Darcy Allan Sheppard Fundraiser

There will be a fundraiser for the children of Toronto bicycling courier Darcy Sheppard, who died after an altercation with former Ontario Attorney General Michael Bryant, and his automobile.

The fundraiser will be held on September 22, 2009 at Sneaky Dees's, 431 College St. Toronto. Please see below for more information.

Visit the facebook group.

Darcy Allan Sheppard Fundraiser
Host: TOBMA-Toronto Bike Messenger Association
Type: Causes - Fundraiser
Network: Global
Start Time: Saturday, September 26, 2009 at 9:00pm
End Time: Sunday, September 27, 2009 at 2:00am
Location: Sneaky Dee's
Street: 431 College St.
City/Town: Toronto, ON

Donations for the Darcy Allan Sheppard memorial fund can be given several ways:
1) Come to the fundraiser. We will be accepting cash there.
2) Visit the TOBMA website at http://www.tobma.com/ and donate via PayPal (100% secure)
3) Any branch of TD Canada Trust. Please provide the name Darcy Allan Sheppard and/or the account number 06906676860 to donate in person at a TD location.
4) Check or money order:
Make payable to: TOBMA
Reference: "Darcy Allan Sheppard Memorial Fund" on the check or money order.
Mail to:
TOBMA / Courier Worker Centre
92 Queen Street East
Toronto, ON M5C 1X6
Canada

Michael Jackson - Smooth Criminal

7:15 onward is amazing

Lisa Maries's Myspace message.

Friday, June 26, 2009 

He Knew. Years ago Michael and I were having a deep conversation about life in general.  I can't recall the exact subject matter but he may have been questioning me about the circumstances of my Fathers Death. At some point he paused, he stared at me very intensely and he stated with an almost calm certainty, "I am afraid that I am going to end up like him, the way he did." I promptly tried to deter him from the idea, at which point he just shrugged his shoulders and nodded almost matter of fact as if to let me know, he knew what he knew and that was kind of that. 14 years later   I am sitting here watching on the news an ambulance leaves the driveway of his home, the big gates, the crowds outside the gates, the coverage, the crowds outside the hospital, the Cause of death and what may have led up to it and the memory of this conversation hit me, as did the unstoppable tears. A predicted ending by him, by loved ones and by me, but what I didn't predict was how much it was going to hurt when it finally happened. The person I failed to help is being transferred right now to the LA County Coroners office for his Autopsy. All of my indifference and detachment that I worked so hard to achieve over the years has just gone into the bowels of hell and right now I am gutted. I am going to say now what I have never said before because I want the truth out there for once. Our relationship was not "a sham" as is being reported in the press. It was an unusual relationship yes, where two unusual people who did not live or know a "Normal life" found a connection, perhaps with some suspect timing on his part. Nonetheless, I do believe he loved me as much as he could love anyone and I loved him very much. I wanted to "save him" I wanted to save him from the inevitable which is what has just happened. His family and his loved ones also wanted to save him from this as well but didn't know how and this was 14 years ago. We all worried that this would be the outcome then. At that time, In trying to save him, I almost lost myself. He was an incredibly dynamic force and power that was not to be underestimated. When he used it for something good, It was the best and when he used it for something bad, It was really, REALLY bad. Mediocrity was not a concept that would even for a second enter Michael Jackson's being or actions.  I became very ill and emotionally/ spiritually exhausted in my quest to save him from certain self-destructive behavior and from the awful vampires and leeches he would always manage to magnetize around him. I was in over my head while trying. I had my children to care for, I had to make a decision. The hardest decision I have ever had to make, which was to walk away and let his fate have him, even though I desperately loved him and tried to stop or reverse it somehow. After the Divorce, I spent a few years obsessing about him and what I could have done different, in regret. Then I spent some angry years at the whole situation. At some point, I truly became Indifferent, until now. As I sit here overwhelmed with sadness, reflection and confusion at what was my biggest failure to date, watching on the news almost play by play The exact Scenario I saw happen on August 16th, 1977 happening again right now with Michael (A sight I never wanted to see again) just as he predicted, I am truly, truly gutted. Any ill experience or words I have felt towards him in the past has just died inside of me along with him. He was an amazing person and I am lucky to have gotten as close to him as I did and to have had the many experiences and years that we had together. I desperately hope that he can be relieved from his pain, pressure and turmoil now. He deserves to be free from all of that and I hope he is in a better place or will be.  I also hope that anyone else who feels they have failed to help him can be set free because he hopefully finally is.    The World is in shock but somehow he knew exactly how his fate would be played out some day more than anyone else knew, and he was right.     I really needed to say this right now, thanks for listening. ~LMP

Jackson Dead

Entertainer Michael Jackson has died after being taken to a hospital on Thursday after suffering cardiac arrest, according to multiple reports including the Los Angeles Times and the Associated Press. CNN has not confirmed his death.

A Los Angeles fire official told CNN that paramedics arrived at Michael Jackson's home after a 911 call.

1 of 2

Jackson, 50, had been in a coma at the hospital, sources told CNN.

Brian Oxman, a Jackson family attorney, said he was told by brother Randy Jackson that Michael Jackson collapsed at his home in west Los Angeles Thursday morning.

Family members were told of the situation and were either at the hospital or en route, Oxman said.

Fire Capt. Steve Ruda told CNN a 911 call came in from a west Los Angeles residence at 12:21 p.m.

Ruda said Jackson was treated and transferred to the UCLA Medical Center.

Asked specifics of the patient's condition, he said he could not discuss them because of federal privacy laws.

The music icon from Gary, Indiana, is known as the "King of Pop."

Jackson is the seventh of nine children in a well-known musical family.

At the medical center, every entrance to the emergency room was blocked by security guards. Even hospital staffers were not permitted to enter. A few people stood inside the waiting area, some of them crying.

Another Reason Why Masturbation Is Bad...

I bet the Catholic church will add this to their anti-mastubation brochure! I realize this is tasteless, but its one of those days! And the fact that it happened in Bankok, is just gravy.

A maid at a luxury hotel in the Thai capital where he was staying found
Carradine hanging naked and bound in a closet Thursday morning, they said. He
was 72.
"There was a rope tied around his neck and another rope tied at his
sex organ, and the two ropes were tied together and hung in the closet," police
commander Lieutenant General Worapong Siewpreecha told reporters.
"Under
these circumstances we cannot be sure that he committed suicide but he may have
died from masturbation," he said.
Full Story

Fatal Stamede At Pope Speech

Two people were killed after deadly stampede broke out at a stadium a few hours before Pope Benedict XVI addressed young people in the Angolan capital of Luanda on Saturday. Tens of thousands of Angola's Catholics lined the streets of the capital Saturday for a blessing from the Pope, 81, who urged the country's faithful to reach out and convert people who believe in witchcraft. Source: CBC

What can I say, I guess the catholics still have no respect for other religions, and also don't seem to know anything about crowd control, even though by now with the Pope's crowd drawing ability, one would think that they would have it down to a fine science.  Another typical catholic screw up!

A Christian Meets The Pink Unicorn

Why you should listen to your Mother...

If you were once a child, you may have asked you Mom for something at some point during your childhood and suffered the traditional mother response of something like, "No!, you'll shoot your eye out". 

This story is where mothers of today will confirm that sage advice as they make the same admonishments to their children:

Freak accident kills boy, 6.

Queen of Green Biodegrades

Anita Roddick, 64: The Body Shop founder

Now, I say buy this book!

MIAMI -- A federal bankruptcy judge has awarded the rights of O.J. Simpson's canceled "If I Did It" book to the family of the late Ronald Goldman to satisfy a $38 million wrongful death judgment against the former football star. Get the full scoop from CTV.ca here.

Death Humour

Civilian Deaths Reach New Milestone

You may have seen the box near the bottom of this page which displays the number of civilian deaths since the Iraqi invasion began. It is supplied by the site Iraqbodycount.org

There are actually two sets of numbers, a low and a high. Deaths are confirmed by reliable sources whenever possible, and a list of the dead and how they died is available at the site. I believe these numbers to be accurate or I wouldn't post them.

The high number has now passed the 50,000 mark. Even if the numbers are wrong, as some people will surely claim. How many civilian lives are too many? Innocent women and children are always the ones who suffer the hardship of 'war' the most. Please don't forget that the United Nations was created for a reason, and this invasion was not, and still is NOT sanctioned by the United Nations.

Iraq may have had a terrible dictator in Saddam Hussein, on that, I think we can all agree. The real question now is: Do Iraqi's have a better quality of life now than prior to this invasion?

I think the majority do not. The country is essentially in the midst of a civil war at this point with the U.S. and the UK (and their invasion allies) stuck in the middle.

It is in the interest of all mankind to support the UN and what it stands for and make the UN an organization that has some muscle in the world. I don't know how that happens, but I do know that I have never supported this invasion and still don't. I'm proud that Canada has not taken part in Iraq, and I am proud that we are taking part in Afganistan and making a difference there.

It is time for a plan with the United Nations so the Iraqi people can have their country back. A withdrawl could take place over several months, with UN officials immediately taking over administration along with the Iraqi government (to ensure fairness amongst the various Iraqi stakeholders) until the Iraqi government can manage things themselves with a new democracy, or whatever form of government the Iraqi people create for themselves.