iPhone & Rogers...

Go over and sign the petition... not that it will change anything.

Also interesting that the Vice-Chairman of the CRTC in charge of Telecommunications worked for Rogers for 17 years, eh?

Best Regards...

Imp;)

TheStar.com | Canada | 12 million bees escape after truck overturns

TheStar.com | Canada | 12 million bees escape after truck overturns:

"He says rain is keeping the bees under control, but an emergency call has been made to the Department of Agriculture for assistance."

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

I suspect that the call that was made was a little more heated than the description above.

Probably something like "OMFG, I sooooo didn't get any training for this..."

And that being said, this is one event likely to keep the local community buzzing for some time to come...

;-)

Hmmm... probably true.

A recent study found the average Canadian walks about 900 miles a year.

Another study found Canadians drink, on average, 22 gallons of beer a year.

That means, on average, Canadians get about 41 miles to the gallon.

Kind Of Makes You Proud To Be Canadian, Eh? ;-)

Rogers' new iPhone 3G plans anger some Canadians

Rogers' new iPhone 3G plans anger some Canadians:

"And, of course, there were multiple instances in which our Canadian friends compared Rogers' pricing structure to a certain form of sexual assault."

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

Yep, that about sums it up. :-\

Happy B-Day Week out to Sheena...

As always, happy birthday wishes to Sheena, Queen of DOCS™.

Last year, Sheena declared a moratorium on single-day birthday celebrations and has now carved out an entire week from the calendar for Herself.

I first met Sheena in a ECM / DM class waaay back on May 25th, 1999. While I continue to lament her weird association/fascination with the Liberal Party, I have decided to overlook this flaw in view of her other redeeming qualities.

Reprising my top 10 list from last year, on the same occasion:

What I've learned from Sheena, over the years:

1) Lack of style is not a style in and of itself (life is too short to surround yourself with ugly shi... er, stuff).
2) High-end brand-name goods have their own unique charm and shouldn't be thrown away, even if they are broken and hidden in the back of your closet.
3) When you're going through a monetarily-challenged phase of your life, almost nobody will know that the stuff you pick up in a NYC alleyway is not real haute-couture.
4) Vegas and Glocks; not just for the police, anymore.
5) Friends don't let friends buy expensive sun-glasses, they get Harry Rosen to personally write you an email to berate your fashion sense.
6) Hong Kong on Remembrance Day... props girl... this alone would make you a minor-goddess, even if nothing else did.
7) Cult followings are a fashion accessory, use them accordingly.
8) You never can find too many uses for whole-roast suckling pig.
9) CN Rail and the dummy corporations used to track graffiti all over North America.
10) You can never go through too many cell-phones.

Happy Sheenaday; drop me a note when you're next in town and we'll open a d'Arenberg.

Best Regards,

Impious One.

TheStar.com | GTA | Brother charged with murder

TheStar.com | GTA | Brother charged with murder:

"Waqas Parvez, 27, was originally charged with obstructing police after his 16-year-old sister, Aqsa Parvez, was strangled in early December at her Mississauga home.

Their father, Mohammed Parvez, 57, was charged with first-degree murder in the case. He will now stand trial with his son."

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

A so-called 'honour' killing.

Not surprising however that the Canadian media has declined to explain the history and prevalence of 'honour' killings inside the Islamic faith.

Looking back and looking ahead: Bill Gates leaves Microsoft

Looking back and looking ahead: Bill Gates leaves Microsoft:

"Bill Gates' dream became a reality. In the West, at least, we have a computer on every desktop (and in every home, and I suspect before too long in every bedroom), and that wouldn't have happened without Bill Gates and Microsoft."

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

Kudos to Bill, and happy 'Retirement'.

Love MS or hate MS, without Bill Gates, the world would have been a much worse-off place.

TheStar.com | GTA | Port Credit anglers rescue deer

TheStar.com | GTA | Port Credit anglers rescue deer:

"hauled in a young male deer, who had been stranded four kilometres out in the lake, swimming south toward the United States."

*********

And they say that us Canadians are lax on border security. Granted, there has been some negative press, but surely this bucks the trend...

;-)

"Grand Theft Auto" settlement dwarfed by plaintiffs' legal bill - International Herald Tribune

"Grand Theft Auto" settlement dwarfed by plaintiffs' legal bill - International Herald Tribune:

"Far bigger than the payout to plaintiffs will be the fees sought by the lawyers who brought the class action. Lesser and his colleagues at 10 other law firms have asked for more than $1.3 million - compared with less than $30,000 that Take-Two Interactive's lawyers say it will spend to resolve the claims for $5 to $35 each, or a clean copy of the game."

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

Ah, Lawyers.

;-)

Muslims perceive rebuff from Obama campaign - International Herald Tribune

Muslims perceive rebuff from Obama campaign - International Herald Tribune:

"Muslim Americans from California to Virginia responded with enthusiasm, seeing him as a long-awaited champion of civil liberties, religious tolerance and diplomacy in foreign affairs. But more than a year later, many say, he has not returned their embrace."

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

This article is no doubt brought to you by the Republican Party...

;-)

San Francisco may name sewage treatment plant after Bush - International Herald Tribune

San Francisco may name sewage treatment plant after Bush - International Herald Tribune:

"change the name of a prize-winning water-treatment plant on the shoreline to the George W. Bush Sewage Plant."

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

/me looks south with no little amusement @ his Yank friends, refuses to be baited into a cross-border debate on the merits of said plan.

:-D

Potty humour, after all is a horrible, horrible thing.

;-)

globeandmail.com: Researchers reveal iPhone cost

globeandmail.com: Researchers reveal iPhone cost:

"The phone will go on sale in 21 other countries including Canada on July 11, at varying prices, all subsidized by carriers."

***********

The issue is of course that Rogers (the only carrier with GSM technology here in Canada) will demand a minimum 3-year contract if you want the iPhone.

Data rates in Canada are totally out to lunch; I checked my bill last night, and if I were to use my Motorola to access data, I would be paying over $50 a meg.

Mind you, if I signed up for a data-plan, it would cost me, oh about $90 / month / 1Gb.

I think I'll stick with the iPod Touch for a while, thanx.

Zimbabwe

TheStar.com | World | Soldiers chased Mugabe rival to embassy:

"On the campaign trail Monday, Mugabe repeated his charges that Tsvangirai is being used by Western powers intent on re-colonizing Zimbabwe. Tsvangirai has rejected such accusations."

***********

Honestly, at this point, who would actually _want_ it?

globeandmail.com: Council pulls trigger on gun clubs

globeandmail.com: Council pulls trigger on gun clubs:

"Two gun clubs on city property - including one in the rafters of Union Station - will get the boot under Mayor David Miller's new rules aimed at curbing the number of handguns in the city, approved yesterday by city council."

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

Given that the vast majority of gun crime in Canada, let alone Toronto is done by criminal elements, using illegal handguns smuggled across the border from the US (usually in a drugs-for-firearms swap), this measure is at best pandering for votes. At worst, it is refusing to address the real root-causes of guns and gang behavior in Toronto.

Namely:

1) Stricter sentencing for violent offenders, especially those involved in the drug trade.
2) Enforcement of existing narcotic laws against casual users, as well as dealers.
3) Lack of law-enforcement personnel.
4) A culture of selectively overlaying political agendas on human behaviors to substantiate your positions.

Necessity is the mother of invention...

CANOE -- CNEWS - Weird News: Stranded hiker uses sports bra to signal rescuers:

"an American hiker stranded in the Bavarian Alps for nearly three days was rescued after using her sports bra as an SOS flag."

Chattanooga, TN

July 10-14th...

I SHOULD be getting my @ss down to Atlanta too, but I was unable to convince the wardens here at Stalag Luft III that they should cover that portion of the itinerary.

See ya down there, those that go there.

The iPhone's Next Frontier: Porn - TIME

The iPhone's Next Frontier: Porn - TIME:

"'It's by far the porn-friendliest phone,' says Devan Cypher, representative for San Francisco-based Sin City Entertainment."

*****

Inevitable, I suppose.

Court quashes dad's grounding of 12-year-old daughter

Court quashes dad's grounding of 12-year-old daughter

*sigh*

Six... :-\

globeandmail.com: Sixth foot found on B.C. shore:

"Another human foot is believed to have been discovered on a B.C. shore, the sixth such grisly discovery in the last ten months."

globeandmail.com: Fifth severed foot found near shore

globeandmail.com: Fifth severed foot found near shore: "VANCOUVER -- Yet another human foot has washed ashore in British Columbia waters - the fifth such gruesome find in the past year."

****

Ahem. No crass comments about this story having legs; the saga just seems to keep marching on...

Mysterious 'Gas Men' dole out cash at the pumps - Yahoo! News

Mysterious 'Gas Men' dole out cash at the pumps - Yahoo! News

PLAINVILLE, Conn. - They don't climb tall buildings in a single bound, but the mysterious "Gas Men" are super heroes to some fed-up motorists. The unknown duo were dressed in sunglasses, baseball caps, khakis and matching green golf shirts when they gave Gayle Kilburn a $100 bill on Thursday as she filled up her car at a Citgo in Plainville.

They also handed her a card that read "Re-Fueling Our Community" and was signed "The Gas Men."

Kilburn says she was stunned by the gesture and at first thought it was a stunt with Monopoly money. She later realized it was real cash and used it to fill her tank.

She said the Gas Men also helped five or six other customers.

globeandmail.com: Girl injured as turkey flies into school bus

Thankful of course that there were no injuries involved. However, that being said:

"As god is my witness, I thought Turkeys could fly."

;-) Ah, where has all the good TV gone?

***

globeandmail.com: Girl injured as turkey flies into school bus

Girl injured as turkey flies into school bus

The Canadian Press

June 13, 2008 at 2:26 AM EDT

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE, ONT. — A girl was injured Thursday when a wild turkey flew into the side of a school bus full of Toronto students on their way to a performance at the Shaw Festival.

The girl was taken to hospital as a precaution after she was hit with shattered glass as the bird came through the window.

The incident occurred as the Grade 7 and 8 students from St. Mark's elementary school were travelling along Niagara Stone Road in Niagara-on-the-Lake on Thursday morning.

A teacher says the bird flew out of a wooded area and crashed into a window in the middle of the bus.

Teacher Rey Sandre says they heard “a smash or a bang” and found a turkey had flown through the window.

The driver pulled the bus to the side of the road, opened the door, and the bird got off the bus.

“The turkey just walked away,” Mr. Sandre said. “Everybody was in a state of shock.”

Wild turkeys look similar to farm turkeys but are smaller.

Wild turkeys are capable of flying and can cover more than a kilometre at a time while airborne.

Ain't it the truth...

A spokesman for United Arab Emirates Airlines says it will launch non-stop flights from the United States to Dubai.

The spokesman said, "We want to give Americans a chance to visit their money."

- Conan O'Brien

The Associated Press: Typo on diplomas embarrasses Ohio principal

:-D

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

The Associated Press: Typo on diplomas embarrasses Ohio principal:

4 days ago

WESTLAKE, Ohio (AP) — A Cleveland-area principal says he's embarrassed his students got proof of their 'educaiton' on their high school diplomas.

Westlake High School officials misspelled 'education' on the diplomas distributed last weekend. It's been the subject of mockery on local radio.

Principal Timothy Freeman says he sent back the diplomas once to correct another error. When the diplomas came back, no one bothered to check things they thought were right the first time.

The publisher has reprinted the diplomas a second time and sent them to the 330 graduates."

Sad, Really... ;-)

In the larger sense, Hillary Clinton ending her campaign is really kind of sad.

It means the Clinton dream of being a two impeachment family goes right down the drain.

- David Letterman

:D

Standing Ovation

When speaking in Montana, Barack Obama got a standing ovation when he said, "It is time to take back the country."

The bad news - he was on an Indian reservation at the time.

- Jay Leno

Who can blame him? ;-)

Time magazine says that former President Bill Clinton is pushing very hard for Barack Obama to choose Hillary as his vice president.

Bill says, "Hillary would be a great vice president - or a great ambassador to any country that's far, far away."

- Conan O'Brien