John McCain says 9-11 terrorists came from Canada

John McCain is the latest high-profile politician to repeat the diehard American falsehood that the 9-11 terrorists entered the United States through Canada.

Just days after Janet Napolitano, the U.S. homeland security secretary, sparked a diplomatic kerfuffle by suggesting the terrorists took a Canadian route to the U.S. eight years ago, McCain defended her by saying that, in fact, the former Arizona governor was correct. Full Story

Source: CTV.CA

Well, its nice to know that this moron didn't win the US election last year, otherwise we'd be listening to this sort of drivel for the next four years.  

To the Americans: Even if the terrorists did come through Canada (WHICH THEY DIDN'T) it is the US Customs, yes US Citizens, US Government employees that would have let them in to your precious provincial country, NOT anyone from Canada. 

Now can we please move on! John McCain: Shut the f*ck Up and go milk a cow or something!

Mark Day Discusses Miss California

markdaye photography.ca

I've updated my website today, it was mostly a revamp of the site structure. New pictures and collections will be added in the coming weeks.

The Bank

 

Please view full size for detail. Click on the image.

Photography Month on TVO

Happy 420 Day!

Storm Gathering Spoof

Condoms 'too big' for Indian men

A survey of more than 1,000 men in India has concluded that condoms made according to international sizes are too large for a majority of Indian men.

The study found that more than half of the men measured had penises that were shorter than international standards for condoms.

It has led to a call for condoms of mixed sizes to be made more widely available in India.

The two-year study was carried out by the Indian Council of Medical Research.

Full Story

Smoking Bride

Click image to view full size.

I was out having a coffee on Front St. yesterday and there was a wedding party getting pictures taken by the Royal York Hotel.  The bride and groom were sharing a cigarette and we thought she looked odd smoking in her gown on the street.

Grammar Nazi

TD Canada Trust Robbery

I came home from work tonight around six, and was going to go into the bank when I see I can't due to the yellow police taped draped in front of the doors. Two police cruisers were parked out front and there were still customers inside. A notice on the door said they were closed due to an 'emergency'.  

At least I could get into my building and wasn't forced to walk blocks in the cold blowing snow like I was when the Swiss Chalet across the street was robbed a few months back.

Delta set for syrup festival this weekend

A bumper harvest of maple syrup is the featured attraction at the annual Delta Maple Syrup Festival Saturday and Sunday.

"From what I heard people saying, it's been a really good year for syrup," Rob Rollins, first vice-president of the sponsoring Delta Agriculture Society told The Recorder and Times on Monday.

"There will be vendors throughout the village itself selling maple products and also on the fairgrounds."

Rollins said good weather in recent years has boosted attendance to a consistent level of 1,500 to 2,000 visitors who show up for a taste of the liquid gold and stick around for other entertainment and activities provided during the two-day affair.

Full Story

Please visit the Delta Fair website!

Tax cuts impact quality of life: study

Households with incomes under $110,000 would have been better off if the federal government had not cut the GST by two percentage points and had transferred the money to local governments, according to the paper.

For households with incomes between $110,000 and $200,000, the net gain of the GST cut does not exceed $50 per year, after factoring in the loss of publicly funded services, the study finds. Full Story

I agree with this study. Many of you reading this will fall into one of the two categories above. If you are making over 110K then does an additional fifty dollars a year matter? No, it doesn't.  Not when that fifty dollars can go towards housing homeless, dealing with drugs and alcohol abuse, mental illness, etc.  We all pay a little and that helps others, which also benefits us in the end.

A selfish way to look at this for me is like this. I would rather see all the crazy homeless people on the street, the ones who harass me on my way to work, given support and help and that way they won't be there to bother me, as well as having a better quality of life themselves.  To me, its worth fifty dollars a year, even though I don't fall into the over 110K category.

Fiat CEO gives ultimatum to Chrysler

A published report on Wednesday says Chrysler may be left to fend for itself in bankruptcy court.

Sergio Marchionne, the head of Italian automaker Fiat, told the Globe and Mail that Chrysler has until the end of this month to substantially cut its labour costs as a condition of forming a partnership. Full Story

This should come as no surprise. What will come as a surprise would be to see the union actually do something sensible and advise auto workers to take a drastic pay cut and get involved in the cost savings if they want to keep their jobs. 

If you read some of the comments at the original CBC story, or any related story you will quickly see that the public is not on the side of the car companies or the unions.  The general public, like me, is sick of bail outs for these companies, which manufacture inferior products. Not to mention outrageous pay for people who, lets face it, are screwing nuts and bolts together.  No wonder no one can afford to buy a new car.  These companies think they can woo the public with their old style sales and cash-back offers, but those days are gone. People are more savvy and are keeping their money in their pockets, that is if they have any money. 

Yes, people will buy new cars again, especially in a year or two, since so many are putting it off right now. But what kind of car will they buy and from whom will they buy it?  

Take a second and give your opinion in our new poll over in the right hand column. Do you think GM or Chrysler will go under?

Kris Allen: Falling/Slowly

Thanks to KrisALLENnation for this

Drawing Kris Allen

The Pope's Good Friday Message On Human Brutality...

...and my reaction to it!

This is just a small quote that I thought was worth sharing; Thanks to the Telegraph for the original story. 

So the Pope says "We are shocked to see to what levels of brutality human beings can sink."  I will add that he is speaking at the 7th station of the cross where Jesus was mocked, and

 comparing that to the way he sees Western secular society (i.e.; me) mocking religion.

I'm always impressed by the audacity of religious leaders like the Pope who will go through the motions of rituals like he did this week, washing the feet of vatican priests, as Jesus supposedly did to his disciples. The purpose; to show humility. Sounds good so far, right? 

WRONG!

He does this foot washing using a solid gold basin. 

I wonder, if that gold basin was sold off, how many starving people would it feed? How many living in tents in Italy right now because of the recent earthquake could benefit from the funds that would supply for rebuilding or food and medicine?

Lets not forget the vast riches the church has at its disposal, acquired over hundreds of years by questionable means along with donations from the faithful. 

What if these riches were all used in the spirit in which Jesus preached? Would it solve world hunger? Could it save one life? Of course it could, in fact the church could save thousands of lives and improve the quality of

 life for millions more. 

And its not even just about the money. The church could simply use its influence that it has with its audience profoundly better. One simple way would be to stop lying to the uneducated masses in Africa by telling them that condoms could increase the risk of becoming HIV positive or getting AIDS.  You might as well disallow them AIDS medication while your at it. 

As far as I'm concerned this institution is guilty of being an accessory to mass murder. At the very least just shut up and don't talk about condoms. After  all, priests are supposed to be celibate, so really condoms are not something you are best suited to be talking about to begin with. 

So finally, while your carving the easter ham, or happily decorating easter eggs. In the spirit of being shocked to see to what levels of brutality human beings can sink I humbly submit the following for you to reflect upon this easter weekend. Personally as an atheist, I will be celebrating the nice spring weather and the passing of another cold winter.

1. Legal basis for some inquisitorial activity came from Pope Innocent IV's papal bull Ad exstirpanda of 1252, which authorized and regulated the use of torture in investigating heresy.  For more click here.  
   
2. Here is one really sick family that is not Catholic, but the depravity is based in religion.
3. From the misguided Pope John Paul II, one which I take particular offense to, as someone who is a gay sexual abuse survivor. This statement reinforces the incorrect belief by some that homosexuality equals pedophilia.  The Pope decreed: because a significant majority of victims were teenage boys, disallowing ordination of men with "deep–seated homosexual tendencies"
4. For those who prefer visuals, watch this short video for a look at some of the torture tools of the inquisition.
5. Its not just christians: A pig caused hundreds of Indians to kill one another in 1980. The animal walked through a Muslim holy ground at Moradabad, near New Delhi. Muslims, who think pigs are an embodiment of Satan, blamed Hindus for the defilement. They went on a murder rampage, stabbing and clubbing Hindus, who retaliated in kind. The pig riot spread to a dozen cities and left more than 200 dead. Full Article Here
   

Vote For Troy & Shannon

This guy Troy works with David and has entered a contest to win a trip from tripcentral.ca. Please click the here and vote for their video so they can win a vacation to the Caribbean or somewhere warm. This is a young hardworking couple who really deserve to win.  Oh yeah, they are also having a keg party which means free beer for David and I!  Please take a moment and vote for their lame, yet slightly amusing, while at the same time annoying rap.

Billy Bob Thornton Interviews Joaquin Phoenix

Billy Bob Thornton Interviews Joaquin Phoenix

Convenient Flu sidelines actors band

Billy Bob Thornton's band the Boxmasters has had to cancel the remainder of its Canadian tour with Willie Nelson because one of the musicians has the flu, according to Nelson's website.

Thornton, whose prickly interview with CBC Radio host Jian Ghomeshi became a viral video sensation and a global media story, and his band were scheduled to perform shows with Nelson in Montreal and London, Ont.

But Nelson's website said the band had to pull out because one band member and several of the crew have the flu.

A publicist for the band later confirmed to CBC News that J.D. Andrew, a guitarist in the band, has come down with the flu.

Full Story at CBC.CA

Did I say 'actor'? Gee I hope I didn't offend you Billy Bob! (Never trust anyone with two first names). I am virtually coughing in your general direction right now, I also have the flu.

Seemingly high actor has a spoiled brat attack

Now that he's had his little hissy fit, and gotten tons of publicity, almost at one million views on You tube we all know who the Boxmasters are, right? 

But does anyone care?  I don't think they will sell many albums in Canada, I know I won't be buying their albums, I don't know, nor do I care how good they are.  I suggest Willie Nelson drop this loser as an opening  act.

Ab Fab the American Way

I found this at Pink is the new blog. Surely this is bound to be a disaster, but you never know.  I don't understand why the Americans have to remake everything, especially when the original was great to begin with.

Lady Emily

Arc De Triomphe

Arc De Triomph

The Arc de Triomphe de l'Etoile {ahrk duh tree-ohmf' duh lay-twahl'}, the world's largest triumphal arch, forms the backdrop for an impressive urban ensemble in Paris. The monument surmounts the hill of Chaillot at the center of a star-shaped configuration of 12 radiating avenues. It is the climax of a vista seen the length of the Champs Elysées from the smaller Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel in the Tuileries gardens, and from the Obélisque de Luxor in the place de la Concorde. Click here for more from Discover France.net.

Six Gay Men Shot To Death

Six gay men were shot dead by members of their tribe in two separate incidents in the past 10 days, an official with Iraq's Interior ministry said.

In the most recent attack, two men were killed Thursday in Sadr City area of Baghdad after they were disowned by relatives, the official said.The shootings came after a tribal meeting was held and the members decided to go after the victims.

On March 26, four additional men were fatally shot in the same city, the official said, adding that the victims had also been disowned by their relatives.

The official declined to be identified because he is not authorized to speak to the media.

Witnesses told CNN that a Sadr City cafe, which was a popular gathering spot for gays, was also set on fire.

Source: CNN.COM

Vermont Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage

Vermont has become the fourth U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriage, after a dramatic vote in its legislature Tuesday.

The House voted 100-49 — barely beating the two-thirds level needed — to override Gov. Jim Douglas's veto of a bill allowing gays and lesbians to tie the knot.

The vote followed a much easier override vote in the state Senate, which early voted 23-5 to rebuff the Republican governor's attempt to kill the bill.

Vermont was the first state to legalize civil unions for same-sex couples; it now joins Connecticut, Massachusetts and Iowa in giving gays the right to marry outright. In those three states, the courts were responsible for instituting the change by ruling on legal challenges.

Full Story at CBC.CA

Argument Against Gay Marriage

I saw this at Think Atheist

America: Not A Christian Nation

At a press conference in Turkey, President Obama casually rebuked the old chestnut that the United States is a Judeo-Christian nation.

"One of the great strengths of the United States," the President said, "is ... we have a very large Christian population -- we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation or a Jewish nation or a Muslim nation. We consider ourselves a nation of citizens who are bound by ideals and a set of values."

Source: The Huffington Post

Snowy Shopper

I took this today around 5:30 pm. The snow was coming down pretty fiercely.

Detroit police halt pillow fight

Police in Detroit have ruffled some feathers after they cracked down on an organized pillow fight at a downtown park.
The Detroit News newspaper reports police at Campus Martius Park prevented the feathery fight Saturday by disarming pillow-toting participants.
The bout was part of a worldwide event organized on social networking websites.
Michael Davis says police confiscated the 32-year-old man's pillows but returned the cases.
He says he was told he needed a permit.
Scott Harris of Ferndale told the News it's "not illegal to own a pillow."
Detroit police spokesman James Tate says cleanup was the issue.
Source: CBC.CA

I guess Detroit is so safe these days the police have nothing better to do!