Ducks and Movies

Ok, first off, three cheers for the Mighty Ducks yet again! 1-0 for the Ducks against the Senators, which puts the Mighty of Mighty Ducks at 2-0 in the race to the cup. Who knows, perhaps this is the stretch of the game where the Ducks sweep the Senators 4-0 and advance with ease. Took all the over time games out the door, realized they needed to kick butt and take names to get the cup and are now on the path to doing it.

Next, I have been watching a lot of subtitled movies lately. Why? not really sure. I think it could be just due to the fact that I am saving money and none of the english movies at the library are really worth watching and all that is left are foreign films. After watching Amelie and Pan's Labrynth, I got the feeling that perhaps there are more to those movies than meets the eye. I have gone through quite a bit of Wong Kar Wai's movies (which I think are alright, but really out of the ones I have seen, not the best) and Zhang Yimou (excellent director, makes fantastic movies that speak a message and give characters that are heart felt and really dynamic and personable). Though, one thing I have always been worried about, not only in movies but in real life as well, is what is being said and what is being subtitled.

Growing up, we would go to german movies with a friend that spoke fluent (well, supposedly fluent german, but since we didnt speak a word of german he could have been speaking goggle-dee-gook to us and talking out of his ass when translating from foreign films when the main american hero came up against the evil german villian) and get the play by play on how horrible the translation of the subtitles was. It was almost as if the people on the screen were talking about who they banged at the bar last friday night and the subtitles were telling us how the characters were talking about the one protagonists long lost mother and how it formed their bond together as friends. I also thought this is what happened in real life, as I am sure many many many North Americans fear and feel when people from other countries come over here and speak their native tongue on a regular basis. The ever popular fear that they are speaking and giving the translation "he says 'you are such a wonderful guy, thank you'" when in fact the actual words were "what a freaking moron! glad I short changed that honky bastard".

The last movie I watched that really made me think was So Close by director Corey Yuen. The film opens with a major corporations computer system crashing and everyone talking viruses and restarting the core and all that techno mumbo-jumbo that makes me close my eyes and go "ALT-CTRL-DEL, dudes!". This was a Hong Kong filmed, dubbed into english so the subtitles read "the computer is crashing, pay them what they want" when in fact, the dubbing in english said something a little more colourful like "they are dumping the main frame, give the mother fuckers what they want damn it!". I can understand how the subtitles are in limited spacing and if they actually did all the words blow by blow that it would take a lot of subtitles and the subtitles would fly by so fast during the action scenes that the audience would lose track of looking down to read and then looking up at the action. However, it just little things like that when watching films that make me wonder, how accurate are the subtitles that are in the foreign films that don't include dubbing? Though I did wonder why in some movies the characters would talk about 15 seconds in chinese/italian/french and the subtitle would read "yes, please". But, then again, that is another thing that happens, with the bad B-rated japanese movies of Godzilla as demonstrated by Kevin Johnson here:



But, yeah, the whole worried thing might be just because I am paranoid....but I only started being paranoid when I found out they were all out to get me!

Ducks 1 - Sens 0

Looks like the Ducks are out to a great start. 3-2 win for the Ducks over the Senators. Next game is on Wednesday and let's hope the Ducks keep going. Yet again, my desire to see my team win is fighting over the desire to keep the cup in Canada. But, so far my desire to see The Ducks engraved on the Stanely Cup is outweighing my patriotic passion. But, once the Ducks have the cup this year and their name is etched in history, then I will start cheering for a Canadian team.

Pirates 3 - 3 arrrgh mateys of 5 arrrgh mateys

What to say about Pirates 3: At Worlds End. Hard to put it into words considering on one hand I can say that it was obviously an entertaining and interesting movie, but on the other hand I have to say that it was as confusing as hell.

The first piece of evidence that puts in favor of it being a good movie is that I really didn't notice the 3 hours that the movie was and it couldnt have just been because of the special effects. For instance, in all of the Lord of The Ring movies, I felt every single second on my ass (which went numb after the first 45 minutes of the movie and then alternated between numb and pins and needles) and that was a three hour movie and the special effects were quite specatular, there was no doubt about that. When it came to the Pirates, I walked out of the theatre amazed that the time had past so quickly and all. I must have been able to find enjoyment in the characters, the writing, the plot and storyline since LOTR taught me that special effects alone can not make my ass from going numb while watching a movie but you have to have actual substance to the film. The characters were still amusing and laughable, the situations that they put themselves in were still amazingly simplistic and yet enjoyably complex at the same time.

What made it so bad? the huge problem I had keeping track of all the deals made, broken, remade and rebroken throughout the whole movie. About halfway through the movie I gave up trying to figure out what was going on and keeping track of who was backstabbing who for which gain and just said "right, entertain me and blow some stuff up while you are at it". One friend of mine, when I said this, made the comment that they were pirates, so they werent supposed to follow the deals, and yet commented on their honour as pirates. Personally, I am of the thought that the pirates are really really stupid and trusting to think that any of the people that they are making deals with are going to uphold their end of the bargain. In real life consider this. You catch an employee stealing money from your business, you threaten turning him to the cops, he says "let me go, I will be your mole and bring you many more people stealing from your business", you let him go, 1 week later you find him stealing money from you again. Now, how many times do you hear the deal "let me go and I will bring you more people stealing money from you" from him before you say "you have got to be kidding" and call the cops? I mean, if you say 'fool me once, shame on you: fool me twice, shame on me', what do you say when you are being fooled by the same people 5-6 times in a row? who gets the shame then, or does it just make you more and more of an idiot?

The one thing that I do regret is not sticking around til the end of the movie, past the credits, because apparently there is talk that there is a scene past the credits that is supposed to give insight into the film itself and possibly about the Flying Dutchman. Now, I havent spoken to anyone yet that can confirm or deny this, all I know is that I am not really wanting to spend another $13 to go and see this movie again just to watch 30 seconds past the credits. Not that it was a bad movie, just that it wasnt really worth a second viewing. Usual Suspects, Sixth Sense, V for Vendetta and My Best Friends Wedding...THESE were movies worth multiple viewings. Pirates: At Worlds End, not worth mutliple viewings.

Though I would like to ask anyone that possibly reads this, please, am I the only one these days that find the scenes at the end of the movie credits to be incredibly annoying? I mean, yes there has to be a way to keep people in their seats to watch the credits so you can read who the 'gaffer' was, or perhaps read who caterered to the star, or who did the wardrobe for the gaffer who was associated to the caterer for Depp, because now that movies are getting more and more complex they have so many people working on it that credits last 7-10 minutes and no one wants to be bored watching and reading them all. Not like in the old days when credits were 30 seconds because there was basically the main stars, producer, director, organist and one camera guy. Now there are more people than you can shake a stick at and they ALL have to be mentioned. So by putting a 30 second bit at the end of the credits, people are forced to sit through the credits, listen to the background music and wait. So it might be a workable tool, but in the end, freaking annoying. Put the scenes before the credits, roll the credits and that is it. If movie people are so anal about having their names read, why dont the movie people just contract the theatres to lock all their doors so that no one can leave until the movie is done, thus forcing us to read everyones name so we can pat all the 'little people' who brought us these great, super long, butt numbing movies. But, hey, that is just my little rant on the whole movie process.

Sound Bite

Ok, sound bite for the day. I was watching Speakers Corner tonight and they were asking the question "what do you think life was like in the universe before the big bang?". I went looking through Youtube and google places for this bit so that I could prove that I am not lying when I write what I heard being said. There was the usual answers of "nothingness" and "space", though a funny one was "A vast nothingness and void...sort of like Saskatchewan". However, the prize goes to two women, though I should also mention that they both were blonde but I dont think that has anything to do with their comments, that had this to say (Slightly paraphrased I am afraid but the meaning is there):

"I think we should stop taking the easy route out for creation and give credit where credit is due. There was no big bang but instead God created everything as we see it today. Why take the easy way out and say that it had to do with a big explosion. We should stick to the truth, and that truth is that God created the universe and all that is in it and not some stupid explosion"

Ok...the Big Bang theory is the 'easy' way out? You mean compiling scientific data, mathematical equations and rationale thought and plausability about the existance of anti-matter joining with other spacial anomolies to create life as we know it is the 'easy way out', whereas taking a book (basically a story) written by madmen/prophets and how some omnipotent/omnipresent being snapped his fingers and in 6 days created the cosmos and all that is around out of nothing is the harder thing to prove. Ok...right...

For that sort of thinking, I believe these two blondes deserve the Sound Bite Of The Week Award.

little fish swim to catch the bigger fish

Reading an article such as this is always a sort of good/bad feeling. I mean, it is always good to read that criminals higher up than the small town drug pusher on the street get busted, severly hampering the whole drug trade. So that is always good. However, the bad feeling I get is that the situation on the drug trade has progressed so badly that there was such an intrenched system already in place that was not busted quicker. Granted, 5 months for a sting of this degree is very commendable, but I still have this feeling in my gut that the drug scene in Calgary, as well as many other places, is just getting out of control. Like when you go to the doctor for a major pain in your stomach and after 5 months of testing they find out it is a bleeding ulcer that, if the other symptoms of the body had helped out, could have been founded, stopped and treated much earlier in the game, and yet without it being found, the body has suffered and, perhaps some body parts, hurt beyond a point where easy healing can be done. Though, knowing how tight lipped people, especially those in the crime circles, are either out of fear of retribution from the drug gang members, or possibly cause if the drug addicts narc on the drug pushers, then the druggies don't get their fix, the 5 months for this operation is definitly something to salute at.

The only other thing that has me concerned is the names of the people that are in the report as the arrested people. Knowing the southern Alberta/Red Neck population of areas around there, I bet the red neck bars, as well as businesses, were just a buzz with the usual talk about bringing foreigners in to Canada and then having them conduct their illegal ways where if they did that in their own country would be killed or tortured, but in Canada get nothing. If they were really just landed immigrants, then chances are they are going to be sent back to their country of birth (if that at all) and then will be back in a year or two under different names possibly if they are really part of a bigger drug gang thing. But, who knows, maybe they were just your regular home grown Canadian citizens by birth and this is just another case of a Canadian being arrested for a huge drug operation.

http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2007/05/24/4204220-sun.html


$4M cocaine bust in Calgary
By SARAH KENNEDY, SUN MEDIA

In what's being called the largest cocaine bust in Alberta history, Calgary police seized more than $4 million worth of the drug believed to be headed for small-town Alberta.


The investigation -- led by detectives Mark Hatchette and Paul Wozney with assistance from the drug and gang units and the Edmonton Police Service -- spanned five months and also led to the seizure of numerous assault rifles and the arrest of a known Edmonton gang member.


More than 35 officers were involved in the busts that took place Monday and Tuesday on two homes -- one in the 4400 block of 33 Ave. S.W. and the other in the 100 block of Brightondale Parade S.E. -- as well as in two BMWs, each with a significant amount of cocaine stashed in hidden compartments, said Hatchette.


"This is extremely significant and we're very confident this is the biggest cocaine bust in CPS history," he said.


In total, police seized 40 kg of cocaine, 10 guns including five assault rifles, three handguns, and two shotguns, ammunition stashed in hollowed-out battery chargers, steroids and hash.


Police also discovered a machine that manufactures ecstasy tablets and imprints them with the signature of a tiny alien head.


The arrest of three men, including a gangster known to Calgary and Edmonton police, will seriously impact the distribution of cocaine within southern Alberta, said Wozney.


"These aren't street-level guys," he said. "These guys are the top of the heap and now they can't sell it to the mid-level guys who can't sell it to the street-level dealers.


"The coke is nice to get off the streets, but in terms of public safety, the firearms are very significant."


Police are investigating whether the Edmonton gangster, who has been recently residing in Calgary, has ties to local street gangs.


They have also sent the guns for ballistics testing to determine whether they have been used in any crimes.


Staff Sgt. Monty Sparrow of the drug unit said because there is about 200 kg of cocaine coming into Calgary on a weekly basis, the real impact of this bust will be in the rural areas.


"The majority of drugs that come into Calgary don't stay in Calgary," he said.


Jonathan Wai Kan Ung, 27, is charged with 51 drug and weapons offences, Jonathan Joseph So, 22, is charged with 37 drug and weapons offences and Duyen My Tang, 25, is charged with possession of property obtained by crime.

Drugs and Ducks

As a firm believer in the existance of grey, I often get those moments in life when you have to scratch your head and ask, how light or dark of shade of grey can a person legitimately go? Since life is neither black and white all the time, but there is always a sort of grey area, you have to accept a certain form of give and take. For instance, you can't always say "to hit another person is wrong and you should be punished in this fashion if you strike another person". Why? well, that is the black and white version. Did you strike the person? yes, guilty (white), did you strike the person? no, not guilty (black). What about the grey? Did you strike that person? yes, why did you strike that person? because he had just beat my wife to the ground with a baseball bat and was coming towards me to do the same so to protect my life I beat him up (grey).

Then we get to this matter where a drug sniffing dog entered a Canadian school and found bags of pot and 10 magic mushrooms on a student. Being the land of freedom and having our rights not only written but basically shoved up every lawyers/police officers ass ever time someone is accused of something, it had to be discussed not if the person was guilty or not guilty, but also right down to if the way he was discovered was legit. Was there probably reason to conduct the search on the individuals place of being that would have reasonably lead the officers to believe that a crime was being commited. The kid goes to school, doesnt go up to a narc and say "pst, wanna get high? I can sell you stuff" but instead just goes about with a vacant expression like kids in schools these day do. Obviously not reasonable suspicion for a police officer to be out in the parking lot with a K-9 drug sniffer to say "yep, we are going in cause they are acting suspicious".

Are we, as a Canadian society, so wrapped up in our belief in rights and freedoms that we don't want to open our eyes and see the common sense? have we really gone so far as to paint our society black and white? where instead of "did/didnt you strike?" as black/white, it is now "did/didnt he get a proper search and seizure?" as black/white. Should be it be taken as just asking if the procedure followed hurt the individual or created an unfair environment for the search? A police officer comes in, grabs a student at random, takes his backpack into a private area with no other witnesses and comes out with 10 bags of pot and says "I found this in your backpack just now" screams of unfair, doesnt it? a police officer and drug sniffing dog walk down a school hallway and the dog goes nuts at a student and, in plain sight of everyone else so there is no doubt that the drugs are not planted. What is the problem in those cases? decorum and suspicion are there. I would say that as long as a certain sense of decency and respect is observed (searching in public and then profusely apologizing if they made a mistake) then why not allow this type of search? not like they threw him into the room, beat him with a rubber hose until he admitted falsely that the drugs were his.

Oh, and on a much lighter note, MY DUCKS HAVE KNOCKED THE RED WINGS OUT OF THE RACE! Yep, Ducks are now going to be playing the Senators on May 28th. Now, my loyalties are divided. Do I cheer for the Ducks, my mighty Ducks that I sooo desperately want to win the Stanely Cup just so that there could be the name DUCKS on the hollowed cup of Canadia....OR do I cheer for the only Canadian team left in the race for the cup, to land the Stanely Cup in Canada so we can rub it in the Americans faces. Hmmmmm, where do my loyalties stand on this one???

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070522/police_searches_070522/20070522?hub=Canada

Supreme Court hears appeal on police dog searches

Updated Tue. May. 22 2007 7:56 PM ET CTV.ca News Staff

Canada's highest court heard an appeal Tuesday focusing on a drug-sniffing dog that uncovered five bags of marijuana and 10 magic mushrooms in the backpack of an Ontario high school student during a police sweep.

At issue is whether the unannounced police visit to the school in 2002 amounted to an unreasonable search under the Charter of Rights.

The incident launched a five-year court battle over privacy rights that has gone all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada.

A decision is expected next fall in a case that will help determine whether police can use sniffer dogs to conduct random searches at schools and other public places including malls, parks, sport arenas and beaches.

The court will decide whether the unannounced police visit to St. Patrick's high school in Sarnia, Ont. on November 2002 amounted to an unreasonable search and seizure under the Charter of Rights.

Students spent nearly two hours in their classrooms while dogs patrolled the halls.

The teen, known only as A.M., was charged with marijuana trafficking after police found five bags of marijuana and 10 magic mushrooms in his bag.

He was later cleared by two courts on the grounds police had violated his right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure.

"Chef" the dog's handler acknowledged he had no grounds for obtaining a search warrant beforehand and no direct knowledge of drugs inside the school.

Several lawyers argued bringing sniffer dogs into a school was too heavy-handed, and infringed on student's privacy rights.

"In the post-9/11 era the security of the state, in my opinion, is taking precedence over the autonomy of the individual," lawyer Alias Sanders told CTV News.

"I think principals have and need to have the power to make sure their school is safe, they are the people who know what's going on in the school," said Martha MacKinnon, executive director of Justice for Children and Youth, a legal aid clinic that acts on behalf of children.

"What they don't need is to just give the police carte blanche to come in and do as they like," she added.

But lawyers for the police and school board said students were warned about the possibility of drug searches.

"Through that consultation they arrived at a policy of zero tolerance of drugs," said Public Prosecutions Service Canada lawyer Jolaine Antonio. "Parents were informed of possibility of all kinds of observations being made including ... dogs being brought into the school."

The Court of Appeal ruled the search caused some concern and it upheld a trial judge's decision to acquit A.M. of his charge.

"This was a warrantless, random search with the entire student body held in detention,'' the court stated in their ruling last year.

Admitting the drugs into evidence would strip A.M. and any other student in a similar situation of their right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure, the court said.

The Crown is disputing there was no actual search, claiming there are no privacy issues attached to searches of smells in the public air.

"A dog sniff alone is not a search; it only supplies information that may lead to one,'' lawyers Robert Hubbard and Alison Wheeler said in submissions filed with the Supreme Court on behalf of Ontario's attorney general.

Lawyers Frank Addario and Emma Phillips warned in a brief filed on behalf of Ontario's Criminal Lawyers' Association that the decision could have serious repercussions.

Their brief stated excluding "emissions'' from personal belongings from Charter protection could lead to police intrusions including the monitoring of sounds coming from inside houses and communications from wireless technology.

The Civil Liberties Association contended in their brief that the real issue is "what the police were doing in the school in the first place and how they came to apply their dog's snout to the backpacks of students who had been confined to their classrooms.''

The initial search breached school board policy, which states, police are only to be used as a last resort and all searches are to be directed by teachers.

With a report from CTV's Rosemary Thompson

Royal Canadian Air Farce

I totally love Royal Canadian Air Farce. Why? some would say that it is nothing more than proof that Canadians really have no sense of pride and dignity and by actually laughing at skits of comedy that pokes fun at Canada, as well as our neighbours the USA, and politicians, we are losing face. Personally, I think it just goes to show that Canadians have more pride than many countries.

Though, I remembered this segment of RCAF that had me thinking not about Canadian identity but the way that some men feel when they argue with their woman (wife/gf/SO, or quite possibly all three at the same time) about anything that has to do with feelings, emotions and the state of their relationship. Just go to this web page http://www.airfarce.com/seasons/season13/060911.html and go to the 'He Said, She Said', 10th from the top. When you are done watching that clip, and if you are a guy possibly saying "oh yeah, uh huh..been there..yep" or a girl and saying "what a stupid assed joke!", you can watch the rest of the Air Farce and enjoy some good old fashioned Canadian humour.

Lesbian inmate attacks guard, smashes appliances and hurls racial slurs

I guess this goes to show, that even though you may be against the world and society may say that your love is wrong, even walking down the aisle together and putting it legally on paper that you are going to be together forever, you are not immune to fights and abusive relationships. When you read this news article, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? is it "I agree with the guards, it is their duty to watch the criminals, not play marriage councellor to their abusive relationship!" or possibly "the insensitivity of the Canadian penal system amazes me. These two women get married and now the prison guards want to put them in separate blocks!" or possibly you took the route "another obvious case of homosexual discrimination. The guards were just looking for an excuse to break up a couple because they are homosexual women!". Personally, my head snapping knee jerk response of "WTF!?!?!?!" came from this one bit of info:

"After a verbal spat shortly after their wedding, one of the women - and another inmate - smashed up a washer, dryer, microwave oven, fridge and stereo in her cell block. Two windows were also broken, Grabowsky said. "

Follow my thinking here. The guards get attacked, and verbally assaulted with racial slurs, by a woman and that woman is not being transfered so the guards want out of a maximum security cell block. So wouldnt that imply that the married inmates are in the maximum security area since that is where the guards want out of. So, in a maximum security cell block... why the HELL do inmates have a washer, dryer, microwave oven, fridge AND stereo!?!?!??! According to another article back in January one is serving a "..34-month sentence for breaking and entering, assault with a weapon, and aggravated assault and is scheduled for release on November 18, Sears said. The second inmate was jailed for six years for manslaughter, assault, and assaulting a peace officer. She is scheduled for release on December 6." (http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid40936.asp)

Now, call me barbaric, call me a neanderthal, or just call me backwards, but my idea of punishment for those sorts of crime is to be put into a cell with a mattress and a toilet where you stay for 8 hours of sleeping, 1 hour for breakfast, 1 hour for lunch, 1 hour for supper, 6 hours in the 'yard' under guard (yes, even in the winter...give them coats and make them stay out in the snow..it is punishment, not a vacation) for their exercise, then the remaining 7 hours in the cell or walking back and forth from these places. I mean, these two didnt steal a candy bar from wal-mart, they broke the law, assaulted with a weapon, aggravated assault, manslaughter? Why the heck do people with those sorts of crime have easy access to a washer/dryer/microwave oven and a stereo? Washer/dryer in a maximum security should be a large facility in the basement where inmates go and do laundry duty. Stereo? you have got to be kidding. Like I said, this is prison for a crime against society NOT club med/day camp for 'misunderstood women'.

The other thing I am wondering is if the ones that attacked are going to get charged with 'destruction of public property', assaulting an officer and the ever popular 'hate crime'. I mean, you scream out racial slurs while beating on a person, that pretty much makes it a hate crime, right? Obviously these women have not been rehabilitated and need more councelling in the big house before they can be released.

Con you believe it!
Lesbian inmate attacks guard, smashes appliances and hurls racial slurs

By AJAY BHARDWAJ, SUN MEDIA

Prison guards want a lesbian couple separated after one of the women went ballistic, attacking one guard, hurling racial slurs and smashing appliances.

Correctional Service Canada has refused the transfer, prompting 14 guards to ask for a transfer out of the maximum-security unit at the Edmonton Institution for Women.

Guards say the inmates' behaviour stems from a stormy marriage - the first same-sex union in a women's prison - they warned would cause problems.

"Everything I said at the time is coming true," said Union of Canadian Correctional Officers Prairie region president Kevin Grabowsky.

"This is just wrong on so many different levels. Together they're a problem. One's a constant problem and she's like the dynamite and the other's the fuse."

The same-sex couple has endured a stormy relationship right from the get-go back in January, when they tied the knot, Grabowsky said.

After a verbal spat shortly after their wedding, one of the women - and another inmate - smashed up a washer, dryer, microwave oven, fridge and stereo in her cell block. Two windows were also broken, Grabowsky said.

Weeks later the married pair got into some fisticuffs and one of them suffered a swollen eye. Shortly afterwards, the inmate screamed racial slurs at a guard and slammed a door shut in the face of another.

She repeatedly hurled slurs at guards.

"No one should have to go to work and put up with that abuse," Grabowsky said. "The staff are fed up. They've had enough. This is something we've been trying to resolve.

"I think they're stunned by the decision not to transfer."

He said CSC has provided the couple with counselling but that has not calmed either inmate. Fifteen guards are assigned to the maximum security unit at the Edmonton Institution for Women.

Within days of hearing the refusal to transfer the woman, 14 guards asked to be taken off the unit, said Grabowsky.

A report had earlier recommended the inmate, who wasn't identified, be transferred to another jail.

Correctional Service Canada spokesman Jeff Campbell said he couldn't comment on the inmate's transfer.

Those decisions are made by jail officials and not central office, he said.

Nonetheless, Campbell said CSC places a top priority on safety for guards and inmates.

"We regard personal safety as a priority," said Campbell.

EIFW warden Gary Sears could not be reached for comment.

out of the mouth of babes, and comedians...

I find it funny how sometimes the most amazing thought provoking things that ever come around are usually told not by the academics of the world, but from the people that you really dont expect it from. For instances, we all know the saying "out of the mouths of babes" right? and, while I do agree that some of the most mind boggling stuff has come out of the mouths of 24 year old drop dead gorgeous blonde women, the majority of the stuff is usually something that makes me scratch my head and go "damn, this woman may have all 6 cans, but definitely lost that little plastic thing that holds them together...but, she is hot", I think that saying about the babes is supposed to refer to babies. "kids say the darndest things" would fall under this caterogy. For instance, that old TV show that I still remember the one clip where the adult host asked the child to tell him about his book report he wrote for his grade 3 class on '20,000 leagues under the sea' and how his favorite part was when '..the giant squid attacked the submarine and wrapped it's giant testicles around the sub and squeezed and squeezed the sub...' The guy kept asking the little boy, between bouts of laughter to explain more, and this little boy went on and on about the 'giant testicles' and how they nearly crushed the submarine, until the captain ordered '..a lot of electricity be released which went through the squids giant testicles and made him release the sub.'.

But it is not just the children that you listen to that make you come to realizations about the world. It is also the comedians of the world, the great thinkers of this age that most people look down upon, laugh at and generally dont really care too much about. I was recently watching a 'Just For Laughs' clip on the comedy channel when a comic came up and, of course like all comedians are doing these days, started bashing George "dub-ya" Bush for the war started because of the Weapons Of Mass Destruction (WMD) that were never found. In his words:

"After the first week of the war, I came to the realization that there were no WMDs and the soldiers would never find any WMDs. Why? I am not psychic but I just figured that if they had WMDs, dont you think that they would have actually fired and used them against the USA? I mean, it isnt like we are talking about the good china that we only bring out for really special occassions and people...'oh yes, the Americans are attacking us...no no no, put those WMDs away, those are for special occassions, not for this little ruckus', we are talking about weapons of MASS destruction here"

I have to admit, that out of all the years that this war has been going on, the fact that there were no WMDs ever found, I always sat back and thought "yep, knew they werent going to find anything there, that was just an excuse for Bush to go in and kick some butt". However, I never really sat back and thought about the WMD in that fashion.

So, out of the mouths of babes and free thinking comedians...the wonders will never cease.

fire truck tours, Edmonton, AB Canada

While out and about the other day, I happened to witness a truck go by with people in the back lounging around with the logo FIRETUBTOURS on the side. I was curious and followed it and looked closer, and sure enough, there were 2 guys and 3 girls in the back of the huge white dump truck kind of thing, sloshing around in water that was steaming due to the chilly (+5'C night air) and drinking from large coffee cups that you can get at 7-11. I thought that this was the best idea that I had ever seen and is sooo typically Canadian. I mean, Canadians are the only ones stupid enough to consider driving around at 5'C in an open aired hot tub is a fun way to spend an evening. Though, it could also be considered a smart move in the guys part considering we all know what happens to womens 'headlights' when they are wet and chilled. I bet those women could cut glass, and the guys were loving every second of it.

If you want to check out the tours, and perhaps take a drive around, here is the link for you to go to and do some price checking. Personally, the $300-$400 for the evening is a bit pricey for me, but get enough people and I am sure it will be worth your while.

http://www.firetubtours.com/

10 month old, armed and drooling...

Now I think this might go a little far as to the whole 'right to bear arms' and all. I mean, do people really read the applications? This is about as bad as the credit card company that issued a credit card for someones dog. Gotta love what this world is coming to.

http://www.nbc5.com/family/13329394/detail.html

10-Month-Old Issued Legal Gun Permit
Permit Shows Up With Baby Photo On It
POSTED: 8:04 am CDT May 16, 2007

CHICAGO -- It will probably be quite a while before Bubba Ludwig gets to use his Firearm Owner's Identification Card.

Bubba, whose given name is Howard David Ludwig, is just 10 months old but has been issued the official State of Illinois gun ID. The application was filled out by his father, newspaper columnist Howard Ludwig.

The ID card arrived, complete with Bubba's toothless baby picture. The card lists the baby's height (2 feet, 3 inches), weight (20 pounds) and has a scribble where the signature should be. Ludwig said he never thought the gun permit would be approved.

The ID card program is administered by Illinois State Police. A spokesman for the department said there are no restrictions under the law regarding the age of applicants.

But long gun-buyers must be at least 18 in Illinois, 21 for handguns.

Ludwig, 30, applied for the card after his own father bought Bubba a 12-gauge Beretta shotgun as a gift. The weapon will probably be kept at Ludwig's father's house until the boy is at least 14.

Thats the way DUCKS!

yep, looks like the ducks got their feathers in a line and came back dealing a 5-3 win over the Red Wings. Oh yeah, dont get cocky or over confident, stick to the game and the cup will be on your mantle soon enough. Yeah DUCKS!

Game 5 is Sunday May 20th in Detroit at noon Pacific on NBC.

Ducks again

Oh, Ducks...Why have you foresaken me????? Detroit 5 - Ducks 0???? what the heck is this about? you havent gotten the cup yet. Come on, get your game on, get that puck in the goal, and stop playing so fowl-y. Dig down deep, and play the game and WIN!

Game 4 returns to Honda Center on Thursday May 17th at 6 p.m.

sports/work 3 - hijab 0

Yet another nail in the great hijab debate that rages throughout this frozen wasteland that we Canucks like to call home. First there was soccer (or football depending on what patch of dirt you put your feet) and now taekwondo has fallen to the age of religious discrimintation. I have already made a mention in previous posts (http://captcanuck.blogspot.com/2007/03/another-hijab-debate.html#comments and http://captcanuck.blogspot.com/2007/03/head-gear.html in case anyone wants a recap) about how the organizations are infringing on the rights and freedoms of a religious group...or is it gender? I mean, they are muslim so that would mean that it is a religious suppression, but the article does state that those being oppressed are women, therefore it is gender. hmmmm, who takes control of this sort of situtation? which is worse? discrimination cause of your gender, or because of your religion?

Though, like all good democratic states that has made this country strong (or slow moving depending on what side of the committee you are sitting on), if there is something said that we dont agree with, simply form another committee to research and look into the details that were used to make the decision by the head leaders and then try to over throw the early decision that was already made. Thus, the committee has the power to basically tell the other head organization to stuff it...and if the committee can over throw the orginial decision then the head organization will create their own committee, waste more time/effort/money and come up with something completely different and by the time they actually shake hands and agree on something, chances are the people who wanted to participate and wear a hijab are dead and buried and the case is pointless. Luckily, there are always ancestors of the orginial people willing to benefit from the end decision. Ahhhh, gotta love the paper pushes...I mean, if we didnt have them...well, I guess that would mean we might have 75% more trees than we do today.

I wonder what the muslim men think of this sort of debate that is happening. I mean, a woman can't be a prison guard and wear a hijab, they can't play soccer or participate in martial arts fighting competition. Guess if we can extrapolate where this is going then chances are any woman wearing a hijab will not be able to work or play any kind of sports, thus putting them back in the house, raising children and cooking/cleaning for the husband. Hmmmm, wonder how many muslim men are gonna be on the front line fighting for the woman's right to wear a hijab at work or in sports?


Taekwondo Federation upholds ban on wearing hijabs

MONTREAL -- Muslim women who participate in competitions sanctioned by the World Taekwondo Federation will not be allowed to wear a hijab.

The decision came Monday following a request for a ruling from the Canadian Taekwondo Federation after two young Muslim girls were banned from a competition last month in Longueuil, Que.

The world federation indicated in a letter to the Canadian federation that it does not recognize any religion and would not make any accommodation for hijabs.

The world federation is the sport's largest organization and is recognized by the International Olympic Committee.

The rule, which forbids wearing anything under protective head-gear, remains unchanged and will be in effect when the world championships begin on Friday in Beijing.

The competition is the first in a series to determine which athletes will compete in the Olympic summer games in Beijing in 2008.

The world federation also indicates in the letter the IOC agrees with its decision.

The world federation is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, and oversees world and Olympic taekwondo competitions.

The Canadian federation says it will accept the ruling while the Quebec Federation of Taekwondo says the ruling shows it was justified in applying the rule last month in Longueuil.
Last week, the International Taekwondo Federation, a separate entity which is not sanctioned by the IOC, announced it would temporarily accept competitors wearing a hijab until a committee could be formed to study the issue further.

Can you feel the pain!!??!?!

Ahhh, and so the debate continues, evidence piling up on both sides of the question. Who experiences more pain, men or women? Men are the believed hunter/gatherers of society and therefore experience lots of pain in the way of broken limbs, scars, cuts, bruises and other war related injuries. Women, on the other hand, have to grow a parasite inside them before expelling it to the world (ok, 'child' for the politically correct people I guess) and that means that they will be guaranteed hours and hours of excrutiating pain and agony before birth. So, now they are doing studies as to who might experience more pain, and the tallies show that men experience less pain than women, or at least men experience a lower intensity of pain than women. Hmmmmmm, I wonder why that could be..

*insert wavy lines and flashback mode here* DOO DOO DOO...DOO DOO DOO...DOO DOO DOO

Father looking down at his boy on the pavement with a skinned knee yelling "dont cry! only sissies and baby's cry! you are a man"....

Mother going to a daughter saying "there, there...why dont you go to your room and have a nice long cry..that will make you feel better"...

A gang of teenage boys surrounding another teen that has just had his ankle twisted "look at the wittle baby..gonna cry...lets see those tears baby!"...

group of girls surrounding a girl that has just had a bump on the head in cheerleader practice patting her reassuringly on the shoulder going "I know, that hurts horrible...let those tears flow deary, that will make you feel better...let the pain out"...

boy with a cast on his arm walking out of the doctors office as the doctor pats him on the back and says to the parents "yep, you got yourself a strong brave boy here. Broken arm in two places and not a single tear fell, not a single cry of pain..yep, a strong little man you have here"

*insert wavy lines and flashback mode here* DOO DOO DOO...DOO DOO DOO...DOO DOO DOO

hmmmmmm, now why would men report experiencing less intense pain than women when it comes to injuries and bodily pain...yeah, these scientistics must be right, it has to do with the colour of our hair and our genetic make up and hormones...that is the only explanation that I can possibly think of.



Bridging the pain gender divide

http://healthandfitness.sympatico.msn.ca/NewInHealth/Pain_Management/Articles/els_Gender_Divide

When it comes to pain, it seems that men are from Mars and women are from “ouch, that really, really hurts.”

Over the past several decades, study after study has confirmed that, on average, women both experience more pain and find that pain more intense. The gender differences are beyond dramatic.

For example, recent Canadian research has shown that on a scale of 1 to 100, women rate their lifetime pain levels at an average of 38.9. Their male counterparts clock in at a meager 14.8. The differences spread across conditions and locations. Jaw pain, migraine pain, arthritis pain—more women report they are in pain. Colonoscopies, visits to the dentists, heart surgery—ditto.

“The size of these sex differences in pain is, in general, as large or larger than differences in pain recorded between a person who has received a clinical dose of morphine compared to that same person when they haven’t received a clinical dose,” says Roger Fillingim, a pain researcher at the University of Florida’s College of Dentistry.

Such differences not only invite questions about why the incongruities exist. They also suggest that in order to most effectively treat pain, researchers need to focus on its gendered experience.

Biological roots

Part of the difference is clearly rooted in genetics. Fillingim points to a study in which he participated. There it was shown that women who carried a mutation of a gene expressed in red hair and fair skin could have pain mediated by certain drugs. Women without the mutation didn’t respond. “For men that gene didn’t matter—redheaded or not, they didn’t respond to the drugs,” he says.

In a more general biological sense, pain seems related to differences in hormone levels between men and women. Numerous painful conditions flare during menstruation, and studies of postmenopausal women on hormone replacement have shown that they have lower pain thresholds and tolerances than women not taking hormones.

Conversely, evidence suggests that high levels of the male hormone testosterone dampen pain. “But most of the evidence in humans suggests that hormones alone are not enough to entirely explain sex difference when it comes to pain,” says Fillingim.

This has led to examinations of socialization and gender expectations when it comes to pain. Studies that Fillingim and others have conducted show that both men and women assume men will report less pain than women, and that men who rate themselves as highly masculine think they are more pain tolerant than less masculine counterparts.

Why would nature divide the world into pain-enduring men and pain-full women? “If all men were at one time hunter-gatherers and were constantly running through the woods, getting attacked, or thrown about, they had better not be bothered by every little ache or pain,” says Fillingim about one evolutionary theory. “If they were they weren’t going to be able to bring food home for their families.”

Targeted treatments

As evidence of gender differences in pain has risen, so has the notion of gender-based medications and treatments.

Already, the US Food and Drug Administration has approved a class of drugs for irritable bowel syndrome pain only for women, because it seemed to have no effect on men. Certain classes of drugs given to patients after wisdom tooth removal have also been shown to dampen pain in women but actually increase it in men.

Moreover, Fillingim points out that psychological treatment may also have to become more gender aware. For example, anxiety is more closely related to pain in men than in women. “So in a clinical setting if you are trying to treat pain patients and your treatment focuses on anxiety reduction, well, that might help men but not help women,” he says.

Fillingim and others imagine a pain future where “we are going to be able to tailor currently available treatments so that, where we find differences between men and women—think type of medication, dosages, psychological treatment—we prescribe based on sex.”

DUCKS TIE IT UP

I could tell you how the game went, but hey let's face it, I can tell a great story of me going through customs, traveling on an MRT in a different country and all the great expressions from all the passengers looking at the 'strange white guy' on the train, but when it comes to hockey, or any other team sport, the best description you are gonna get out of me is the score and who won. So, here is someone that can tell the story better. The only thing that you really need to know is DUCKS WON 4-3 in overtime!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By Adam Brady
AnaheimDucks.com

DETROIT, Mich. – It looked like a case of déjà vu as brothers Scott and Rob Niedermayer teamed up again to give the Ducks an overtime victory. This one came over Detroit in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, a 4-3 win that evened the series at a game apiece.

For the second time in three games, Scott Niedermayer scored the game-winner in the first extra session. Scott’s wrist shot followed a feed from Rob, and it traveled past a screen from both teammate Travis Moen and Detroit defenseman Chris Chelios to get through goalie Dominik Hasek. The goal came with 5:43 remaining in the first overtime.

Scott and Rob also combined to give the Ducks an overtime victory in their series-clinching Game 5 against Vancouver in the last round. Rob’s hit on Vancouver’s Jannik Hansen knocked the puck loose, setting up Scott’s game-winner. His 11 career overtime goals (including two now in the playoffs) are the most by a defenseman in NHL history.

After a series opener that was a battle of the stifling Anaheim and Detroit defenses, Game 2 was a virtual shootout by comparison. Niedermayer’s clinching goal was one of seven combined by the Ducks and Red Wings.

Detroit won Game 1 of the series 2-1 despite attempting only 19 shots on goal.

In this one the Ducks went up 1-0 after the first 20 minutes, a lead that could have been much greater. Anaheim continued a trend from Game 1 in outshooting Detroit 11-6 and Ryan Getzlaf had two shot attempts clang off goalposts. Less than two minutes into the game he made a great breakaway move on Hasek, but sent it off the left bar. Twelve minutes later, his bad-angle shot from the left corner slipped through Hasek but hit the inside of the right post.

Unable to find the net himself, Getzlaf instead found a way to set up the first Ducks goal. Looking like he might cross behind the net with the puck, Getzlaf instead slid it to a wide open Rob Niedermayer in the crease. Niedermayer’s one-timer was his second goal of the playoffs.

That goal came exactly two minutes after a Detroit penalty, so it didn’t count as a power play goal. Coincidentally, the Ducks second goal of the night also came precisely as a Detroit penalty expired. This one came courtesy of Andy McDonald with 11:40 left in the second period, his fifth of the postseason. Nicklas Lidstrom stole the puck from a charging Corey Perry in the corner, but accidentally tapped it off Hasek. McDonald was right there to bat the loose puck under Hasek’s right leg and barely over the stripe. It didn’t initially look like a goal, though the Ducks close to the play seemed to know it was. An extensive replay review confirmed it, a decision that was met by a round of boos from the Joe Louis Arena crowd.

McDonald’s strike came a little over a minute after Detroit tied the score 1-1 on a shorthanded tally by Kirk Maltby. His wrist shot from the slot bounced off Giguere’s chest and Maltby followed it up himself.

With 3:53 left in the second, Game 1 hero Nicklas Lidstrom struck again to make it 2-2. Lidstrom received a cross-ice pass from Dan Cleary and smartly held it long enough for traffic to clear and allow his wrister to cruise inside the left post.

The Wings took their first lead of the game at 3-2 just 1:03 into the third period. With Detroit on the power play from a Sean O’Donnell roughing minor committed near the end of the second, Pavel Datsyuk one-timed a Robert Lang pass into an open right side of the net.

But Anaheim knotted it back up on another goal that needed a replay to count. Travis Moen took a shot off the faceoff that ticked off Lidstrom and handcuffed Hasek. It was clinging to his thigh as he fell backward over the line.

And after five goals combined in under 15 minutes between the second and third, neither team found the net in the final 14:54 of regulation. That required the fourth overtime in the Ducks’ last six games, of which they have won the last three in a row.

J.S. Giguere continued to shine in sudden death, and has still given up just one overtime goal in his career.

The series swings into Anaheim with Game 3 Tuesday night at 6 p.m. Pacific.

Ducks are down by 1

first game of the Detroit/Ducks battle and the ducks are down by one. End score was Detroit 2, Ducks 1. Saddening day for the Ducks, but they are not out yet. They can still come back and win this leg of the race. Tonight, May 13th, they play the Red Wings again. Let's just hope that they get flying in their formation, pull together like a team and pluck these Red Wings bare.

halifax gay murders

Why is it that whenever there is a murder concerning a distinct group of individuals that are different than the majority of the country, we make a huge public statement to be careful if you are in that group? When a murder/assault happens to the majority, we just report it, but no warning is given. A boy is beaten on his way home from school by his classmates, ok it is reported. As soon as it is discovered that the boy is jewish, the media starts reporting 'hate crime' and 'if you are jewish, be careful cause there are people beating up jewish people on the streets'. Who knows, perhaps the boy wasn't beaten cause he was jewish, perhaps he was beaten just cause he was a pain in the ass to someone, insulted someone the wrong way, got a higher grade than his attackers or perhaps he hit on the girlfriend of the wrong guy in class.

Two men are murdered and it is strange, they are discovered to be homosexual, all of a sudden it is a person killing homosexuals and everyone should be careful if they are homosexual. Who knows, perhaps the two murder victims just happened to be wearing the same clothes and it is a Gucci killer on the loose, or perhaps the two men just happened to be walking down 36th Ave where the gay bar is 2 blocks away and the killer killed them because of the 36th Ave and not their sexual orientation. In this case, the two ages. One was 45, the other was 44 so obviously the killer is working backwards perhaps starting from his own age and working back, killing his own life year by year til he is nothing, sort of like a displaced temporal suicide thing. So, now it is not a homosexual killing, but it is an aged killing, so all 43 year olds beware.

Why limit down to the sexual orientation of the killing, why not let everyone know that there are killings happening and it seems to be happening a lot so everyone should be careful.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070512/gay_murders_070512/20070512?hub=Canada

Halifax murders prompt warning to gay community
Updated Sat. May. 12 2007 8:40 AM ET

HALIFAX -- Police are warning members of Halifax's gay community to protect themselves after the killings of two gay men.

But police say they don't know whether the victims' sexual orientation was a factor in their deaths.

The R-C-M-P and Halifax Regional Police told a joint news conference yesterday that there are "sufficient similarities'' between two recent homicides to combine the investigations.
They revealed little else about the crimes.

The body of 45-year-old Trevor Charles Brewster was found Wednesday under a boardwalk in Dartmouth. The body of 44-year-old Michael Paul Knott was found last weekend in a wooded area west of the city.

Police say people who frequent gay cruising areas in the city should take steps to protect themselves.

Conley bus manslaughter dropped

Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn't. Mark Twain

They exist everywhere. You have them in your class, your family, your office, you could even be one of these people. The ones that hear a story and then take it onwards to tell someone else. 'Water cooler talk' is what it could be known as. You hear that Ted is sleeping with Jane in accountanting even though Ted is married to Susan. You tell the story that they were seen in a bar after hours talking and all of a sudden you think Ted and Jane are horrible people (or great people, depending on your own moral thoughts on cheating in a marriage), Susan is the helpless little housewife at home being spat upon and all gets filed away in memory as that. Then you do some digging and hear that perhaps Ted and Jane are not having an affair but were together that night ni the bar planning Susan's (who is Jane's best friend) surprise birthday party; or perhaps you learn that Ted and Jane are not sleeping together but Ted just found out that day that Susan is sleeping with Bill at her office and Ted needed a friend to talk to, that just happened to be Jane. Then, all of a sudden you have to do research, find out what happened to the story and you label those that told the story to you first as unreliable and rumour mongers, and you may get labelled as unreliable and rumour mongering as well by those that listened to your story and spread it around as fact. In the end, what is the truth of the scenario? no one really knows except Ted and Jane that night, and if it was a wrongful act, neither is going to tell the truth to the world, but leave it as the 'facts' tell it.

That, I think, is what happened a little over a year ago in the case of the Conley bus attack in Edmonton in 2006. I remember hearing about it on the news, how the teens 'swarmed' the poor man, beat him to death on the bus, and that people were telling newspapers about the brutality of it all. I remember listening to the news reports and taking sides with the co-workers saying how youths these days are becoming more and more uncontrollable and perhaps the justice system should take away the Youth Justice Act (or whatever they are calling it these days) and treat the little scum bags for the creatins that they are.

Now we get the news from the preliminary hearings that the witnesses of the attack did not actually see the attack because their view was blocked. The 'poor victim' had twice the legal driving limit of alcohol in his blood stream. The 'victim' struck first and the boys defended themselves with the just amount of force dictated by law and that the man's death was an unfortuneate accident caused by a freak and rare injury.

While we can not refute the actual medical reports as to what the injury was and all, this whole incident has suddenly brought the newspapers and reports of eye witnesses under question as to what is really an eye witness account. I have read a few reports that state that eye witness testimony of people recognition is wrong about 50% of the time (http://www.truthinjustice.org/lawstory.htm). This is not due to people being mean, nasty and lying, but simply because they are trying too hard to be a good citizen. Which makes me now wonder about what really happened that day. Can we really believe anything the news papers say or report? which is better, to have total and complete censorship of the news papers in reporting what happened (not reporting a case until all the facts have been accepted by a court of law, checked and double checked and then run through a board that will check these facts for accuracy and then decide whether the public needs to know), or to have a news paper able to report the events as they happen, as the people on the street talk, to the world (sort of like the gossip at the water cooler going "didja hear? Ted and Jane were seen at the bar last night after hours. Check back in 2 hours for more developments on this story"), or should it just be left up to the peoples common sense for the newspaper to run what they want, when they want to and hope that the people of the world reading the papers can sort out the gossip (the gossip of "ted and Jane might be having an affair" from the fact "Ted and Jane are having an affair. Here is sworn testimony, blood samples, video tapes of them having sex, photos of them having sex as well as the wife walking in and catching them kissing").

Either which way, can justice ever be really had in a world where we are limited by bad memories, bendable minds to society demands and expectations? Should we look at it from the angle that one drunken man on a bus was accidentally killed by four youths defending themselves, or should we look at it from the angle of a drunken man on a bus was beaten to death by 4 young thugs who will likely realize that they can not get away with murder and will try again in the future? Too bad humans don't come with 'instant replay' or a photographic memory that we can plug into a court camera and show what we saw without prejudice or memory degradation.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070511/conley_charges_070511/20070511?hub=Canada

Manslaughter charges dropped in transit bus death

Fri. May. 11 2007
Canadian Press

EDMONTON -- Four young men hugged weeping friends and family after Crown prosecutors dismissed manslaughter charges against them in the death of a man on an Edmonton transit bus after a fight over heavy metal music.

The victim's father said the decision means he will now never know how his son died.
Steve Conley wanted a trial to proceed, if only to hear testimony from the four youths.
"The four of them were probably the best witnesses to what happened," he said Friday from Apsley, Ont. "I would have liked to have seen this go to trial. Then the best witnesses would have been questioned.

"I am really clueless as to the exact facts of what happened."

The four youths -- one was 16 and three were 17 at the time of the killing -- were charged in the March 2006 death of Stefan Conley, 35, originally from Cookshire, Que.

Initial reports from witnesses, widely reported in newspapers and broadcast outlets, suggested that Conley was swarmed, kicked and stomped by four rowdy teens after he told them to settle down. The beating was said to have continued after Conley fell.

"The initial reaction that was played out in the media was one of a person on an ETS bus being swarmed and killed," prosecutor Bart Rosborough said outside court Friday.

"I think it was actually very educative for the public to see that once the full evidence came out, a very different story was told."

The original story collapsed during a preliminary hearing, which was held in public at the request of the defence.

Under cross-examination, the witnesses acknowledged they didn't actually see any kicking or stomping because their view was blocked.

Others testified Conley interrupted a conversation among the four youths about the rock band Metallica and insulted their taste in heavy-metal music. Court heard Conley and the teens then traded jibes.

A 16-year-old girl testified that Conley, who was five-foot-11 and weighed 198 pounds, crossed the aisle and punched one of the boys. The youths fought back, but one passenger told court they stopped punching Conley as soon as he let go of their friend.

The fight lasted about 10 seconds. Between five and 10 punches were thrown.

A medical examiner testified that Conley, who had a blood alcohol level twice the legal driving limit, died from a rare injury -- a pinhole tear in a tiny artery at the base of his brain, the result of a blow to the face or chin. He died within minutes of receiving it.

Conley's father also criticized early reporting on the case, saying it cost him the chance to see his son's body.

"Is anybody in the media going to stand up and say we reported a story without the facts?" he asked.

He said he decided to have his son cremated, based on telephone conversations he had with reporters during his trip west, who told him Stefan had been savagely beaten and kicked to death.

"We made the decision that we would prefer to remember him the way we remembered him from the last time we saw him, as opposed to some bloody, brutalized mess."

Conley never saw his son's body. When he read the coroner's report, he learned that his son had only a few cuts and bruises on his face.

"It's really changing my opinion of what I read in the media."

The case initially provoked widespread public outrage.

Security was tight at the youths' bail hearing and included a metal detector. Outside court, one person claimed to have a petition with 20,000 names on it opposing bail.

Rosborough acknowledged there was a chance of more public anger over Friday's dismissals.
"The system is often complex and sometimes difficult for the general public to understand, but the system has at its heart the principle that everyone is innocent until their guilt has been proven," he said.

"Our hope is also that the community responds, not by further blame, but rather by learning from this incident that violence is not an appropriate way to settle a dispute."

Edmonton police also drew fire for their handling of the encounter. Chief Mike Boyd admitted his officers failed to act quickly enough when they received information about the fight.

Conley, who has one other son and two stepdaughters, said the experience has left him feeling "kind of empty.

"All I can really do is move on with my life."

breast feed in public....

Just a little behind in the times, but I came across this article and thought I would put my half cents worth of opinion in. I totally disagree with the way that this woman was handled on the plane. Of course, breast feeding is natural, breast feeding is normal and breast feeding is not to be considered a horrible act that has to be hidden. I mean, you can kiss in public without a sheet over your faces, you can hold hands in public, so why can't you breast feed in public without fear of embarrassment.

I say you want to kiss in public..then kiss in public! you want to hold hands in public, then hold hands in public! you want to breast feed in public, then by all means, breast feed in public! you have that right to do that...and, when you do that, I think the public reserves the right to stare and oogle at you, and certain body parts, while you do those things in public. In fact, I say why wait til you have a baby to breast feed in public. You want to bare those breasts and bounce around, then by all means, let those puppies free and bounce away! Free yourself from the bonds of society embarrassment and rules...Let your girls be free to the world!

http://www.themercury.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=3542122

Breastfeeding mom who refused blanket ordered off plane

November 16, 2006 Edition 1

BURLINGTON (Vermont): A woman has complained that she was kicked off an aircraft about to leave Burlington Airport because she was breast-feeding her baby.

A complaint against two airlines was filed with the Vermont Human Rights Commission, although Executive Director Robert Appel said he was barred by law from confirming the complaint. He said state law allowed a mother to breastfeed in public.

Elizabeth Boepple, a lawyer hired by 27-year-old mother Emily Gillette, confirmed that Gillette had filed the complaint late last week against Delta Airlines and Freedom Airlines. Freedom was operating the Delta flight between Burlington and New York City.

A Freedom spokesman said Gillette had been asked to leave the flight after she declined a flight attendant's offer of a blanket.

"A breastfeeding mother is perfectly acceptable on an aircraft, providing she is feeding the child in a discreet way", that did not bother others, said Paul Skellon, spokesman for Phoenix-based Freedom. "She was asked to use a blanket just to provide a little more discretion, she was given a blanket, and she refused to use it, and that's all I know."

Gillette, her husband Brad and their daughter River, who live in New Mexico, had been visiting relatives in Vermont. Their flight was late but appeared to be preparing for takeoff on October 13 when Gillette decided to breastfeed her 22-month-old, she said.

Gillette said she had been discreet. She had been seated by the window in the second-to-last row, her husband had been seated between her and the aisle and no part of her breast had been showing, she said.

When she refused a blanket, the family was removed from the flight. - Sapa-AP

Duck Update

Looks like the Ducks have another opponent scheduled for the fight to the end cup. Detroit Red Wings are slotted to play the Ducks in Detroit on Fri May 11 4:30 PM at the Joe Louis Arena. Oh man, that is tomorrow. Come on Ducks! At least one thing can be said about this match up, feathers are gonna fly.

Spiderman 3 review

Finally I went and saw the movie. I think I was the last person out of all my friends and family (well, the family members that actually go to movies) to see this movie. Though from past movie going experiences I have learned not to go on an opening night and not to go during the evenings cause that is just plain suicidal. However, for this movie, I think that I should have gone just so that I could enter into the mob mentality of the movie and might have been convinced that I enjoyed it more than I did.

Problems I saw with the film? Way too many characters, not enough depth in any of the villians and all. I mean, the Sandman they really explain and give some idea and all but the real cause for that is to give some depth to Parker's inner demons and his mixing with the black suit. The other two of Harry as Goblin Jr (I thought he was the Hobgoblin but that could be a mistake on my limited knowledge of the comic books) and Venom/Brock just kind of popped out of no where and said "I am a villian, here I am..hope you read the books and know about me cause I aint gonna tell you here". I mean, was Brock a humiliated wimpy man out for revenge or was he a dilusional wimp with a fantasy world in his head trying to be the 'big man on campus' but really a dork? There was so much left unanswered in my mind for the inner minds and meanings for the villians that I couldn't be satisfied. I do realize that some criminals out there do things for no apparent reason except for poor impulse control problems (like psycho/sociopaths), but these characters really don't portray that.

As for the flow of the movie, I found it to be really not up to snuff. It starts really well with the credits, giving a quick catch up of the past movies, and explains some events and all with the main characters and then we get the whole Sandman development. We are thrown from 1st gear to 4th gear in a few scenes (like going from zero to 60 in 3.5 seconds) and then all of a sudden we are thrown down to 1st again for some poorly written love scene emotional chick flick crap and then WHAM 5th gear hits us like a ton of bricks and we are in full super hero/super villian fighting mode. Almost as if Rami tried to target all of the audience by giving a chick flick section for the girls and then action and special effects for the boys and making it all tie in together. I can't speak for all, but personally, I found this to be more annoying than succesful since I dont go to an action film to get chick flick touchy feely, and I am surely not going to a chick flick to see action and explosions. I say stick to a genre and dont give us 30 minutes of guy explosion action, then 1 hour of chick flick sappiness and end it with 30 minutes of guy explosion action.

The comic scenes in the movie were both good and bad. Bruce Campbell as the Maitre D' was fantastic. I have always loved Campbell from his work in the Evil Dead movies right up to his little appearances in the Spiderman films. The few one liners from the characters are good as well. Though Parker's bit on being the sleazy lounge lizard Saturday Night Fever street strut has me wondering if it was supposed to be comical funny or comical dark. Right from his greasy cowlicked hair style down to his black shoes, it was just too corny and over the top to grasp. There might have been a reason or purpose, but I think at that point in the movie I had just given up trying to find reason, meaning or logic and just went with the old "ohhhh, movie...entertain me for two hours...ohhh, shiney objects".

So out of all three movies I have to say that this one really disappointed me the most. I really hope that this is not the end of the Spiderman movies because I would hate for such a good superhero movie bit to end on such a sour note. I saw regular movie watching is not your best idea, cheap seats is a better idea, wait til video and borrow from a friend is your best idea.

children and TV

Perhaps it is because I am not a father..yet..but I am seeing signs these days that parents rely too much on the use of television for family time together as well as to use them as babysitting devices. My brother commented once that Barney was a life saver many many a time because he could just put the kids in front of a one hour video, hit rewind every hour and have the entire morning or afternoon to himself to do things. I like to dream that when my wife and I eventually have kids, we are able to stick to our little dreams of fantasy where there is enough time for both parents to go grocery shopping on the weekend so that the kids cant hold us hostage in the grocery store with their tantrums, that we will want to spend more time with our children and not just plop them in front of the TV and let their minds go to waste instead of balancing a light level of educational TV with imagination and skill developing board/card games (like poker or blackjack..improve their statistical counting ability as well as begin them on math adding at a young age).

Wish I could find the two commercials that Shaw is showing these days to promote their new "movies/shows on demand" feature here in Canada. One commercial shows a house that has been totally messed up and full of girls toys (dinosaurs in a pair of ladies high heels, tea party sets all over the place, barbies and other dolls scattered around). Finally it shows a couch with three girls (probably aged 3-5) bouncing around on the couch with a grown man saying "here..how about this?" and he puts on a cartoon and the girls instantly settled down, laugh and watch the show. A lady comes in and says "how was your day?" and the man replies "easy..piece of cake..little angels they are".

The other commercial has a mother and father sitting on one love seat with a young boy and girl (aged 13-15) sitting together on the other love seat. The young boy compliments the mother on her great idea to watch an after dinner movie and then compliments the dad on his excellent socks. The movie then gets a little romantic and the boy puts his arm around the young girl and she smiles sheepishly. The dad sees this and goes "how about a nice documentary?" and switches to penquins walking through the ice and snow fields. The boy retracts his arm from the girls shoulder, his amorous advances obviously shot down by the protective father.

So with these ads, is Shaw trying to tell us "if you dont want to be worn out at the end of the day, then get this service and keep the kids busy with TV" or "instead of talking, playing board games, getting to know the love interest of your daughter/son, why not throw in a movie and bore the poor girl/lad to tears". TV, the novocaine for the next generation.

One survey on www.CTV.ca even asked:

Are parents letting their toddlers watch too much TV?
Yes 5397 votes (89 %)
No 640 votes (11 %)

Total Votes: 6037

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/HTMLTemplate?&tf=ctv/generic/hubs/ctvNewsSub.html&cf=ctv/generic/hubs/ctvNews.cfg&id=57656&pollid=57656&save=_save&show_vote_always=no&poll=CTVNewsTopStories&hub=TopStories&subhub=VoteResult

Now, I wonder, if those 5,397 people that voted that toddlers are being allowed to watch too much TV, are single people, or newly weds without children (like me), that have not had to deal with children and their exhuasting ways yet. Kind of like a person saying "yes kids are eating too much fast food and parents need to cook better meals" but not having kids of their own, they have no idea how hard it is to bring the kid home from school, give them a good meal and then shuttle them out to their after school event like soccer, ballet and baseball.

All I know is that I am going to try my hardest to make sure that the children in our household get more time playing actual games like tag, hide and go seek, board games, card games and interactive human games instead of video games and movies.

I remember when...

I am not sure if anyone else out there has noticed this happening. Perhaps it is just in my neighbourhood/city/province/country/continent but has anyone else noticed that people (mainly the generation of 25 years old and younger) really do not know what size of clothes that they are wearing or perhaps have no clue as to what their body shape really is?

When I was growing up and everyone I knew was still having their clothes bought by parents, when they got new clothes, the clothes were always baggy and bigger. The same excuse that the parents rattled off to every kid (the mantra of parenting you may say) was 'Do not worry, you will grow into them'. If the clothes were not purchased but baggy then there was a very high chance it was because the clothes were hand-me-downs from a bigger brother/sister (in this case you just prayed that you had either an older sibling of the opposite gender so you did not get those clothes...or if your parents were really cruel you just prayed that you had an older sibling of the same gender so that the hand-me-downs you did get were genderally socially acceptable) and still the mantra "do not worry, you will grow into them" would be used. I remember wearing shirts, pants and shoes that were all slightly too big but, like the magic of the mantra and spell it wove, I would somehow grow into them in a matter of months and I would soon be walking around in clothes that were slightly too small for me and within a few weeks I would have another set of baggy clothes.

Nowadays, however, when I go out walking I see the teens walking around stuck in either side of these extremes without graduating up and progressing. There are some women walking around in pants that really are WAY to small for them giving them 'muffin waist' (you know, when the skin above the waist sort of balloons out of the pants like a muffin does in the pan when you bake it) and they have 'does-lops' disease (where the belly 'does lop over the belt buckle') worse than a mild aged beer gutted man does. Then there are some guys out there that are wearing clothes that are sooo big for them that there is no possible way in hell that they will ever grow into them. I mean, there is wishful thinking that you, now at 95lbs, are going to burst out to be a 250lbs/6'7" human being, but realistically I do not think that is going to happen anytime soon. These two examples show that the person is caught in the 'do not worry, will grow into it' phase and the 'you have grown into it phase' and they just have not completed the cycle. Now whether that is the inexperience on the parents part to realize that the parents are the ones responsible for moving the cycle along and it is not just an act of God that makes the cycle happen (like the rain cycle, weather cycle, PMS/period cycle in women), or if it is due to the fact that the teens have been given complete control of their wardrobe and have not figured out this transformation cycle is controlled by the individual and not a higher being, I am not sure. All I know is that it is really strange to be sitting on a bus beside an entity that is completely swallowed up by his pants and shirt and then look the other direction and seeing a girl standing in the aisle with a butt crack hanging out worse than a plumber with a full utility belt hanging off it.

Thats the way...uh huh..uh huh..

I LIKE IT!!! oh yeah, Ducks are in flight and motion, ladies and gentlemen...tonight the Ducks managed to beat the Canucks 3 - 2 knocking the Canucks out of the race for the Holy Grail.

The Ducks knew that they were going to win so, like a cat toys with a mouse, they batted them back and forth, drew them into a false sense of security and then, in the overtime moments when the Ducks could see that the end had finally come, they went in for the kill and scored the winning goal.

Ahhh, the Ducks. To the cup, lads....to the cup I tell you!

and the Winner is...

the award for the most persistant telemarketer that I know goes to Jeanne from my credit card service. I got a call today saying that as a valued customer using my credit card, the company is willing to offer me a fantastic insurance offer. For $0.89 per $100 outstanding balance on my credit card, they are willing to insure the balance of my credit card in which they will make the minimum payment of my credit card every month if I ever become disabled. As a great deal as well, if there is no outstanding balance owing on my credit card, then I don't pay any money, so this insurance is only charged to me when I need it and not when I don't need it. Also, I have a trial period of 30 days to put this coverage on and if I am not 100% satisfied that this is a great deal (basically, I would have to get disabled in that 30 day period, make my claim and then watch the wonders of their service), then I can cancel at anytime and no money would be charged to my credit card.

Sounds great huh? though taking into account that chances are that at 19.5% annual interest (0.05342% daily) on the balance owing, paying the minimum amount due is only a scratch on the amount that is being put on it at a daily rate.

Then comes the best part, I ask how soon the coverage can take effect and I get told that if I authorize her, the insurance is applied instantly. I tell her that I am currently disabled from work for the last 5 weeks and this would be great because then I can get covered instantly. She then replies that she did not know I was disabled and the insurance would not cover my current disabled period. I scratch my head and ask her "so, I have to get well, get off the disabled list at work and go back to work and then the next time I get disabled and can't pay my visa bill the insurance would take effect. " Without missing a beat she replies "yes, that would be the case. So can I have your authorization to set you up with this great plan?" I ask her if it makes sense to pay for insurance on a credit card to cover if I get disabled when I am currently disabled that isnt covered right now under said insurance. Reply: "but you get 30 days free to try out this great offer and with your authorization we can give you this great deal".

So, for her perseverance and dedication to pushing insurance on a credit card that doesn't cover someone that is currently in need of that insurance, I grant you the award for The Most Persistant Telemarketer.

a day at the docs....AGAIN

So, a little bit more personal information than you probably needed to know about me, but yes I am still suffering from a hernia and I had my docs appointment today at 12:40 for another 'poke and grope'. All I can say is that I really dont think this Dr. Birch exists. I think he is a figment of peoples imagination and they say "oh yes, Dr Birch will see you" but in fact they just keep passing info from student to student and they know that if we knew there was no doc and only students we wouldnt put faith in their sayings. However, all they have to do is come in and say "yes, Dr. Birch says it is a hernia and it will need to be operated on and he we will get back to you on the date." and we trust them for sound advice. Then, on the date of the operation, when the person is hopped up on knock out gas and wouldnt recognize their own mother, they bring in a student in a lab coat who spouts medical jargon til you fall asleep and thus you have 'seen' Dr. Birch. yeah, but that is just my theory.

I got to the docs office for 12:20, they had me in the docs examine room for 12:25, Dr. Birch's assistant (female) came in, explained the operation and risks and then had me sign a form saying I understand and want to proceed.

Now, before I go any further, let me throw in my two cents worth that female assistants/nurses, taking into my account of both the male and female students/assistants that talked to me about hernias, should NOT be allowed to discuss hernia operations and side effects to men. Why you ask? simple...when the guy was talking about the hernia and what happens, he added in the right tone of 'oh yeah, that has got to hurt' of sympathy pains. You know the pains and look that men get when they watch another man take a face plant into the sidewalk or when the see a man slip and catch a hand railing in the nuts, or takes a soccer/football kick to the man sack, and the entire sports bar occupancy goes "OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" and curls up in slight pain. Yeah, that is what he talked about. However, the woman draws me a bigger diagram, goes into detail about the two different types of hernias, explains the procedure of the cutting of holes in my abdomen and chest, snaking cables through my body with little devices, putting in a screen door mesh into my groinal area and then wait for the body to take care of the growing and bonding. Sounds good and easy right? I was impressed by her knowledge and information delivery, very nice, UNTIL she starts to talk about complications. Some patients reject the screen in the form of infections, non-growth/securing and sickness, but this is a small percent. The other side effect is that the screen gets placed over a vein running down from the body to the testicle, and if this vein gets constricted, then no blood gets to the testicle. I looked at her and made a face of horror and she said "oh dont worry, you wont die...the testicle just loses blood flow to it, shrinks down, shrivels up and dies and then it is removed surgically...no problem"...all this with the calm demenour like she just explained that my thumb nail had grown black and needed to be removed, but dont worry there will be no pain. When I coughed and managed to squeak out "kids..I may want kids" she shrugged and went "you got another one". OUCH is all I can say...

so, yeah, talked to this lady, got the run down of the whole operation thing and then found out that they are booking into late June for operations. I explained I cant go back to work due to pain and there is no light work in a camp kitchen, she went out and explained it to the assistant/secretary that I had to get in ASAP to return to work and she came out saying "ok, we are looking at end of May/beginning of June for this". They are going to call in a week or two to get me the final date of the operation and when they can squeeze me in. Recovery time for said operation is roughly 3 weeks of no heavy lifting but then I should be right as rain (assuming that the mesh is accepted by my body and that happens usually all the time and the chance of rejection is less than 1%).

Talk about the best health care system in the world that we have here in Canada. I get a hernia in February and it has taken to May to get booked for surgey, have to wait another possible 6 weeks to get sliced and then 3 weeks to heal. No wonder Canadians need safety nets like health care, workers compensation and short term disability insurance, with this speedy health system most people would probably die of starvation before their illness forcing them not to work killed their bodies.

smoking in the boys room, or your house

Now, this really wouldnt have gotten me interested cause it involves smokers and I really think that the whole smoking thing has been blown out of proportion totally. I dont like smoking, never smoked in my life, though currently (according to my last chest xrays) have the lungs of a 30 year old smoker thanks to living with my smoking father for the first 16 years of my life, with my smoking brother the 2 years before university and then working at the college bar for the most of my teritary schooling career. So I gladly applauded the move to make bars and restaurants completely non-smoking as well as certain offices. But what this woman actually said got me laughing. During an interview with the reporters she actually said "it is my place, if I want to smoke in my place then you cant stop me". 'Your' place? yeah, ok...care to examine what the term 'rent' means? it does not mean you bought and paid for the place, you have borrowed it for a certain amount of cash. The place is surely not yours to do with it. Granted, you have some rights to it, but not complete like if you bought the house. You cant tear down walls, you can remodel and you surely can not pollute it with noxious substances.

One thing that came to mind is what is the difference between a hotel room and a rental house? if I am renting the hotel room from the hotel, and they say it is a no smoking room, then I can be fined for smoking in it. They rent out cars that are non-smoking, though from what I understand from the rental company, they dont push for compensation cause it is harder to fight it in a court of law then just to ask them not to do it, but it is essentially a non-smoking car. So, if you can limit the smoking in those areas, then why not make a rental apartment non-smoking, and dont give me the crap about discrimination cause I cant choose my gender, race or age but I can choose which toxic substance to introduce to my body and become addicted to.

The landlords here really did go about it the wrong way though. Ask nicely for the lady to stop smoking, and failing that, turn on her so that they make it unbearable, but still within legal rights, to live in the place for the 2 years that she is there. Little things like, perhaps, have 'trouble' with the hot water heater so that hot water is spuratic; trouble with electricity so that sometimes the power to the house goes off and on during the middle of the night causing alarm clocks to be disconnected. Tiny little things like that so that the lady will come and want out of the lease, to which the landlord will be all to happy to allow. After all, diplomacy is always key in dealing with people.

http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070425/smoking_tenant_070425/20070425?hub=Canada

Mtl. landlord tells tenant to butt out or get out
Updated Wed. Apr. 25 2007 11:10 PM ET CTV.ca News Staff

A Montreal woman is fighting desperately to hold onto her home -- despite a pack-a-day smoking habit that her landlord claims is grounds for eviction. The case is currently before the Quebec Rental Board. Sandra Ann Fowler claims her landlord never told her she wouldn't be allowed to smoke in her new apartment before she signed the lease.

She told CTV Montreal she smokes about 10 cigarettes per day inside her apartment. The only condition to her tenancy, she said, was that she agree not to keep any pets in the two-unit duplex. The landlord, Olesia Koretski, lives in the downstairs unit. Koretski, who is pregnant and has asthma, claims smoke seeps into her unit, making her living situation unbearable. She has demanded that Fowler either quit smoking, or move out, reports CTV Montreal's Rob Lurie. But Fowler is demanding that the Koretski install a ventilation system, saying it's the landlord's responsibility to fix the problem.

"I'm sure if she fixes the ventilation and does stuff that will keep the smoke odours from going to her house, that will help her situation for sure," Fowler told reporters. "But it's not up to me to do that. I rented a space. I'm sure it's like, be kind to thy neighbour and all that kind of stuff, but at some point where does that stop? I'm hindering my rights right now because she wants to have clean fresh air?"

Koretski said she isn't opposed to putting in a better ventilation system, but even that won't stop all the smoke from seeping into the apartment, and the bottom line is that the smoke from Fowler's apartment is putting her health at risk.

Smokers' advocates say there's no reason why the onus should always be on the smoker to adjust their behaviour, and in this case it is the landlord's responsibility to fix the problem.

"Now it's politically correct to bash smokers and all excuses are good. In this particular case you have someone who has a pre-existing lease where there is no mention of smoking whatsoever," smokers' rights advocate Arminda Mota told CTV Montreal. "This lease was just released to June 2008, and no mention of not smoking, and this landlord brings the person to the (rental board) to tell them to stop smoking, which makes no sense."

Lurie said the Montreal case could become precedent-setting, because Toronto and Winnipeg are currently investigating the possibility of imposing smoking bans on apartment buildings. According to an Ipsos Reid survey conducted in March and November of last year, 64 per cent of respondents would choose a smoke-free building over one where smoking is permitted.

Almost half of the 1,800 people surveyed said they have had tobacco odour enter their apartment in the past year from somewhere else in the building.