement he apologised for "a poor choice of words on my part, in an effort to explain a feeling".
Read more here.
They just put you on ignore.
Pirates of the Caribbean star Johnny Depp has apologised for "regretful" comments made in an interview, comparing photo shoots to being raped.
He told Vanity Fair magazine he found being photographed "just weird" and said: "You just feel like you're being raped somehow. Raped. The whole thing."
In a statement he apologised for "a poor choice of words on my part, in an effort to explain a feeling".
Read more here.
BofA chief: We have a right 'to f*ck over our customers'
Bank of America's CEO defended his bank's new $5 fee on debit cards on Wednesday, saying that customers and shareholders understand the bank has a "right to make a profit."
Which means if the government takes from the banks, the banks will take from the customers.
It's only fair...
Read more here.
Which means if the government takes from the banks, the banks will take from the customers.
It's only fair...
Read more here.
Herman Cane continues to be an insensitive, thundering idiot
If you're dissatisfied with the economy, or unemployed, Herman Cain thinks you should take a long, hard look in the mirror.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal posted Wednesday, the up-and-coming GOP 2012 contender and former CEO of Godfather's Pizza summed up his bewilderment about recent demonstrations on Wall Street.
"Don't blame Wall Street," Cain said. "Don't blame the big banks. If you don't have a job and you're not rich, blame yourself."
The conservative radio talk show host described the protests as "planned and orchestrated to distract from the failed policies of the Obama administration, though he admitted he didn't "have the facts to back this up."
Since when has that mattered?
Read more here.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal posted Wednesday, the up-and-coming GOP 2012 contender and former CEO of Godfather's Pizza summed up his bewilderment about recent demonstrations on Wall Street.
"Don't blame Wall Street," Cain said. "Don't blame the big banks. If you don't have a job and you're not rich, blame yourself."
The conservative radio talk show host described the protests as "planned and orchestrated to distract from the failed policies of the Obama administration, though he admitted he didn't "have the facts to back this up."
Since when has that mattered?
Read more here.
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
Price for Harper and Co. to feel better about their small dicks: $9B
The rest of you, tighten your belts, don't you know there's a recession? Sheesh.
An overall $9 billion cost estimate is more honest than relying on individual plane costs, says the minister handling the purchase of Canada's new fighter jets.
Despite a promise by manufacturer Lockheed Martin that Canada will get its F-35 fighter jets at a cost of $65 million each, Julian Fantino, Associate Minister of National Defence, says the government's overall $9 billion estimate is the more honest number.
Read more here.
An overall $9 billion cost estimate is more honest than relying on individual plane costs, says the minister handling the purchase of Canada's new fighter jets.
Despite a promise by manufacturer Lockheed Martin that Canada will get its F-35 fighter jets at a cost of $65 million each, Julian Fantino, Associate Minister of National Defence, says the government's overall $9 billion estimate is the more honest number.
Read more here.
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