On this day 30 years ago, the angel who was sent to save my life was born. Every year I make it a point to celebrate the day, and the life of the one who was tasked by the Divine to rescue a sick, battered orphan.

I don't know what purpose I was saved for. Take a bullet for the president? Find a cure for something? Heed the Oracle of Steyn?? No idea. All I know is that I was down as low as a person could get, and as I lay in a hospital bed and opened my eyes, I saw him there, and for the first time I saw the golden light around him. And I began to believe. For the first time in my life, I had faith.

I tend to think that after all these years he probably wouldn't care much for the person I've become in terms of politics and ideals. Perhaps if he knew how I saw him, he may even rue his participation in my continued existence. For of course, he never knew he was doing the work of someone more powerful that himself. In his mind he was just a kind boy caring for a sick girl. But he was so much more than that: he was put in my path for a reason.

If I chose to I could pick up the phone and once more hear his voice, but I have chosen not to. His work with me is complete, and I won't bother him in his life. He is successful and happy and brilliant and everything I knew he could be. That is his reward. I'll not spoil it.

He continues to be the standard by which I judge all humanity. Not just the impossible standard that no man could ever hope to live up to, but the standard by which ALL humanity is measured. Will any of us ever measure up? I hold out hope - he taught me to hope.

Happy birthday, my angel. And thank you for this life you have given me. It isn't always easy, but I owe it to you to try.

Labels: Ghosts, Personal

I never know what to get for Kathy. I can't buy her books - she has thousands of them and I just know I'd buy one she recently bought for herself. Same with DVDs. Frilly girly stuff is out, cause that's just not her style (though I often think I'd could find the perfect Kathy item in a vintage thrift shop).

And now, I finally know exactly what she wants for her blogaversary, and I have no idea how to set about getting it for her. So if some camel-fellating bearded despot has any idea, please see what you can do, ok?

Thanks.

Labels: Blogging, Islam, Kathy Shaidle

04/24/06 "I can't figure out why the homosexuals I ran into are on the side of the Muslims. After all, Muslims who practice Sharia law tend to advocate beheading homosexuals."

03/09/06 "I defy Islamic censorship and speak about what I believe is the truth
about violent Islamism and its threat to religious liberty in Canada."

"How many of us pay nothing but lip service to the Muslim threat here in Canada?"

"Probably everyone want to jail a Muslim."

"I have to ask why we are importing them here?"

"Islamic fundamentalism and its threat to Canada's religious and civil liberties."

Fuck you, Human Rights Tribunal.

This blog stands with Connie Wilkins of Free Dominion. The Human Rights courts are a sham and a disgrace, and a blatant misuse of taxpayer money. Speak out (while you still can).

I am Spartacus.

Labels: Canadiana, Connie Wilkins, FreeDominion, Human Rights, Kangaroo Court, Spartacus

Girls with pearls sometimes need a little pick-me-up, and we head off to the spa. In the past few months I've had the chance to sample several - some here in Toronto, and another way out in the South Pacific.

RightGirl gets her waxing done at The Ten Spot on Queen. Aside from the agony they inflict on my more sensitive areas, they do a great eyebrow job, too. Thursday nights they serve martinis with their pedicures, and they have a very funky west-end atmosphere. Clean, friendly, hip and urban. A girl party. Result: I had my ass glued shut by wax.

Last weekend I joined a friend at Body Blitz at Adelaide and Portland. While she was getting a massage, I had my body scrubbed with sea salt with herbs and oil to slough off a peeling sunburn. Mmmmm, bliss. I was given a disposable thong to wear (one size fits all, even my ample bottom!), scrubbed from head to toe, hosed down like a classic automobile, then moisturized till I was as soft as a baby. It's clothing optional in the pools, since it's a women only facility. The ambiance is "downtown" and has a warehouse-y feel to it, but still manages to be relaxing. Really, you haven't lived till you've relaxed in a cup of warm tea (part of their therapeutic water treatment circuit). No, really. The facilities are great, with fully stocked beauty bars for post-shower freshening up. Hair dryers, q-tips, and spray-on deodorant. There are also plastic baggies for you to put wet swimwear in, which I've never seen anywhere else and truly appreciated. They have a "no gratuity policy", which takes the guesswork out of things at the end of your treatment. You pay in advance, and leave when you're done. No fuss, no muss. One strange thing I discovered though was the effect of the concrete floor on my flip-flops. They suctioned, and I couldn't lift my feet! Even in the shower! But I had a great time, and I will return. Kim did my scrub, and was delightful. Result: I got great rocks of sea salt stuck in the crack of my ass.

The Elmwood Spa in Toronto (on Elm Street, natch) is a place I've been to a few times, including this evening for a facial. They seem to be undergoing perpetual renovations, and some areas are grotty and "under construction", but there is still high-end curb appeal to this place. The women's locker room has been re-done, and is gorgeous. Unfortunately, the private women's steam and whirlpool are "out of service". However I seemed to have the water therapies section to myself, and I enjoyed relaxing in the hot tub and splashing in the pool. I went there for a pre-Christmas pedicure, courtesy of my bosses who gave me a gift card. A pedicure at the Elmwood is cleaner than you will get from many places. All tools are sterilized in an autoclave between guests, and you are given your chosen bottle of nail polish, your pumice, your buffer and your orange stick to take home for touch-ups. Tonight I received one of the best facials I've ever had from Ani. Despite the extraction process, I have no red marks on my sensitive face. While the steam was on my face, she gave me a foot massage (how's that for service!?). My only complaint would be that the music was too high and the temperature too low in the facial room. Their beauty bar wasn't as well stocked as that of Body Blitz (great shampoo in the showers, but how about some deodorant for when I get out?), and given that swimwear is mandatory, those little baggies would have been nice. Thankfully I discovered a stash of plastic bags for sanitary purposes, and used one of those. I purchased cleanser on my way out, and their prices for products are very reasonable. Result: nothing in the crack of my ass (which is good, since I was there for a facial).

If money is no object in life, get your ass on a plane to Hawaii. Luxury is an understatement at the Ihilani. On the far flung South West cost of Oahu (as far away from the chaos of Honolulu and Waikiki as you can get without getting wet), in Ko'olina, is the JW Marriott Resort and Spa. It's where I spent my first Hawaiian night back in April, and at $400/night, I'm glad I only had to stay the one! I could wax poetic, writing sonnets about Ko'olina and the beaches and the golf course and the restaurant (Roy's), but I will try to focus just on the spa. My first trip to the spa was for a massage I booked on short notice. There is a men's section and a women's section, so swimsuits are optional in the hot tub, steam and sauna. There are indoor and outdoor lounges, with wicker chaises, tea and plenty of icy lemon water. A 20% gratuity is included in the price of each treatment. My masseuse, Ruby, had the most wonderful hands; a cross between a butcher and an angel. By the time she was finished working those travel knots out of me, I was ready to propose. Because of a sunburn I had got on the beach that morning, Ruby suggested I book an appointment to return the next day for a Cooling Ti-Leaf Wrap, which I did. Bobbi delivered that particular aloe-and-green-tea treatment, which did indeed take the fever out of my skin. Result: When I stood up from the table, there was a tea leaf stuck in the crack of my ass.

And now, my best kept beauty secret. How does RightGirl always manage to have such perfect manicure and pedicure? She must spend a fortune! Thankfully, I don't have to. For $35, Time for Nails will give you a fast-paced mani & pedi. The stereotypical Asian nail bar of indentured servitude, these ladies ROCK when it comes to giving great hands & feet. If you go mid-day it isn't so chaotic. But if you go at 5pm on a Friday, as I did today, it's a sardine can crossed with the henhouse babble of foreign tongue. They do the most awesome BioSculpt Gel nails, which I had refilled today. More expensive than a regular manicure, the gels run $45 for a full set and $35 for a fill. Totally worth it though. No chipping, no cracking - they can even withstand clumsiness and a staple-removing office environment.

This girl with pearls is sleepy now, and heading off to bed. Beauty is hard work!

Labels: Beauty, Girly Things, Hawaii, Manicures/Pedicures, Spas, Toronto

More lolterizts

Labels: Islamic Terror, lolcats, lolterizts

I Hate Crocs Dot Com

Remember, folks: Friends don't let friends wear Crocs.

Labels: Crocs, Fashion

Tissue alert.

Labels: People, Religion

The Nose On Your Face goes head to head with Ibrahim Hooper of CAIR over the image of "Islamic Rage Boy".

Labels: Islamic Rage Boy, Islamic Terror, TNOYF

I just don't have the same kind of resources as Black to do anything about it. But it doesn't mean I'll give up trying.

Conrad Black "simply outgrew the country".

Nice to know I have such elite company!

Labels: Canadiana, Conrad Black

Toxic toothpaste with antifreeze in it, canned food full of bacteria, lethal pet food with melamine, and now this.

Chopped cardboard, softened with an industrial chemical and made tasty with pork flavouring, is a main ingredient in batches of steamed buns sold in one Beijing neighbourhood, state television said.

What the hell is going on over there? And how does this bode for the upcoming Olympics?

Squares of cardboard picked from the ground are first soaked to a pulp in a plastic basin of caustic soda - a chemical base commonly used in manufacturing paper and soap - then chopped into tiny morsels with a cleaver. Fatty pork and powdered seasoning are stirred in.

My theory - and it's just a theory - is that it's been this way for a long, long time, and only now, due to the Olympic brouhaha, are we finally hearing about life in that secretive country.

From the AP:

Confidence in the safety of Chinese exports has severely waned internationally, as the list of products found tainted with dangerous levels of toxins and chemicals grows longer by the day.

China has taken significant steps to try to clean up its dubious product safety record in recent days, including executing the former head of its drug regulation agency for taking bribes and banning the use of a chemical found in antifreeze in the production of toothpaste.

This week, officials vowed the Beijing Summer Games - a source of tremendous national pride - will be part of the crackdown on unsafe food.

The new food quality monitoring system announced Thursday will begin Aug. 8, the start of a series of 11 trials for Olympic organizers to assess their transportation systems, technology and logistics.

Sounds like they've got a big job ahead of them.

Labels: China, Food, Olympics

Coach. When you care enough to send the very best.

Labels: Coach, Fashion

One of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's sons has married a middle aged parish councillor from Cheshire after a holiday romance, it has been reported.

The new "Mrs Bin Laden", whose father-in-law is the most wanted man in the world, is Jane Felix-Browne, a 51-year-old grandmother.

She met 27-year-old Omar Ossama bin Laden on a sunshine break in Egypt in September, according to the Times.

Her new husband is currently working as a scrap metal dealer in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, while she applies for a visa so he can visit Britain, the paper said.

Mrs Felix-Browne told the Times she had "married the son, not the father" and hoped people would not judge her harshly.

Oh my. What does one send to that nuptial? C4? An infidel on a silver platter? Curtains for the cave?

Labels: Al Qaeda, bin Laden

A Jordanian court sentenced a man to six months in prison Monday for killing his pregnant sister - an "honor killing" the man said was necessary to uphold his family's reputation.

The court justified the lenient sentence, saying it was warranted due to the "state of fury" that led to the woman's slaying.

According to the court, when the woman told her brother she was five months pregnant with her former husband's child, he began chasing her and pulled on her scarf to strangle her. He then put a pillow on her head and sat on it until she suffocated.

The court said the woman's confession angered her brother and caused him to act in an irrational way. The court also said the woman's "shameful behavior" deviated from the traditions of Jordanian society and harmed her family's honor.

In Jordan, an average of 20 women are killed in "honor killings" by male relatives each year. Men have the final say in all family matters in the conservative Muslim society, where many consider sex out of wedlock an indelible stain on a family's reputation.

Some women in conservative circles of society have been killed simply for dating.

A fine society. Can't wait for them to take us over so we can all live like that.

Labels: Honor Killiing, Islam, Jordan

The Securities and Exchange Commission has made it a little easier for us patriot-types to know where to invest our money. They have released a list of 100 companies who contribute to state-sponsored terrorism. And there are four Canadian companies on that list.

Five countries - Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan and Syria - are highlighted on the SEC site on a web page called "Countries the secretary of state has designated as state sponsors of terrorism."

That page leads to others that list around 100 companies, including some Canadian ones such as Petro-Canada, which sold oil properties in Syria two years ago, and the Calgary-based Precision Drilling, an oilfield services company with drilling rigs in Iran.

Also included are Ontario-based YM BioSciences Inc., and Lundin Mining, whose registered address is in Vancouver, B.C.

Call your broker. Don't support terror in an effort to get rich.

Some of the well-known names on the list are; Benetton S.p.A., Four Seasons Hotels Inc., Nokia Corp., Xerox Corp., Unilever PLC, and Reuters Group PLC.

Al Reuters? The devil you say!

Labels: SEC, War on Terror

Four men have been found guilty of plotting to bomb London's transport network on 21 July 2005.

Muktar Ibrahim, 29, Yassin Omar, 26, Ramzi Mohammed, 25, and Hussain Osman, 28, were convicted at Woolwich Crown Court of conspiracy to murder.

The men had tried to detonate rucksacks laden with explosives on the Tube and a bus, killing themselves and passengers.

****

The guilty four, who were all born in East Africa and came to the UK in the 1990s, stocked up on large quantities of hydrogen peroxide from hairdressing suppliers, ahead of 21 July 2005.

Omar's eighth-floor flat in New Southgate, north London, was turned into a bomb factory.

How can they be guilty of terror? Islam is such a peaceful religion. I'm sure these men just wanted to give everyone nice summer highlights...

Labels: Islamic Terror, United Kingdom

But spend some money, anyway.

It's the middle of the year. No big holidays in sight, no special seasons that inspire our generosity. And yet this is the time of year when donations are so very needed to help support our military men and women. The wonderful donations given to Soldiers' Angels at Christmas have long since been used, and yet the need is still great. I'm sure even the troops have noticed the trend - during Christmas and other big holidays they are swamped with carepackages and letters of support, which is great - really it is! Yet it has to make them wonder where that support is the rest of the year. Do we give because we are 'supposed to' during the 'season of giving'?

It is always the right time to thank these men and women, and show our appreciation for their service.

I'm keeping this post at the top of the page till July 4th. Help us hit our 100K!

Labels: Military, Soldiers Angels

To television bosses, it may have seemed a moment of onscreen madness.

But to viewers fed up with the whole Paris Hilton saga, it was a long-awaited outbreak of sanity.

American newsreader Mika Brzezinski, co-presenter of MSNBC's Morning Joe programme, refused to read out the story of the celebrity socialite's release from jail ahead of items on Iraq and developments at the White House.

Miss Brzezinski then screwed up, shredded and attempted to set fire to the script on air. She told viewers: "I hate it and I don't think it should be our lead. I just don't believe in covering that story, at least not as the lead story on the newscast, when we have a day like today."

Labels: Celebrities, Paris Hilton

... but that still doesn't make me any more comfortable with this measure.

Cyber-bullies who plague internet chat rooms with obscene and insulting comments will be banned under the first national scheme to strip them of their anonymity.

People going online will be forced to provide their real names and social security numbers under a new law that makes internet portals responsible for policing message boards and weblogs.

The law has been introduced in South Korea, and is certain to be closely monitored by other countries where there is concern over online abuse.

The move, which is decried by some as an overly fierce infringement of online liberties, aims to curb the most damaging excesses of so-called "keyboard warriors" – people who concoct sex-scandals, fraud allegations and other libels that chiefly target figures in the public eye.

No thanks. As long as I'm not getting spammed, I'm pretty tolerant in my comments section. No death threats, no spam... other than that you can say what you want. I have rarely (very rarely) deleted or banned anyone. If you want to be an anonymous wank-stain, you're welcome to it.

Labels: Blogging, First Amendment, Tech

Well, looks like the Religion of Peace(tm) has gone completely off their nut in the UK, most likely using the excuse of SIR Salman Rushdie's knighthood as an excuse for their violence.

In addition to the foiled plots in Haymarket on Friday (well done to the eagle-eyes of the ambulance crew who spotted the suspicious car packed with explosives), Glasgow Airport - my very last scene of Scotland before Mr. Right and I moved back to Canada - was attacked by some rank amateurs yesterday.

Allah is Greatest, huh? I beg to differ.

Labels: Islamic Terror, Scotland, United Kingdom