Canadian border guards will be armed

Canadian border guards will be armed starting in September 2007 but it will take 10 years to fully implement the plan, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Thursday.

Harper announced at a border crossing south of Vancouver that the federal government will have at least 150 officers with sidearms deployed by the end of March 2008.

He also reiterated a $101 million promise from the federal budget to hire 400 additional officers. They will be used, among other things, to double up on Canada-U.S. border crossings that only have a single officer on duty.

Maybe, just maybe, our border guards will actually be able to stand on guard for thee instead of turning tail and running every time the Americans give them a heads-up about danger headed north of the 49th.

H/t Beth for this story:

The Pierce County Sheriff's Department is searching for five people who allegedly attacked a uniformed National Guardsmen walking along 138th Street in Parkland Tuesday afternoon.

The soldier was walking to a convenience store when a sport utility vehicle pulled up alongside him and the driver asked if he was in the military and if he had been in any action.

The driver then got out of the vehicle, displayed a gun and shouted insults at the victim. Four other suspects exited the vehicle and knocked the soldier down, punching and kicking him.

"And during the assault the suspects called him a baby killer. At that point they got into the car and drove off and left him on the side of the road," Detective Ed Troyer with the Pierce County Sheriff's Department told KIRO 7 Eyewitness News.

Give peace a chance.

You know, usually when I want to be entertained by the Valkyrie-like shrieking of the Moonbats, I head over to Rabble. But lately I'm finding far more amusement reading the Letters Section of the Toronto Star.

From Peter Buzza Smith:

With the recent escape of Natascha Kampusch in Austria, the "Stockholm Syndrome" has become etched in our consciousness. The syndrome is defined as, "an emotional attachment to a captor formed by a hostage as a result of continuous stress, dependence and a need to co-operate for survival."

Could former Progressive Conservatives, taken captive by Stephen Harper in a hostile takeover, be suffering a similar mindset? Harper's strict party discipline, refusal to let them talk with media and ability to tell his captives what they wish to hear, despite their bondage, are eerily in tune with the syndrome's pathology.

Perhaps Americans, under a similar state of captivity under George W. Bush for the past six years, could enlighten us on the finer details of how, exactly, the Stockholm Syndrome works.

I could not make better stuff up with a bag of magic mushrooms, a copy of Alice in Wonderland and a week off to do it.

Jeff has once more used our language to take the simple act of overhearing a conversation and turn it into a lovely piece of prose.

This time, the subject is the Arabic language, something I am still struggling with.

Looks like Frosh has returned to Toronto once more. I've started to see groups of kids in matching t-shirts with unusual slogans on them, marching through the streets, chanting odd phrases. Either a cult has descended on the city, or it's Frosh. I have a feeling that come Thursday and Friday night, the city center will be rife with them.

Back in the day in Montreal, my friends and I found ourselves in a popular McGill bar during Frosh week. Oh my. Much revelry and hilarity ensued, because the poor harried barmaid was just randomly putting shots in front of people, having completely given up on the idea of taking orders. Nice for us, since we were in our mid-twenties and not affiliated with the University.

The return of Frosh also saddens me, and makes me a bit nostalgic. As any drinker will tell you, as you age, your tolerance level goes way, way down. I can no longer party the way I used to. Like little Jackie Paper growing up, I can no longer keep up with kids these days. Dammit. Last night is a primo example. Friend Bert had a pity party/sleepover last night, with several bottles of wine, which has left me with lovely red eyes to stare at my office computer with for the next 7 hours. I'm tired, headachy, and I have that awful I just can't do this kind of thing on a work night feeling. *sigh* Looks like I'm one of the grownups now.

If you can walk, Cathy Gareau will vote for you!

The showing of municipal, provincial and federal politicians in Saturday's Ukrainian Festival parade was telling. For the most part, members of various political parties who participated in the parade waved to the throngs from the safety of the back seat of cars — or marched together in packs.

There was one exception that decided my vote for one upcoming election. Toronto Mayor David Miller not only marched in the parade, he was dressed in uniform for the group he was with. He carried the Canadian flag.

And, last but not least, he was supporting a group of young people representing a social organization that they value enough to demonstrate in a parade. There was none of the "royal wave" stuff from Miller. In my books, he's a hero. He's got my vote.

Yeah, there's no way that letter was a plant... Anyway, do you think she would vote for Jane Pitfield if Jane had juggled in the parade? If that's what it takes to decide someone's vote, I pity the human race.

Funny the way the mind works. Last night while my mind did its disk cleanup, and my dreams were purging images and such, I dreamed that I was grocery shopping with Stephen Harper and A. Carlton Sallet. At one point, Carlton picked up a bottle of ketchup with his right hand and I admonished him "Always hold the ketchup in your left hand - you never know when you're going to meet someone you have to shake hands with, and you don't want to greet them with a bottle of ketchup."

Too much dairy before bed, perhaps?

Playlist on the subway this morning:

Mr. Bigstuff - Jeanne Knight
Seek & Destroy World Trade Remix - Metallica and George W. Bush
Hit - The Sugarcubes
Have a Little Faith in Me - John Hiatt
Two Little Girls From Litte Rock - Marilyn Monroe & Jane Russell
Tolerate This - The Right Brothers
Last of the Red Hot Fools - The Jitters
Kickstart My Heart - Motley Crue
I Will Survive - Cake
Devil Woman - Marty Robbins

Margaret Somerville, the McGill ethicist who was booed at Ryerson over her professional opinion regarding gay marriage/child rearing, has pronounced that the closure of safe injection sites would be unethical.

"In my view it would not be acceptable simply to say 'we don't agree with drug abuse,' " Somerville said Monday.

"It can't be simply, 'We have a political platform and our platform is nobody is going to be helped in any way in terms of drug addiction behaviour or illness.' That would be wrong in my view."

The site, called Insite, has an annual operating cost of $2 million that is paid for by the provincial government.

It will close Sept. 12 unless the Conservative government renews an exemption under Canada's drug laws that allows it to operate legally.

I neither agree nor disagree with the concept of a safe injection site. I have no shame in admitting to being a NIMBY where such things are concerned, but I also believe that if junkies want to off themselves, they should be given every opportunity to do so, with as little risk to you and I as possible.

My interest in blogging this story is my curiosity about the way the left will react. Will they suddenly decide they love Somerville because she is standing up for one of their pet causes? Or do druggies rank lower than homosexuals on the caring activist scale?

It will be interesting to see how this plays out over the next two weeks.

Sometimes all you can do is take a step back and think about something else for a while. And breathe.

Today is Gilad Shalit's 20th birthday. Don't recognize the name? He is the young soldier who was kidnapped by Hamas on June 25. He's been in their hands for 2 months now, and he is spending his birthday with them.

From the Times Online, June 29th:

He was raised, the middle of three siblings in a small community in the rolling hills of northern Galilee, near Israel’s border with Lebanon. His father, Noam, is a manager at the Iscar machine tools company; his mother, Aviva, works at the Society for the Protection of Nature. His brother is a college student and his sister is at high school.

Friends describe Gilad as studious, good at physics and a little shy. But they say he is quite determined in his own quiet way, and that when he was called up a year ago he volunteered to join a combat unit. His elder brother, Yoel, 21, is a student at a polytechnic in the northern Israeli port of Haifa. He has a younger sister at high school.

A normal kid. A smart kid. A fucking kid. And he is spending his birthday, injured, in the hands of madmen.

Gilad, wherever you are, whatever they've done to you, the world is celebrating your birth today. We hope to do it many more times in the coming years. Many happy returns, Gilad. You've earned them.

Watched one of my favorite movies tongit: Evita, with Madonna and Antonio Banderas. Song stuck in my head? I'd Be Surprisingly Good For You.

[Eva:] Colonel Peron
[Peron:] Eva Duarte

[Eva and Peron:]
I've heard so much about you

[Eva and Peron:]
I'm amazed, for I'm only an actress (a soldier)
Nothing to shout about (One of the thousands)
Only a girl on the air (Defending the country he loves)

[Eva:]
But when you act, the things you do affect us all

[Peron:]
But when you act, you take us away from the squalor of the real world
Are you here on your own?

[Eva:]
Yes, oh yes

[Peron:]
So am I, what a fortunate coincidence
Maybe you're my reward for my efforts here tonight

[Eva:]
It seems crazy but you must believe
There's nothing calculated, nothing planned
Please forgive me if I seem naive
I would never want to force your hand
But please understand, I'd be good for you

I don't always rush in like this
Twenty seconds after saying hello
Telling strangers I'm too good to miss
If I'm wrong I hope you'll tell me so
But you really should know, I'd be good for you
I'd be surprisingly good for you

I won't go on if I'm boring you
But do you understand my point of view?
Do you like what you hear, what you see
And would you be, good for me too?

I'm not talking of a hurried night
A frantic tumble then a shy goodbye
Creeping home before it gets too light
That's not the reason that I caught your eye
Which has to imply, I'd be good for you
I'd be surprisingly good for you

[Peron:]
Please go on, you enthrall me
I can understand you perfectly
And I like what I hear, what I see, and knowing me
I would be good for you too

[Eva:]
I'm not talking of a hurried night
A frantic tumble then a shy goodbye
Creeping home before it gets too light
That's not the reason that I caught your eye
Which has to imply, I'd be good for you
I'd be surprisingly good for you

I just wanted to say thanks to all my readers, friends and even neighbors who have checked in on me during this cathartic chapter in the life of RightGirl. I am regurgitating events long passed, so please, don't worry. I just want my readers to see into my past, so that you can understand who you're dealing with. I didn't spring from the head of Zeus like this... it took time to create the Wendy you see before you every day. And it took a very black period for me to find faith. I hope that by reading of those events, you, too, may have your faith reaffirmed.

Don't worry 'bout me
I'll get along
Forget about me
Be happy my love

Let's say that our little show is over
And so the story ends
Why not call it a day, the sensible way
And still be friends

Look out for yourself
Should always be the rule
Give your heart and your love, to whomever you love
Don't you be a fool

Darling why stop to cling, to some fading thing
That used to be
If you can't forget
Don't you worry 'bout me

A fourth man wanted in the slaying of a Pakistani woman in an apparent 'honour killing', in a town in northern Italy has been charged, Italian news agencies reported on Friday.

The man was charged along with Mahmoud Khalid, who is married to the victim's sister and who turned himself in to authorities on Thursday, the ANSA agency reported, quoting the men's lawyer.

The body of Hina Saleem, 21, was found buried nearly two weeks ago in a hole dug in the family's garden in the town of Sarezzo near the northern city of Brescia, authorities said.

Her father and uncle, who were taken into custody on Monday, Khalid and the fourth man all are accused of premeditated murder and hiding the body, lawyer Carlo Bonardi was quoted as saying. [emphasis mine]

Apparently Hina was a bit of a wild child. Liked to stay out late. Or so says her mother. Good thing her father killed her.

May I just point out that we've banned spanking here in Utopia? Of course, killing is better. Then she doesn't have to grow up with the psychological scars from a parental spanking, which can ruin her chances at integrating into normal society, leaving her to collect Spankers Disability benefit from the government.

There is a voice of sanity in Londonistan. I wonder how long before she is silenced?

Islamic schools that promote "isolationism" and extremism should be closed, Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly has said.
But people should not be threatened by symbols of faiths such as Islam, Mrs Kelly told the BBC.

She added the government was opposed to any form of law contrary to British civil law, such as Sharia law.

Mrs Kelly also expressed surprise at a decision to caution a football player who crossed himself during a match.

She said the government had to "stamp out" Muslim schools which were trying to change British society to fit Islamic values.

"They should be shut down," she said. "Different institutions are open to abuse and where we find abuse we have got to stamp it out and prevent that happening."

That thing about the football player surprised her? Huh. I thought she would have already been used to that, ever since Carling was dumped as a Rangers sponsor to please the multi-cult. Fact is, once they control the football, they control Britain. Hurry up Ruth - you may already be out of time!

From MEMRI:

"The best way to carry this out is to forge an ID card and a work ID, in order to rent a car. If you can't do this, act as follows:

"1) Take the license plate from any car that is the same model as your car. Be sure that the region from which you take the license plate is far away from the region in which you live. For example, if your car is a white Camry, look for a white Camry that is far from the region [in which you live], and take its license plate.

"2) Take the car of one of the ordinary people, in some easy way, and carry out the operation that day using [this car]. Then leave the [car] in a public place, so that the infidels will find it and return it to its owners...

"3) After obtaining a suitable car, kill the Crusader, in accordance with the circumstances - if the Crusader works at a company where you work, or at a company where someone you know works, strike him on his day off, or somewhere far from [where the company is located]...; if the Crusader lives next door to you or near you, and you want to kill him, it is best to kill him when he is outside work, so as to distance you from suspicion...

"4) Take care that the windows of the car you use to carry out the [killing] operation are somewhat dark; this will help you when you stop at traffic lights.

"5) When you carry out the [killing] operation and make your escape, travel a route that you have planned in advance. It is best [to go] by the highway for five minutes, and then to move to secondary roads and then to neighborhoods, so as to distance yourself from the place of the operation... [In order to avoid being followed,] look behind you (and check) if anyone is tailing you.

"6) After... [you have evaded being followed] park the car somewhere, [where] you have at your disposal another vehicle, extremely clean, that you will use to return home safely.

"7) Take care not to say a word. The tongue is what will lead you to the infidels' prison. Many brothers have been arrested because they spoke near people.

"It is desirable to film the operation so it can be presented by the media, so that it has a broader impact.

"After the operation succeeds, you will realize that this is very simple, and that there is no need for an entire squad [to carry it out] but that one, two, or three people are enough...

"You can look through the Mu'askar Al-Battar and Sawt Al-Jihad publications, [to learn from them] important things that I may not have clarified here...

"Your brother Amer Al-Najdi

"Arabian Peninsula

"Thursday

"The 19th day of the fifth month, 1427 [June 15, 2006]."

Still there are people out there who repeat - like parrots with Tourettes - that Islam is a peaceful religion, and they mean us no harm. No harm at all...

We cannot beat our enemy until we name him. Our enemy is Allah, and his army of followers.

Fox News journalists released

Two Fox News journalists were released Sunday, nearly two weeks after being seized by militants, ending the longest-running drama involving foreign hostages in the Gaza Strip.

Cameraman Olaf Wiig, 36, and correspondent Steve Centanni, 60, were dropped off at Gaza City's Beach Hotel by Palestinian security officials.

The next VRWC get-together will be at RibFest in Burlington next weekend - most likely Saturday (to be confirmed). It will be kind of like movie night, but with RIBS!

Come out. We'll eat pork to ward off the evil Muslims, and drink beer to ward off the thought of evil Muslims.

It's that time of the year again. The time when the cupboards are mysteriously cleaned out of their sedatives, both prescription and non-prescription. The time when heavy-bottomed glasses and decanters are pushed to the back of the shelf, and the dollar store glasses and plastic cups are moved to the front. The time when the good dishes are put away. The time when more rye shows up in the cupboard under the sink, and disappears very quickly, to be replaced with another full bottle. Hatches are battened down. Long-term plans are not made, life altering decisions are put off till November. Don't sign anything! Don't take it personally! Agree to nothing! Just stay numb...

Today begins my official hurricane season. The barometric pressure begins to change. My hands begin to shake. Mr. Right loses sleep. Waiting. Waiting. Will it come this year? The big one? The perfect storm? 'Tis the season of walking on eggshells. The barrier between the past and present becomes thin, the demons are free to roam the range, and there's not a fucking thing that can exorcise them. They must go willingy back to their genie-bottles in their own time, which is always on a perfect schedule that the train company could take a lesson from: They come out to play the last week of August; they leave me on November 1. All Souls Day. The object of the game is to survive the visit.

'Twas but a decade ago that they paid a visit (not the first, not the last) and rationally convinced me to accompany them back to the pit in which they resided the other ten months of the year. They made so much sense. Why hang around? What good could come of it? I had so much pain, all I was doing was spreading it around like some kind of syphilitic whore, causing madness in everyone I touched.

Always a great maker of lists, and a great planner of plans, able to pull off the most amazing feats with limited notice, I sat down with a clean sheaf of paper and began to tidy my affairs, as it were. Like a drunk working the 8th step, I made a list of all those had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. I listed my prized possessions, those which I could not bear to have sold off, and proceeded to give them away. My reasons? Well, I just don't have the space right now... I transferred huge amounts of stock holdings - tens of thousands of dollars - to Z's name without his knowledge (please don't ask about the things I had to do or the lies I had to tell to convince my broker to do this). I rented a storage locker for the remainder of my favorite things, and gave the key to Steve. Steve would know what to do. Steve, bless his heart, who never asked too many questions, never argued with something I felt was for the best. Steve, who was self-destructing at the same time, but I was too busy with my lists to notice.

I paid cash for my funeral. The cremation, service, casket and all are covered. I put the certificates in an envelope. Gave them to Steve, of course. Along with my credit and bank cards. And car.

Ok, it really didn't happen as quickly as I can write it out. It was, in fact, a long process, lasting the entire two months of the hurricane season. There was much to be done. Plans to be made. And things I wanted to do first. Like go back to New York. and finally admit to T how much I loved him. Stay in that fancy hotel by the lake. Find my long-lost Vince.

I admitted to T one night what my plan was. The pain in my gut when it made him cry hurt so bad that it felt good. I guess misery needed company. He was so good to me. But ever the manipulator, I talked circles around him till I had him as convinced as the demons had me. I had him so twisted and turned by the time I stopped talking that I could have convinced him to kill me himself. (I should have gone into law, and used this power for good instead of evil)

********************

It is obvious by the fact that I am writing this that I did not go through with it. No, at the last minute God's angel stepped in to slay those goddam demons - at least for that year. The strong arm of the boy with the golden hair and halo pulled me back out of Persephone's pit, back to the land of light. But was it worth it? Well, maybe. But only because I can see it for what it was. If I was as ignorant of it now as I was then, then it would have been for naught. If I had learned nothing about the potential for divinity in every one of us, then it would not have been worth it to break that boy down to nothing, dragging him through worse filth and agony than any of Hollywood's horror masters could dream up. It would not have been worth it to destroy him if I didn't begin each day thanking him for the life I have. After devouring every inch of goodness and innocence in him, only then would I have ingested enough to keep going. Leaving him with nothing.

But God rewards those who do his work. And in time he found strength to leave me, to start to live for himself. When he left me, it broke my heart, but it didn't break me. Never again would I be so low, so damaged. Year after year the demons continued to come for their autumn vacation in my heart, but they would never dig in and break me down the way they did then. As for T, I let him go. It was the only thing I could do for him. I let him walk away, and wished him well. I swore I would stay as far away from him as I possibly could, to let him have the life he so richly deserved.

And he has. In a fit of gratitude three years ago, I tracked him down. Dropped him an email. It was soul-baring, but not upsetting to him. I simply thanked him for all he had done, and for every day I have lived since - the good and the bad. I thanked him for Mr. Right, because without T, I would never have found him. I thanked him for my marriage, my friends, every good thing that had happened to me since the day he picked me up off the floor of the ninth ring of Hell. He responded. Sent me pictures. I deleted them. Too hard to look at. But he's happy. Life has been good to him. His career has flourished. He had everything he wanted and needed, including the perfect girl he will marry next year (I write him every year now on his birthday, and he always sends back an update). And I thank God in my prayers for that every day.

***************************

Last night, after the terrible Harper cocktail party, I teamed up with the Cool Kids for dinner and drinks. Had to salvage what I could of the night before it ended. On the way home in my friend's car, conversation all around, he turned up the radio, saying he liked the song. Good writing, he said. I listened. Though the conversation continued around me, I was oblivious to it.

In my sick way I want to thank you for holding my head up late at night
While I was busy waging wars on myself
You were trying to stop the fight
You never doubted my warped opinions on things like suicidal hate
You made made me compliment myself when it was way too hard to take
So I'll drive so fucking far away that I'll never cross your mind
And do whatever it takes in your heart to leave me behind

*****************************

And so begins this year's Season. But it'll be okay. I'll stay low, keep numb, shut out the damn demons as best I can. I have a pretty good idea what this season has brought me; what they've dropped at my door. But it's cool. I can handle it now. Even their gifts have an element of beauty in them that I never saw before. I'll go along for the ride, and enjoy it any way I can. And I'll avoid making lists, tempting as it may be....

Last night was embarrassing. I have never seen a group of grown men (and women, but mostly men) act like 14-year-old girls at a Justin Timberlake concert. I cringed just watching the display. Cringed, and left.

I didn't get to spend any time with the Prime Minister. I didn't get to shake his hand, which I really wanted to do, because it was my first time seeing him since he'd been elected to run the country. I wasn't able to get near him, because of the throng of people who seemed to think he was Elvis, as they reached out to stick their hands in his face, tug at his sleeve, suck his dick, or whatever it was they were wanting. Luckily I was able to have a quick word with his wife, Laureen, and she's a very nice woman. But by then, Harper was crushed in a circle of Indian businessmen wanting something from him, up-and-comers wanting to bask and be seen with him (yes, I mean you, and you know it), and political star fuckers wanting to touch themselves with the hand that shook the hand of the Prime Minister.

Ugh. I did what I could to keep my dignity unsoiled by the other slavering idiots, and wandered off to the bar. There, I met up with an equally nonchalant Sam Goldstien and his very attractive girlfriend. Neither of them seemed in a hurry to get inside and join the orgy. You see, I've been in rooms at cocktails with important people like the Prime Minister and his Cabinet Ministers (and their American equals, where you would be shot for behaving in such a manner), celebrities and such. I've had coffee in a Greenwich Village coffee shop with Al Pacino two tables over eating pie. I'm from Montreal, where the sight of Bruce Willis, any of the Baldwin brothers, or even Pierre Trudeau evoked nothing more than a nod and a "good morning". The image I had going into last night's event was of a speech, followed by Harper working the room, speaking with groups of people, and somebody having the presence of mind and consideration to get the poor man a goddam beer. Instead I witnessed a shameful display of star fucking at it's political worst.

I was ashamed to be associated with the people in that room last night. And I hope when they wake up this morning, they realize how childishly they conducted themselves in front of the leader of our country.

So tonight's the big night: Cocktails with the Prime Minister. I have the camera (but y'all know how crappy I am at getting around to posting pics), so hopefully I'll have some visuals for everyone tomorrow. I'm curious to see who the cool kids will be tonight, or if it's just the usuals. Either way, it will be nice to see Harper as PM for the first time - the last few times I saw him were pre-election.

So it looks like Borys Xzwyjxyzjjyeswzx (or whatever his name is) has had to resign as Foreign Affairs Critic over his terribly misguided remarks about Hezbollah being rational enough to talk to. Sure they are, Borys. They're not terrorist or anything, they're just misunderstood...

Embattled Liberal MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj has resigned as deputy foreign affairs critic following the uproar over his comments suggesting Canada should negotiate with Hezbollah.

Wrzesnewskyj found himself distanced from his own party when he made the statement during a fact-finding mission to Lebanon last week.

I have a pretty good idea of the kind of facts he think he found: Jews bad, Jew-killers good.

Wrzesnewskyj, who was one of three opposition MPs on the Mideast mission, said Monday he favoured changing a Canadian law that forbids contact with known terrorist organizations.

He said the law undermines efforts to obtain lasting peace between Israel and Hezbollah fighters.

I don't think most people want "lasting peace" between Israel and Hezbollah. Most Hezbollah supporters want the destruction of Israel. The rest of us want the destruction of terrorists. But sure, Borys, let's sit down to tea with them and talk it over.

Today I was lucky enough to have one of my friends allow me to accompany her to the MAC counter at the Bay while she returned every single item she had from them. She took the drag queens and fag hags to task over the Sandra Bernhardt incident. It was a site to behold. Needless to say I took her for lunch when she was done pointing out to them that her lips were nice and plump, thankyouverymuch! Heh. I spoke not a word, just revelled in the astonished looks from the circus freaks who work there who swore they had never even heard of the scandal. When my dear friend tears into a person or company she is a force to be reckoned with. Love her!!

Got my hair cut today so that I will look pretty for Prime Minister Harper when I see him on Friday.

On the stereo? Prince, calling me a Sexy Motherfucker.

Today is a good day. Tomorrow, no doubt, will be better.

He was turning 31. I wasn't 20 yet. I wanted to do something special for his birthday. I had spent months planning it - long before I got myself mixed up with T. For his 30th, his friends had thrown him a big surprise party. I needed to out-do that. And as luck would have it, I could afford to do just that.

Ten years ago, my day started pretty early, considering I had no real work or life commitments. I was up at 8, and had my hair done by 10. I was so nervous - this would be the prom I never had.

Final arrangements with the limo driver were made that morning. Let me think... his name was Henri if I'm not mistaken. I picked up my floor length, hi-collared, green velvet, heart shaped back dress at the dry cleaners on the way back from my hair appointment. My makeup was professionally done around 2 that afternoon. The florist delivered the 5 dozen red roses I'd ordered just after 3. The Dom Perignon was chilling in the fridge. All I had to do was sit quietly, not muss my hair, and not break into a sweat for any reason. My cousin (the Madam) came over to keep me company till about 6, when she had to go home and open her phone lines. When she left, I snaked my legs into the fine silk stockings I had bought just for the occasion, slipped the dress over my perfect hair, spritzed myself with Perry Ellis... there was a knock at the door.

It was T. "You look... and smell... fantastic!" You know a man is secure in himself when he watches his girlfriend get ready for a formal date with another man. a man she had been in love with for over a year. A man she intended to marry. It was at this point in my life I began to learn to compartmentalize my heart. Some things are forever. Some are just for a moment. Neither is any more or less important that the other. Each have equal value. In some cases, the brief moments are more precious, because they are, after all, mere moments.

So there he was, laughing and smiling and telling me to have a good time. When the limo arrived, he helped me downstairs with the roses and the champagne. Strange boy. Unlike any I'd known before or since.

I had told Z I'd be picking him up around 7:30 at his place. When I arrived, he was sitting outside on the front step, waiting for my Sunfire. The look on his face when the limo pulled onto the street (it had to back onto his short cul-de-sac, or we wouldn't have been able to get out again) made the whole thing worthwhile. I rolled down my window, "Are you just going to sit there looking stunned, or are you getting in?"

We drank the Dom in the car. Dinner was venison at Chez Queue in the Vieux Port. I will always remember the dessert: Peach sherbert ice cream with raspberries and a tablespoon of warmed Grand Marnier. I have made this dessert from time to time since.

Next stop: The Casino de Montreal. I don't gamble. I'm afraid I would like it too much. However, I had planned this evening right down to the chips. When we walked in, I gave my name, and a cashier handed Z a velvet bag with $500 in chips. They were, of course, paid for well in advance. A couple of bottles of Moet et Chandon later, and Z barely breaking even, the night was over.

Things between us didn't last. They got very ugly within a couple of years. But tomorrow he turns 41, and I can't help but think back to that amazing evening with the limo, the hair, the food, the music... and Z.

I was 18 when Tanya and I went to see Leaving Las Vegas with Nicholas Cage and Elizabeth Shue. Both of us children of hopeless alcoholics - my father was at the time dying from liver cancer brought on by a broken heart - we were affected. I knew all too well what it took for a man to will himself to death.

My father met my mother on a blind date in January of 1965. On their second date, he said to her "I'm going to marry you before the year is out. Accept it, or there's no reason to keep seeing each other." They married in November.

She died 25 and a half years later, and he began to slowly die. I suppose had he wanted to, he could have topped himself right then and there. But he had a fourteen year old daughter who would have landed in the care of her idiot godparents, or worse. So he hung on. He pickled and preserved himself, but he hung on.

Months before my 18th birthday, he became ill. I suppose it was right on schedule. As soon as I was legal, he stopped his treatment. With my permission. At least he asked, first. Who was I to hold him back?

A few months later, Tanya and I sat in a darkened theatre, watching a similar scene play out, set to one of the best soundtracks I have ever heard. I am listening to that soundtrack tonight. It's sad and sultry and Sting is at his very best. And so I will curl up on the sofa and remember. Not the movie, but an even greater love story.

I come home every night to an empty house. And I wait.

I go to bed each night to an empty bed. And I wait.

I used to care; it used to be a big deal. But eventually, something inside just switched off, and I stopped caring.

Ours is essentially a tragic age, so we refuse to take it tragically. The cataclysm has happened, we are among the ruins, we start to build up new little habits, to have new little hopes. It is rather hard work: there is now no smooth road into the future: but we go round, or scramble over the obstacles. We've got to live, no matter how many skies have fallen.

It's Saturday night, I have a glass of wine, I'm listening to Puccini's La Boheme, and I am reading Lady Chatterly's Lover.

I will be 30 soon, and I still sleep with my teddy bear. He's a special teddy, given to me ten years ago by a very good friend. I have slept with him (the teddy!) ever since.

My head is full of thoughts and words. I can't relax tonight. I feel tense. So I will ride the pharmaceutical wave that brings me so much joy.

Catch y'all mid-day tomorrow!

A former judge convicted of exposing himself while presiding over jury trials by using a sexual device under his robe was sentenced Friday to four years in prison.

Donald Thompson had spent almost 23 years on the bench and had served as a state legislator before retiring from the court in 2004. He showed no reaction when he was sentenced.

At his trial this summer, his former court reporter, Lisa Foster, testified that she saw Thompson expose himself at least 15 times during trial between 2001 and 2003. Prosecutors said he also used a device known as a penis pump during at least four trials in the same period.

Like the goat thing, I have nothing to add that could make this funnier.

I was his first. I referred to him as a kid, even though he was only months younger than me. Inside though, I was decades older. His family life had been so normal - at least on the surface. I didn't really realize at the time that I wasn't the only mad woman he had daily contact with. I wanted so much to protect him and to shelter him from people like me, but instead I took him to my bed.

I wouldn't admit it to anyone, least of all myself, but I was in love with him. Not as a man, but as something so much greater than that. As an ideal. As something unachievable. Something I strive toward every day since. But at that moment, I wasn't thinking of higher ideals. I was thinking of my body.

I was sick with myself when it was over. I had let him touch a soiled body, one that others had passed thier filth over before. He deserved something so much cleaner, so much finer. But he wanted me. What I wouldn't know until I looked back on it without pain and without sorrow was that he had as little choice in the matter as I did. Someone so much bigger than the two of us was guiding the events of that sticky summer ten years ago.

I didn't steal his innocence. He gave it to me to help lighten my load. To give me that small spark of goodness and hope that would fuel me through the darkest days that lay ahead.

A Sudanese man has been forced to take a goat as his "wife", after he was caught having sex with the animal.
The goat's owner, Mr Alifi, said he surprised the man with his goat and took him to a council of elders.

They ordered the man, Mr Tombe, to pay a dowry of 15,000 Sudanese dinars ($50) to Mr Alifi.

"We have given him the goat, and as far as we know they are still together," Mr Alifi said.

The sun is shining, but it's not hot and sticky out. The sky is a lovely clear September 11 blue. It's International Elvis Day, but I've got Cole Porter in my head (birds do it, bees do it). I have (yet another) cocktail party tonight, which I'm quite looking forward to. I was late for work, and I didn't care, as I stepped gaily over the beggars near the office and said a quick prayer for the Africans and activists in town for the AIDS conference (they have their work cut out for them and I wish them well). I have my large Iced Capp from Tim's, and I'm ready to start my day.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

And in another year
The pain will disappear and I
Will look back on this life as if it were a scene
And in a little while
I'll see that distant smile returning
Just like back in the days
When we were so naive

It's Sunday night. I have a bottle of Goats Do Roam (I love that name). I've dug out my old Tom Cochrane Ragged Ass Road cd and I'm feeling introspective.

Has it been 10 years already? Double digits. Let's see... I was on the road back from New Brunswick on this day 10 years ago. I had fled there because of a kiss. Sounds crazy, huh?

I want you when you're bad
I want you when you're good
I want you when you won't
And when you think you should
I want you when you're angry
And when you come back down
I'll hold you above water
When you think that you might drown

Drown. That's exactly what I was doing. The stress of my father's illness and death had rechannelled itself into a high-flying, drug-like madness. I never slept. I drank in the mornings, and drove all night. My friends thought I was coked out of my head. I wasn't. Though I might as well have been, for all the money I was spending. And all the running I was doing.

I'm so tired of all this crap
That falls from you like rain
Do you think I'm that naive
Or have you gone insane
You can fly 6000 miles
And think it's no big deal
And turn and come back in
Anytime you feel

It was just a kiss. I guess it was around 5 in the morning on August 5th. We had been out partying the night before with a group of friends. We were on my couch, rehashing the night's events and drinking coffee with brandy. As soon as he left I packed my bag and took off. I couldn't deal with that. Not then. I was too damn scared. Being orphaned before you're twenty gives you somewhat of an abandonment complex. It hardens your heart. And a kiss can scare the living shit out of you.

She's got a place where she likes to hide from this
Where someday somewhere somehow
She's gonna take a ride from this
Running from a holy host of dark angels
Out from her beaten past

It was my first step toward my true rock bottom. The rock bottom that artists, addicts and madmen all have to hit before they can find redemption. Before they recognize the angel sent by God.

And so I was on the road back. I had hidden in a hotel in the woods near the Baie de Chaleur for a few days, watching the sun rise and set. I had gone to the cemetery where all my kin are buried. Imagine a whole churchyard where all the stones bear the same name. Overwhelming. I had had my portrait drawn by a stranger in a breakfast shop that swore he knew me and disturbingly had the same name as the one I ran from. And then the road home. I had decided not to fight it. I was growing too tired to fight. I was becoming weak and pliable. Soon I would be putty in the hands of the Divine.

And I would choose to live.

Just a song before I leave
A few words to believe in
A touch we'll both remember in time
Like a warm fire in December

I've got that Kathleen Turner thing going on today with my voice. It's hoarse, and quite sexy if I do say so myself.

Call me. I'll talk dirty to you.*


*Calls are $4.99/min, adults only, please.

I could have just done an update, but this is too much.

A mostly peaceful march was marred by a few verbal skirmishes between two protesting groups and the burning of at least three Israeli flags.

Demonstrators marched from the Israeli consulate on Bloor St. W. to the American consulate on University Ave. and the first attempt at burning an Israeli flag took place there.

[snip]

While some waved flags, and others donned yellow T-shirts with green guns, symbolizing the Hezbollah flag, Shaheen Sajan was one of a dozen who proudly carried a poster of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

"The ban of Hezbollah is just a political move. This group provides most of the people's basic needs like hospitals and schools. This ban makes no sense. Even UN resolution says one has the right to resist occupation. There is no real definition of what's a terrorist. I'd say Israel is a terrorist group because they're flaunting UN resolutions."

Hezbollah is on the banned terrorist entity list in Canada. [emphasis mine]

Thanks to all the yelling at today's anti-Hezbollah demonstration, I have lost my voice.

I blame the Jews (hey - just trying to fit in!).

I went on a spree yesterday at Secrets From Your Sister. I never knew bra shopping could be anything but excrutiating. But yesterday I spent two hours with a fabulous bra fitter named Fauna who prodded, scooped and fastened me into a sumptuous selection of demi-cups and pretty culottes. I was so excited and pleased with the experience that I wound up with four gorgeous bras and a pile of pretty panties.

Toronto gals, if you haven't visited Secrets yet, what the hell are you waiting for?

Personal favorite: The pink Chantelle full-cup with matching panty. Looks great with the pearls!

[Scroll for updates]

I attended the anti-Hezbollah rally in Toronto today, to counter to pro-Hezbollah rally that was taking place in front of the Israeli Consulate. It is pretty terrifying to see such support for murderers and terrorists here in my own city.


I was interviewed by CTV, and photographed several times by photojournalists (hopefully none from Reuters!).


Our crowd wasn't huge. The pro-Hezbollah types are smart to put their rallys on the Shabbas, so not many Jews will come out to protest. But we were vocal, that's for sure!


This man posted the words right out of my mouth! The pro-Hezbollah side had the nerve to come over and complain that his sign was "distressing" and "antagonistic". But he stood his ground. He wins my chutzpah award of the week, that's for sure!

Speaking of antagonistic,


the jihadis came over to sing us Hezbollah songs before the cops intervened.

The police on site were polite, but it made me angry that they asked us to move, because "we were putting their guys in danger". Us? If there was danger, it didn't come from our side. Later on, when someone showed up with a Hezbollah flag, we pointed out to one of the cops that Hezbollah is recognized in Canada as a terror organization, and that man should be arrested. The cop said "that's a decision for someone higher up" than him, and he didn't want to "wade into that bunch" to make an arrest. Not that I'm looking for a cop to risk himself unnecessarily, but it seems to me that it would have been an easy arrest to make. After all, the pro-Hezbollah side claimed to be demonstrating for "peace", so I'm sure the cop would have been safe. What? You don't think so?






Get used to it, people. Nasrallah and the Canadian flag side by side. This is what they want. Remember that the next time someone makes apologies for them.


As with any "peace" rally, one of the world's worst slaughterers of innocents always shows up on someone's t-shirt. It's inevitable.


And here we have Che sharing space with Hezbollah. How nice.

One of the cooler signs on our side was from one of my very own Canadian Angels...

Heh. Equivalate this! Nice.

The one thing that really gets to me in this situation, as with all situations involving Islamic terror, is self-loathing Jews. I cannot understand how they can stand there like cows at slaughter, defending the actions of terrorist organizations.

Shameful.

Remember Golda Maier's quote: "There will never be peace until they love their children as much as they hate us"?

How do you think these children are being raised?

The commies were there...

...handing out literature with - wait for it - Green Helmet's picture on the front!!

Green Helmet also showed up on this poster

He's like the Where's Waldo of Islamic Terror.

At least someone had a sense of humor:

Too bad they were with the wrong bunch.

Update: Matt has awesome pictures here.

Update2: CTV quotes only Jews protesting against Israel, and the only Israel supporter they quote is an Irish Catholic. Figures.

I love this line:

Police watched closely as the smaller group of pro-Israel demonstrators stood across the street.

Yeah. Cause we were a threat.

Update3: CP reported that there were no Hezbollah supporters. But Judeoscope was smart enough to check the blogs.

Though the CP says no Hezbollah flags were displayed as in previous demonstrations in Montreal, counter-demonstrators and observers report some demonstrators wore pro-Hezbollah T-shirts.

Update4: Neil sent me the YouTube link for the footage he shot during the rally.

Update5: More video from Neil here.

And Casey posted great photos here.

Meet at the Starbucks at 110 Bloor West (on the north side of Bloor, west of Bay). Please come between 12:30 and 1PM, which is when the pro-Hizballah rally starts. At 1PM we will walk one block west to the Israeli consulate, which is where all the pro-Hizballah types are going to be hanging out.

DIRECTIONS TO STARBUCKS: If you're taking the Bloor-Danforth subway line, get off at Bay Station and walk west on Bloor until you see the Starbucks sign. If you're taking the yellow line, it's probably easier to get off at Museum Station, walk north on Avenue Road to Bloor, then walk east.

SIGNS AND MESSAGES: Please try not to put anything on a sign, or say anything to the media, which could possibly get you in trouble for hate speech. Anti-terror messages are perfect.

I will be bringing the Israeli flag as well.

Hit me again. C'mon. Hit me. That's what the UK sounds like. What is even the point of making arrests, if as soon as you've done it, you neuter yourselves and start worrying about the terrorists? What on earth is the point of a show of strength?

Police fears of threat to Muslims

Muslims??? I fear a threat to me! And my friends and those I care about! I fear a threat to national safety, and the greater population. I do not fear a threat to those who want to kill me.

Muhammad Abul Kalam from the Muslim Safety Forum said that there was generally an increase in Islamophobic attacks following events such as Thursday's raids, in which 24 people were arrested.

"We simply don't want to see any kind of backlash unleashed against ordinary Muslims because of what has happened."

But the Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, said he did not believe that Islam was the real cause of any terrorist plots.

"Most of them are doing it because they are alienated, because they have been given a vision which is so imaginatively wicked that they believe we can build a better world than actually exists," he claimed. [emphasis mine]

Some days I feel as if I'm banging my head against a brick wall.

If you go to the web site at www.letssaythanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and the Xerox Corporation will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services. It is FREE and it only takes a second. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these?

My paranoid pal over at I'm Not Paranoid (who I have a lovely lunch with on Tuesday) has come up with an anti-terror idea that would rival the Cockbag(tm) for effectiveness. Let's turn convicted terrorists into chitterlings!

We simply need to put to death anyone convicted of terrorist activities, dismember him and marinate the body parts in pig blood for a week or so. Then, stuff him in a pig carcass, sew up the carcass and shoot the whole kit-and-caboodle out of earth’s atmosphere on a rocket, where he will remain like that, preserved forever in the vacuum of space. Follow up each launch with a massive worldwide media campaign with video footage of the whole process so all the suicidal, radical islamic wanna-bees around the world get the message - Canada is a no-go zone.

Hey, if there are psychotic nutbars among us who would commit mass murder in return for 72 virgins and eternal bliss, I say, let them contemplate having their worthless, dismembered manhoods swimming around in pig entrails forever as their reward. That’ll make them think twice, I bet.

Poor piggies, though...

My cousin-in-law sent me this (thanks Daniel!):

Can you imagine yourself as the nun that is sitting at her desk grading these papers all the while trying to keep a straight face and maintain her composure?

Pay special attention to the wording and spelling. If you know the bible even a little, you'll find this hilarious! It comes from a Catholic Elementary School test. Kids were asked questions about the Old and New Testaments.

The following statements about the bible were written by children. They have not been retouched or corrected. Incorrect spelling has been left in:


1. IN THE FIRST BOOK OF THE BIBLE, GUINESSIS. GOD GOT TIRED OF CREATING THE WORLD SO HE TOOK THE SABBATH OFF.

2. ADAM AND EVE WERE CREATED FROM AN APPLE TREE. NOAH'S WIFE WAS JOAN OF ARK. NOAH BUILT AND ARK AND THE ANIMALS CAME ON IN PEARS.

3. LOTS WIFE WAS A PILLAR OF SALT DURING THE DAY, BUT A BALL OF FIRE DURING THE NIGHT.

4. THE JEWS WERE A PROUD PEOPLE AND THROUGHOUT HISTORY THEY HAD TROUBLE WITH UNSYMPATHETIC GENITALS.

5. SAMPSON WAS A STRONGMAN WHO LET HIMSELF BE LED ASTRAY BY A JEZEBEL LIKE DELILAH.

6. SAMSON SLAYED THE PHILISTINES WITH THE AXE OF THE APOSTLES.

7. MOSES LED THE JEWS TO THE RED SEA WHERE THEY MADE UNLEAVENED BREAD WHICH IS BREAD WITHOUT ANY INGREDIENTS.

8. THE EGYPTIANS WERE ALL DROWNED IN THE DESSERT. AFTERWARDS, MOSES WENT UP TO MOUNT CYANIDE TO GET THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.

9. THE FIRST COMMANDMENTS WAS WHEN EVE TOLD ADAM TO EAT THE APPLE.

10. THE SEVENTH COMMANDMENT IS THOU SHALT NOT ADMIT ADULTERY.

11. MOSES DIED BEFORE HE EVER REACHED CANADA. THEN JOSHUA LED THE HEBREWS IN THE BATTLE OF GERITOL.

12. THE GREATEST MIRICLE IN THE BIBLE IS WHEN JOSHUA TOLD HIS SON TO STAND STILL AND HE OBEYED HIM.

13. DAVID WAS A HEBREW KING WHO WAS SKILLED AT PLAYING THE LIAR. HE FOUGHT THE FINKELSTEINS, A RACE OF PEOPLE WHO LIVED IN BIBLICAL TIMES.

14. SOLOMON, ONE OF DAVIDS SONS, HAD 300 WIVES AND 700 PORCUPINES.

15. WHEN MARY HEARD SHE WAS THE MOTHER OF JESUS, SHE SANG THE MAGNA CARTA.

16. WHEN THE THREE WISE GUYS FROM THE EAST SIDE ARRIVED THEY FOUND JESUS IN THE MANAGER.

17. JESUS WAS BORN BECAUSE MARY HAD AN IMMACULATE CONTRAPTION.

18. ST. JOHN THE BLACKSMITH DUMPED WATER ON HIS HEAD.

19. JESUS ENUNCIATED THE GOLDEN RULE, WHICH SAYS TO DO UNTO OTHERS BEFORE THEY DO ONE TO YOU. HE ALSO EXPLAINED A MAN DOTH NOT LIVE BY SWEAT ALONE.

20. IT WAS A MIRICLE WHEN JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD AND MANAGED TO GET THE TOMBSTONE OFF THE ENTRANCE.

21. THE PEOPLE WHO FOLLOWED THE LORD WERE CALLED THE 12 DECIBELS.

22. THE EPISTELS WERE THE WIVES OF THE APOSTLES.

23. ONE OF THE OPPOSSUMS WAS ST. MATTHEW WHO WAS ALSO A TAXIMAN.

24. ST. PAUL CAVORTED TO CHRISTIANITY, HE PREACHED HOLY ACRIMONY WHICH IS ANOTHER NAME FOR MARRAIGE.

25. CHRISTIANS HAVE ONLY ONE SPOUSE. THIS IS CALLED MONOTONY.

...until I saw the news this morning. I warn you, I'm incredibly angry right now, so I have no idea how coherant this post will be.

British authorities said Thursday they had thwarted a terrorist plot to simultaneously blow up several aircraft heading to the U.S. using explosives smuggled in carry-on luggage. Britain's Home Secretary John Reid said 21 people had been arrested in London, its suburbs and in Birmingham, including the alleged "main players" in the plot.

In Washington, two U.S. counterterrorism officials said the terrorists had targeted United, American and Continental airlines. They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.

A U.S. intelligence official said the plotters had hoped to target flights to major airports in New York, Washington and California, all major summer tourist destinations.

Britain's Home Secretary John Reid said 21 people had been arrested in London, its suburbs and in Birmingham following a lengthy investigation, including the alleged "main players" in the plot. Searches continued in a number of locations.

The suspects were "homegrown," though it was not immediately clear if they were all British citizens, said a police official who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case. Police were working closely with the South Asian community, the official said.

Ok. Enough now. Time to pull the plug on overseas funding for mosques, Hezbollah demonstrations, blind hook-handed preachers, and the Koran. It's time to start flying the English flag at Heathrow again, and arresting anyone who calls it offensive. Because if the country's flag offends you, you're up to no good. It's time to stop crying about the fucking "backlash" that doesn't really exist. It's time to start raiding the mosques and rounding up anyone with the word "smite" on their lips. Because make no mistake: these bastards will not be happy until they smite us all.

I'm going to go grab some tums, and some of the scotch the boss keeps in his desk for Christmas. and I'll come back later to talk about all things fluffy and pink. Because up until 30 minutes ago, I was having a fluffy pink morning.

I had written a very long description of last night's UJA Federation kickoff at the Royal York. However, Blogger ate it. I do not have the patience at this time to rewrite it. I'll try to get to it later.

RG

Thanks to Kathy for bringing this article to my attention.

I'm sure that social deprivation and disgust at Britain's moral decline has something to do with the disenchantment and alienation. But that's not the whole story.

Young Muslims haven't been radicalised by scruffy housing, binge drinking and half-dressed slappers on every street corner. They have been told constantly by their self-appointed leaders and their imams that they are oppressed by widespread 'Islamophobia'.

They are encouraged to put loyalty to their faith above responsibility to their country of birth.

They are brainwashed into treating any misfortune which befalls any Muslim anywhere in the world as a personal insult.

Makeshift mosques in run-down backstreets and demented jihadist websites pump out hatred of the West, which is blamed for all the problems in the Muslim universe.

Fanatics are allowed to march through the streets preaching death to the infidel, death to Jews, death to just about anyone. For a peaceful religion, they're very big on death.

This is all coming from within the Muslim community, not from without. Is it any wonder that some of this constant ideological bombardment rubs off?

We don't need a judicial inquiry to tell us any of this.

The majority of Muslims in Britain make a valuable contribution and want to live a quiet life, just like the rest of us.

But, as this survey illustrates, a sizeable minority don't. They have no desire to adapt to Britain. They want Britain to adapt to them.

For a large number of Muslims, their faith is incompatible with Western freedoms and democracy.

No one is forced to remain here.

I did not like living in Britain, so I left. I found it to be crude, dirty, and the weather is terrible. I made a plan, and I packed my stuff and left. I didn't bomb a train station. I just got on a plane. (with no intention of flying it into Big Ben)

Of all the comments to the article, both for and against, it is this one that gives me hope:

I for one am proud to be a British Muslim. In fact I consider myself British first and religion is something personal that just gives me strength. In my opinion, the majority of educated Muslims feel this way and respect the values here and feel at one here. The problems are amongst the uneductaed Muslims who insist on living in ghettos and feel that by integrating they will lose their cultural heritage. It is these groups, that need to believe that one can still practice their religion peacefully without losing their heritage/values.

- Humi, Wakefield, West Yorks.

I just wonder if Humi would have the chutzpah to stand up and say this to the Muslim community, not just to a white Christian columnist, safely hidden in the depths of the Internet.

They knew it would be a tough year to comeback to a market that had treated them pretty badly in the last few years, but even The Dixie Chicks have to be a little surprised that their sales have been low enough to warrant the cancellation of over a dozen stops on their world tour. Well, the group and its people spin the cancellations a different way, painting it more as a reconfiguration of their tour, noting that all fourteen canceled concerts have been replaced by a show in another city. In other words, The Dixie Chicks are no longer going to a town that they had trouble selling tickets in, they're going to a different city. It's a "revised itinerary," not a series of canceled concerts.

Either way you look at it, the revised itinerary for The Dixie Chicks comes on the heels of reports of very slow concert sales, particularly in the South and Midwest for the recently launched tour. The tour, which kicked off July 21st in Detroit, will no longer be heading to Kansas City, St. Louis, Memphis, Houston, or Knoxville and shows in Nashville, Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Denver will be rescheduled for later dates.

Note to Mel Gibson: Don't think this same thing can't happen to you.

Hey, not my words. They are the words of "Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei".

Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the present tragedy in Lebanon and Palestine and the mass killing of the innocent people, including children, by the Zionist regime and reminded, "The hardship the Lebanese people are afflicted with today might happen to any other Muslim country in future. The Islamic Ummah (nation) must be careful that the world powers may never care for their interest. Therefore, they must increase their power and solidarity in a bid to safeguard their entity."

He further censured the encouraging words and behavior of the US, England and some other powers in the face of the crimes of the Zionist regime and the inaction and inability of the United Nations who alleges to be a supporter and protector of human rights, civilization and campaign against terrorism.

The leader said, "Along the previous catastrophe, there is another bitter phenomenon we are experiencing today, and that's the separation and discord among the Islamic governments, specially those who are just watching the status quo. This kind of behavior is truly wrong and detrimental."

Stressing that the entire Islamic society must defend the Lebanese Hezbollah, he reminded that some Muslim governments have kept silent to show their considerateness for the US and arrogant powers, but must know that the United States would never feel considerate towards them. [emphasis mine]

Can we go back to that discussion from last week where the "tolerant" among us told me not to tar all the Muslims with the same brush...

From Kamloops This Week:

About the only thing missing from the local NDP press release concerning the carnage in Lebanon and Israel was a paragraph extolling the virtues of the freedom fighters known as Hezbollah, that misunderstood band of lovable renegades battling the demon child that is Israel.

Leave it to the loopy left to send out, presumably with a straight face, a news release condemning Prime Minister Stephen Harper for his "pro-Israel stance," and calling for our leader to issue a plea for an immediate ceasefire in the region.

Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo NDP president Ruth Fane even went so far as to mock Harper for being a "senseless cheerleader for Israel," and for not calling for the creation of a "multinational peacekeeping force."

There's a reason the New Democrats have never and will never gain power in Canada, short of a bloody revolution - and complaining about Canada's decision to stand with a country under siege from a group deemed by Ottawa to be a terrorist organization is at the top of the lengthy list.

If Harper is a "senseless cheerleader for Israel," then hand me some crazy pills and toss me some pom poms.

Maybe there's hope for Canada's media after all. Go read the whole thing.

Thousands of Montrealers spilled into the streets Sunday to protest against the ongoing shelling of Lebanese civilians by Israel in its four-week old conflict with Hezbollah, which has killed 700 people on both sides of the border.

Members of Montreal's large Lebanese community joined a coalition of 60 groups representing labour, student, ethnic and human rights organizations and several high-profile politicians in calling on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to join other G-8 countries in demanding an immediate ceasefire on both sides.

The massive crowd wound its way north to Mount Royal before heading south along St. Denis street waving Lebanese flags, colourful homemade placards and shouting slogans denouncing Israel and U.S. President George W. Bush.

Many said they were disturbed over the deaths of children.

"I am suburban with a little house, a little job. I am not used to demonstrating, but it's beyond horror, beyond indignation when you see all those kids killed." one demonstrator said.

Some carried placards in support of Hezbollah and the group's leader Hassan Nasrallah, and others chanted "Vive Hezbollah." [emphasis mine]

This is the "Arab Street" I grew up on. That's why I get so frustrated when I get dimwit commenters asking if I've ever even known a Muslim. Of course I have. I've known Mujahideen, both Lebanese and Afghani. I, like the Shadow, know what evil lurks in the hearts of men. And that is why I must continue to point out the obvious: Islam wants to kill us all, starting with the Jews.

On Parliament Hill on Saturday, Bloc Quebecois MP Richard Nadeau joined marchers and compared Israel's recent actions in the Gaza Strip to "genocide."

"As far as I know, in Gaza, there's one victim, one group of people who are victims, at present," Nadeau said. "One would only have to take a trip there, to see who the victims are and see who is perpetuating this military force that is completely disproportionate."

Words like this should be remembered come the next election, not this it will matter. Seperatist Quebecois are often undereducated and not much better than the terrorists they support.

Two Christian pastors have been taken to court by the Islamic Council of Victoria and three Australian Muslims after making critical statements about the Islamic faith on a website and at a seminar for Christians held in March last year.

A complaint of religious vilification was made against the two Christian pastors, Danny Nalliah and Daniel Scot. The complaint deals with many issues, such as the nature of jihad, aspirations of Muslims in the west, and the connection between the laws of jihad and the treatment of non-Muslims under Islam.

The Victorian Racial and Religious Vilification Act was passed in 2001 and has yet to be fully put to the test. It was established in order to promote intercultural and interfaith harmony in Victoria, in support of democratic ideals, in itself a worthy aim. Victoria has established an Equal Opportunity Commission which is empowered to develop programs under this legislation. One of their programs, called "Stand up to Racism", promotes positive regard for Islam's stand on universal human rights.

Positive regard for Islam's stand on universal human rights??? Would those be women's rights? Children's rights? The rights of other faiths? Or is it just another excuse for Islam to silence the truth-tellers who speak out against a cult that is trying to enslave or destroy those who don't adhere to its teachings? Teachings which were written by a sun-addled madman on a rock.

To pursue their complaint, the well-funded Islamic Council of Victoria has retained the services of the prestigious Australian law firm, Allens Arthur Robinson, which has offices in seven countries throughout the Asia-Pacific Region.

The case is one of the first to be brought under the new legislation and its result will set an important precedent which will have influence and ramifications not only in Victoria, but also in other parts of Australia. Many evangelical Christians in the state fear that the Islamic Council of Victoria is using the case to stifle all criticism of Islam or Muslims, in effect bringing in a pseudo-blasphemy law to protect Islam. Similar legislation against religious 'hate speech' is currently before parliament in both New Zealand and the UK and is prompting serious concern from libertarians and supporters of free speech who fear the similar misuse of such laws.

Islam is once again using our own laws against us. And once again, we are letting them.

Diagnosis: Dhimmitude.

Airlines raise taxes: Poor hardest hit?

I go through periods where I am flush with cash, and I love to travel. But when the chips (and the bank balance) are down, I tend to stick close to home. After all, trips are a privilege, not a right. Or at least, I think so. But then again, who am I to take such responsibility for my own life and finances?

Carbon dioxide emissions from aviation are set to rise five-fold, the Commons environmental audit committee says.

It says the government has a "fatalistic" approach to the problem.

But budget airline Easyjet said the MPs' calls for higher taxes would be unfair to poor holidaymakers and fail to make planes more efficient.

Poor holidaymakers? You mean, the ones who should be staying home until they can afford to travel? Remember people, air travel in Europe thanks to Easyjet and Ryanair are cheaper than we here in North America could ever dream of. I used to get penny flights to Paris that would cost me £20 round-trip. So what? Now they would cost £30? Big freaking deal. If you can't afford a £30 trip, you shouldn't be travelling. A holiday is not a right.

Cox & Forkum

I haven't weighed in on this particular scandal over the weekend, because I've been doing my utmost to relax and keep the ol' blood pressure down. But now it's Monday (albeit a holiday throughout most of Canada), and it's back to business.

There are actually two parts to the sad sorry tale of Al-Reuters: The photoshopping by a Lebanese photographer, and the death threat to Charles Johnson.

A Reuters employee was suspended after using the company's internet access to issue a threat saying "I look forward to the day when you pigs get your throats cut."

The e-mail was sent to Charles Johnson, who maintains the of Little Green Footballs blog.

Johnson said, "This particular death threat is a bit different from the run of the mill hate mail we get around here, because an IP lookup on the sender reveals that he/she/it was using an account at none other than Reuters News," adding "I think it's more than fair to say that Reuters has a big problem," according to YNet News.

Reuters spokesman Ed Williams said that "I can confirm that an employee has been suspended pending further investigation. The individual was not an employee of Reuters' news division."

Reuters Retracts Lebanon Photo

Relatedly, Reuters said it has retracted a photograph of Beirut, Lebanon, and credited to Adnan Hajj, after discovering that it was altered - and as reported at the Little Green Footballs blog. The photograph had shown two plumes of black smoke rising out of buildings in Beirut.

The retracted photograph was titled "Smoke billows from burning buildings destroyed during an overnight Israeli air raid on Beirut's suburbs August 5, 2006. Many buildings were flattened during the attack. REUTERS/Adnan Hajj"

Charles has delved deeper into the photshopping by Adnan Hajj and wonders if he is in league with the man known as "Green Helmet". He also reports that Reuters has pulled all photos by Hajj.

LGF is slow today. Remember that patience is a virtue.

I don't understand this story. Why invest all this time and money into the Homeless World Cup of Soccer when maybe that money and effort could go into getting these people off the streets?

A different brand of World Cup fever will hit Winnipeg this weekend.

But instead of highly paid elite soccer stars, the teams are made up of homeless men.

Players from Calgary and Toronto will be in the city on Saturday on a quest for a berth in the Homeless World Cup.

Forty-eight countries will compete in the international tournament Sept. 23-30 in Cape Town, South Africa.

Winnipeg is hosting the Canadian qualifying matches starting on Saturday. Sixteen players from the Calgary and Toronto teams will compete for eight spots on the Canadian Homeless National Team. To qualify for the team, players must have been homeless in the last year.

The organizers call it "hugely empowering" for the players. I have to just shake my head.

...when I read this. Does this mean I have to start shopping at Heather's Utopian Paradise again?

I'm feeling a little ADD today, so I'll just cover everything in one post.

I read the Metro on the subway on the way in this morning, and it annoyed me.

On page 3, the Toronto news. Written in 8pt font in their "News in Brief" was the resignation of Tarek Fatah from the Canadian Muslim Congress due to death threats and harrassment from within his own community. Only the Metro didn't bother to point that part out. They just said death threats. Far be it from them to let people know that the Religion of Peace isn't so peaceful after all. Fatah was the only sane practicing Muslim who bothered to speak out and yet was still a recognized member of the community. To lose his dissenting voice at the CMC will be devastating. If you want the whole scoop, go here and here.

On page 4, I learned that an 18th suspect in the Toronto terror plot was arrested and denied bail.

On page 6, in a small area at the top of the page, I read of a Halifax man who installed a satellite dish on his condo balcony which violates the bylaw, and was ordered to take it down. The man, Ahmed Assal, "alleges that his religious and ethnic rights were violated." He's a Muslim, and was using the dish to watch Arabic TV. He has, of course, brought it up to a Human Rights Tribunal (I wish we would just get over ourselves and start calling it a Sharia court). Hint to Mr. Assal: They have Arabic TV in Egypt. Go back. More on the story here.

On page 10, a large black headline reading Israel launches new airstrikes. Further down the page in smaller font Afghan market blast leaves 21 dead. But the media isn't biased...

In a tiny 34 word blurb on page 12:

Muslim leaders demanded an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah at an emergecny meeting in Malaysia to discuss the crisis, where Iran's hardline president said the solution was the obliteration of the Jewish state. [emphasis mine]

Gotta admire such a peaceful religion...

On the same page, I was really excited to learn that I could tan on an all-woman beach - so long as I'm wearing a burqa. Riccione, in Italy, is authorizing hotels to partition their beaches by sex to appeal to the Muslim holiday crowd.

Remember the other day when I said:

If I started a faith that worshipped Charles Manson or Jeffrey Dahmer, and managed to get enough people to follow me, would that make my faith legitimate? Would I be eligible for tax deductions and protections under the Charter? What if the doctrines of my faith demanded that I kill starlets or eat gay prostitutes? Would I still be protected? Maybe, if I did it symbolically. If I just pretended to kill starlets and eat gay prostitutes, like in a ritual passion play, then maybe I could get away with it. But the day I actually go out and follow my holy doctrine to the letter, putting the lives of others in danger, I would have the wrath of society, the cops, the feds and socio-political pundits all over my ass. And rightly so. Why not with Islam?

Well, somebody beat me to it:

A suburban Cleveland man accused of sexually assaulting nine disabled boys told a judge Wednesday that his apartment was a religious sanctuary where smoking marijuana and having sex with children are sacred rituals protected by civil rights laws.

This idiot is a "minister" for some wacky pagan cult. Mohammed was a minister of a wacky pagan cult. He also fucked children.

Tell me again why Islam gets to be a "religion"?

Those who spend a lot of time online aren't necessarily anti-social, they are "differently social," suggests the report.

Geez, I wonder if there's a short bus or an olympics for that...

Internet users spend less time with friends and family and doing outdoor activities than people who rarely log on, but don't assume they are anti-social, a new report suggests.

The Statistics Canada study released yesterday used data from the 2005 General Social Survey that asked respondents to provide an account of all of their activities over a 24-hour period. The study looked at time spent online for personal use, separating it from time spent for work or education purposes in order to assess the social impacts of Internet use.

What it found was that heavy Internet users, those who log on for more than an hour a day for personal use, lead different lifestyles than moderate users, between five and 60 minutes, or non-users.

Heavy Internet users spend less time sleeping, relaxing and thinking, and they tend to be homebodies, the study said. They show less interest in outdoor activities and participating in sports, attending sporting or other events, going to the movies and engaging in volunteer work.

I disagree with that last paragraph. While I have never had an interest in sports or mosquitoes, I am still an extreme extrovert who loves to go out. The only difference is that now, thanks to the internet, I have found more people in my area who share my interests, and I go out and socialize in larger groups. I do spend less time sleeping and relaxing but I spend a good deal more time thinking than I used to. Then again, I don't use the Net for purely entertainment purposes, either. It's hard to find war and terror entertaining, unless you are an Islamic freak.

The study indicates frequent surfers spent about half an hour less with spouses and with children than did non-users, as well as less time on housekeeping.

Yeah, the housework thing. But I was always like that. The Internet just gave me the excuse I was looking for...

You make me feel like a sticky pistil...
leaning into a stamen
You make me feel like a mister sunshine...
Himself
You make me feel like splendor in the grass...
While we're rollin'
Damn skippy baby
You make me feel like the Amazon's runnin' between...
my thighs

Paula Cole ~ Feelin Love

Must be the weather. Must be the way my skin has a sheen of moisture on it the moment I step outside. Maybe there's an electrical storm coming.

I just wish this damn heatwave would break...

Japnaam over at the Shotgun has started a thread that has us all talking. Come join the discussion.