Contributions of Steve Landry

Interesting to read about how Bell has now unofficially purchased all of Entourage (now called Bell Subco) and 1400 technicians (all previous Entourage subcontracted employees) realize they have power in numbers by hitting the streets and going on strike.

Since then, (although Bell won’t admit it), their services have taken a deep spike south. They even tried to minimize the impact of the strike by reminding their customers that it is only in Ontario that the technicians have walked off the job. They have also continued to make commitments to customers for service delivery that are not achievable resulting in further and substantial delays in customers getting what they ordered. These promises have been a load of crap, customers are becoming more and more infuriated by decreased service times and costs remaining relatively the same, even though they are experiencing huge inconvenience and being short-changed on what they get in the end.

Bell is facing a CRTC knockout punch when they were advised (end of Mar 2005), that service standards needed to be at a certain level by a certain date, or face fines.

This was sent to Bell on the same day as the Entourage folks walked off the job. Top execs at Bell are scratching their heads figuring out how they can guard their share of the market (phone/Voice Over Internet Protocol) as Rogers/Sprint smell blood and make every attempt to move in on Bell, while they’re bleeding from their cut-veins (incured by the strike).

Entourage have negotiating power and clout to ask for substantial increases in pay and benefits. They shouldn’t allow their new bosses at Bell to put the collar on them without a few nasty growls, a big bowl of bonuses and gentle encouragement that recognizes the transitional needs of the technicians and the changing work environment.

Unofficially, the route for anyone with money who want medical care has always been short. Show them the green and you’ll quickly be seen. There are countless stories of members of parliament who skipped the line because of money or close connections to someone with political or economic influence.

It’s a shame that our medical care system is so drained of doctors, nurses and other health care professionals. Many are practicing in the US where they are able to select from lots of work options and receive substantially more money for (sometimes) less work than the daily grind of working in Canada.

We didn’t take care of them before the shortage. Governments have to face up to certain responsibility because they may have taken doctors’ services for granted all these years.

Doctors know their skills are in demand, so they have gone elsewhere to ply their trade.

It always surprises me how few GP’s are taking new patients and that it’s a scamble to find a doctor to fill out the simplest of forms and be seen (other than the increasing number of med-clinic type services-run like a quick-in/quick-out based approach).

In the picture, it looks like the rich guy is being treated for some minor (probably a liver spot from a lifetime of luxury and hobnobbing and unlimited quantities of alcohol at all the social events he’s attended) and the other guy (a visible minority it’s assumed), is left to wait until after the doctor has finished taking care of his A-Class patient. Once that’s done, it’s on the rest of the patients, many having waited hour upon hour in uncomfortable waiting and emergency rooms.

Paul Green is passing along his musical knowledge to Philadelphia school kids. It could be worse, he could be passing them crack cocaine instead.

Seems like we’re entering a brief passage of time where documentaries showing extra-curricular activities that kids are doing is “le regime” and the public is interested.

Nothing wrong with that. The education system, a usual grey pastel of curriculum and government driven mandated material could use the odd dose of creative thinking. I’m thinking of that other documentary that people are talking about with the ballroom dancing theme being taught in schools to fifth graders as another example of how kids can learn way more than readin’ ritin’ and ‘rithmetic.

If my kids were interested in taking up guitar, violin or saxophone, I would not object. Making it part of their day, such as a program such as Kindermusik (a very successful way of teaching preschoolers about the basics of rhythm and sounds and musical instruments), is an educational strategy that I support wholeheartedly.

This documentary sounds interesting and appears to hit all the “right notes”.

The Blue Orphan is a theatrical piece that some have compared to a cross between a Philip Glass soundtrack and a dark fairytale portrayal of a version of the Wizard of Oz (without the metallic clutter). With hanging silken panels and the remnants of a storm that has passed through the small town of Crooked Creek, we meet each one of the 8 characters seemingly in the last moments of their lives. The characters are presented as butterfly-like as they float into the story and take their place for a time and then move along again.

The Blue Orphan has been shown to audiences from Australia to many far reaching points of the globe and along the way, the performance have received all kinds of accolades including: the 2003 Elizabeth Sterling Haynes awards for “Outstanding New York”, “Outstanding Musical Score” and “Outstanding Supporting Actress” (Beth Graham) and was nominated in the U.K. for Stage Magazine’s Award for “Acting Excellence”.

It will be interesting to see if Ottawa audiences are affected by, as Jonathan Christenson, the creator/director/musical composer of The Blue Orphan states, the “affirmation of the human spirit” and will they take away with them, the value of “compassion for others”?

Paul Kelly is an Australian singer/songwriter/musician born in Adelaide who turns 50 this year. His success has mostly come from his home country, lesser known in North America perhaps due to the criticism that he is somewhat introverted and shy but extremely talented nonetheless. His Australian critics says he represents: “a mirror to the Australian spirit,” a kind recognition of his talent.

He started singing publicly in 1974 in Tasmania before moving to Melbourne. He has also recorded music with The Casuals and collaborated recordings with The Dots, The Coloured Girls, The Messengers, Uncle Bill and Professor Ratbaggy. He currently is accompanied by his new backing band The Stormwater Boys who are playing all kinds of tours across Australia this year. The last time he played in Ottawa was August 2004.

Paul has defined one of his newest goals to set his sights on the American market after achieving huge success in Australia but until then, shares his time and skills with others that he supports to enable them to achieve success.

His milestone achievements include many popular hits that were released to great applause in Australia including: “Darling It Hurts,” “Dumb Things,” “Sweet Guy”, “Careless” and “To Her Door”.

Kelly has never been shy to express his feelings politically with songs like “From Little Things Big Things Grow,” (about Aboriginal Land Rights), “Treaty” (Land Rights and Reconciliation) and “Little Kings,” from his newest CD (about dissatisfaction with the Government).

Paul Kelly is a much loved and talented songwriter, producer and jack-of-all-trades, he is one of The Land Of Oz’ finest homegrown talents and he is worth looking into.

Ways And Means represents his 19th Album release.

Understanding that there are new technologies available for our smoke-belching, environmentally repulsive buses is an important discussion to undertake for Ottawa. We shoulde explore options that help us breathe a little easier. David Jeanes, president of Transport 2000 asks a valid question: “Is this the right technology for Ottawa?”

As a taxpayer, this is an important consideration. If our Transitway, allowing buses in Ottawa to hum along at 80kms/hr means that they are running as efficiently as designed, then maybe this is not a smart approach for bus redesign/remarketing and retrofitting. However, if there are other options to the hybrid approach, then let’s find the more appropriate direction that our bus fleet needs to head. Maybe, as others have suggested a East/West corridor for the Ottawa Train system.

“$700 million in 2005 on fuel (for OC Transpo services) with a reduced fleet” is a lot of money to spend on this one item.

It’s good to hear that City Council are looking at ways of cutting these costs.

You have to wonder if John Manley minced words in his farewell/hospitality speech written for Maher Arar’s deportation from the US? I mean, if he really felt that Arar was part of his political interests and wanted him back here, his words may have contained stuff like: “I will do everything in my power to protect the interests of Arar and ensure that his family are given all of the support within the relevant legislation and the Charter”.

But let’s face it, Arar’s case has always smelled strangely like one that lingered too long in the filth of Charter violations. Arar was “arbitrarily detained or imprisoned” without being “informed promptly of the reasons … (and he may or not have been) [able to] retain and instruct counsel without delay and to be informed of that right”. He also had that other right violated about having “the validity of the detention determined by way of habeas corpus and to be released if the detention is not lawful.”

Pressing Manley further on any of these sensitive topics would be interesting to hear his response. How else would he explain the strange way that Arar’s case was handled? Arar’s case is an example of how things can go terribly wrong. Government officials are slow to admit fault in these kinds of cases because then there is the question of *WHO* to blame?

Ah fascism, The State before the individual. Mussolini was first called a fascist back in 1922, self-centered bastard.

I understand the history of where Hitler built his insiduous campaign upon the premise of a fascist built nazi empire, but I think it’s a little farfetched to truly believe that John Manley is a Hitler clone. Is he really that evil?

He may have his eyes set on a Federal leadership crown at some point down the road, but his battles to get to the top may raise questions about his fumbling of the Arar case. He needs to figure out a way to mend all the fences he’s damaged before embarking on a quest for the head of the empire.

This past weekend, I planned a special night for my lady. I arranged for a complete facial, manicure and hair appointment to get her in the mood because she’s a special woman who works hard and doesn’t get thanked enough for all that she does for her kids. I made arrangements at this really romantic Italian restaurant (I also put a case of Heineken in the fridge to chill…for later). I asked my girl to get ready for me to pick her up after her various appts (I took care of arranging a babysitter for the kids/they were staying over at their grandparents house).

WOW. I was amazed how beautiful she looked as I picked her up right after her hair had been done, with the evening to spend all alone and no pressure to get back for any certain time. We arrived at the restaurant just as the temperature had started to cool down but both of us already sweating a little. We kissed outside the restaurant before we went in. We were seated in a very quiet area and proceeded to order two Heineken. for whatever reason, it seemed to go down so smooth and it refreshed our senses. The meal was perfect and we ended up enjoying our dessert with a bit of wine. Originally, we had intended on going home after dinner, but instead, decided that we wanted to go for a nice walk in the night air. It was romantic walking hand in hand with no particular destination in mind. We talked about how we first met and laughed at all of the memories we’ve shared over the years. We talked about our future plans and how we had accomplished so much up to this point in our lives.

We finished the walk with a lengthy kiss by the water and as we looked into each other’s eyes, I kept thinking about whether I had put that case of Heineken’s in the fridge or if I had forgotten. Whatever…I thought, this would be the best, most enjoyable night in a long time and Heineken’s was there the whole time to share the memory with.

What a better way to prmotoe your festival than to have a little preview with a little mini-show happening locally tonight at Club Saw (but making the rounds from Trois Rivieres PQ to Grandmere PQ over the course of 9 days)?

I hope that other bands with a penchant for having some medium exposure consider signing up for PMIMF this year. With the accolades thrown in the direction of The Hot Springs and Malajube from the nominations from this year, it’s probably a wise move to be part of this feel good festival for the senses.

I got a chance to see “It’s All Gone Wrong Pete Tong” earlier this week and must say, it is very good. Crafty humour and a storyline that is accessible and well written. I appreciate the comparisons to Spinal Tap now that I’ve finished my bucket of popcorn.

The character of DJ Frankie Wilde lives up to his last name and although, may have come close to completely *losing it*, he manages to hold on through the hearing loss and the impassioned help from his rainy-day friends.

Brilliant work Director Michael Dowse.

This DVD may be of value to Morrissey fans but generally as O’Meara states, he is pompous and self-glorified. His existence centres around an ego that takes up half the stage before he even enters the theatre. It’s one thing to be charming and self-confident, it’s quite another to bloat yourself so much that reality is a word outside of your vocabulary and that the stage you are is only made of metal, wood and supports. Remember, “stars” can vanish very quickly in the public’s eyes if they are too stuck up, conceited or they forget the little people that make it happen for them every night.

These are the people that surround your performance with their skills (you know: the sound guys, the promoters, the backing band, the marketers, the hair and makeup etc….).

Without them, Mr Morrissey, what would you be? Now, if you had stayed with the Smiths, then, we wouldn’t need to be prompting you on etiquette, now would we? It’s always harder being a solo artist in the spotlight vs member of a band with other musicians (it’s easier to deflect the criticism).

There are other soloists who also have fallen in love with themselves: Robbie Williams and Mariah Carey notwithstanding. Somehow, Morrissey comes across with way more shmaltz and ego. He will sell quite a few of these DVD’s but not to me.

Santropol Roulant is a good example of an organization that has a very well organized, practical and meaningful place for volunteers to give of their time and get way more back in return.

I volunteer in three different places and can say first hand that it is some of the most meaningful work you can do because it comes from the heart and all it takes is a bit of your time and dedication.

Montreal should be proud to have such an ambitious group as Santropol Roulant. Their success is happening because they were concerned with real change in improving the health of their community and the members that live in their neighbourhood. Concern with expanding awareness of what it means to be a good community member and bring out a city’s needs to the forefront are very admirable and positive goals.

The big-whigs are starting to take notice. Recent awards for Santropol Roulant include: the Arthur Kroeger College Award for Citizenship and Community Affairs (“achievements that have made Canadians more informed, their institutions more effective, and their country a better place to live and dealing effectively with a problem or challenge and whose research or activities have expanded our understanding and awareness of the importance of good citizenship and community”) and they also were one of the winners of the “Hommage Bénévolat-Québec” (Government of Quebec issued to acknowledge the exceptional and precious contributions of volunteers and community organizations).

Continued success to Santropol Roulant for the senior meal delivery, rooftop garden, fundraising and continued recognition and support.

You are extremely valuable to your neighbourhood.

Maybe the guys you were talkin’ to in the bars were yanking your chain a little bit Sylvie.

Guys can’t even begin to understand the chemistry in them thar women and although women think they’ve got us guys figured out down to the very thought on my mind right this minute, there should be some recognition of the guys who hold off their own pleasure and orgasm while lovemaking.

These handsome devils will bring a woman to orgasm and give their lovers pleasure beyond belief because, as you’ve stated once you cum, generally, the blood flow returns to normal and Limp Biskit prevails. But all men are not so uncaring, shallow and selfish: be assured.

If you would have talked to more women, you would’ve realized that many give their man the impression they’re experiencing the most fantastic orgasm this side of a porn movie.

Reality*?*: They’re doing their shopping list in their heads, thinking of stuff they forgot to do earlier or noticing the incredibly huge spider’s web in the corner of the room they missed the last time they dusted.

Generalizing is convenient, using Star Wars analogies is cloudy and eavesdropping on a bunch of beer swilling testosterone dudes to make a point is……kind of flaky.

You should have asked the boys which one wanted to take you home to show you their particular technique and then write the column once you’ve caught your breath.

What do they call that? Market Research???

Richard, thankyou for the background and a generally informative comment tihs week. I agree that partners with HIV should tell their partners as soon as possible and before engaging in sexual relations. I just want to add a few thoughts to this very good discussion:

Insight into bugchasing in the prison system:

Drugs and medication are like currency in our penal insititutions. Those diagnosed with HIV-AIDS must be supplied with drugs by Correctional Services and their prescription must be continued while they are in their care.

The drugs that HIV-AIDS prisoners are prescribed are very strong (perhaps the strongest available) and are used as currency to purchase other things of value (cigarettes, household items etc..).

There is a swelling rumour circulating that prisoners with life sentences (25 yrs+) are voluntarily contracting HIV-AIDS so that they too are provided with the meds and, with nothing to lose, get infected for the purposes of retaining their status as kingpins in the pen.

When you sit down and think about that for a minute, HIV-AIDS is a ~disease~ for some (on the outside) and a ~currency~ for others (in our prisons) who have figured out how to manipulate the system that our legal/justice and correctional services have created.

Say what you want but due to a sweet negotiation between her lawyer and the courts, Karla got the sentence, served it, and surprisingly is being released. Many of the people I have spoken to believe that she will be killed shortly or harmed after her release.

Then what, her family sues the justice system because they didn’t offer her some kind of protective custody arrangement? The severity of her crimes was lessened by tactful negotiation that is perfectly leagal in this country. And there’s talk that she could be “exported” to the US (they won’t take our meat but they’ll take Karla?) if the reaction/response/outcry/anger etc….is too severe or warrants a more comfy arrangement for the Queen of Bizarre.

Why we spend so much money making the lives of violent offenders like Homolka and others is beyond me. Proponents of reinstating the death penalty are whispering: “Told you so”.

What are we to do with someone like Karla who may never be classified as normal and who got a mild slap on the wrist for perhaps one of the more disturbing and brutal series of murders in history?

The Canadian Justice System should be embarrased and take a greater responsibility for public safety than the parole hearings ended up deciding and Homolka walking free (relatively speaking).

“Be alert for lucky accidents that you could take advantage of in order to freshen up everyone’s perspective”.

I’m assuming that we’re not talking about car accidents here otherwise, I would have to go back and get my First Aid/CPR all over again. I can dig the ‘scope this week.

I enjoy this column a lot because Xpress members tend to be more laid back and supportive here. It’s not full of controvercy.

I’ve realized that since I’ve joined Express, Ottawa’s got a lot of excellent writers,critics and very insightful folks that I’ve learned a lot from over the past year. Thanks.

For now, I’m off to find out a little more about this Max Ernst fella (1891-1976), we capricorns have to stick together.

Ooh, this is controvertial this week. I’m kind of nervous dangling my big toe in the tepid water of the topic of abortion. Both sides in this “discussion” will undoubtedly come out in the comments/postings in this week’s responses.

Ok, for starters, Morgentaler came along at a time when there were curbside and alley abortions taking place, where women who chose to abort were leaving their hands with friends, unlicensed or poorly licensed doctors with questionable certificates and small back-of-the-building-offices (if they had offices at all). They were also not only terminating life (this is the start of the contentious part of the issue) but may in fact be putting their own lives on the line. Many died either while aborting or shortly after, dying as a result of somebody who should have never even agreed to see them to begin with.

Morgentaler provided safe, sterile conditions in a discreet location that women could feel safe and comfortable about. Did Morgentaler provide counselling and aftercare? i’m not sure but he was a breath of fresh air, I hate to admit it to keep women (many of them too afraid to tell family, friends etc…) safe and for the time being provide them with resources to help them follow through with their plan. Be it a good plan or socially unacceptable.

As a male, I don’t think I will even try to relate to the shock of discovering pregnancy has been revealed and that, as a female, I know that this is happening at the wrong time in my life with no possibility of raising a child. I also know that my body changes and emotions would go into overdrive.

I won’t also imagine what it’s like to have gone through 3 abortions, like the girl in the story above and “feel good about things”. Many couples get married after “discovering” that they are pregnant. It’s a chance you take by being intimate and either using or not using birth control, pills that some argue are also a form of abortion (but we don’t have the space here to go..there).

I applaud Shamim Akhtar and SAB organizer André Girgis for persevering in this matter. Make a huge stink and get lots of press. Highlight your objectives on large signs and make sure the cameras follow your every step from Montreal to the steps of Parliament Hill. This issue is way too large for the Minister of Immigration to simply wipe away.

The Immigration backload and the convoluted decisions that are being made on behalf of the “estimated 400,000 refugees and immigrants currently living without status” here in Canada are absurd, irresponsible and should not be tolerated. Explanations for why they are being refused or deported are weak on substance in many cases and seem to be more about underlining the virtues of positive immigration policies instead of implimenting them in the new immigrant’s favour or point of view.

We closed our borders at one point, staff in the Immigration Department have been asking for bureaucratic help for years and our government doesn’t appear to have this issue strongly enough in the heart of their radar or care about with enough passion.

Keep moving forward and pressing for change on behalf of these many families that principally would like to immigrate by all of the correct procedures but who are having difficulty having their cases heard by sympathetic ears.

Immigrants have rights too.

Sounds like there’s still room for improvement in the mostly burlesque, live nudes and stripper section of the lower Main. Not enough action for everyone, one supposes.

I have to admit that I have made several trips to Club Soda in the past and most of what happened after the show, I can’t remember because we continued on to bar after bar in a sloshed up mess.

I also made the interesting discovery of Café Cléopatra, and no, I didn’t venture past the first floor. Drag queens are not my thing but I recognize that they go to great lengths to make themselves beautiful and sometimes, it’s hard to tell them apart from the other “ladies” in the room. The women featured on the stage are very beautiful, the drinks are pricy (as always) and there was a choking smell of dry ice around the stage as you walked in. The big doorman could be influenced to give you premium seats (if you put the right bill in his outreached hand as you shook it as you came in).

Montreal is quite the place to party and it’s about time again to head down to the sights and sounds of Lower Main.

By the way, I think that nude silouette is a fake image that is lit up by a back light. The girl that she is based on probably is mostly real except for those fake breasts she bought before the did her first “performance”.

Quite the history lesson this week in presenting so much interesting information on Main Street and the 100th Anniversary.

Reading the column felt like sharing a coffee with a couple of “off-duties” who had been there, or heard all about the different characters that used to occupy the historic Main.

Very good stories, many of them enlarged like the biceps of the local doormen who like the steroids and other drugs that they came into contact to helped them deal with the tough underbelly of Montreal’s early history exagerated the details just a “little bit”, to be sure.

There were coppers probably exchanging favors to the thugs of the time to keep the streets quieter than they really were and “tricks” changing hands more often than the change in the young hustlers’ pockets.

Whatever happened to guys like “Cartouche” and the 6′ 6″ Indian and the cops who used to patrol these streets? Well, at least we know that Mado La Motte will still be around to celebrate the 100th anniversary of a neighbourhood that is long on storytelling, helped build Montreal’s character and represents the early beginning of the Dubois, Schreters and The Holders families to make their mark in the criminal annals or their first $5 dollar sale.

It would be interesting if the organizing committee could print the cover page of the newspaper from 100 years ago (if it’s still in the archives) to go along with the festivities. Times have changed but there are probably some strange parallels that are still relevant to todays life in good old Montreal.

And Hey: Thanks for the memories.

Let’s hope that the nicotine police don’t get together with the parking hornets and the city’s health inspectors. ~Egad~ What is this city turning into? Illegal for smokers to smoke…outside????….Does this make any sense to anyone?

We already have the most irritating and impatient parking ticket enforcers this side of the border second only to those nasty New York State Troopers (the picture reminds me of one actually) and now smokers will be hiding in bus shelters and dark alleys to get their daily dose of cigarette.

What’s next, The Flip Flop Zero-Tolerance Enforcers and the Hey-You-Your-Hair-Is-Too-Long Thought Police?

Ridley Bent is a Maritimer (now residing in Vancouver) offering up grassroot lyrics and catchy harmonies on many of the 10 songs on his latest release, Blam (assisted by his best friend/mentor Vancouver producer Chin Injeti). Check out Track 8 Badmuthafunkster.

His music ranges from “tales of love, love gone wrong, the law, shady characters and lovely young ladies, all laced with a chronic attitude”.

The cover reminded me of a Western Cowboy/Bonanza themed picture especially the large yellow font that appears to explode the letters off the cover.

Ironically, he draws inspiration from fellas like Johnny Cash and Hank Williams who he listened to growing up moving from place to place as his parents got transferred in the military.

His music is at best rhyming observations from everyday life that he is able to translate into half sung/half spoken words that are insightful and intuitive. He has been described as an “effusive storyteller” more than a high octave crooner.

He opened for Danny Michel last April 2004 out West and was received with lukewarm reception. This may have been at the starting point of his live performances. He has since had another year to mature and gain self-confidence.

“Throw in some break beats, phat bass, sweet country and a melody and you’ve got yourself an earful of ‘Hick Hop'” -Ridely Bent.

With pipe dreams of becoming a downhill skier, Bent changed his mind when he realized that there may be more attainable dreams to go for.He set his heart on becoming a musician and hasn’t looked back. Like fellow British Columbian Daniel Powter, this year could be a big one for Mr Bent may be pleasantly surprised by the positive reaction that people offer when they hear his thoughts set to music.

Bent is insightful, honest and best of all…Canadian.

(MapleMusic Recordings are quietly increasing their list of talent that along with Bent, also list Hot Diamonds, The Dirt and The Seams.

For everyone that is calling The Caesars sell-outs, they should try to put together a song that is as catchy as Jerk It Out, and try to get people’s ears to listen to their composition.

Whether they have other songs on their debut CD that do as well will have to wait the test of time. The guys in the band sound like they’re taking things really easy and not taking themselves too seriously.

Jocke Ahlund’s story about the pill is too funny and it’s a good thing that the member made it back to the hotel. Jerk it out does not make a career but I hope that their contract and licensing was nicely proofread by the lawyers to make sure that they get all the profit they deserve.

I remember hearing an interview with Acqua (another Nordic band) many years ago.

The interviewer was trying to ask serious questions and was met with flippant, joke-filled responses. Maybe, we in North America are too uptight about life and money and relationships.

We could learn something from bands like The Caesars and maybe force ourselves to “Jerk It Out” a little more.

I heard about this story in a Toronto newspaper and wondered when it would be spreading to other cities? Obviously, Toronto, with all of it’s smog and polltion needed to come up with a way to reduce cars 24-7 and with car sharing, it means that people can stop worrying about huge car payments, monthly car insurance obligations and qualifying for car loans.

It also maximizes the use of vehicles by sharing the cost of ownership and transferring it into a type of co-op or timeshare strategy. It’s a dream plan, if it catches on.

With rising costs associated with urban transit and other options towards more environmentally friendly vehicle options taking such a long time to come to market and be affordable, Communauto and Toyota’s involvement are steps in the right direction to keep expenses and vehicle usage down on our streets.

I agree with Stephanie that striptease (emphasis on the tease part) has gone mainstream in a big way. Does this mean that voyeurs are moving away from the internet to go to shows like “Encore! The Very Best of Blue Light Burlesque”?

Not likely.

But I wonder whether watching burlesque is like watching a pirrahna swim around the fishbowl? You lock in your gaze and hope that there aren’t any accidents and try not to feel guilty as you watch “the entertainer” swirl on the stage and remove part of her/his clothing. Also, with a mixed crowd, are there people in attendance talking about their kids, their jobs and occasionally looking over at the stage, just to pass part of their night out?

This is an interesting idea, and builds on the popularity of movies like Moulin Rouge and the famous video that came out with Christina Aguilera to name but one of the partially clad dancers.

This may be perceived as exploitation but is certainly more tame than strip clubs that have the same show but more skin.

Perhaps an option for the more conservative?

After a meaningful review this week, Lucy gets to the bottom line and I am slightly astonished that a meal that could’ve been less expensive climbed up to the $100 mark for two diners. While the description of the smoked mackerel sounded great and delicious, I wasn’t sure what was meant by the comment that you were pleased that they didn’t name the sauce aioli? Did it look like something with a caper in the middle of the bowl?

I like the idea of roasted vegetables with the main courses, a nice change from fries,fries,fries. I’m not a huge fan of potato croquettes so each to their own tastes.

Finally, the mango and lime pistachio tart sounds amazing. I usually skip desserts at all costs. I hadn’t realized that Flippers had been around for 25 years. I guess good food, good servie and generous portions translates into some relative form of longevity for this place.

Restaurants in Ottawa take note.

And I guess in Green’s world, that about sums it up: “I am not a powerhouse celebrity. I am just doing my thing. Nobody is taking this too seriously; we just want to have some fun.”

For all that Tom Green is, he certainly has several important qualities that are necessary for anyone to keep moving forward. His early beginnings in Ottawa are highlighted by giving working for free at Rogers, CHUO etc…with a long term dream of someday,somehow making it in the business. He appears to be unfazed by criticism and is able to reinvent and recreate his persona on a whim. He may not be the funniest guy around and some of his material is admitedly tacky, but that is what brought him applause and attention when he was doing his talk show on Rogers. Wake the parents up at 3am, paint his dad’s car with offensive messages, ask people in the streets wacky questions for a laugh. He was almost always unscripted and impromptu on his shows, both radio and tv. This is more than we can say about the other talk show hosts like Leno, Letterman etc…who have teams of comedy writers and teleprompters to keep them appearing organized. Green used freeform comedy.

I’m not particularly interested in going to see him

live and his humour is, admitedly, not for everyone. But, like other artists that have moved on from local neighbourhoods, I wish him well with his new partnership with DJ Mike and on whatever relative success his future holds.

Austrian filmmaker Hubert Sauper’s documentary, Darwin’s Nightmare passed through censorship guidelines, but just barely. If Tanzania’s government had known what he was up to, they would not have kindly given in and shared their “dirty little secret”. The truth is shown in sheer honesty and brilliance before moviegoers eyes.

His purpose and mission in releasing such a controvertial and bleedingly true documentary was twofold. First, he wanted to show the tremendous greed that government undertakes in the quest for money and it’s willingness to exploit it’s own people. Secondly, he wanted to show the tremendous human cost that such a tragedy incures.

He risked his life to capture the unbelievable sights he witnesses that are presented with little need for added sensationalism and dramatics. Sauper is not very outspoken or extroverted. There is little narrative that goes along with his infiltration into the area in question and vigilance is needed to capture the essence of this horror.

The film is akin to a war correspondant slapping what he sees on polaroid with the audacity of someone who knows they are crossing over into government protected territory.

The only sin he commits is that this story could have been told much earlier. The delay in the time it took to get this film to the theatres was due to delays beyond his control, but in the end, the message is delivered. This film drives home the dangers of government intervention when there is precious little research done before a great idea is thought up.

Global economies are sadly supplemented with “blood money”. We are kept veiled from the truth and without Sauper, this story would still be lavishing in the depths of the arid water where the Nile Perch lives.

Thank you Hubert Sauper: Your courage has helped us all (try) to understand Tanzania’s nightmare and how government corruption and impatience to make things right has destroyed the lives of people there (possibly forever).

The review for this disc may be a bit harsh. Massari is a local product (born in Lebanon, then to Ottawa via Montreal) on the MapleNationwide/Universal Record Label) with lots to offer and perhaps, a little to prove to his loving audience. At 24 yrs of age, he has many years ahead of him in the music business and will easily cross over to the US and Europe with a slight ease.

Burnett comments that: “Massari’s lack of originality does nothing to distinguish him from the pack.” What makes him unique is that he is a Canadian singer with Middle Eastern upbringing with a sound that I find very original and very contagious. He obviously has done his market research and realizes that women will be his target audience and that hopefully, his ability to translate the energy from his studio recordings will come across live. Keshia Chante, from Ottawa as well, was snubbed by some as not unique enough. She is doing very well, thank you.

What kind of music does he spin? He is classified as an urban artist who has already achieved moderate success three years ago with his first hit “Spitfire”. He went back into seclusion to put together his debut which released on may 31st,2005 and has at least a couple of songs that have enjoyed popularity on the radio and the clubs. He may remind some of an Arabic version of another urban artist: Snow.

The first single called “Smile For Me” with lyrics like: ….”I can tell by the Chanel you livin’ it well…..”. is a great BPM offering that will surely have remixed versions available for clubs to enjoy.

Massari’s voice is sultry and sexy. His style, with Middle Eastern influence is a charming reminder that he is true to his origins. This is a strong selling point for his music to be picked up and accepted as he makes his way around the world. He may draw parallels to an artist such as Ofra Haza who kept her sound true to her cultural heritage.

Massari should win some votes overseas because of his sound and cultural stylings.

Ok men, grab a guitar and play whatever the hell the first song is that comes out of your head. Now, grab a harmonica, you Mike, grab a maracas, Pete, you kick the metal snare and Joe, you throw that violin against the wall.

Sound chaotic? So does this description of the Bahston Band: Sunburned Hand Of The Man.

Music for the fan who has attention deficit and likes their live show scattered all over a stage with a dozen guys going through AA and NA with nary a drop to drink.

Trailer Park Boys is a part of our national heritage. Period.

It’s good to hear that the “Halifax-based mockumentary about life in the Sunnyvale Trailer Park is now airing in the U.S., Britain and Australia.” Bravo.

Part of the charm of the series is that it is willing to take risks with our Canadian based humour, pokes fun at life in the trailer park which we can all relate to and makes an absolute ass out of the characters but in a fun way because Bubbles could be anyone’s cousin or brother, even yours.

This film will probably appeal especially to the kids at Venice Beach who probably heard all about these “legends” from the talk on the street. It will also appeal to young adults who grew up skateboarding and I guess anyone who thinks guys like Tony Hawk are god.

Interesting to see that the film and interview hit both Express and Hour this week. Someone in the “thinking room” must have been compelled to push the face of Heath Ledger and friends on to the magazine racks on the streets of Montreal and Ottawa.

The interview with the original Lords of Dogtown is inspiring and informative. It’s nice to hear that a bunch of surfer dudes chose skateboarding over drug dealing, recreational sports in a swimming pool over trying to drown a smaller kid they’d bullied in one filled with water and learning to master coordination over hanging out loitering at the mall.

I like their comment on whether they considered themselves vandals: “No, because we weren’t out to hurt anybody. We did not steal. We were there to skate the pool. We got in and got out.”

The funny thing is they were the only dudes getting out of a pool still dry, but bleeding, just a little bit. Skate-on.

“when I first heard Elvis Costello

it was in your older brother’s room

that’s where The Clash just blew the lid off

they just cut right through” -Jason Collett

I thought I recognized Jason Collett’s name and face from somewhere.

Now I know where:The Andrew Cash band from the early 1990’s. He was part of the reason that I absolutely loved them and saw many of their concerts.

(The picture in the X-Press is the CD cover from his first album Motor Motel Love Songs, I’m thinking that the CD cover for Idols of Exile was not ready by press time.)

As it turns out, he has also lent his talent in the past to other inspired singers like Sarah Harmer and Howie Beck. He is both a solo artist and a member of the Broken Social Scene (his current band and projected to be the “indie breakout band of the year”).

Collett was took time off to raise a family over the past few years helping to raise his two young children. Now, that the kids are a little more independant, his new CD, his second solo effort, is by all accounts, doesn’t appear to show that he has missed a beat through all of his personal life transitions.

His vocal talents are his best asset and his songwriting is refreshing and cuts close to the surface. On Idols of Exile, Collett continues to produce high quality, very seductive and appealing tunes that are journeys into interesting stories, revelations and very personal .

He also divides his time supporting the “Radio Mondays” series – a weekly showcase for Canada’s songwriters to play new material on audiences.With so many options and the talent to keep going, Jason Collett and Broken Social Scene are both names to look out for. Watch for Jason playing at the Ottawa Bluesfest July 9th,2005.

Playlist for Idols of Exile: Fire~Hangover Days~Brownie Hawkeye~We All Lose One Another~Parry Sound~I’ll Bring The Sun~Tinsel And Sawdust~Feral Republic~Pavement Puddle Stars~Almost Summer~Pink Night~These Are The Days.

The Mole is a Montreal DJ and producer who releases music on the Mutek Records Label. His music is built on layered sounds of house mixed with soul and disco to form a collective mix that is very expressive. This CD will be best served being played in local dancefloors because it is accessible and although, not very long at four tracks, there should be something on this offering to get the beat and the action started.

“One Foot On Either Side Of The Ladder” is an acknowlegment that straddling anything can be complicated and difficult. What The Mole has again been able to do is make the sound of this CD and all of his material very personal, unique and danceable. This is a 24 minute set of as one critic observed “a slow-burning firestorm of funk”.

Hexes & Ohs are Heidi Donnelly and Edmund Lam.

They used to be in a band (along with Ali Rahman) called A Vertical Mosaic (who were very well received and respected in the Montreal scene for “songs from the earingly dark to the get up and dance type of music that even the most sullen indie kid could get into”).

A parting with Rahman left Donnelly and Lam to change the name of their band but they wanted to keep a sound that was still reflecting their musical influences that includes: “new order, the velvet underground, stereolab, tortoise and simon and garfunkel”.

This release on Noise Factory Records (out of Toronto) is filled with some pretty good pop songs mixed with electronica and random sampling.

The result isn’t a bad effort but comparisons to Howard Jones and Tears for Fears may be a little premature given their developing sound and need for further experimentation into their self-identity and willingness to please their increasing fan base. This is a band that may be easier listened to plugged into the headphones than live but their appeal is on the rise nonetheless. Their CD launch party was May 28th,2005 at Statue Park in Mtl.

Tracklist for “Goodbye Friend Welcome Lover”:

01. but it can build beautiful things

02. alive until saturday night

03. scabby knees

04. whadaya know? (excellent)

05. you can’t save face

06. the horse’s myth

07. snow and jazz music

08. this and other distances

09. our reflection echoes on

10. lashes of an actress

11. the shape is me (excellent)

12. our reflection echoes on º (camembert, beurre et baguette mix)

This is Round 2 for Audioslave and part of accepting them as a viable and worthy band to support, is that they are true to themselves and to their music.

When Zack de la Rocha took off and brought his conflicting, politically laced lyrics with him, Rage Against The Machine was a better band. Only thing was, they didn’t have a lead singer.

Chris Cornell is that special dude that every band would give their left leg to have (kind of like a less pretentious version of Kurt Cobain). Soundgarden were moving in the right direction at the time and gave us decent tunes with so much life, love, heart and happiness.

There’s that certain feeling you have when you’ve overstayed your welcome sometimes and Cornell was feeling it, man. He said Adieu to his mates and joined the 3/4 remnants of RATM and made them a promise:”I will give you my best and I have no hidden agendas”.

Audioslave:

Chris Cornell (vocals)

Tom Morello (lead guitar),

Tim Commerford (bass), and

Brad Wilk (drums)

“Like A Stone” is the first single off “Out Of Exile” and may represent the essence of what the band mergers sounds like.

With several years of live dates and the guys really getting to know each other well over this time, Audioslave have made some smart choices regarding refining and improving their sound and image.

They enlisted Storm Thorgerson to design their album cover art (think Pink Floyd) and prepared for some harsh criticism that may come their way from fans who believed that either of the previous bands has sold out on their bands.

The possible undercurrent that was about to explode within RATM may have been unseen to the public eye, but the split lead to better things: Audioslave.

“Shadow Of The Sun” and “I Am The Highway” are absolutely my two favorite songs on this CD. Anyone looking for a broad mixture of music ranging from ballad to hard driving rage-rock has come to the right place with this very successful second release from Audioslave.

Akumu is ambient all right. I just listened to one of their tracks and wondered what I would be doing if it was playing directly in front of me?

I mean, there’s going to be this huge inspirational but disconnected wall of sound and computers and someone undoubtedly with headphones streaming out the music directly into my head.

Akumu is Toronto musician and sound designer Deane Hughes and she has little rules when it comes to the compositions she puts together. Freestyle digital samplings, buzzy interference and jungle noises and a musical vision somewhere in the mix that she attempts to get across to her concertgoers or CD listerners.

This CD called Magma is an electronic notebook filled with music from South America, where she has travelled and wanted to parlay into central themes.

One reviewer described her sound as music that is “transmogrified into ethereal drones and alien textures”. If you can understand that, you will love this product.

To answer the earlier question of how would I listen to Akumu live?

Answer: Lying on the floor of the show after having recently taken some mind altering drug looking up at a disco ball on the ceiling, strobe lights and dry ice fog swirling around my head and everything spinning around. Do I have the time to lay out that environment at this point in my life? No. But others may.

Heterosexually speaking, it seems kind of dangerous to ram something in your ass over and over, doesn’t it? I mean, with all respect to males with affinity for the other males in their lives: enema with warm water, chocolate elephants, manscaping, brown paint, and on and on? Does it feel pleasurable to be in the missionary position getting a swollen member in your ass? Does it have any chance of knocking your colon out of place of Roddy Piper pushes too hard? Is it common for there to be bleeding from the strain of something pushing in where things should be getting pushed out?

I have lots of tolerance and understanding but reading this article had me visualizing lots of different thoughts. Play safe men.

Quebec really is La Belle Province and for all of those people that Amy is talking about, get out Montreal and go fish for trout, slide down water tubes, go check out the cattle, go lie on the beach and soak up the rays, check out Piknic Electronik (an event I had never heard of) and breathe in the cosmopolitan life that Montreal is pumping out for your ongoing enjoyment.

A couple of months ago, I saw a young 7 yr old on one of those talk shows..(Ellen, or something) and he was riding the ramps and making the jumps and looked like a shrinked down version of Tony Hawk. Now, he does have closer access to stuff like the ground and gravity to his advantage but like Jay Abram mentioned, as a 6′ plus male with so-so coordination, skateboarding for me is an accident waiting to happen.

I prefer biking and rollerblading to surfing and skateboarding.

Brendan is correct though: Lords of Dogtown will get the boarders to the theatre.

Where are The Hansons when you need them? I am so happy that communities are putting up more skateboard parks for kids to hang out at and hopefully divert them from getting into trouble by running those freakin’ screwdrivers down the sides of our cars to amuse themselves (sorry, got carried away there..).

So Bugs, you had to use the words Divers/Cité Gay Pride Festival and climax in the same article, did you? Are you still hung over from the beer tasting that this listing (from the other article you were part of in this week’s edition of Hour). Could your writing have been slightly influenced or corrupted by the beer tasting?

What a whack lot of stuff to do in Montreal this summer. How would anyone not have something to do and have any excuse to sit around their apartment complaining?

Montreal, you have it good, my friends. Get out there and enjoy as much of this Canadian summer that you can.

5{rticle has me drooling all over my keyboard.

What a wonderful idea to head across the bridge and go and “savour wild game and shaved mushrooms with rich brown gravy and caramelized onions”. Yum..

Oh my God, there’s more, dessert is on it’s way and just thinking about “the sugared and buttered crêpe drizzled with lemon and orange juices and a hit of Cointreau, flambéed tableside” makes my mouth water.

I’d never heard of L’ARGOÄT but I will look them up for luch this summer.

Thanks Lucy.

Very interesting to read the interview with the original Lords of Dogtown. They were a really cool group of kids who chose skateboarding over drug dealing, recreational sports in a swimming pool over trying to drown a smaller kid they’d bullied in one filled with water.

I like their comments on how big corporations are always looking for the next big thing to add to their marketing campaigns and try to own it, taking away the noverlty from the kid that came up with the word, expression or in this case, the “trick” they had figured out on their board.

“Nowadays, every time something cool happens, you see it on a Coke commercial a month later”. Too true.

This film will probably appeal especially to the kids at Venice Beach who probably heard all about these “legends” from the talk on the street. It will also appeal to young adults who grew up skateboarding and I guess anyone who thinks guys like Tony Hawk are god.

Ironically, this may be one occasion where the name of this column is dead on (House of Trouble) as it relates to the subject matter. For whatever reason and for whatever cost, the police in Kingston and the report from Scot Wortley (an associate professor at the University of Toronto’s centre of criminology), raises contentious issues that police officers may have wanted to remain out of the public eye.

Now that the lid is off and the public along with the grass roots community groups (especially the ones that include a large percentage of young black males) are being made aware of this trend in arrests/detentions and other police intervention focusing on their folks at a higher rate than caucasian citizens, there needs to be some intense examination of how police officers are trained, how they are selected and also if they have racial bias before they get their badge.

Can this be changed? Can the police go about their duties in a different way? Can they not look at color as a predetermination of who and for what reasons they question or stop someone? I’m not 100% convinced that it’s only at the frontline that racial bias exists.

Have the higher ups been questioned about their possible racial bias as it affects their ability to lead, give direction and orders to subordinate officers and how they think in a given situation when race, color or other factors may be the first brush they stroke when gathering up information as they arrive at a police roadblock or routine stop?

This issue is deeper than the rings inside a 200 year old Great Red Cedar. Generations of police were taught the ropes by their peers and senior members of the force. What they learned were lessons taught because there are ways to do your job well and there are other ways for things to go terribly wrong. Perhaps, in their eyes, pulling a black male off the road or arresting someone because of their color is based on their own statistics (which you won’t find in any report).

This week’s High Bias goes where even 60 Minutes fear to tread: The City of Ottawa’s 200-page official cycling plan. In-depth reading, really riveting stuff to jabber on about.

Ottawa continues to make inroads (no pun intended) to put our love of the outdoors, our enthusiastic growing biking community and our healthy approach to good living and positive reaching out for indulging in lots of exercise in the city.

The City of Ottawa also spends lots (some would say too much) of our taxpayer dollars letting everyone know that.

I’m unfamiliar with the cycling plan but if it could’ve been written by a class of pre-schoolers, then maybe the tendering for contracts through the city could consider lowering the age minimum and opening up their communication needs to local schools to help them deliver their various messages?

Freewheeling in the West End. Catch you later.

“She’s a cool

Blonde

Scheming bitch

She makes my body twitch

Walking down the corridor

You can hear her stilettos click

I want her so much I feel sick

The girl can’t help it

She really can’t help it now” -High School Confidential

Rough Trade (lead by Carole Pope/joined by lifelong friend Kevan Staples) was our equivalent of a gender-crossed singer (a male in drag), who sang with a voice that was male but with female undertones and, like I did each time I saw her live, could not take my eyes off Pope because I wasn’t sure about some things but she definately kept my attention. She looks as hard now on her home page as she did when she was performing all those years ago.

She has always been a very private person who, never talked too much about the obvious changes she was/is/did make in her life about her gender at birth which leaned more towards being a Richard than a Carole. She made a decision to sing in public as a cross-gendered oddity. People back then were mixed and some were offended by her directness.

Here we are in 2005, and the time and the landscape are way different and possibly more accepting of her previous messages delivered in songs like: “Fashion and Accessories”, “Shaking the Foundations”, “Birds of a Feather” and her oft-played radio hit “High School Confidential”. Songs built with simple poetry and controversial statements.

Her autobiography Anti Diva was released in 2000 and made Canadian bestseller lists. She admits that she spent many of early years “on acid almost every other day”. She continues to mourn the loss of her brother who died of AIDS in 1996.

Perhaps her popularity was because people were curious. Her relationships are legendary once hooking up with folks like U2, Sandra Bernhard, Dusty Springfield, Gilda Radner and David Bowie.

Her new CD sounds like it came out from a time vault. For now, Pope continues to write and sing about sexuality+ human nature and other topics that we take too seriously.

For a band whose first release (1994) came out at a time when some members were not even old enough to drive, Jaga (they decided to drop the Jazzist earlier this year) are experienced beyond the dates on their birth records. As far as Norwegian bands go, these guys have a longer life expectancy than AHA or the like. Their musical influences are varied and include anything from John Coltrane to Bjork, from Stevie Wonder to Ennio Morricone and from Beck to Outkast.

What We Must is described as a: “sound that was closer to their live sound than ever before”. Recorded at a studio deep in the Norwegian woods, Jaga are certainly unique. They have been at it for 10 years. They are moving away from jazz sounds to as captured quite humorously on the first track on their new CD with the sound effect of a transporter door from the Star Trek series.

They have moved on to new civilizations and new sounds to discover.

BBC in the UK describe the musical unit as “a hydra-headed Scandinavian juggernaut”.

Thank god Bjork doesn’t have that many heads, how would she dress at the music/fashion shows with that predicament on her hands?

Their new direction sounds like an early Styx and King Crimson and has incredible ambition for a band that veterans may want to laugh at because of their perceived lack of experience.

The truth is that they have years of live shows behind their youthful grins. The experience lay in the wisdom of the tracks on this CD and the thoughfulness of their career moves.

Jaga are:

Mathias Eick – Trumpet, upright bass, keyboards + vibraphone

Anders Hana – Guitars + effects

Even Ormestad – Bass + keyboards

Andreas Mjøs – Vibraphone, guitars, drums + electronics

Line Horntveth – Tuba + percussion

Martin Horntveth – Drums + drum-machines

Lars Horntveth – Tenor sax, bass-clarinet, guitars + keyboards

Andreas Schei – Keyboards

Ketil Einarsen – Flutes, Wind Controler

Erik Johannessen – Trombone + percussion

Thanks for the thorough 3AM shake and bake it in the Capital round-up. As usual Matthew, a great summary of mostly DJ spinning dates with a few great shows including The Digable Planets between now and Canada’s birthday.

I then can’t wait to hear what little nuggets you’ll be able to serve us up for the Aug long weekend and beyond. It’s good to know that someone has their shit together and that 3AM is on the beat.

Donald’s old and revised POW information gathering techniques:

Old New

*Fingernail removal *Manicure

*Humiliation *Congratulation

*Underwear *Change of underwear and new socks every few days

over the prisoner’s head

*Dog Leash *Licorice

*Overcrowding *More room/prisoners encouraged to do”the wave”

*Swearing at prisoners *Complimenting prisoners

If life were only like that. The US is under the microscope after so much of the prisoner of war mistreatment was revealed. Rumsfeld still goes home every day to a big comfy chair and little regret over the torture he was responsible to either intervene or ignore.

Ok, so let me get this straight, someone in Queensland wasn’t doing his job on the day of the paint job at the Outback Burger!

So, what do I take away from this flippant example of careless work ethic and breaking all the rules?

Swerve to avoid spiders when you’re driving, don’t kill ants with magnifying glasses, leave roadkill alone and don’t wake great-grandma Ellen, she may have just taken her last breath.

Keep humming along like noone’s looking, ignore things that seem out of place and mostly, don’t eat meat that you left out on the counter the night before.

Stephanie, before there is an undoubtedly rancid reaction to “elderly chinese being evicted” from the 82-unit housing project at St-Dominique and De la Gauchetière, let’s get the facts straight.

The Landlord’s lawyer for the United Centre, Roger Vokey, says: “the tenants aren’t necessarily evicted. That policy decision has not been made yet, to my knowledge”.

Tenants may be saying one thing but what is the truth? How many months are they behind in their rents and how does the previous victory for some tenants being able to make their case (that a sudden 10% jump in their rent is not fair or reasonable when someone is on a fixed income) affect the information in this article? (CPP

Well, it’s sure enlightening that the talented writers at Hour know when to take on an exciting assignment…such as…..oh, I don’t know……..drinking taste tests.

Now, for clarification purposes, did anyone go home with anyone they should have after the beer drinking, did anyone wake up next to someone strange in the morning and have the shag carpets finally been clean from when O’Meara bumped into Bugsy as Barphy was trying to get to the porcelain confessional to live up to his “street name”?

Mondial de la biere festival sounds like a great time. Consumption of mass quantities of alcohol should not be limited to 4-5 ounce glasses. See you there.

The theft at the NDG’s New Hope Senior Citizens’ Centre unfortunately is a sign of the times. Doesn’t it seem that there’s always someone who will voluntarily take the air out of the balloon of agencies that only mean to do good things? Deflating and Infuriating.

I mean, the New Hope Senior’s Centre…come on Mr Tough Kid(s)/Guy(s).

Could you not find a tougher job to acquire $5,000?

If you read this, you will do the right thing. You’ll pack up your hockey bag full of the stolen goods and quietly return them to where you found them. Even leave a note with $40 attached to it, to show that you made a mistake and that you need to be forgiven.

This agency is in no state to be able to quickly get their money back, so ultimately, they’ll count on donations and more hours from their volunteers to fill up their supplies. But, it just isn’t right.

These folks did nothing against you, but yet you victimized them. You stole from them and you had no right to do that. I hope your conscience gets the best of you. Do what’s right and return what is not yours.

PS: I can’t imagine how these thiefs are going to unload bags and bags of new women’s clothing?

Two extremes, but similar interest in shaping the Province of Quebec in their own way. One is a nice clean cut and the other will bloody everyone. One way will cost money and the other will cost something but the price tag could be more costly as the bills rack up.

Comparisons to Travis and Coldplay are expected with Keane. There are some parallels.

For a debut album though, Hopes and Fears, is on a musical platform all by itself. Choruses and ballads will draw you in as a new listener, your ears will beg you to listen again and again to the tracks almost in an addictive manner. You can never get enough of their sound.

Fierce Panda, an independent record label (the same label that discovered Chris Martin and Coldplay) heard Keane and liked what they heard, enough to sign them almost immediately.

It’s nice that Keane blends it’s sounds in similar stylings as Travis and Coldplay and that the three bands make up a dream triage. Where Coldplay may be on the harder side of things and Travis more willing to take experimental chances, Keane sound slightly softer. Not in a bad way, just more disciplined and melodic with their decision to use piano as a central theme and instrument.

The CD is expertly produced and mixed to a fault, these are 12 memorable songs with incredible value, meaning, atmosphere and built to last for many years.

Other bands that come to mind while listening to Keane are Thirteen Senses, Franz Ferdinand, Thrills and of course, Travis and Coldplay. These boys are incredibly mature and so long as they don’t get too pompous, they should attract a very large following and increased media exposure.

Keane are:

Vocals: Tom Chaplin

Piano: Tim Rice-Oxley

Drums: Richard Hughes

Track Listings: 1. Somewhere Only We Know 2. Bend and Break 3. We Might As Well Be Strangers 4. Everybody’s Changing 5. Your Eyes Open 6. She Has No Time 7. Can’t Stop Now 8. Sunshine 9. This is the Last Time 10. On A Day Like Today 11. Untitled I

12. Bedshaped

LA band Rilo Kiley describe life in Omaha as more likely to find a “sense of belonging previously unknown to them” compared to life in Los Angeles. HUH?

LA is the lap of luxury, the spider web of the entertainment industry and less the ass of nowhere than……Omaha…..where that old guy used to host that Animal Show sponsored by Mutual of Omaha..Insurance…or something!!!

“We were welcomed here with open arms”, the band exclaims. Yeeah….but probably because the town was tired of looking at Ol’ Man Cletus and Grandma James. You come rolling into Omaha and with the long legs (2 Miles Long from the looks of the photo above) of Jenny Lewis strolling in would probably get a warm welcome and reception from almost any small town that may not have seen someone quite as attractive as this gust of wind.

Now, before the Tourism Board from Omaha calls me at home, I must admit, I’ve never been to Nebraska and don’t know if the comparisons to Deliverance are justified.

Local bands Bright Eyes and Cursive are probably decent. Thanks for putting out the welcome carpet for Rilo Kiley.

Jenny Lewis goes on to say that :”You’re constantly thinking about yourself, but also about the stranger in your own body.” Just one thought Jenny. If you need a stranger in your body, there’s probably a line-up of guys somewhere around here that would make you feel very welcome.

I personally would love to experience your “nasty thought sung with cute voice” routine Jenny, just on one quick time-out from your touring schedule breaks.

Good luck Rilo Kiley and especially Jenny Lewis.

Funny how word among the kids in the neighbourhood seemed to pre-date the official marketing that any of us parents noticed. Kids these days know stuff about technology light years ahead of us. How do kids hook up with the 411 ahead of us?

Maybe marketing reps use subliminal advertizing in behind the Blues Clues shows, the kids before supper power hour on (Fairly Odd Parents, Spongebob Squarepants and the like)?

I got kids credit. Even at a young age, they know a Gameboy but aren’t sure about a calculator, they know a controller for a PS-2 or X-Box well ahead of understanding the proper way to hold a knife and fork at the dinner table. Our kids. luckily by the time they enter the workforce won’t have any fear of computers, mouse and logging in and will have been exposed to various types of computer programs both on the tv and the computer screen by the time they head off for their first job interview.

“So here it is, the new Xbox 360.” What’s so good about it?

*sleeker and slimmer

*packs more power to boot

*power button mysteriously called the “ring of light”

*”ring of light” helps indicate the status of the game and other system functions.

*ability to display digital pictures and play music and DVDs.

*20-gigabyte hard drive, compared to the previous version’s eight gigs

*three 3.2-gigahertz IBM microprocessors, compared with one 733-megahertz processor.

With gaming at a $10-billion a year business in the U.S., what more could any …ahem..chil……I mean…..parent…..ask for?

Although I have to admit that I am not into the Compton conflict and the Snoop East side/ West side back and forth jabs that have been going on for so many years, the Game (or G-Unit as his cuddliest fans) call him, is on the map.

Whether he is here to stay is still to be seen. 50 Cent was kind of slow off the mark and look….he’s gone more mainstream with The Candy Shop forcing parents of their repressed and anti-social teens to hold both hands over their dependants ears to block out what part “of the lollypop” that Mr 50cent is suggesting their son’s girlfriend lick and what sweets a young man may find under the thinly veiled skirt of their girlfriend. The Game had a tough upbringing, I’ll give him that, as well as the other 1000’s of young rappers coming out of the “projects”. Ice T and Ice Cube have transitioned nicely into movies (ok Anaconda is not Scorcese but Law and Order is a nice piece of tv ass by Dick Wolf).

The Game will continue to pump out merchandise and I guess his fans will need to be a little cautious between spending their hard earned dough oncrap (like this DVD) or more “sticks and stones” bantering songs that G-Unit will continue to write until he either:

1) Gets shot

2) Sells out

3) Pisses somebody off and has a really hard time getting someone to record his songs

4) Makes so much money that he takes a drug overdose or

5) Marries Britney Spears and then, as we all know, your life is so right.

“You better open the door before I take a hammer to the walls around it”

-Open The Door by Motion City Soundtrack

The boys in Motion City Soundtrack (a name that just might be misfiled in most record stores-beside Empire of the Sun and Sin City Soundtracks). They are described by one critic as “the most influential rock band in the history of the world, …destroying the hopes and dreams of small children everywhere since 1997”.

Do they take themselves too seriously? Maybe, but with the Blink 182 influence onboard in the production room, it’s not surprising that a little testosterone happened to find it’s way into the finished product.

Hailing from Minneapolis, Minnesota, the quintet is comprised of Justin Pierre, Josh Cain, Matt Taylor, Tony Thaxton, and Jesse Johnson.

Just back from an 8 day mini-tour in the UK, including the Water Rats show in London. Prior to their UK tour, things were touch and go because their lead singer was suffering from vocal strain and needed medical treatment before embarking on the overseas tour. Phew, he recovered enough prior to the crossing of the Chanel.

With songs like The Future Freaks Me Out and Commit This To Memory, Motion City Soundtrack write songs that are very mainstream and able to appeal to a large cross section of Blink182, Sum41 and fans of other bands pent on telling the rest of us where we can go if we don’t like the messages that they’re telling us.

Director Giuseppe Tornatore has a brilliantly cast, beautiful cinematography (he received Academy Award nominations for best score/cinematography) and a beautiful lead actress (Monica Bellucci) as Malena.

The story takes place at a time when Mussolini is leading Italy into a war that most villagers in this small Italian town may not fully understand. How this will change or affect their lives?

The movie begins as Italy goes to war, resistance, starvation and food shortages and homes taken by the government to provide shelter to refugees that are being forced to evacuate more directly hit areas of the conflict.

But the true focus of this movie is on the relationship between Malena and a young boy Renato Amoroso (played brilliantly by newcomer Giuseppe Sulfaro) who is going through his early pubescence, stuck in an infatuation with Malena after watching her walk by in the company of his pals.

He begins to follow his lovely Malena everywhere eventually taking a spot high outside her house and peeking fleeting looks inside as she dances alone, embraces men who she has invited over and other occasions when she is attacked and assaulted by other men who are not deserving of her beauty.

Renato keeps his distance in reality, but in his imagined world, he is confident and close with her. He takes a chance at one point by stealing a pair of her underwear and is caught by his father with them still around his head one morning. The resulting scene is perhaps familiar to some as Renato’s family, especially his father, thinks that he is suffering from some illness. He is locked in his room and made to feel guilty for his innocent feelings, which should be fairly normal for a boy.

There are some tender moments in the film, but Tornatore intersperses extreme violence and hatred as well. Malena is spoken about by women who feel threatened by her beauty. She has few spoken parts in the film.

This film captivates, shocks and enrages: it is life and it is cruel.

CFL Football in O-Town is almost back for another season and on the 1 year anniversary of Chris Robinson’s original walk through memory lane in the pages of Ottawa Express.

Hard to say how The Renegades are going to do this year? They’ve taken a chance with a few players and with the same QB back in the fold-we may be at the bottom of the pile in a rebuilding year again (!!).

The press was announcing that the Gliebermans will be offering season’s tickets for $99 for the entire 2005 home schedule (for certain seats, but still a good deal).

Thankfully, Horn Chen is not back anywhere. He can stay wherever he is right now, I don’t miss him in the slightest.

Go ‘Gades Go

With a CD cover that could have been done by Napoleon Dynamite as a sequel to his “Liger” (cross between a lion and a tiger) drawing from the film, Sam Jayne absolutely pops on this new release with songs full of spirit, energy and exuberance.

Recorded over 5 mths in 2004, the CD is a mixture of some very good guitar driven grooves blended with excellent vocals that reminded me of everything from The Clash to Lenny Kravitz, from T-Rex to early CSN and Young.

Jayne’s has done some notable supporting work in the past having helped Beck put together his One Foot In The Grave CD. He also appeared with Modest Mouse recently on Saturday Night Live (putting on a raucous show).

Among the tunes on this CD, I Won’t Hurt You is a melancholic song telling of love lost and feelings that have not been resolved. Dirty Lives is brilliant and my favorite tune on the whole CD (awesome riffs and great vocals) and ends with his buddies clapping their appreciation in a candid moment.

Survivors with the lyric “We’ll escape from Alcatraz just to wear the shirt with pizzazz” and Idol Worship are both guitar driven tunes (although toned down from his previous work) that are enjoyable to listen to because of their simple/casual compositions but you gotta wonder if he was influenced by reality tv a little bit as he was writing them?

Formally with Lync, Jayne sounds like he’s comfortable in his new skin and with potential to do even more, we await the follow up with much anticipation.

For a band whose first release (1994) came out at a time when some members were not even old enough to drive, Jaga (they decided to drop the Jazzist earlier this year) are experienced beyond the dates on their birth records. As far as Norwegian bands go, these guys have a longer life expectancy than AHA or the like. Their musical influences are varied and include anything from John Coltrane to Bjork, from Stevie Wonder to Ennio Morricone and from Beck to Outkast.

What We Must is described as a: “sound that was closer to their live sound than ever before”. (??)

Recorded at a studio deep in the Norwegian woods, Jaga are certainly unique. They have been at it for 10 years. They are moving away from jazz sounds to as captured quite humorously on the first track on their new CD with the sound effect of a transporter door from the Star Trek series.

They have moved on to “new civilizations” to discover.

BBC in the UK describe the musical unit as “a hydra-headed Scandinavian juggernaut”.

Thank god Bjork doesn’t have that many heads, how would she dress at the music/fashion shows with that predicament on her hands?

Their new direction sounds like an early Styx and King Crimson and has incredible ambition for a band that veterans may want to laugh at because of their perceived lack of experience.

The truth is that they pack years of live shows behind their youthful grins. The experience lay in the wisdom of the tracks on this CD and the thoughfulness of their career planning

Jaga are:

Mathias Eick – Trumpet, upright bass, keyboards + vibraphone

Anders Hana – Guitars + effects

Even Ormestad – Bass + keyboards

Andreas Mjøs – Vibraphone, guitars, drums + electronics

Line Horntveth – Tuba + percussion

Martin Horntveth – Drums + drum-machines

Lars Horntveth – Tenor sax, bass-clarinet, guitars + keyboards

Andreas Schei – Keyboards

Ketil Einarsen – Flutes, Wind Controler, percussion + keyboards

Erik Johannessen – Trombone + percussion

Strange to see the jovial and multi-talented, versatile and pleasant Oliver Jones at the Montreal Chamber Music Festival. “Semi-retirement” is a funny term to describe someone who continues to live and breathe the jazz music that is so entrenched in his blood and circulation.

Then, when you read Bugs’s article a little closer, you realize that he is the Director of the whole darn thing. (Duh..)

Messiaen’s work will be an exceptional pleasure to listen to due to the place where he wrote most of it. Reminds me a little of the story behind The Pianist movie.

Margie Gillis’ performance will be a moving and tough tribute to her brother and the creation of the Margie Gillis Dance Foundation is one organization that should help others faced with the loss of loved ones from AIDS (especially performance arts) to help them cope and come to terms with their grieving and celebration of their lost friends, relatives and colleagues.

Thanks to everyone for putting this together.

The Girl Guides are not only helping the planet and the environment with their modified funding strategies but the cell phones that are contributed as part of this new marketing change are then provided to women in Third World countries where they would not normally be able to afford one. This is an absolute win-win all the way around.

How can you argue with a plan that was an absolute stroke of brilliance by the person that thought up this extension of the Girl Guide image. Akin to programs that take our old and unused eyeglasses to give sight to people in other countries, provide basic medication and medical care as a means of sharing or this program that takes our many discarded cell phones and finds a new home and use, this is how we need to be thinking these days.

We have so much stuff that we discard each year in our landfills that other countries would salivate over, why not share the wealth? It’s so unfortunate every week on garbage day in our communities when people discard so much North American “waste” that could take on a second life somewhere else and continue providing solace to others. It only makes sense.

It had to be tough for former CFL’er Chris Weissbach to make some serious decisions internally about his pro-career gone to shits and having to come to some self-actualization and resolve to give back to others before they went down the same road. Alcohol is a powerful drug that occupies and preoccupies everything in your life when it’s in control instead of you.

I hadn’t realized that Chris had started up the Whitebrook Boxing Kinetics where for about $14/class, you can get the inside of you knocked into next week. In all seriousness, boxing and boxing aerobics is a great way to detoxify and learn self-control. Take back your body and inject it with all the good things it needs to function at a higher level.

As Chris and the above article describes: “body and mind are an integrated system. We are training the muscles and mind. It’s not about finding something new, it’s about discovering what you already are. In short, WBK is about carving your abs and soul.”

I wish him the best of success and after just visiting his website, it’s good to see that classes are still ongoing right through the summer and hopefully for many years to come.

Good on ya Chris.

Sweden brought us IKEA and now drops the needle on The Caesars 4th release. I had a listen to the rest of the CD and have to agree with Brendan, the i-pod tune is good, the rest of the CD is way less enjoyable. However, now that they have our attention, they may think about re-releasing some of their previous stuff because there may be just enough of a fan base created from Jerk It Out that new fans may be hungry for more.

You will either get hooked by the best/most familiar song and stick around for the rest or just buy the CD for the one song.

Come to think of it, it wasn’t that long ago that fans bought some group’s music just for the one or two better known/radio friendly songs and disregarded the rest.

It’s too bad that you can’t begin to compare Romeo Dallaire’s soapbox efforts to the magnificent manner that the US leaders have embraced and empowered their military spokesmen like Colin Powell and Government voices like Donald Rumsfeld.

Where were the other Canadians so concerned with the plight in Rwanda? How come it took a book to come out for Canadians to understand the full impact of the genocide? If my memory serves me correctly, it was President Clinton at the time in the US that could have come to the assistance of our Canadian efforts to intercept the killings in Rwanda.

Instead, the US was more concerned with more pressing issues and decided to hold back on getting involved in Rwandan intervention. The military movement was unrestrained in Rwanda and as was shown vaguely in the movie Hotel Rwanda, it was chaos and so much more over there because noone was concerned enough or felt personally that there was much to gain from sending troops and assistance. Dallaire stood alone watching the entire mess unfold and, like a bad dream where you try to scream and no sound comes out, there were no takers on his preamble about how bad things had gotten in Rwanda and how bad they were about to get.

To live in Rwanda, at the time of the highest internal conflict, it must have felt that your soul had already been given up for dead and that the soldiers of Satan were the ones carrying the rifles and machetes, because the world, in those troubling months, turned their backs on a group of very caring, innocent and brave souls. The people of Rwanda.

This film looks like it will grip every parent who has ever had a child go missing for any length of time except for Kyle Pratt (played by Jodi Foster) this time, the search for her 6 yr old daughter Julia not only comes up empty but there are few answers about what happened to her.

A movie with more twists than a Formula 1 car race, it’s good to see Jodi back on the screen again. With her recent move towards motherhood, Foster’s role in Flightplan will be convincing.

Kyle then needs to show everyone that she hasn’t lost her mind, she knows that she boarded the plane with her daughter. Could she be losing her mind because of the recent loss of her husband or is this a fight against time and some other agenda that will uncover hidden truths?

The film stems ahead as Kyle has to look in every nook and cranny of the high-tech new airplane she helped develop.

Produced by Brian Grazer (A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13, Cinderella Man), this film is a warm welcome back to Foster in a role that has some recognizable qualities of Panic Room and as mentioned a similar storyline to The Forgotten.

After a quiet appearance with Audrey Tattoo in A Very Long Engagement, Foster’s leading role in Flightplan should have audiences buzzing and on the edge of their seats.

The best things to do at museums or at exhibits are hands-on things to do.

Squeeze, grab, look, find, explore, and discover.

It sounds like Julie-Andrée T has a great idea on her hands with her new project: Weather Report. Anyone walking in will immediately be curious about the strangeness of the set-up. The exhibition beckons us to walk up (like we did when we were young and curious) and check things out. We aren’t stupid, we lot. We want to touch, feel and experience new things.

Leaving Julie-Andrée T’s presentation will do just that. We will have a better understanding of the five distinctive microclimates that she proposes. We may leave her exhibit with bad hair but increased knowledge under our curly locks because we have been “schooled” by someone with artistic flair and ingenuity.

Interesting article on some of the background of the porn industry.

Oh my goodness, how we get aroused by watching people getting…aroused.

However, I am not totally convinced that the “Linda Lovelaces and the John Holmeses of the porn world ..continue to make it (a) fascinating, compelling and exciting place”.

People are not involved in the porn industry because they are fascinated, compelled or necessarily excited about the whole business. They do it because there’s an aweful lot of fucking money to be made off the scummy backs of the trailer parked crowd only eagerly content to put another $100 order on their credit card and watch surgically impressive females allow themselves to be exploited in front of hard-on impacted film crews treating the set like it’s like any other job they are qualified to do but never taking into account the bigger picture.

If there’s money to be made, there’s someone willing to put the project together.

For the porn stars, it’s a short part of their life where the money is good, the female stars live for the most part exceedingly well (as long as they play safe) and then the gig is up.

There are always new impressionable girls willing to drop trou’ to appear in their debuts and start the cycle all over again.

Funny that another “anthem” band comes out of England accused of keeping their British accents strong throughout their recorded material. Who cares? It’s where they’re from..leave it alone.

Now, in defense of the Oasis attack on the Kaiser Chiefs who accused them of being a Blur copyband and wearing makeup, (among other bands that Mr Gallagher tried to go after), Ricky Wilson agreed that he does wear makeup, but only to look more like Oasis. Good return Ricky.

Kaiser Chiefs may sound like Blur on some of their recordings but, to be fair, they are reminiscent of many bands including Madness, The Kinks, XTX, SuperGrass, Coldplay, Dexys MRs and maybe a little…Blur.

Their debut Employment is a fair effort.

Band members Nick and Ricky own a bar called Pigs.

If this gig doesn’t work out, they could always headline at their own place for spare change while making bigger bucks selling RedBull and bodyshots.

Breaking out of the Kelp Records stable, South of ’78 plays along with Flecton, Detective Kalita and The Golden Seals in a show that promises to be worthy of a crowd looking for consistency mixed with a bit of variety. This show is the first of quite a few shows for Kelp Records in O-Town this weekend.

DJ Billy will entertain between sets and to kill time as the equipment switch takes place.

Nice to hear that artistic integrity means that when the 1st recording is done and you’re not happy with it, scrap it and re-record. Fans only deserve as much.

KELP RECORDS is a local label with lots of talent in their clubhouse

Montreal always has so much to do on Victoria Day and any other weekend as well. So cramped with great venues and ideas and how does anyone decide?

If all else fails and you’re either without money, your friends have left you high and dry or you’ve got a migraine that is causing you stomach cramps and nausea, you could always smoke a joint and thrown the old headphones on and listen to Zeppelin until the sun comes up.

Robert Plant will be 57 years old this year and he, like many of his peers is refusing to slow down much.

Not after the 30+ years of entertainment and memories he has left his fans from the various power groups he has been part of and the hazy fog he has come through. In fact, that same fog has consumed many of the artists that shared concerts and stages with over the years.

Overdoses from consuming too much of the good life, taking poor choices when there may have been several options (had they looked more carefully), and personal finance woes due to bad money managers or get rich quick schemes that led to artists being badly ripped off by snakes who only had eyes for their money.

Robert Plant rose above that and shines on his current CD: Mighty Rearranger.

Almost like he is telling us that he made it:

“There’s parasols and barbeques and loungers by the pool

The late night conversations filled with 20th century cool

My peers may flirt with cabaret, some fake the rebel yell

Me – I’m moving up to higher ground, I must escape this hell”

Robert Plant-Tin Pan Valley

Tunes:

1. Another Tribe 2. Shine It All Around 3. Freedom Fries 4. Tin Pan Valley 5. All The King´s Horses 6. The Enchanter 7. Takamba 8. Dancing In Heaven 9. Somebody Knocking 10. Let The Four Winds Blow 11. Mighty Rearranger

From Led Zeppelin to many solo projects including his days with The Honeydrippers, Plant has appeared to be in a protected shell throughout his career and wears the title of “Survivor” quite well (long before there was a Mark Burnett with the Survivor series).

“Ship of Fools” and “Little By Little” are still two of my favorite solo songs.

With Led Zeppelin making it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 and the very successful and still selling briskly, 3 CD set of live music “How The West Was Won” and a 2 Disc DVD that set sales records in 2003, the band’s career was nicely memorialized.

What does Plant have left to do?

Sip lemonade + smile

So Maximo Park share the same producer as the Futureheads. Big Deal.

Comparisons after that are made by those that are urgently trying to categorize this band by lumping them somewhere rather than giving these guys merit for their efforts which are driven by “buoyant, seamless melodies and thoughtful song content”.

Climbing the charts in the UK with back to back top 20 hits with “Apply Some Pressure” and then “Graffiti”, the boys from Newcastle have made their label Warp Records proud parents of a band that is not soon to fly the coop.

While they brag that they do “not to have any influences”, inevitably, there were artists that these guys must have hummed to in the shower and whistled in their girlfriend’s ear. But, they’re careful not to be namedropping anytime soon. This may change with more experience and maturity but for now, they’re content to be laying the sod by themselves.

The closest we get to hear them live will be when they play Montreal on June 13th,2005 at Cabaret LaTulipe and then the next night on June 14th,2005 at Lees Palace in Toronto.

Infact, these guys are touring non-stop until they finish their world tour on July 30th,2005 in Japan at the Fuji Festival. Talk about Frequent Flyer Miles (let’s hope they get some preferred treatment when they check in to each place they stop at).

“Pop Music is a valid art-form. Pop Music can shape the thought patterns of everyone.”

-Maximo Park

Well if Arnold is burning his wardrobe, then I might as well too. Difference is that he has way more money than most of us do and his wife probably misunderstood him and gave him the wrong advice.

You know

Arnold Said: “Honey, my assistant has a nice wardrobe I admire”.

Maria heard: “It’s funny my ass in these pants looks like it’s on fire”.

Small misunderstanding: no biggee.

I’ll go get the firestarter fluid.

You wonder how this whole mess got started in Canada?

How did so many new arrivals in our home and native land become just another number and seemingly lost in the transition from new claimant to bureaucratic nightmare?

Does Immigration now have a genuine plan to provide service and a response to immigrants in a reasonable period of time with care and kindness?

Can they not untangle the mess they have created or is our country’s Immigration Department so pent on yearly quotas that the service part of it is a nice afterthought?

Clearly, if the number of immigrants with no status is burgeoning, then there are several factors that may be at play: not enough people to hear the claims, countries not providing information quickly enough through the pre-determination risk removal process to make assessments on to deport or not to deport, not enough resources at the back end and consequently unrealistic claims quotas at the front end, lack of morale by Immigration staff who may be losing empathy for these folks who are here with no status or on the verge of being deported and not sure of all of their rights and appeals processes and finally, a process that is in dire need of revamping and review.

If there is a Sheila Fraser type person who could come in and make recommendations, her/his visit is long overdue.

Immigration have long been a proponent of healthy numbers of new arrivals to Canada as a means of injecting our economy with fresh faces. New workers, new taxpayers and new tax dollars flowing into the Federal coffers. Sound like a perfect plan?

Then why does this sound like a system built in Hell?

What are the odds that some of those former phone operators are making even more now by taking their tranferrable skills (understanding, sensuous voices and sexy problem solving) over to the phone sex industry?

Kind of think of it, they’re still getting their customers to the places that they wanted to get to, but there’s a hell of a lot less yelling if the instructions end up with a few too many “digits” in the wrong places.

On a serious note, this film is an important documentary of a time when phone operators were the information highway of the time. Without them, there would have been a lot less conversations and people would have been less inclined to reach out and touch someone.

Hang on a minute, that relates back to the other scenario too……is there someone tapped into my computer right now?…this is kind of weird….

PS: I like descriptions of movies that include: ” sublime to ridiculously cheesy”.

6. Divert Money

7. Lie Under Oath

8. Be prepared to switch political parties

9. Retire with full pension

10. Live comfortably in the Virgin Islands

11. Never admit that you were involved in politics.

12. Promote your child into politics

13. Repeat cycle again for forty years

All the Gomery Inquiry has exposed thus far is that lots of money was mispent and everyone who is being called as a so-called “witness” has already been given the hush-hush speech by Martin, Chretien and the rest of our leaders.

Michael luckily can afford expensive lawyers and as the world watches, will this be enough for the trouble to go away for Mr Jackson?

Jay Leno and Chris Tucker has appeared in court in this case as well as Latoya and the rest of the Jackson family. Mike’s childhood was troubled but that story is still under wraps.

Now, they want to expose genitalia photos of Jackson and the defence is upset.

This is interesting but irrelevant to most of us outside of Neverland.

Why do so many people enjoy being tied up? I’ve never really understood it. I have to admit there was a time when I asked a previous girlfriend to tie my wrists with my tie and her nylons to the bedposts but we had begun to run out of sassy stuff to do, so we thought what the heck? It didn’t excite us that much and the relationship kinda fizzled a little while after that.

It is about domination and I guess in a hetero relationship, I could see the thrill of being dominated by a hot sexy girl who was really into you and enjoyed being the driver during intimacy.

The only thing to watch for is if you’re with a girl who was Magna-Cum-Laud with the Girl Guides who knows how to tie knots that only three people know how to untangle. She falls asleep drunk in the bed and you’re still trying to get your wrists and ankles back. You watch the sun come up and the last drop of blood drains out of your carpotunnel.

Hard to believe that only 7 months ago, the world (from Alaska to Mexico) was so despondent lookinga the results of the American election. Talk of changing the border that encompasses Canada to include several US States that wanted John Kerry elected and websites flourishing promishing quick marriages to Canadians so that unhappy Americans could move up north.

What has changed since Nov 2004? We now have had our government officially (at the first level of hearing the request) refuse the entry and immigration of unhappy American soldiers who voluntarily want to leave the war in Iraq because they are in disagreement with what the war in Iraq stands for and the motivation of their President to keep them there for extended missions and refuse to let them leave.

In our country, there has been scandal after scandal in our media as news breaks out that our government is no less corrupt and gracious with their handling of our hard-earned taxpayer dollars. Michael Moore has not done an exposé on our government administration, documentaries need to be even more flagrant and fragrant with the material they cover and obviously Canada still has not been evil enough to warrant Mr Moore’s time and energy.

We have, or should I say, I have always wanted Canadian-American relations to be on a positive spin and brother/sisterhood, but as a Canadian, what can we do to make the relationship that much stronger?

I read Susan Travis’ comment with some interest. She says we are “hypocrits” and that we should “stop buying from our companies and our products unless they support your ideals.” What are Canadian ideals? Aren’t we a nation of fairly peaceful, easygoing and laid back people? She goes on to say that: “I see throngs of you in the Walmarts, Subways, Starbucks..and bragging about going to the states”.

Well, we do, because we are thrifty consumers, we get tired of blizzards and snowstorms living here in Canada and the odds are better in Vegas, aren’t they?

Friends?

This Sunday, You’ll Hear Simon and Ken

They’ll read from their works in a style that is o-pen

One’s a Newfie from Pembroke, the other’s from the UK

One speaks of Mean, the other of decay

They may mince words but that’s still ok

Described as Poetry without any Borders

One is taller and the other is shorter

Babstock has an imagination that is singular

Armitage has more books written and is more particular

Poetry is important for both of these men

A large audience may make this happen again

So get your tickets and stand in line

Poetry is special and worth your time

David O’Meara is to be thanked for this coup

He made a promise and bit off what he could chew

Now, the scene is set and the mics are turned on

Ken and Simon hide just beyond the apron

Talking is what they both do best

They’ll read from their works and clutch their chest

They’ll look to you for your support

And read your reviews in the Express report

Poetry is alive and well they say

If not for literacy, their works would remain

On the shelves and still in boxes

But lucky for them, people take notice

Reading their work and spreading bagels with lox (es)

Poetry is the fabric of society

Words given meaning by poets carefully

Choosing thoughts that appeal to large masses

Delivering lines in community centres and classes

Once these poets are gone

Their words live on

For other centuries to have an opinion on

The Cranberries either have no exuberance and energy left to give to their dwindling fans or seriously are providing us with patchwork remakes and stale studio revisits instead of providing anything new.

I understand that Dolores and her husband Don are still swaddling their third and newest child – Dakota Rain Burton who was born on Sunday, April 10th but why bother? Seriously?

Song Selections:

1. Pretty 2. Dreaming My Dreams 3. Linger 4. Ridiculous Thoughts 5. Daffodil Lament

6. How 7. Everything I Said 8. Not Sorry 9. Waltzing Back 10. Dreams 11. Zombie

12. Liar 13. So Cold In Ireland 14. Empty 15. Still Can’t

I agree with Jamie, this DVD “project” is a waste of time and resources.

This place sounds unbelievable. The squid and lamb shank I could do without but the desserts sound out of this world. I would love to try the cornish hen although the portion is probably too small to fill you up. The seared scallops sound like a real treat too.

Maeve sounds like she is still drooling over her meal.

If there’s one bad part of an animal, eventually, the whole animal becomes infected. With the Liberal Party, you can never get one uninfected piece of the roast without having to worry about contracting food poisoning, E-coli or worse yet~ no taste.

Here come the Quebec Stormtroopers to save the day. This illustration is too funny. Good Job.

Scam Wars is a good title too. And timely with Star Wars 3 just coming out.

Oh Look, George, There’s a couple of new sheep we haven’t fleeced yet. Now, how can I and my buddy here help you both today?

“Ding Dong! The Wicked Witch is dead.

Which old Witch?

The Wicked Witch!

Ding Dong! The Wicked Witch is dead.

Wake up, you sleepy head.

Rub your eyes

Get out of bed.

Wake up, the Wicked…

…Witch is dead!

She’s gone where the Goblins go

Below…Below…Below

Yo — ho, let’s open up and sing

And ring the bells out.

Ding Dong! The merry-oh!

Sing it high

Sing it….”

In the morning, all that was left of the Wicked Witch was a rolex watch, a club med pass and a love letter from someone called Belinda S….

Check out the Three Amigos in the picture or more like the three monkees: See No Evil, Hear No Evil and Speak No Evil.

Harper wears way too much eyeliner, doesn’t he?

Yeesh, pretty sick taking chances like that. I remember someone saying to me in my younger years that it’s important to get away from outward appearances when making decisions of being intimate with someone because ultimately, it’s not “the face we fuck, it’s the fuck we face”.

While it may be really arousing looking forward to getting blasted by two guys-you gotta use more than the head at the end of your penis to make good choices.

I am completely in agreement with this revision to the definition of police response. A false alarm because of reasons other than a true emergency means that the police can’t be somewhere else more important while they waste their time investigating someone’s cat that set off the motion detector or sunshine that tripped the motion as it moved from one side of your living room to another side (this happened to us for real in our last house).

Police are always complaining they are understaffed and what would the Police Chief think if he knew that 2/6 calls were responding to cats, dogs and birds? He’d flip his lid and demand answers. Ok, there are more of us with house alarms and more thiefs running through the bushes with our VCR’s, DVD’s and digital cameras so we are now home security system crazy.

Costs anywhere between $25 and $50/mth for the monitoring and most of the companies usually provide the equipment free of charge after you sign the mandatory 2-5 yr contract.

So, you are out of the woods and the company forgot to mention that there are sensitivity adjustments that should be done to your motion detector before they leave with your cheque in their pocket.

The only part I would like to see if that the alarm companies share the cost of the false alarms for the first year as they make necessary adjustments to reduce the number of false alarms caused by equipment that the average homeowner really doesn’t understand.

Where does homophobia originate?

How do kids become bullies and why do they often resort to targeting homosexuals in their hate rants and violent outbursts?

Gay individuals often have few resources to turn to once their decision to come out is made public. It’s like when someone decides to run for public office, you notice behaviour changing and they are often apparently in the clouds still making final thoughts about their reveal before it is public, outside of their closest friends and sometimes, family.

There probably is never a perfect moment to say: “I”m Gay-Mom and Dad”, but somehow a percentage of gay men and women find the courage to utter these words to those they hope will provide them with support and respect. But, families get split up over these sudden announcements. How do you explain to Grandma May that her young godson longs for penis instead of her definition of normal relations?

Having a day that brings to the surface the reality that there are many twisted people in our society that hate but don’t understand why they hate and victimize homosexuals because they are perhaps threatened by the distance they view between their sexual orientation and gender identity is a mystery that requires more than a day of commemoration.

People will create anger, hostility, hatred and insensitivities towards others no matter what the rest of us do. Hold them accountable though for their feelings and like tapping a maple tree, hopefully, they will come to terms with their anger and perhaps somewhere down the road, the sap that runs through them will be acceptance and tolerance more than insecurity and confusion.

Ok, the shock of the big immigration from Conservative to Liberal is finally sinking in for voters as Stronach leaves one camp for what she views is more in line with her beliefs (and aspirations).

Seemingly, if Paul Martin is moving to retirement in the next few years to a padded, cozy pension, Belinda may have opened up her options by moving to Liberal-land with the pretense of doing what her electoral supporters wanted, but there is great doubt she consulted them before she bolted to the other side of the “House of Commons”.

Time will tell what her agenda was all about and her first move as HRDC top gun will be under extreme scrutiny and evaluation.

By the way, if you do a Google search for Belinda Stronach, go to her open letter to the Citizens of Newmarket and Aurora and check out her signature.

Doesn’t it look like three bunny ears on the left side of the signature and one lonely bunny ear to the right? I don’t know if her signature is a new style or if her signature was always like this, but it is interesting (anyone read signature styles vs personalities?)

Harper standing alone on one side and Stronach with Martin along with a still to be determined third bunny all hidden in print.

It’s probably not a bad thing to happen to a Gay Pride Parade to have less money to get the whole Diva event “on the road”.

I mean, jeez-louise, if costumes are one of the expenses, then cut the hem higher and show more glowing, muscular bodies with less clothes and more skin?

Instead of the full pantsuit on the humid day of the event, put sprinkles and fairy dust on their chests and use sun-reflecting shields to give those pumped up biceps that solar glow.

Cut the makeup out, use ethanol floats instead of gas powered, ask local restaurants to put a meal on for the float-queens after the day is done to save on meal expenses and have companies sponsor the event by advertizing directly on the floats with their ads?

Just a few ideas for this year’s weakened budget for Gay Pride Parade 2005.

Austrian filmmaker Hubert Sauper’s documentary, Darwin’s Nightmare ,may have never been released. He risked everything to capture the unbelievable sights he witnessed that are presented with little need for added sensationalism and dramatics.

This is, absolutely a story so unacceptable and evil in how the story has unfolded in Tanzania that everyone involved is probably already poised to respond to questions. They are already set with excuses and reasons for why they believe that what happened as a result of their intervention was to bring about positive change and influence the underwater world with good intentions.

Questions like: “What the hell were you thinking by introducing the Ocean Perch?”

(Thinking that the innocent looking piranha-type breed is akin to introducing a Pitbull into a rabbit-filled cage).

This is a documentary that needs to be seen by many. It is devoid of fluff and sweetness. It drives home the dangers of government intervention when there are few sanctions and little research is done before the plan is put into action.

Thank you Hubert Sauper: Your courage has helped us all try to understand Tanzania’s nightmare and how corruption has destroyed the lives of people there.

Taking the term Conservative to new meaning, Stephen Harper looks lost without his beloved Belinda by his side and his potential takeover bid/criticism of the Liberal Party unfortunately in splinters because he didn’t anticipate the whiplash he has received over the past few weeks.

Cheer up Harper. You have to talk to your spindoctors and get a new prescription.

This article is shocking in some ways but I guess, we shouldn’t be too surprised. How often is the average person questioned on whether they are racist, subversive of not? People have thoughts of superiority and power that are sometimes based on how much of their micro-power they have over the “enemy”.

Within the context of a carrot farm, where most people don’t really spend a lot of time assessing if racism is prevalent, it was there rearing it’s ugly head at the constant influx of immigrants only too eager to work there and probably unable to get work at other sites. New immigrants put up with lots of crap these days as they are forced to accept menial jobs and, not wanting to cause waves, decide against becoming the “cause celebre” for anti-racism work practices and end up suffering in silence.

But, there is a silver lining here. There were a few brave souls who were willing to risk a bit and speak up, not only speak up but make a case for themselves and seek restitution for their suffering. Why oh why in Quebec? Why oh Why Anywhere?

Serge Beaulieu, who speaks on UPA hirings in the Saint-Jean/Valleyfield region is red-faced and probably totally caught off guard. This doesn’t mean that he is not partly responsible for poor screening of the employer.

Dan Philip of the Black Coalition of Quebec should continue persevering for the workers’ rights and hopefully, with the assistance of Lise Thériault, Quebec’s Minister of Immigration, things on the farm will be totally uprooted and an investigation will be launched.

100 hours a week in terrible work conditions!!!! The farm owners should be absolutely ashamed of themselves and be given full redress for their actions.

I hope Hour continues to follow this story closely.

Once described as a cross between The Tea Party and Pearl Jam, Rubberman had high energy in their concerts and deserved every ounce of attention they received.

As a solo artist, Jonas Tomalty impressed promoters enough to land the opening gig for Van Halen on one leg of their tour and did not disappoint the crowds. Hard to believe a young kid was ready to wow them since the age of fifteen.

His other notable shows he has opened include the Tea Party, Sass Jordan and the Jeff Healey Band. Jonas has the pipes the get crowds both small and large off their asses and on their feet. He is a determined to remain one of the premium up and coming risers out of the Great White North. It is hard to believe that he has so much soul and blinding riffs at such a young age and so much enthusiasm and drive. Keep driving your funky, groove train.

The greatest thing about Jonas is that he’s got way more years ahead and so much creative juices left to squeeze.

“Say things are lookin’ up now

But so is anything when you’re on your back

Best bust a move break in your shoes

’cause work is just a fact”

~from the song Daddy

Jonas newest CD: Released: September 2004

You never know….if Lindsay Lohan is short on cash….and needing a few extra bills, she may have a Plan B that includes her impression of Josh Stone. The two of them are kind of hot little impressarios.

So, the Planet Smashers had the kids popping at their recent show at Café Campus. Good to hear some good vibes goin’ down at the ‘pus.

Welcome aboard brother and I wish you all the best. Your bullying article the other week shows that you’re quite the mucker and you don’t take shiite from anyone…..Grrrr…

Looking forward to reading about your thoughts in the coming weeks. Take care big laaa’.

It’s about time that Mr Copeland makes it to the cover of the fabulously impressive Hour.

What has he done for us lately? How about authoring nine novels and delivering us our generation’s definition of who we are: Generation X for starters.

Copeland is someone with big plans, fearless in accomplishing what he sets out to do and proudly enjoys the title of trendsetter.

Why not?

He is someone who leads by example, enjoys exploring new areas of thought and controversy and building pillars that other more fearful people may be more comfortable hiding behind instead of standing in front of.

Now, with current plans underway to recreate large buildings with Lego and the like, and launching a refreshing and chilling memoir/ode to our favorite son: Terry Fox, Copeland is still unspent and still willing to go the extra mile for continued success.

He is someone who has been able to capitalize on understanding our needs, needs very little to show his vast array of creativity and creatively restores our core understanding of what we mean to our generation and what symbolism may reflect our generation to future inhabitants of this thoughtful and needy planet of ours.

If Copeland follows any roadmap, it is the one that reads: “Be true to yourself and never change what makes you the unique, wonderful person that allows for self-preservation and enlightenment”.

Bravo Douglas. Nice Cover.

It’s kind of funny actually. I was driving down Preston Street just the other day and I saw KIM KHANH and the advertized $2 sandwiches.

Well now, that The Ottawa Express has officially heralded the damn place and said that their parisienne bread is to die for, I might as well check it out.

As far as I could tell, sandwiches were about the only thing they serve. How does the rent get paid at this place? Is there a dry cleaning service at the back or a drop-off daycare?

In all seriousness, it’s hard to imagine Vietnamese businessperson with Subway-style subs business. The mixture is about as logical as East Indian businessperson opening up poutine stand..but anyways…

If it’s good and can compare to that other sandwich place off Preston St (the Italian deli/grocery store/yummy sammys), then it’s worth it to take a look.

For a Party that believes that the Liberal Party deserves a “B” for their performance and that all parties should be working together in unison on all issues, Jim Harris, Green Party of Canada leader, appears to be judgmental from a distance and may be ready to remain a distant fourth or fifth consideration for Canadian voters.

In fact, they may be better considered to be a social conscience (for green issues) for the other parties instead of believing that they have a grain of hope of getting votes so that they could be our next leaders or the official opposition in this country.

The Green Party makes a lot of strong arguments for how we need to begin to make changes in how we live that will have a more positive impact on our environment and better use our natural resources. Toyota modified car example notwithstanding.

It is interesting to read about Jim Harris’ platform which sounds acceptable until you read into the potential conflict of interest controversy that may be surmised by the support he receives from: “GlaxoSmithKline (a pharmaceutical company), General Motors (a major polluter and military vehicle producer), and the Snack Food Association, all promoting products and lifestyles totally opposed to the Green platform”.

But maybe this is what happens to even the best political parties? They may not be able to receive support from those that should be helping them and big corporations may want to have their funding in several different places so that their eggs are not all in one basket. (Diversification)

“The Green Party calls on all parties in the House of Commons to begin the task of restoring the public’s faith in our democratic system by returning to the priorities which this parliament was elected to address, issues such as Kyoto, democratic reform and continuing Canada’s leadership role in the world”.

These are strong words for a likeable party, I’m just not sure that with voter apathy the Green Party will get in anytime soon.

What a sad story. Abject poverty, undiscovered potential and a childhood mixed with disapproving parents who must have tormented the young Pegi Nicol. Drawn her away from her true passion and desires to become an artist by making her feel that her choices were not appropriate for their views and by taking away her creations, somehow they felt they would control her and ultimately curb her enthusiasm for how she passed her time.

Passing away before her gift was discovered is a true tragedy and it’s nice to hear that Michael Ostroff felt the material was important enough to do something about it.

A very nice touch by Ostroff to recognize someone after the fact..but important none the less.

10 years of gruelling concerts, writing and creativity. There will come a time when The Faint are finally recognized for their contributions to modern music outside of the fanbase they have attracted by all of the word of mouth advertizing that has generated a fair bit of hype to this date.

Great name and continued success to a hard working band from OMAHA.

The Animation Show sounds like an absolute blast and should be attended by all.

With an almost adults only rating, this show will likely not disappoint, not when you have zany and crazy animators like Mike Judge onboard.

King of the Hill is the less obscene but still very funny middle-of-the-road community version of Beavis and Butthead and better in many ways because the characters are very realistic and well…charming..in their own way.

I still find it hard to believe that you can take an illustration, multiply it a few thousand times with different movement and a short animation porject is complete and ready for viewing. (Obviously, there is sound, color and music behind it-but it still amazes me).

“Finally, someone is challenging the paradigm that renders animated films analogous to Saturday-morning cartoons.”

Jia Zhangke’s fourth release in China and the first that is kind of state sanctioned (releasing it through state-run Shanghai Film Studios).

Prior to this notoriety, Zhangke was forced to accept praise and awards without the ability to show his films anywhere in public in China. An appropriate use of the term “underground”.

The Chinese government appears to be making some significant changes toward more lax censorship rules and guidelines. These advancements in thinking will allow more films to be made because the red tape will be less prevalent and intrusive to production companies intent on starting projects. With these less imposing rules, could creative freedom and expression be far behind?

The World is a better film because of less meddling Chinese government policy. Zhangke felt that because pressure was reduced because the film was considered “aboveground”.

Ironically, this film will be received by larger audiences because of the pro-active changes affecting the Chinese film industry. Let’s hope they remain and continue to make more decisions that will have an positive impact on what is made and released in Asia.

Harper looks a lot like John Kerry in this picture. He’s a guy generally that is short on smiles and long in the tooth. Not much emotion that guy.

I always knew Tony Valeri was tough, let’s hope he loses the key to Harper’s cage.

So, with a pending election and a budget that needs to be passed through, what does Uncle Paul do? He negotiates a last minute “deal” with his pal Jack and voila, the smell of manure is mysteriously removed from the Liberal Party platform and all is well. Or is it?

A subsequent negotiation takes place several days later where Uncle Paul makes another calculated move to immigrate Belinda Stronach from Harper’s business class lounge to become part of the Red and White of no…not the Red Cross but the Liberal Party.

Ooh Paul, you’re so cold and calculating.

When the shit hits the fan, it’s always nice to have people around that you can select to take the blame for all of your misgivings and poor choices.

Maybe, there could be a group of people willing to take the fall for our big leaders when they make mistakes? Sort of like a Pick-Me Club. Who wants to sign up?

Yes…Chuck..We already have your name on the list…we know..Jean Carle told us all about your eagerness to have your name and picture front and centre between Gomery and Fraser on the cover of the Commission Report….now..hold still….so we can get a good mug shot……

We drove by the new War Museum the other day and my kids asked how long the building’s been there? I said: “It’s a new building that just went up several weeks ago and it celebrates Canada’s efforts in keeping our country free”.

I guess I could have added: “it is an expression of Canadian values and the sacrifice made by ordinary Canadians whose efforts were extraordinary”.

I hadn’t realized the thought and detail that went into the outward and inward design including the morse code that is engraved on the windows on the peak of wing-shaped peak that frames the Peace Tower spelling out “Lest we forget/N’oublions jamais” in Morse code.

My kids thought the building looked like a bunker, grey, gloomy and a strange shape (I guess from watching war movies and from what they know-you know..kids seem to say the strangest and funniest things). I have to agree. The building was made to look like it’s a lookout post poking it’s head above the buses parked in Lebreton Flats, strangely familiar but definately, the new kid on the block.

We’ve now talked about taking the kids inside the museum in the next couple of weeks, once the weather warms up. I hope they have enough interest to patiently walk through a museum that is short on interactive stuff for kids to do but very important to visit in memory of all of those Canadians that have given their lives for our safety and freedom.

We shall never forget.

What better way to buy lunch than to line up to the old chip truck and enjoy one of life’s simple pleasures? Glen’s fries are among the best and there is reason for that. Carefully cut potatoes, a family recipe that brings the crowds in and the vinegar and salt at the halfway point of the bag. I know where I’m going back to again this week-Glen’s Chip Wagon.

I love malt vinegar and the lovely taste that it has over it’s distilled cousin (the white variety). Easy on the salt but nice with ketchup.

Fries are usually not on too many recommendations by dieticians but a treat every once in a while is not that bad. Enjoy.

David, many critics became critics because of their love of movies. Good criticism of a movie is important in that, often they create the buzz before the release of the film and therefore are of benefit to the producer and everyone involved in the project.

Good review= Potentially higher gate receipts.

House of D is a movie that all about you Mr Duchovny. Just admit it. Tea Leoni cast as the mother character is a Freudian inclusion that is deliberate and allowed you more control over the project. Casting Robin Williams may not have been a smart move because I was not convinced that he understood what the role was supposed to be and was hardly believable as the “retarded” (your words not mine) janitor.

If this movie is based on certain events that happened in your childhood, then I am not convinced that I wanted to share in your troubled, although humbling, upbringing.

Mulder may have been represented as an intelligent character in the many years of X-Files success but good actor with great dialogue does not translate into great director with keen vision.

What would you do if you were working with the higher-ups in a company that was heading on a potentially quick downward spiral?

You had the chance to have one or two final meetings to come up with a strategy for lying to everybody except for the small group that you were part of.

You were forced to throw away any scruples and integrity you may have had to save your own sorry ass and you were bonded to secrecy and pricked each other’s fingers to share their blood, collegially acknowledging that what you were about to do was unprecedented but the evil of necessity.

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room is a documentary that is shocking as it is riveting, intrusive as it is informed and shattering as it is unflattering.

Former CEO Jeff Skilling et al.. should be ashamed of themselves for ripping off so many stakeholders and embarrassed that their story was part of a gruesome exposé about their sorry asses. It is a story that mocks how stupid investors must have been to continue supporting a company that from the outside (at least) appeared to be doing well and prospering in their accounting bait-and-switch world.

Twenty thousand employees left without savings will not be in attendance and have probably had to go into extensive therapy to wipe clean the memories of their time and investment with Enron.

For them, it was a shell game they lost and a time in their lives that is far too painful to conjur up again. Enron ruined their retirement plans while top executives have stashed their cash away until the coast is clear.

The development of IMAX technology was an important piece of our history back in 1967. The growth of IMAX films has now developed into a network of more than 250 theatres in 36 countries. Therefore, it’s popularity is decidedly increasing. 700 million people worldwide have visited/seen an IMAX film and new theatres are being built every year.

“Who will finally give purpose to the wasted potential of Imax?”- Dylan, you ask an important question. The technology has more potential? Agreeably, films that have been released have been explorations in space, across vast continents and frequently about mammals, birds and other species with the intent on educating us more than entertaining us. (Or, to put it simply-instruction through education using the technology to help those of us that are visual learners)

It seems that the future of IMAX will include popular titles like Harry Potter, the Polar Express, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and Robots all released later this year (depending on which major city you live in).

But, if IMAX is being used to show us larger versions of the same the films that we see in smaller theatres, then what is the point of having technology that uses film ten times larger than the conventional 35mm frame that we are accustomed to already?

I hope that IMAX Corporation makes some better decisions in the next few years to calculate less expensive gate prices, bring us films that better use the potential that Dylan refers to and finds a way to bridge the gap so that moviegoers will make the logical decision to see a film in IMAX because this same film is so much better with it’s “Rolling Loop technology which advances the film in a wave-like motion at 24 frames per second”.

IMAX needs to revamp it’s marketing strategy and carefully re-think what it’s message needs to be for the 21st Century.

With so much potential, IMAX could and should become the wave of the future for movies.

So, Johnny Waterfalls credits his mom with helping him remember recipes for cakes? And now, Johnny is not making bakery items, he’s producing vibrators and sexual strap-ons.

His mom should be so proud. This industry that Mr Waterfall is in is a booming business. People are always looking at fresh ways to bring themselves over the cliff and experience deep orgasms by themselves or with their lovers.

Someone has to manufacture these sex toys and aren’t we relieved that the products originate here in Canada? Less duty to pay. Less questions at the border with our tightening security.

I liked the story about the company getting the latex bullet contract over Johnny because the Bank is a little “shy” on the sex trade industry, I guess.

Q: What’s the difference between getting fucked in the arse by Johnny Waterfall’s dildo compared to getting fucked in the arse by a latex bullet?

A: 3 inches.

Keep making us all happy Johnny and thinking of new and imaginative ways of screwing us around.

Around The World in 80 Days shows how Disney Executives give way too much liberty to a movie to be made based on a fairly good book by Jules Verne and somehow must have forgotten to watch it before they released it to the general public.

The film is one bad analogy after another. Jackie Chan is onboard charged with the responsibility of introducing martial arts into the film to bring levity to it’s determined storyline. The film may introduce characters that are supposed to be travelling across the world but I’m not sure the film went anywhere but South.

It is easy to see why this film did not remain theatres for very long and hopefully, Mr Chan can resurrect his career after this absolutely stinking rotten egg of an appearance.

The martial arts are worth the price of the rental fee but to add anymore in the way of praise for this film is unfair for the folks that have looked at the interesting cover of the DVD and wondered out loud if the film may have a point or be worth their time?

Simply put: Spend 2 hours crocheting a sweater for your nephew. Wax your car, go tanning..anything but forcing yourself to watch this film as you sink lower and lower in a chair that’s designed for comfort and entertainment.

Canadians are good with what we consume and analyze decisions about food.

Generally, we’re a pretty healthy bunch of people over here and most of the material that Morgan Spurlock uncovers may be interesting but for the most part pretty irrelevant to us.

On any given day, we have busy bike paths, all kinds of physical activities and lots of exercise in vast consumption being observed from coast to coast.

However, there are some key observations and parallels that we can make relating to Spurlock’s observations and McDiet trials.

We are busier and home less these days than in previous decades and life is…well….pretty fast. It is so much easier to grab a quick burger, taco, fries…whatever..than hurry home to prepare meals for ourselves. It’s so much easier to call 737-1111 or the local take-out place to feed ourselves. The trick is course to plan ahead and make good meal selections that avoid our coming into contact with the mass produced fast food variety.

Americans are perhaps less on top of dietary concerns and looking at even the difference between drink and fries sizes between Canada and the US, it would appear that we are more choosy and less needy for a half pound of fries in one sitting than our neighbours. It is scary to observe how obesity rates are creeping up in both countries and that some kids may suffer heart attacks before they turn 15.

Spurlock tackled the big McDonalds empire with aplomb. He shore off the top of their building and spat carbs and grease back in their faces with the release of this film. No, it is not a Michael Moore-ish film, anyone can make a documentary.

Spurlock risked a fair bit and somehow avoided lawsuits from being thrown his way. McDonalds did change their menu and have stopped serving Super-size now-Bravo.

They now offer salads.

They are panicking a bit but still making tons of profit every year.

Corporations need to stay healthy too but at whose expense ironically.

It’s really interesting how society has changed over the years. There are increasing numbers of non-smokers and the health side effects from nicotine (as well as the other 130 or so chemicals in cigarettes that the body is forced to endure with each drag) are more and more understood every year.

Cigarette manufacturers: “Cigarettes are not bad for you-enjoy”.

Bar owners: “We like the haze in our air and our customers want cigarette filled air”.

Non-smoking customer: “I won’t be going to this — restaurant because the air is filled by smoke and I choke and cough every time I leave that place”.

Cancer patient: “I wish I could have never started smoking-it’s too late now”.

Restaurant bar owners need to accept that introducing non-smoking environments are not that unrealistic. There are options such as having specially ventillated areas for smokers (if they insist on catering to smokers but with smaller service areas) that will enable restaurants to sort of continue with one facet of their restaurant but introduce new (non-smoking) customers to their menus.

Smoking is an addiction that when compared to heroin is more difficult to stop. It takes years to get the chemicals out of your system even if you are exposed only to second hand smoke.

The truth with non-smoking establishments is that business does decline, temporarily for a period of time but eventually returns to levels that it experienced before, just with healthier air and a healthier workplace for staff and customers.

“Hollywood has focused on grinding out movies that require almost no attention span.”

Ok, so if The Ballad Of Jack And Rose is not written for the Attention Deficit Disordered among us, then who is the movie intended to be written for? Any movie as well that uses the I-word (incest) to describe part of the plot is a little risqué, n’est-ce pas?

Daniel Day-Lewis is a fine actor of the highest order, how did he ever become tangled in this film? A film that draws down on his emotional range and puts him in a character that is just ok, not mediocre or lame but just a very broad man who is on the final verses of the last chapter of his life.

“As we arrive, too much has already happened, and as we leave, there’s the potential for so much more than we’ve seen. What we get is just a glimpse, a wisp of life-and that’s plenty.”

Beau Bridges will not be the saviour that keeps this film in theatres for an extended period, but audiences will go to see Lewis because he really is magnificent at pulling off most of the roles he plays and this film is no exception.

Not a bad film but as Dylan Young described, you do feel like you are walking into the middle of a family’s life story and leaving without sticking around for dessert.

Who wants to bet that their is little good soil left in Montreal anymore? We have just leeched it away with contaminants, waste, and pollution. Where does bad soil get moved to?

They put it close to relatively good soil and cross their fingers hoping that a scientist having a picnic nearby (on his dayoff) doesn’t notice the green plume rising from underneath the bike path.

We are directly responsible for the state of our planet and corporations (bent on quick profits) make their mess and are not obligated to clean it up. Who is then, responsible for the cost of the clean up, and in this case, the other 1284 sites across Montreal that would cause a radioactivity geiger counter to rise up into unacceptable danger levels?

Soil bioremediation sounds like a great start to recycling our dirty soil but this must be costly as well. When construction crews finish building their erections, the soil is already filthy with coffee cups, sandwich wrappers and cigarette butts that should have been thrown in garbage containers instead of plowed over by their bulldozers.

If we are not careful, we will be forced find ways of creating nutrients for our soil in laboratories and inject them into the earth’s surface because we have contaminated all of our natural supply. Sounds strange but true.

Thanks for the heads-up on getting my knees dirty again this year. I am not planting grapevines but there will be strawberries-weather conditions willing.

I will also plant a few job leads this month to see what’s out there and hopefully be able to enjoy a warmer june 2005 with a nice cool breeze.

I find it absolutely shocking that… “by age 50, at least 80 percent of women will have acquired HPV infection”. Should this be a cause for concern or does this mean that sexually transmitted disease if more neutralized/common/accepted now than before?

I think Savage Love this week addresses an important issue that many people may not know enough about and the fact that all three writers all share the same type of question provides the rest of us with some further understanding.

“Twenty million Americans are currently infected with HPV, and every year six million more Americans contract one of the more than 100 different known strains of the virus.”

That’s scary dude. Is this any indication that we have been so careless in our promiscuity that STD’s have rapidly marathoned into our everyday lives?

Are we generally more at risk now than before or are there more people that are more sexually active than in previous decades, perhaps at younger and older ages (population vs sexually active rate)?

This article provides lots of information Dan but there may be a need to crank it up a little further in a future column that informs us if we are in an epidemic of STD cases or if STD’s have gone mainstream and now that we understand a little more, our fears were maybe overreactions (because we didn’t have enough info to make the call in the past)?

Queer As Folk came to our tv sets prior to the amazingly funny Queer Eye For The Straight Guy but with the same intent. Make people more aware, desensitize them to what the gay community may be all about and most importantly-celebrate diversity.

My only question is: Why was I finding myself in lust with Ellen for so many years when I knew she was gay and why did Rosie crack me up year after year on her show and both of them blow me away with their incredible generosity and thoughtfulness? Was I maybe missing something wrong with the whole picture?

What makes a gay/lesbian physically, emotionally or mentally different from anybody else? Is there a difference? Is it noticeable? Does it impact on the day to day life of the heterosexual and asexual communities?

Shows such as Queer As Folk and New Kids In The Hall are an important contributrion to our program content-if it makes you think-just a little-and laugh-quite a lot, then the purpose and message was received.

Hang-on one rootin-tootin minute here…are we suggesting this week via the In The City column that there’s a back-pack-swindlin’ police officer named Horton (and not Tim) going around to the local coffee joints and waterin’ holes lookin’ to take people’s large military style ruck sacks? For pure joy and frustration?

And that these valuable backpacks are bein’ taken to the bees nest to be placed in Locker 666 never to be seen again? Because police are anti-homeless like to piss off anti-establishment looking characters in our communities?

What is actually being said sounds like the beginning of a diatribe on crop circles.

If, what is being said is true, shouldn’t Chief Vince Bevan be advised of the occurences and conduct an investigation to find out why the hell this has happened, who is responsible and like a good CSI investigator (not buried in a glass casket-eh Quentin?), search out all the answers to this mind-boggling theft ring.

Cherry Pie at Helkinki is a very capably arranged meeting of the female business owner minds here in Ottawa presented annually and by all accounts a huge success.

The layout is such that business owners can display their wares and services and usually there are free manicures, massages,facials,etc.. all in the name of smoozing and sharing of ideas and business info.

Catherine (the organizer) is very well connected to the business community and on site throughout the evening at Helsinki. When she is not running Cherry Pie, she is a bartender at the location so is able to pre-promote the event to potential and existing clientele with enthusiasm and insight.

A website may be helpful but for now, the event relies on word of mouth promotion. The numbers of participants increases each year and the venue may need to be changed if the event’s success continues to bloom.

It is an event that does Cherry-Cherry Well Thank You.

Ah yes, it must be spring time, the flowers are growing, the grass is green and the fresh manure is being laid on the farmers fields……..what a lovely smell that manure…fresh and pure of nutrients. The House of Commons too shares certain qualities with this Ode to Spring because we have been spending quite a bit of time, money and energy listening to the Gomery Inquiry and all of the manure being spread by almost everyone who has testified thus far.

Can you say short term memory?

Why would anyone get into politics? All those fringe benefits.

Requirement for the job: No scruples, convenient memory loss and lying through your teeth while you reassure voters that everything you do is good for them.

Stuart, this week’s High Bias asks some important questions that probably have been circling around the sky above the House Of Commons for many decades like a dozen vultures looking for fresh meat.

How do we end corruption/nepotism? How do we de-rail the “cycle of loyalty and patronage” that you eloquently talk about?

I’m not sure that you can just erase the blackboard of misguided leadership. I’m not certain you can just poof it all away with 1 wipe of the magic wand?

Let’s not forget that politicians almost always have a Plan B for themselves to fall back on if their political hijinks don’t work out with taxpayers. They are lawyers, businessmen/women, own corporations and small, medium and large businesses and generally have more assets than we can only dream of having.

Their election campaigns are “sponsored” by friends in high places with deep pockets and it is not surprising that the general underlying “agenda” that they put most of their energy into leans toward corporate tax breaks/benefits that will reward their principle financial backers.

Jean Chretien steps down as Prime Minister and returns to a law firm that were eagerly awaiting his retirement. His political influences and relationships he formed while in power can benefit their firm and he too will help current political parties in exchange for favorable deals, prime representation in legal matters and continue the cycle all over again.

What we have always had in our political world is corruption, misuse of power and the general tendancy to make a pile of promises to get elected and then a whole pile of nothing once they are in power.

The promises that they usually keep?

The promises that will result in further moneys coming their way, the promises that generally benefit anyone but you and I and the promises that we can’t see, touch or that puts more money back in our pockets when ironically, we are the supporters with the deepest pockets in the long run.

Neil Young will be 60 yrs old in 2005. What a long strange journey it’s been for this Torontonian. He has provided us with some of the past 25 yrs of the best and inspiring memories as he has crawled on both scraped knees to the brink of self-destruction, survived overdoses and climbed to the halfway summit of self-actualization.

Following his departure from several bands (Mynah Birds, Buffalo Springfield and CSNY), Neil headed out on his own.

In 1969 he asked his fans “What Have You Done To My Life?”, sweetened things the next year with the memorable “Cinnamon Girl” with clanging power chords and reverb, released “Southern Man” on After The Gold Rush and as he closed out the 70’s, his Rust Never Sleeps album is still to this day one of the most genius pieces of live recording this world may have ever seen come out of a Canadian artist.

The next decade featured a twisted Young deciding that he would explore electronic sounds with Trans and Reactor that may have caught some of his fans off-guard as he moved away from the Southern influences that made him popular (like rock-a-billy when he was joined by the Shocking Pinks) that just didn’t suit his style and fanbase.

Over the years, Young has always been willing to embrace new directions for his career and trying out new sounds. This has been met with mixed reviews. At one point, he teamed up with Sonic Youth on tour that was met with some applause (he was viewed as an old hipster). He also tried to release an album with Pearl Jam which was greatly anticipated but because of legal challenges, he was forced to keep them off the cover and the release fell flat.

In this current release of Are You Passionate, you will find the song Let’s Roll which is a tribute through the final words of Todd Beamer (one of the passengers on one of the 9-11 terrorist boarded planes). The song is moving and touching that it may have saved this album from complete collapse.

Luckily Young has a brilliant track record

There’s a bit of a bind here and after spending the weekend with a few off-duty policemen, they are only utilizing the tools of their job and holding people accountable by rules they are paid to enforce. It is correct to say that charging someone a fine when they have no means to pay them is unfair and only adds to society’s cost by forcing us to pay for their stay in jail.

Police are caught between a rock and a hard place. Homeless are often well known to police and if they are seen in their regular “spots” and the police do not have another call to go to, there is a strong likelyhood that they will issue the “ticket” to their streetperson to satisfy our need that they are earning their salary by enforcing the rules.

What should occur though are the courts giving the police other tools other than tickets to issue the homeless. Why penalize someone for just being there when there’s 95% chance that they will return the next day and the next etc…?

Are there not other restitutions or consequences for a homeless person who is breaking the rules? Drinking is not the part to trivialize, it is the revolving door between street, hostel, police station or detox, court and jail that needs to be rethought.

I think courts feel that as long as our unsightly members of our society are locked up and out of our sight, then their work has been done with some satisfaction.

Society may feel otherwise about that and sooner or later, the pile of unpaid tickets that police officers and STM have issued will need to be explained because the bank account where the fine payments go is still showing a very unimpressive zero balance.

6 years of Terence Trent D’arby floating out there somewhere.

He split from Sony and moved to Europe and continued to work with his long time pal Glen Ballard until things broken down even with him. D’arby persevered and decided that it was time for a comeback that would be orchestrated by his emergence as his own producer, with his own record label and a re-energized TTD that fans would be more excited about after he had gone through a bit of an emotional journey that involved breaking rank with those that controlled him, finding some much needed redefined spirituality and getting rid of much of the baggage that belonged to this young gifted singer who was touted as the next big thing.

Some have said this is his best recording of his career and fans are rewarded with 19 soulful and blessed songs that remind me of a youthful and reenergized man who is finally free of the chains that bound him for so many years.

He is graceful and talented and fans old and new should feel blessed that D’arby had the courage to get to this time and this place because the rewards are worth the journey to new discoveries.

God bless this child: His demons are behind him.

Saskatchewan should be blushing with this new release by the sultry and sweet sounds of the legendary Joni Mitchell. The release is the second volume of possibly the final chapter of her lengthy and memorable career following on the heels of her Dreamland release last fall.

True to her western roots, Joni appears to make herself comfortable writing songs under her favorite large tree, by the glistening wheat field with her reflection in the water of the local watering hole. Looking back on a seemingly extended career that has carried her to so many wonderful places, she always finds herself coming home to warmth of her native Saskatchewan. And she is proud to be Canadian.

SONGS OF A PRAIRIE GIRL is in short, all we need to begin to understand Mitchell’s legacy and triumphs throughout her multi-decade career. Mitchell is soft-spoken, deeply thoughtful and reminiscent of a time when singers spoke from the heart and were in truth, insightful storytellers.

Warner Records have to be commended on making this series available to Mitchell’s fans. Lord knows, she knows the music industry inside and out and if anyone can deliver the goods, it’s Joni Mitchell. A truly reliable craftsperson who only tells things as they need to be.

*Look for a remastered track called “Paprika Plains,” originally recorded on her 1977 Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter release.*

“This collection of songs and photographs is my contribution to

Saskatchewan’s Centennial celebrations. I recommend that you get

yourself a hot beverage and stand by the heater as you listen to these

musical tales of long, cold winters with a hint of short but glorious

summers.” -Joni Mitchell

Joni, you are an ultimate champion in our Canadian music industry and we are very proud to call you our own.

This release follows the 2003 release called Songs In The Key Of Rock. It promises to be a more mature and meatier release than that.

Soul Mover: Recorded live at Sound Image Studios in Los Angeles in the Spring of 2005

Chad Smith on drums

JJ Marsh on guitar

Ed Roth (Soulful Organic Keys)

Ex-Chili Peppers and Jane’s Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro on the title track.

“Chad and I wanted an organic feel as it was necessary to capture the emotion that can only happen when all of us are playing live in the same room together. We were in a semi-circle with the amps bleeding a little into the drums just as I used to record when I first started playing.”

Hughes delivers the goods with a 12 Track CD that pops off the top with Soul Mover, eases into She Moves Ghostly and finishes with the tasty Orion, Isolation and the lovely Little Miss Insane. Musical influences abound on this new delivery and fans looking for middle-rock, blues and sultry guitar licks will make you want to jump through your headphones.

Enjoy Glenn Hughes new release. I know I did.

The Forgotten Arm, the new CD by Aimee Mann is a journey across the USA with two main characters played out in these impressive new tracks. The characters; a boxer fighting alcoholism and the girlfriend that hangs off his arm as he fights the impulses and obsessions is a decent combination of sultry tunes, melancholic love songs and odes to better days and brighter futures.

The Forgotten Arm is actually a boxing term that describes holding back one glove that is your winning punch that is used to smack your opponent when the time is right.

Aimee Mann delivers these songs with a reverance and skepticism as the narrator describing what she sees and observes with a non-judgmental but insightful connection to the pastels and emotion of the characters as she sees them under the microscope.

Well done Aimee and kudos to your supporting cast of talent.

Anyways, there seems to be no logical end to the phenomenon that people in relationships are either led by their partners or they lead their partners. People are leaders or they are followers. People like to be told what to do or they enjoy telling others what to do.

People are pussywhipped or cockwhipped in their relationship same gender or not. People get into relationships to be taken care of or to care for another person. People like to use other people for their money, fame, fortune or for the status of being with them. People fall into relationships and break off the ones they’re in to be in others.

Everywhere you turn, there are relationships beginning, developing and breaking up.

Dickwhipped was just a-yight.

Women talking dirty; now that’s sexy.

I hope that the winner of the tickets to go see this show enjoyed themselves courtesy of the Ottawa Express. I thought about bidding but I must say that I didn’t know what the appeal of two women playing longtime friends Matt and Ben was?

However, I understand that ticket sales have been brisk whent his play was shown in other parts of the country, so there must be some humour and the girls must really be authentic Matt and Ben copies.

Please, add a review if you saw this play. I am anxious to hear your feedback.

Matt and Ben are hot…as themselves.

Indulge in Chocolate? Invest in Clearasil..

I love chocolate especially the caramel filled kind but I cannot stand massage oil that has any sign of cocoa..yuck..

300% more chocolate this month? And how many times do I have to go to the friggin’ gym to burn it off?

Thanks Pal.

WITLESS: You ain’t ready to settle down, friend. You should continue sowing wild oats because your relationship seems to be built on qualities that are very shallow and commitment that appears to be even more shallow.

LUST: What the hell are you doing still living at your mammy’s house. Get the fuck out of there and take your bag of tricks with you. How can you expect to invest time, energy and private moments licking the astroturf of your lovers as you’re watching Johnny Big Black Dong reaming three girls in the back of their Malibu beachhouse while worrying that mammy is in the hallway thinking that the heavy breathing she’s hearing is her daughter’s sleep apnia or worse yet-sex under her roof?

BLOW/WM: You two are made for each other. Break up, like Dan says and get the 411 on each other. There’s nothing nicer than meeting your new lover “on the pages of the O-Press”.

GGE: Well Golly Gee Whiz, I thought Texans loved everything big, but I guess that in this case, big ignorance of sexual preferences has got the best of our House of Representatives Administration Billy-Dick.

Sorry fella’-the lasso, the stirrups and the handcuffs are for the horses and you best behave, ye hear?

Albert Maysles sounds like the Gordie Howe of the documentary film industry. “A legend in his profession and a master in his domain”.

His new film The Jew On Trial is a documentary on the life and significance of Mendel Beilis who was a Russian foreman in a brick factory. A trial took place in 1913 trial and developed into a bit of a melee when a group of Russian lawyers sought to expose the fraudulent ways of the ancient anti-Semitic blood libel slander (who many believe still exists).

Another recent project that Maysles was involved in was called The Gates Project (release date to be announced), where he and a few other filmmakers sought to examine the reaction to Christo’s art in New York.

Maysles’ work will be remembered for years to come to their creativity and incredible dedication to the craft.

Bravo Albert-you are a leader and an industry.

After watching Hotel Rwanda and seeing how little the United Nations Peacekeepers did to protect the people there, I have changed my view somewhat of the role that peacekeepers play and perhaps, even, their reputation in foreign countries. Should they not have the right to shoot to protect those that they are encharged with? Should they not be better trained and carry more powerful legislative authority and discretion?

The film talks about “red-tape” in the UN Peacekeepers doing their job. Does the bureaucracy make them more or less effective when they evaluate their completed mission at the end of their tour of duty?

Global peace is extremely important and when these guys/girls go into a war zone, they shoud be respected and allowed to carry out their duties as independent third parties that mean no harm but represent the eyes and ears of the United Nations.

Maybe, I’m the only one to say that a film about a man being raised like a dog then trying to become a man again as entertainment is limited value. Jet Li is a talented actor who is good at his martial arts and “playing into the eye of the camera with all his emotion”, but is it not a regression (career-wise) to take on this role?.

I mean, if Tom Cruise had turned down Mission Impossible 1 and 2 to play a heroin addict or alcoholic getting beat up and showing us a character that was a complete loser, would his fans not be scratching their heads wondering why he took the sudden turn south?

The film pits Hoskins, Li and Freeman in a film that appeared to be a complete and utter catastrophe-minimal fight scenes, lousy dialogue and Jet Li being forced to play under his talent for our entertainment purposes. I hope his next choice in films rises above this mess.

FOURTH AVENUE WINE BAR doesn’t sound very appetizing from this review. If a server is not willing to promo what is wrong with your food order, there is something more seriously wrong at the Manager/Owner level at the restaurant.

I always get a feeling that a dining establishment is short on capital/trying to make as much profit as they can when they are failing to respond to client complaints with weak excuses or actions, charging silly amounts for stupid things (like the bread basket that came to your table), not being able to promo an item off your bill that you complained about or adding fees or charges to your bill that you weren’t aware of.

Don’t restaurants understand that you will undoubtedly tell 9 people you had a bad meal and only three people when you’ve had an awesome meal? Bad news travels quickly.

If I wanted tasteless portobello mushrooms that seemed to be a product that should not have been served, why pay $9 (even though the price seems reasonable)?

The other week, we were dining at Jack Astors in Kanata and three of our meals were promo’d because the waitress told us that the meals did not arrive quickly enough (according to some standard the restaurant uses for good service). We hadn’t said a peep to her because we were too busy talking at the time. That, to me, is great service.

Restaurants should be accountable to some kind of grade of food quality, customer satisfaction and presentation evaluation. Too often, they serve off-meals like the one you had Lucy at the Fourth Avenue Wine Bar and it is your one and only visit because the restaurant, not the wine, left a bad taste in your mouth.

Celebritydom is really more about what the fans want and are looking for than the singer, actor etc..actually knowing how to be. In the beginning, I’m sure athletes, sports stars and whoever are really flattered by all the attention they get. As time goes on and they become more famous, many change their persona and can become real pricks and obnoxious.

I once met Tom Cochrane and his wife after one of their shows at the Congress Centre. He insisted I come in to have a picture taken with them as they were partying. I obliged and was kind of astonished that the tables felt like they were being turned for a second.

I also insisted that I meet The Men They Couldn’t Hang one night after a show at Barrymores and the boys were so delighted that someone here in Ottawa was all over their music and loved their songs. They’ve since split up and I wonder sometimes, how much an artist remembers the fandemonium of when they were “big”?

You are absolutely right about Ottawa getting a decent group of bands again this year (don’t forget Avril, Rolling Stones and Black Eyes Peas as well).

I guess the only thing that I would say to anyone who has the guts to talk to one of their idols is not to be a jerk about the whole thing, breathe through the conversation and MOSTLY..don’t spill your drink all over them.

Unless, they ask you to.

Stuart, I’m not sure how we eliminate nuclear energy and development?

I understand the importance of the material you’ve presented from Canadian Geographic and Foreign Policy to talk about how we have nuclear power in our midst and may have made the mistake of introducing it into our global consciousness?

In quoting Elaine Dewar:”(she) asks gloomily whether we have already gone too far: If we disband our nuclear industry now, who will look after the waste we’ve already created? As you can see, both history, and nuclear Armageddon, are against us”.

How does one simply disband conventional nuclear industry if it is being promoted (in some circles) as the next method we will use to warm our houses and possibly run our factories, cars and manufacturing industries?

An interesting article that may have been useful to balance out the need to find fuel efficient alternatives to oil and natural gas is in this past week’s edition of Time Magazine.

In an article by Jyoti Thottam, (she quotes David Wyss), who’s chief economist at Standard & Poor’s:”Oil prices have moved to a higher level, and they’re going to stay there. Expect crude to remain around $50 a barrel, while gasoline could reach $5 a gallon (in the US) within the next few years.”

Thottam goes on to say: “Energy experts obsess over whether we’ve reached “Hubbert’s peak,” the point at which oil reserves are 50% depleted. That’s because the remaining 50% gets increasingly harder and more expensive to extract. At some point in the next decade or so–estimates range from 15 to 25 years-the world’s oil production will peak. Yet demand for oil will continue to rise, increasing 50% over the next 50 years.”

We need to be thinking in ways that incorporate nuclear energy into our mainstream because the alternatives are that we use up the rest of the existing resources without planning for the projected shortages in our main refinery areas.

If nuclear is not it, then what energy will we use?

I had heard about disc golf from some people I met that were saying the same thing about what this article discusses. It is gaining popularity because of the relatively low cost of playing; you don’t have to get a big bag of clubs and tees and fancy looking Arnold Palmer clothes. You show up in a forest, you take turns trying to hit the target and you get similar benefits to golf (fresh air, exercise and black flies).

It’s in my radar this year to try disc golf and make it an outing for the family.

What the heck-my kids spend too much time in front of the tv-and it’s a good excuse for Mom And Pop to do something as a family.

Fore…..

The implications of security certificates are really something akin to a coded status for refugees that for all intent and purpose remain the property of the CSIS recommendations. I was proud that post 9/11, Canada was apparently still free of an Americanization of our border security. Let’s try and be safe but smart about how we handle cases that may pose some danger to the Canadian public.

However, if most of our judges disagree with the manner that security certificates are being

“Based on a secret dossier from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and reviewed by a single judge, a certificate is used to deport permanent residents and foreign nationals on security grounds. There are no appeals, no possibility of bail, and suspects can be imprisoned indefinitely – one of the other detainees has been held in Toronto for almost four years.”

This is Orwell’s world incarnate.

We should embrace the longevity of our favorite boys from the East Coast.

Sloan:

Guitarists Patrick Pentland and Jay Ferguson

Bassist Chris Murphy

Drummer Andrew Scott

After getting nothin’ but headaches fron Geffen Records and forced to operate on a skant budget (like a small bone for a big Rottweiller), the boys decided to try out starting up their own record label called Murderecords. They were savy enough to go and sign other East Coast bands as they understood the business a little better and when they were offered some American attention after the band has found a niche and started to accelerate their success a little, they signed on but retained the Canadian proprietary rights which would ensure that they could keep some of the Sloan mini-empire to themselves. This remains a smart move on their part because they also ensured some artistic integrity and freedom (kind of like holding stock options for your own company).

Sloan may not have their best product with this current release but they are touring across Canada this summer and they are a fun band to watch live.

If you get a chance to listen to a few tunes from their other albums or download a few choice tracks to add to your collection check out The Rest Of My Life for starters:

“One thing I know about

The rest of my life

I know that I’ll be

Living it in Canada”

These guys have a lot of heart, have learned a lot about the business over the past 14 years and still have a shitload of fans eagerly anticipating their concerts and releases.

Support ’em dammit.

Finally got to see Hotel Rwanda this week.

Don Cheadle is front and centre in this film.

This film is made chaotic and unrestrained because this is an accurate reflection of the time period and the events that occured in Rwanda. Only way worse.

Director Terry George appears to hold back on showing the degree of violence that actually occured. Genocide is a term that was an appropriate summarization of the timeline that is depicted in this film. The radio broadcasts, leading up to the murder of the Rwandan president and then to other members of the government, was the method of communication chosen for swift and destructive behaviour. We have seen this kind of control in other occasions in our world history (not unlike Jim Jones who broadcasted over their on-site camp speakers when his followers were to consume the tainted KoolAid).

Hastily selected rebel leaders were directed to their next task by propaganda. Streets were blocked and no-one allowed out or in to certain areas without primitive identification and interrogation techniques.

The goal was to exterminate the “cockroaches” and by the end of the film, it is made clear that close to one third were murdered.

Paul Rusesabagina amazingly was able to outwit, outthink and outlast the militants. He was able to buy time for himself and the hundreds he was entrusted to protect. He was unsure of when a decision or negotiation technique may have lead to disaster and had to think on his feet throughout the occupation of his hotel and also as the rebels anger and impatience intensified.

Ultimately, the idea of focusing the world’s attention on the problems in Rwanda and exposing the chaos that was developing by enlisting the assistance of the outside world and influence from other countries may have ended more abruptly the mortality numbers but ultimately the United nations really should have played a much more active role and taken more control of the situation.

Hotel Rwanda=Refugee Camp.

The buzz is starting for the new film by Paul Haggis. Every sense will awaken watching this head-on collision about tensions in modern day Los Angeles.

Tossing and turning through poignant vignettes that introduce you to characters that are at the heart of the conflict and full of emotion. Not a lot of time to think while watching Crash, just an observer, a stoic reporter on a journey that transcends time and details.

At each new introduction to a character, you are forced to make observations that are basic and fundamental, judgments that do not equate to the full intricacies of who each character really is, just minimal framework of what you feel and grasp. There is no time to butter things up in Haggis’ vivid portrayal…he only wants your undivided attention and your full range of emotion up front.

Crash is described by Haggis as an inter-twined synopsis of what he experienced years before when he was victimized on the streets of Los Angeles going about a routine stop to get “ironically” a film rental. That moment traumatized his psyche and planted a seed very deep within, that with time, evolved into the screenplay for this film.

He did not hang out in the poorer areas of LA, so his shock was more surreal because he thought he was safe going about his business and that they and not he, were at risk.

The irony of Crash is that inevitably, everyone may be affected in their own lives one day by what the film promises or at the very least, taken with the underlying message of what Haggis has poured into your conscience by the final credits.

Don’t expect much forward movement from the PM’s office over the American-applying-for refugee-status debate anytime soon. The Liberal Party are knee deep in other problems at the moment including the inevitable move towards a re-election and the Sponsorship-Shopping-Spree-Review.

Attacks are being carried out on all fronts and Martin must feel just like an American soldier going through Baghdad himself at the moment, never knowing when to duck for cover or raise his firearm at the enemy. in fact, making peace with Jack Layton must have felt like a deal with the devil (just to buy himself a little more time and try to win some influence peddling of his own).

How many more months until Paul Martin can dip into his own retirement slush fund and make all his problems go away as he violently sips cold margharitas in the Tropics somewhere? Watch that Brain Freeze partner!!!!

How anyone can continue moving forward in political diplomacy with the crappy hand that The Liberals have been handed is beyond me. Chuckling Chuck is mud-slinging like the best of them knowing that each new sentence (or how about each new recollection) brings another Liberal croney into the mix and further dampens the spirit on “The Hill”.

Oh-Crap….he didn’t just say my name did he?….the bastard…The Liberal Titanic has taken another direct hit and they’re taking on way too much water for anyone’s liking.

____________________________

Paul Smith: Wrong place: Wrong time. He should’ve known better than to stick around for the Taser show that the RCMP were offering up that night. Man in uniform says: “Leave”, gentle protester must obey and get the hell out of there even if they are fully within their rights to be there. Officers are given the quick and easy training on crowd control: Ask once, then use physical force to get people out of the said area so that the officers can book off and stop accumulating more overtime at their employer’s expense.

It behooves me that our government doesn’t want to jump onboard such a worthwhile project as this mural and the commemoration of the joint centennials of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Night of Artists is Canadian, is relevant and unlike attempts to use taxpayer dollars to get rich hobnobbers into box seats at Senators home games or to great seats for concerts all in the name of National Unity, this showcase of artists from across Canada is relevant and where our taxpayer dollars could go to support.

I absolutely love the idea that all of these contributors were given fairly minute details of what they were to create on their 16 by 16 inch precut boards and that the only rule they had to follow was to respect some specific colour tones.

Voila: all the pieces come together (picture above and in this past Saturday’s Ottawa Citizen) and you have a magnificent piece of art that is a harmonious dedication to cultural unity,pride and diversity.

This collage looks great.

Paul Haggis uses the term schitzophrenia to describe the layout of his new film Crash

The term schitzophrenia usually describes a collection of several diseases, rather than one single condition and in the film Crash, Haggis takes the seed of the film from a carjacking outside a Los Angeles Blockbuster video store to piece together characters that may in some way represent his personal collection of disease that you will find in the players of Crash.

In fact, in Melora’s insightful interview with Haggis, he mentions that the schitzophrenia you encounter in Crash is in the “hopping from character to character, but you have to give yourself over to every one before you can write them” and as an audience, you need to have that rationale understood before seeing the film or you may find yourself in a catatonic seizure from all of the camera panning and liquid/fluid movement from one scene and set of characters to the next.

Crash will do well for Haggis and nicely accentuates the three-actor-led Babies with Crash’s plethora of ingredients and talented actors that thrive in unity and nicely compliment each other to being the whole meal to a powerful mix. Matt Dillon, Ryan Gosling, Don Cheadle and Sandra Bullock to name but a few faces that audiences will recognize seem so willing to enbark on a journey that Haggis creates by setting a scene in La-La-Land that is frnak, poignant and equally stirring.

Audiences will be captivated by sounds, action and violence as they are thrust head-first into the turbulent and merciless streets. This is Colors with expanding and exploding racial diversity, conflict and struggle.

Enjoy Crash for what Haggis intended you to be accentuated with-brutality, corruption and the real deal.

Well I filled up my glass at least three times watching The Girl Next Door. It was a hilarious example of how comedy films can be quaint, campy and innocent all wrapped up in one.

Elisha Cuthbert is a believable B-rated porn star in this film who just happens to live next door to the proverbial “dork” who has been kept to Sears catalogues to see the closest thing to a woman’s undergarments.

Along comes the hot girl and before long, our boy rises to the top of the popularity contest.

But, he must endure and calculate how he might untangle her embraces with her…existing..boyfriend first.

Director Luke Greenfield tames down his previous slant on comedy, seen in The Animal with a more likeable and younger series of characters with Cuthbert taking on the lead role and succeeding for the most part.

Now, I wonder what Director has “The Boy Next Door” in pre-production?

David Gray is an exceptional musician, calculated lyricist and an absolute pleasure to behold. I first caught wind of his presence while over in Europe where he has remained high on the charts and able to lift up large audiences to his tenderness, strong sense of self-control and able to deliver to his faithful: balanced tunes that breathe and rithe.

Gray could probably sing almost anything and it would sound great. He is a leader among leaders, a tender soul that has found his way to the mainstream and a loving example of how music can and should sound.

This film looks like an absolute blast.

Brad Pitt~~~~Angelina Jolie:

“They are both the best in their field and they don’t know what each other does.”

I watched the trailer and I can see how the two actors may have become lovebirds while filming. It is Doug Liman’s Jason Bourne with a mirror opposite that has the agility, toughness and flexibility of Lara Croft mixed in with the sexual heat, shimmering lustiness and dripping passion of a younger Diane Lane.

This film should be a summer blockbuster and as the release date approaches, I will be in line taking in every one of Jolie’s ascents, descents and indecent scenes in this movie.

Disappointed a bit that a shortcut to Michael Semak’s homepage wasn’t included like so many other Ottawa Express articles have featured. I wonder what Semak’s journey would have looked like if he had accepted the Kodak offer? Sometimes, the defining moment in your life is all about deciding to break from the norm and go with the flow or continue to hold onto your specific self-propelled journey and take your chances that life without the brakes on may be more rewarding.

Sounds like Semak made the right choice to go get liquored up in Mexico: it led to his career direction in photography. Gracias Amigo.

Semak doesn’t also sound like, even at 71 years young, that he takes life too seriously. He may be someone that other understudies could learn from in his freeflowing approach to his craft and the veritable hot baths and cold showers that he is willing to take when the spotlight either shines his way or stops on another photo-clicker.

Anthony Minghella delievers us another offering that is far superior to the long and drawn out lack of drama of The English Patient and with characters that are more entrenched with their importance to the overall story of Cold Mountain than The Talented Mr Ripley.

Minghella flashes many talents our way. Cold Mountain is carefully constructed and meticulously driven template of the Civil War.

Kidman appears isolated and unsure of her vast array of feelings until later in the film when she is completed when Zellweger joins her onscreen. Then begins the depth of Kidman’s character with the longing and desire for her recent love-a departed soldier (Jude Law) who shares her flashbacks, surrealistic love, cherished photos and letters and memories they have has retained from the last moments before he joined the Confederate War. Minghella gives hope for their reunion.

This was the first film since Flawless, that I enjoyed Philip Seymour Hoffman’s talents and with the likes of Natalie Portman, Eileen Atkins, Brendan Gleeson, Ray Winstone and the ever present (although he did not last long in this film as Kidman’s onscreen father) Donald Sutherland, this film was a triumph and an epic journey that was both enjoyable and satisfying.

How many women and their children were left widowed in the war? How many others killed, raped and murdered by bounty-men while their husbands were too far away to defend them? There are many scenes that are left raw and full of emotion that carry this film to a level that rises above many others.

The budget must have been phenomenal for all of the incredibly vivid and colourful scenery and cinematography in Cold Mountain. The dialogue was exceptional, fluid and characters were able to be kept in conflict with each other to raise the level of emotion and paint a type of desperation that existed when chaos across “these parts” often placed one family against another and individual’s against their military establishment.

Bravo..

Construction plods on and another Superhospital will be erected in Montreal. The land has been used for tons of different purposes over the years and hopefully, this time it will stand for many years to come once the ground is levelled and the money starts funneling in.

I have no issue with that and also am not surprised that workers are uncovering tons of crap buried deep under the soil.

Have you ever watched a new home construction site hum along? Ever notice that many of the workers buy take out food and throw their wrappers on your unbuilt/being built/almost finished site? Do they care? Nope. Not their house.

I also know of a few situations where workers were too lazy to go to the porta-potty. Your duct work looks pretty good because by the time the house is finished, my pee will be all dry.

I heard of one guy that was fired because he had a crap down a duct pipe. I guess the smell wasn’t familiar to the foreman when he walked through the house for the inspection.

Ever see what blows around a construction site after they leave? Lots of plastic wood strapping pieces, plastic that covered your insulation bags, McDonalds drink cups, Harvey’s French Fry cups, roofing nails lying on the ground, broken drywall pieces that have been run over and over, pieces of siding on the ground and on and on and on………..

It will be the same with this here hospital because it’s way easier to plow over a piece of land with all your garbage underneath than to bend over your big fat rear end and pick it up.

It’s not my property. No.

But it is your planet.

The Jacket:

Ok, think of a really good meal you had recently. Got it? Ok, do you remember having a strange feeling about 20 minutes after your meal as you wondered if maybe that slightly strange aftertaste of the chicken or the couple of bloody spots you found as you pulled the meat from the bone? You start wondering why your head feels funny and that night, you absolutely lose your cookies in the porcelain thing in the washroom?

Result:

You consumed bad food. It looked good when it was presented (just like the trailer for The Jacket looked so good before it hit theatres), the waiter sure was handsome, knowledgeable and convinced you that this meal would be the best that you would experience (the poster for The Jacket, Adrian Brody-oh my god-he’s so good, Kiera Knightley was so hot in “Beckam” how can this film tank?).

Then, as you go back to look at the kitchen that prepared your meal, you see a Kris Kristofferson looking disgusting, scaley, slimey and very old guy picking his nose as he’s stirring your soup, you see the dishwasher looks a lot like a recovered-relapsed heroin addict that looks a lot like whatsername from Three’s Company? You know Mamas and Papas front guy’s daughter McKenzie. It is. Oh my god. Mother Nature has not been nice to her. She cleans her next plate staring straight ahead with horrible skin and messed up hair that no-one seems to care about.

The Jacket is all of this and way less. A deep psychological thriller? Please….

A moving and disturbing documentary about post-traumatic war syndrome?

Jeesh..you really have to stretch that assumption here !!!

The Jacket could’ve worked because some of the principle elements were there. Adrian Brody is a force to be reckoned with and he has the emotional range to carry it off. But, if the supporting cast falls away from a real budget after that blockbuster name, then is it really worth it to trudge forward like a truck with one tire?

I was really hoping for more for my time+$$

Director Anthony Minghella must have pre-mingled with the Academy Award types before the release of this often painful (see:dry,boring and lame scenes and dialogue) film that introduces Juliette Binoche to the North American crowds after her cult fame acquired from her many French subtitled foreign films.

We also meet the oft-bedridden Ralph Fiennes as the recovering pilot who is nurtured back to health (the worst performance as a nurse award) in sparse settings (abandoned building), inadequate equipment (no electricity) and dialogue that is borderline finger-grating-on-the-chalkboard type.

Michael Ondaatje’s Booker Prize-winning novel deserved a better fate. Hell, change the story to make it interesting or have lots of scenes of people who “blowed up real good” with Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara and the rest of the SCTV crew to pick up the tempo greatly.

It must be difficult for Bruce Springsteen to look back to a time when he was not a rock icon, a man so committed to his craft that others can only look in awe at the diversity of his discography, the intensity of his passion for his fans and the incredible struggles through the Patti Scialfa days to the exhaustion he endured leading some to wonder time and time again if he would come back to the music front.

He is a man who is destined for the Hall of Fame, his records and songs have deep meaning for so many of his admirers and his range of themes for his music are as diverse as the Library of Congress has book titles.

The Boss is an empire, The Boss is a King and definately, the Boss is not a sell-out to his many millions of fans. Listen to this or any of his other many recordings and find something among them that has a personal meaning and significance and listen to it over and over-Springsteen is for real.

In all fairness, the expiry date on condiment packages are really just the company’s way of meeting regulations on their products so that stores can have an idea of when to turn-over the product and replace it with a new shipment.

What the man you heard getting yelled at about expiry dates should’ve said to his apparently “bitchy” wife in the store was:

“Honey, ketchup ain’t never gonna expire, relish was red when they put it in the container and it turns green when it ripens and mustard never rots, it just dries out if the lids not on tight”.

Then throw in a : “Have you lost weight?” and “You look so sexy in those open toed sandals, I could eat them” comment and the bitchiness will go away.

Sylvie, you really need to get out more often…..imagine writing a column in your head based on a conversation about condiments and Whistle-Dogs.

Happy Mother’s Day all you beautiful women out there.

Not to put your ass in a fracas(s) SBN, but how did your horny neighbour get the combination to your gear shifter to begin with?

Did she come downstairs one day looking for a cup of sugar or a dollop of cream and see your package just lying there, so therefore asked you if there was anything binding you from receiving a few licks of the lollypop?

What part of town do you live in? Are there lots of transient type people walking in your ‘hood and do all the ladies dress up to go down-town always forgetting to wear undies because they might get in the way?

Short of asking her (as Savage suggests), isn’t it kind of weird that you’re sitting on the couch watching Price Is Right and your neighbour hits the ding-dong on your doorbell and within seconds is ribbing your big dong as contestants move on to the final Showdown (Hoedown) Showcase with Billy Bob Barker?

Oh, that was lovely, you tell her as she wipes the man-made mayo off her lips. What a surprise…whatever your name is.

I’m watching Jeopardy on Thursday night and might be feeling a little tense. Could you come over to play with my plumbing and screw my valve cap 20 or so times?

And we thought “cocooning” meant that we had less time to be with strangers. Jeesh.

McGill flips the argument of the Sexual Assault Centre having to move as simply a question of lack of space and apparently a waiting list that included the Archeology Department on the top of the list, therefore, they get the next available spot on campus.

McGill, then has a responsibility to find somewhere for the Sexual Assault Centre to be moved to and not tell them that they are out of luck at the end of May 2005.

If this is a non-issue for the University, they would have already communicated something to the Sexual Assault Centre to notify them of options, temporary placement for their staff, resources and a place for their meetings-all before this story hit the pages of Hour.

The question still needs to be answered by McGill’s school administration:

“Is sexual assault prevention an institutional concern at McGill, or an extracurricular student club to be presided over by the student union?”

Let’s broaden the drug induced coma comment to a larger audience. How about the other members of Fleetwood Mac? Do we honestly believe that the other members of the band said: “No Thanks” to Stevie passing around the crack inside the tourbus or prior to or following one of their shows?

Many of the artists of the same era as Stevie Nicks have either passed away since, are ill and looking older than their birth certificates claim their age to be, or have lost all of their money and are working as used car salesmen somewhere.

This Nicks look-alike contest sounds like a lot of fun and who knows-maybe Stevie will surprise the crap out of them one of these years and make an appearance.

So masturbation is fashionable again..Phew…thank God about that. I was worried about how I was going to get through the next tough time in my life!!

As far as the online masturbation-a-thon, I hope they hired a good crew of cleaners who don’t mind cleaning up the aftermath of this Gush-fest….hey girls, I want to rub you the right way…you are probably going to be the first group of women to tackle Group-Masturbation and make some money over it. Good for you.

I don’t think anyone is going to finger you for being inappropriate or touch off a fiasco over this. Masturbation is where it’s at…and if your partner can’t get you to the Orgasmic-Dimension, then pull them down to your ankles, visualize your hottest turn-on dreamboat and dig in for a few rounds.

Long live the clit stimulation exercise and the aroused nipple technique.

Bonnys will have their share of traffic catering to the vegetarian/vegan crowd otherwise, they would not have invested money into opening their doors to begin with.

I prefer heartier places to eat like the sloppy sandwiches found at the many smoked meat sandwich places across Montreal’s deli environments.

Montreal is a gastronomy of choice for the many parts of your palate and your taste buds.

Have a fun tofu burger or whole wheat muffin with my loud applause-changing over to completely 100% healthy food without preservatives and meat substances takes a lot of courage and commitment.

Whether there is an election this month, next month or not until September, sadly, I just don’t seem to have the attention span to stick with this subject for very long. I have lost much of my belief that our government is careful with their spending, wise with their investments and dutiful in their handling of financial matters that will benefit me, my family or anyone else that needs a hand.

Stephen Harper would have used political influence and interference just like Chretien did (had he been in power at the time of the Sponsorship mess) and to accuse the Liberals of not being able to control their corruption is like calling the kettle black.

The House of Commons has become a real joke. I laugh at the way that so-called “debates” turn into petty personal attacks and confrontations.

Taxpayer Dollars At Work…Hoohah.

Blair Longley makes a lot of sense. Even if the man has a lot less brain cells than he had when he first arrived on our planet, the argument that:”Marijuana laws are the single, simplest symbol of how corrupt and crazy the government actually is.” makes common sense because of the sheer amount of money that police, the courts etc..spend on trying to get it to go away.

From a consumer point of view, I love “that marijuana is actually the best single plant on the planet for people. It is the best source of food, the best source of edible oil, it is the best fibre, it has a good annual biomass. It is still just a plant. It does not have miraculous powers.” as my argument for loading up on pot as I shop for bread, milk and butter at my local grocery store.

The cost of fighting pot is shocking: “Three-quarters of the drug war is against pot. One million dollars per day is spent federally. Another $1 million per day provincially.”

There are many truths to the argument that Longley makes about medicinal marijuana. “If you know your rights, and have the strength of your convictions, you can pop open your umbrella and your stand.”

The major problem with the Marijuana Party (as well as the Rhino Party etc..) is that not enough stoic voters will take them seriously enough even though they are making some pretty legitimate points in their campaigns.

“A Marijuana Party candidate only has to agree that we should stop criminalizing cannabis. After that, they retain all of their own freedoms to follow their own conscience, and their own freedom of action. You can make any statements to the electorate based upon your own recognizance, and try to determine what you think you would do if elected.”

Instead of voters deciding that the Marijuana Party is high on their convictions, would it not make more sense to put a few reputable people in their party (David Suzuki,a professor from somewhere) that would give their party a stronger voice and a fair chance for a win?

Vietnamese food is so good but there are some that are more expensive than others. I wonder what the total bill was for what Lucy consumed and if the meal listed at starting at $2.50 is the infamous but skinny vietnamese spring roll (void of taste and short on substance)?

There are lots of soup places in Ottawa. I tried Vietnam Noodle House two weeks ago and found the portions to be short on quantity and kind of expensive compared to a place like Pho Ba on Somerset (close to Preston) where the lunch portion can be upgraded to a medium size soup for an extra dollar and comes with a fat spring roll and all the hot tea you want. It too comes with fresh basil, bean sprouts and hot peppers to add to your soup for a grand-spanking $6.95.

There are many soup houses to choose from and one needs to be careful of what place you decide upon and how hungry you are.

I am surprised that Lucy had her soup late at night-an odd choice of time to indulge.

The attraction and the hype behind this clever and creative series is really based on whether the original series crossed over into your life all those years ago. Similar to the appeal of shows like Dr Who, Land Of The Lost, Thunderbirds and I guess Star Wars, Star Trek and to a lesser extent Harry Potter, there are those that are raving mad lunatics for these shows and fanatics for anything that carries the logos, characters and musings of their favorite show.

Douglas Adams (rest in peace), was the quintessential thinker who was able to grasp a Heaven pointing thumb of a hitchhiker and turn it into the symbol for both the cover the “The Guide” and a recognizable sign for every fan to look for. The creativity of his series and the success of sales behind all of the Hitchhiker-related collectables was legendary.

In fact, as many people still line up to go see the Rocky Horror Picture Show (which has now created an entire sub-culture of fans who are as excited and delighted as when the film was first shown in theatres), The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy will also hopefully spawn sequels based on the considerable list of titles available to be made also into films.

To say that the Guide was ahead of it’s time is close to accurate (it’s popularity is found in clusters throughout the world). To say that Douglas Adams is a genius is also accurate.

I wish the film well in it’s debut in theatres across the world and hope that this film represent only the beginning of a the “Hitchhiker” odyssey (there is so much more).

Don’t Panic.

This story becomes newsworthy once again in the next few months when our beautiful sunny weather translates into the air conditioning units being thrown on overload to try to keep us cool over the long hot summer.

Any new announcements from Premier McGuinty about this topic? No. Any movement towards closing down part of the Pickering plant and announcements through our Kyoto agreement to find more energy efficient and environmentally friendly solutions to our power shortages? No.

Any explanation given why our hydro bills continue to climb through the roof while the famous “Debt Repayment Charge” still shows up bill after bill to help Hydro pay for it’s inadequacies from past poor performance? No.

This province is really out of touch with paying for things like maintenance and being accountable for their poor performance and reliability. The hydro setup and ongoing stability of our power supply is not to be ignored and the dealt with 10 years after the fact. It needs to have a regular maintenance schedule like a car or a furnace or anything else that we expect to have a long lasting relationship with.

McGuinty needs to make an announcement in the next month to reassure taxpayers how he plans to decrease the number of brown-out days we will experience this year and guarantee us that we will not suffer from power-outages againt his year. My guess is that the energy question is so far down his agenda, he will wait until we go without again this year and then make some fumbling excuse about how he is “dealing” with it.

Oh Boy-The Ice Storm was a bad memory wasn’t it? Downtown Montreal shut right down like a scene out of a disaster movie. Cars not moving, people not moving and darkness from street to street.

Didn’t think this was possible in civilized times? Neither did I?

And then, the whole mess came to light through the government’s inept response to the whole situation. It wasn’t really their problem, was it? So, how do we explain a problem that exists because money that should’ve been spent decades ago on upgrading our power grids wasn’t done when the money was there? And now, all these years later, we have to foo the bill for the cost of putting regulation back into place regarding hydro use and we will be told that we should run our dishwashers early in the morning and our washers and dryers at 3 in the morning to avoid another brown/blackout and avoid the higher utility fees.

Now, I understand that scientists love to measure things, but isn’t it a little surprising that someone in the lab got the brilliant idea to measure stress in pregnant women during an ice storm?

Charlie, can’t you just not wait for the results to these tests? I wonder if someone who was pregnant was stressed as they tried to fumble in the dark or with limited candlelight to get to a phone to call someone to get them to the hospital (running on a limited generator) through traffic lights and black ice road conditions to go see their MD because the contractions were getting closer? Do you think this would increase the stress just a wee bit?

How about doing research on whether people’s breathing slowed or increased waiting to see a doctor in the Emergency Room of their favorite hospital? Do you think that study would be helpful?

I’m all for research but these researchers should have been out in their communities in Montreal helping people who needed their physical help more than filling out a survey by-candlelight!!

I’m ok with the logo called Ilanaaq for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Haven’t you noticed that logos are always kind of basic and no-frills?

I think that it’s brilliant that the simple old Inukshuk will be displayed on t-shirts, merchandise and other paraphanelia associated with our hosting of the Olympics.

Big bold colors, strong structured design and themes behind the logo to represent our forestry, the Maple Leaf, and our sunrises.

“The organizing committee explained the logo as a contemporary interpretation of the traditional inukshuk, a stone sculpture used by Canada’s Inuit people as a directional landmark across the northern Canadian lands of snow and ice.”

And in so doing, this logo will tell everyone where the 2010 Winter Olympics will be held and it will be bigger, better and more brilliant than the last Winter Olympics because we are Canadian and so very proud of our multiculturalism and ancestry.

Bravo and welcome to Vancouver. Great job also to the many hours put in by the organizing committee and to Elena Rivera MacGregor and the Rivera Design Group of Vancouver who designed Ilanaaq.

Nicole Kidman has guts. She has taken on so many different roles over the years and has been willing to take chances with films like playing Silvia Broome (a white South African interpreter) opposite Sean Penn, the mother in Birth (lots of controversy), a Russian call girl in Birthday Girl, one half of a bizarre couple in Eyes Wide Shut, a fun role in Moulin Rouge and Jude Law’s love interest Ada in Cold Mountain.

These are only a glimpse in the life of the versatile Kidman’s movie list.

She is post-Tom Cruise and has made risky but gratifying decisions each time she has accepted a new screenplay to work with.

In The Interpreter, she plays a character who is going about her job in the UN when she happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and with the information she receives, she has to make a decision of where to go and how to keep herself safe under the circumstances.

Kidman brings a broad range of emotions to Broome’s character. She is professional, yet intuitive. She is calculated, but defining. She is cautious but deceptive.

The Interpreter is a great effort from Kidman and another notch in her impressive acting portfolio.

Documentaries are quirky things. Sometimes, it takes a festival like the one that Meg attended for a certain buzz to start about one or two particular favorites. Other times, the buzz has already started before the festival gets going.

An example of this is the doc: Murderball- a title, by the way that the director admits should not really imply the savageness and absolute brutality of this often very full contact sport.

Man vs man while in their speeding hunk of metal (which like real rugby) with the object of getting man-machine-rugby ball over the line for a try.

Documentary teams often would not be recognized if it were not for the staging of a festival. Let’s face it, they are often cashing life savings and bucks scraped from fast friends to get the project done…a little praise doesn’t have to cost a lot.

I love documentaries for their charm, their simplicity and their raw energy.

Isn’t is amazing when you hear a story behind a story?

Million Dollar Baby may have never been made had it not been for a few strange twists.

Oh, I know Clint Eastwood looks like he may have had a lot to do with putting this film in theatres because his name is all over it and he did produce the 4 Oscar winning film.

But has anyone heard of a Canadian screenwriter (transplanted now to the US) by the name of Paul Haggis? A man so behind the scenes that following Eastwood’s decision to move forward with Babies, Haggis went on to make the soon to be released Crash about the race relations in Los Angeles (and what promises to be another possible Oscar nominee).

2000 was the year that the screenplay for Million Dollar Baby was hatched. Haggis was listening to an interview with FX Toole on the radio about a book he had written called Rope Burns:Stories From The Corner and Haggis liked the characters.

He bought Toole’s book and began to see amazing possibilities for a movie to be created from a soon to be re-written screenplay. The story was gutted down to what Haggis believed was as clean as he could make it.

Eastwood made no changes to the script when he assumed the role of Director for the film.

Hilary Swank was always Paul Haggis’ #1 choice for the lead of the female boxer and by the time her agent passed her the screenplay, she immediately wanted in.

Million Dollar Baby took 37 days to make (hard to believe).

The characters provide a rich final product. The story is believable and very emotional. Eastwood, Freeman and Swank work well together-there is true harmony onscreen. I absolutely loved this film.

Haggis is projected to be in the news a lot over the next few years with a project entitled Honeymoon with Harry, 2 more Eastwood alligned films (both war movies) and a project with Steven Spielberg.

Not bad for a Canadian that not too long ago was writing scripts for tv shows including Facts of Life and thirtysomething.

Howdy neighbour. Welcome to the Eastern side of the this great god fersakin’ country.

Hope you brought yer handknit sweater as you survive Ottawa’s brisk May weather, cold blowin’ winds and early closin’ bars. We can’t give you any NHL hockey (as you know from the lockout) but we do have 20 or so energetic lads down at the Civic Centre ice with the 67 number on the front of their barber pole coloured jerseys.

There’s a battle against some Knights (to decide the OHL Championship) coming up before they head off to play the Knights back at their castle later in the month.

We hope you enjoy listening to our Alanis Morrissette on yer car cd players. You can watch her husband in the recently released Amityville if yer lookin’ fer a pretty good scare.

If you decide to stay longer here in Ottawa, we have some pretty big bands coming to play in the next few months: Black Eyed Peas, U2, Avril Lavigne, maybe the Rolling Stones and Blue Rodeo. We also have lots of tulips that Amsterdam gave us that are starting to bloom.

Head down to the Rideau Centre, Parliament Hill, the Canal and Gatineau Park for some fun day outings. We have lots to offer you and we hope you stay longer than you planned.

Awe, it was sad that there were no letters from your fans this week Dan about wanting to have sex with clowns, monkeys or grandparents. I was so getting used to reading and learning about all of the topics that just never seem to come up at my local water cooler.

How young can you be to realize you’re attracted to the opposite sex? I’m surprised that a young 15 year old girl is already drooling over the chest of the girl sitting beside her writing an exam or getting off..as another girl gets on..the local bus.

Can someone really know that they are gay at say..age 12?

Most kids I know in the neighbourhood are not attracted to the opposite sex until they hit puberty and that can vary from person to person. So, if you’re late getting your gender property rights, does that mean that you may be lingering around long enough to have feelings for someone your own sex?

I notice that there are quite a few comments that if you’re female, you should masterbate often because…teehee…guys can’t give you the same feeling as what you can do to yourself. If this fact or fiction? Do people really believe this? There are lousy lady lovers too that use the wrong…uh..touch, pressure or technique that will send a guy crying to the next room and lose all arousal because of it.

Where does someone learn to be good to their partner? I don’t think there is enough material being provided in the average 15 year old’s sex ed class (both male and female) to really do justice and may in fact contribute to their lack of experience that many 15 year olds may find themselves searching for when the lights go dim and the pressure to perform commences.

Comedy is a great release and we all don’t laugh enough in society. Any chance we get.

So, with some curiosity and many, many closer looks, I examined the picture for this article with some amusement.

Not the picture above but the one on the Home Page for this article.

The big lad in the purple dress at the far right.

What is that human organ looking thing in his mouth? The pink phallic symbol between his lips? Is this just a cruel irony or did he give the pink slip to the photographer as he posed for this shot? A red apple may have made more sense to give the impression of a roasted pig with pomme dans la bouche.

Am I just tired or do others see the same thing?

Good gracious, it sure sounds like Kamal’s was less than up to par in this review. Everything tasted off and the items that should have been fresh came up lame and limp.

Maybe the anise tasting drink before the meal was not the most sound methods of enticing your taste buds, Lucy.

I usually find that a glass of ice water with a zip of lemon before the meal gets my mouth in the proper salivation mood.

Comparing my tastes to the menu selection, I would have stayed away from the off-season vegetables and sour cheese.

I had heard good things about Kamal’s, have they lowered their standards?

So much talent coming out of Alberta and lots of it on showcase in Ottawa over the next week as part of the Western invasion.

Nice to see that 100 years is being feted outside of the Cattle Culture. It almost feels like I’m reading a review out of a local Calgary paper, for jeez sakes.

Go Flames/Oilers Go….

I was disappointed with the review for Will’s latest offering. It sounds like he may have put out his latest offering to try to stay current with his music fans (who may be a little starved these days for something “Fresh”!).

But, let’s give Smith some credit. He has been extremely busy and with possibly annother Men In Black being thrown around, Big Will is already a household name.

What I have always liked about him is the ability to bounce back from poor career choices and this may have been a blip on the radar.

Watch for another blockbuster film that will enable us to forget I Robot, Bagger Vance and Shark Tale. He still makes stacks of money even with less than accessible musical offerings.

I don’t think he’s getting too “Jiggy” about it.

City Council and the Chief Doctor vs The Police Chief:

Sounds like something you’d read on the court docket down at Elgin Street.

It seems like it may be too late to stop the crack pipe kit. There probably is a trial period attached to this..I mean.. the money can’t be endless from Mr and Mrs taxpayer, can it?

At the end of the trial period, show us that the crack pipe experiment was a success and let us vote on whether we want it back for another test period.

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CUSA paid for the space and lose the space because it’s become a power fight, a war over principles. This mess is not getting any better between administration and the student body.

Are there enough interested people to care? $500,000 says there might be.

Seal clubbing used to be the way of our forefathers to ensure their survival. Now, it is a grotesque example of greed, hypocracy and extreme violence.

How we, in 2005, are still allowing the annual kill to continue is beyond me!!

I don’t know how government can conscienciously sign off on this massacre year after year?

If, for whatever reason, it needs to exist, quotas should be extremely low, tents should be set up around the area where it occurs so that we don’t have to see the brutality flashed before our eyes and fines should be extreme and involve imprisonment for any contraventions by the “hunters”.

Our cod, caribou, forestry and grizzly bear stocks have been brutalized, what’s next for man to destroy?

“All Canadians need to understand that sealing is a legitimate, sustainable activity based on sound conservation principles…”. ok-but I still don’t agree with it.

Shriners always reminded me of the episodes where Fred and Barney go to the Water Buffalo meeting while Wilma and Betty stayed home with the kids. You remember? The big hats and the secret agenda?

Don’t get me wrong, the Shriners do tons of great work in our communities and have a very large support system. They have also remained, fairly good at staying outside of the political arenas. (that ain’t easy)

They are respected and put their money where the needs of the community lay. Example: The Shriners Hospitals. 22 of them and every one of them necessary because……shh..don’t tell anyone…the Province is finding it hard to find enough money to keep our health care system afloat. Note: Dalton McGuinty said as much when he asked us to start contributing a new health care payment for every working stiff to keep the injection of funds at a maximum and….wait for it……”Every dollar will go towards reducing waiting times in our hospitals”.

But the real mystery of our health care is how so many silent donations (including the Shriners) really are keeping things together. Without the magically appearing dollars from these sources of finding, more people would be driving south for their MRI’s.

May-Day. What an appropriate word.

~Good thing for large corporations that their workers overseas couldn’t have yelled: “Mayday” when they were first hired to produce high quality, low wage goods for low pay and less than acceptable working conditions.

~Oh, and the 10 yr old that was hired to sew t-shirts all day for a mere few cents an item…they really should continue sewing..and keep their heads down….Montreal GAP stores are waiting on those 300 or so t-shirts that they ordered to go on sale for $25.99 next week.

~Wal-Mart really have stepped up the battle against smaller competition stores in Canadian cities. Look how their prices are dropping. Did it ever occur to them that their employees overseas are also dropping?…….except theirs is a drop in health while they toil in the factories……a drop in self-worth and hope because the only way to support their families is to continue working for low pay and no benefits.

~The sad part of the manufacturing industry and the struggles of our overseas brothers and sisters is that we are partly to blame.

I overheard a couple of people talking about it the other day. “Why do you shop at — Store?”. “Because their prices are so low”.

Think about who made the inexpensive item you bought at the local dollar store or large department store.

Look at the item.

Ask yourself how the store could afford to charge so little and then think about the person halfway across the world whose hard labour and underpaid work enabled you to keep a little more change in your pocket.

Similar to going through a grieving process following the loss of someone significant, I think that I am close (if not there already) to accepting the loss of my traditional definition of marriage.

What is grieving anyways? And loss of your perfect ideal of something?

The battle for Bill C-38 and the push towards same-sex marriage never really belonged to me. I mean, let’s face it, I come into contact every day with people who have decided to share intimacy with same sex partners, who prefer the security of non-heterosexual musings and who for all sake of argument appear to be happy.

So where does this leave me? Will Bill C-38 affect me immediately? No, but what if when my kids grow up and for whatever reason decide to marry a same sex partner, will I have anticipated this future development? Probably not.

But then, things may be easier in 10 years time for them because of all of the support being driven into changing our definition of marriage now.

Or maybe, because of these changes, someone, somewhere will live the rest of their life feeling a little better knowing that their fellow citizens and community members have been there to support their needs and their specific request to have their relationship recognized?

OK, I’m better now. No strings attached. Bill C-38 is a good move and forward-thinking.

Why so much cafuffle over the soccer issue?

In Ottawa, we had a problem with the Wizards but that was documented abuse from the management/ownership group over the players. Crazy stuff like withholding paycheques, fining players for stupid things (to save money) and treating players who are in Canada on working visas as soccer players like shit because ultimately the owners held their entrance rights to Canada and could send them home (often to less than meagre lives) at any time if they decided to.

The Wizards may not even be playing this year because of all the controvercy.

This story talks about perceived discrimination in Montreal but from the sounds of it, life in Ottawa on a soccer sucks way more.

Sounds like Jet Li wasn’t the only one on set with a metal noose around his neck.

Louis Leterrier needed to coax his big stars to listen to his directions?:

“I would say, ‘Please walk left to right,’ and Morgan or Bob or Jet would really want to do the opposite”. Sounds like anarchy on the set….”Cut”….

The preview for this film reminded me of a martial arts version of the recent The Jacket (Adrian Brody). I didn’t even recognize Jet Li as the main character who appears to have been raised like a wild animal?, or was captured as a wild animal?, or is part wild-animal?

I really thought the story was overdone. Jet Li is at his finest with little in the way of choke collars, ball and chain attachments or anything else preventing him from free and full movement. The film is kind of gross and playful with the theme of torture and detention.

This is not a typical Freeman, Hoskins or Li film and may strike some (no pun intended) as pushing the limits of our regular comfort leave with their regular acting range. Hoskins has been cast before though in an aggressive, stark raving mad role. This role for him this time is more Tony Soprano than soft and cuddly.

To have Leterrier say that he detests Jet Li’s previous offerings is kind of insulting to existing Jet Li fans and not anyway to attract audiences to this one. Sounds kind of pompous-ass to me (30 yrs of age or not).

About Leterrier’s musings of Jet Li in this film:

“I wanted him to fight like he didn’t want to be fighting with all his heart.”

How about:

~I don’t want to go see this movie because I don’t think I am good enough to see it.~

What a load of pre-hype garbage.

Leterrier has to work on his charm and hospitality.

He’s starting to take on some of the stylings of the dog he so desperately wants “the great” Jet Li to take on as his new persona in this film.

Leterrier may have blown it for himself. He had the talent and the money but instead let his ego self-implode.

I guess when you think of someone wanting to have sex with someone they’ve just met with no interest in anything other than the “act” and getting off for a bit of cash, it really is desperate isn’t it?

There’s really no quality to the whole ordeal. The prostitute gets some money, the cut given to her pimp and by the next morning, most of the cash is gone, either swimming in her vein from the needle injection, substance flushed up her nose and the high gone long ago or, if she has some subtle stability in her life, towards some bills.

No-one really has to sell their bodies, do they? Does someone really have to fall to the depths of despair and have some stranger fondle, bruise-up and have sex with them before discarding them to the side of the road when the whole thing’s done?

These women are people with real pasts (although probably full of some of the issues that David Burke talks about) and in many cases, kids and families and existences that go beyond the filthy lifestyles that they have fallen into.

Drugs are an absolutely powerful and reprehensable urge and it dispairs me that they are able to claw and grab some pretty worthwhile members of our society whose first mistake was accepting their first high. What is explained to someone introduced to drugs for the first time are the calm messages that everything will be ok and that somehow, there will always be a time to stop and that consequences from this behaviour or choice will likely be avoided.

Try explaining that to a strung out junkie looking for sex to bring in another 20 bucks to get them their next blow. Dangle that theory in the face of the woman whose three kids were taken away by Children’s Services with the sore head and broken nose whose face was smashed in by a “bad date”.

We all have some responsibility to make our communities safer and it is absurd to think that prostitutes chose the lifestyle they are living.

Or do we write them off as damaged goods and lock the door?

The original Amityville Horror will always be better than this.

The production team behind this one thought that once again, we would all blindly go see another retake,remake,reshake without batting an eye. If there’s one thing there’s lots of these days, it is horror movies.

Do we need to be freaked out as much as they think we do? Are we not in panic mode enough with all of the terrorist talk and “You are not safe unless we protect you”?. “Have you locked your door?” and ‘Do you have enough security in our home?”.

(I prefer a comedy anyday but once in a while, a good scare is not too bad. unfortunately, it’s not going to be this film, although House Of Wax looks more interesting).

I was talking to a former bank employee the other day. They were talking about fear. You know, the armed robber kind?

Anyways, she says that a couple of years ago, someone came in to rob the bank and only had to look into her friend’s eye for a second and only say two words that were scarier than any of these silly Hollywood fright fests.

“Money-Bitch”…..she peed her pants on the spot…..she refuses to go to horror movies anymore….refuses to put herself in that situation again…quit the bank……out of fear……the real fear….and many people don’t need fear either..they have enough in their personal lives already.

So, the next time that someone has a great idea for a film, why not go with comedy over fear? We need to laugh more.

What is the point of education? Is it more than accumulating large amounts of debt and trying in vain to find yourself a job hopefully in the degree you graduated in within the labour market?

Is education and certainly post-secondary education, the years where you break away from conservative thinking while you were living for free under your parent’s roof and make decisions for your own based on what you learn out there in the often challenging and opinionized society that we live in? Where does a young student learn about opinion, bias and diversity? Do you experience these things riding the bus to school? Maybe in small doses..but opportunites like hearing a David Suzuki or a Ralph Nader or a Jared Taylor is part of the listening-thinking-deciding factor of growing up.

You may not agree with some of what he talks about but, there at least you heard what he had to say and you take away a small piece from the experience and then you look for other opportunities to hear someone else with another point of view. In time, you slowly gather up all of these nuggets of information and you start to have a stronger sense of what you believe. The fragments of detail become a solid piece of belief based on the collected evidence.

Students must be exposed to many takes on a wide array of opinions otherwise what is the point of their journey into post-secondary education? So much of our educational years are teachers ramming stuff down our throats and then professors wonder why we are so introverted, unopinionated and unconfrontational?

We all have tongues for uses other than slurping ice cream on a hot June afternoon, licking stamps to send postcards to our folks back home and licking a Kleenex to rub that ketchup residue off our kids cheek before they get ready to get their class picture taken.

We have tongues so that we can clearly make an opinion, our opinion and the more diversity we hear about a broad range of topics, the more complete the message.

With all of this discussion of air compression, pressure valve release and vas deferens pumping action, you’d think we were all talking about plumbing or taking the new auto mechanics course at Algonquin College fer Christ’s sakes.

What Linda Lovelace fell into all those years ago may not have been the highlight of her life but let’s face it (er…look at it another way), she has received extreme notariety for her sucking, blowing, and member handling. I guess, like you Sylvie, it never really occurs to anyone at the time-that she may have been acting way less than we figured watching her and that Harry Reems fella getting it on…onscreen.

How often does anyone actually enjoy having sex for money as they are butt-plugged by several men that they have just met. You hear about the “class” porn stars that decide who will be in the scene, what is not allowed to happen and what are some of the conditions that must exist before the weird looking Director says: “Action”.

So Reems made some complaints after all of these years because he was dragged around by his big unit from scene to scene. There were way less precautions taken back then than there are now when you look at sexual risks. Lovelace is lucky to still be alive.

The act of having sex on screen….and I mean the hard core stuff is a Gazillion dollar industry….the creepy guy in Alabama that has a direct payment through his credit card to buy the Jenna Jameson products is way more scarier than the blond haired Brutus from Belgium with the hard-on who is interacting with our lovely actress.

I would be more in fear meeting Alabama Porn Buyer than any of the actors in the synthetic sex scenes that he’s getting off to while watching them in their controlled “make believe” bedrooms.

Richard Burnett’s intimate interview with Stephan Hachemi points out how very fragile our lives really are. One second we are living our dreams, accomplishing our objectives and struggling with our need to respect the law and maintain integrity in our day to day life.

We put faith in the institution and look to the strength of our government leadership to head us in the right direction for our people. Many times, like Hachemi and his family, we leave our native lands behind as we persevere to find new life in new territories and strive for prosperity anew.

In retrospect, Montreal photojournalist Zahra Kazemi, prepared for uncertain risks when she decided to leave the safety of her adopted country to transcend to her country of origin to seek out information and help to uncover hidden truths that would be brought back as a method of teaching, informing and investigating how Iran had become able to force it’s people to submit to acts of terror.

Her role was humanitarian and peacekeeper. She only intended to share her stories with others to help them understand.

In the end, she was destroyed by her fellow people, who wanted to prevent even one frame of the film in the camera from reaching across the distant border. By brutalizing her and attempting to cover up the truth, the oppressors believed they could destroy the evidence of their mercilessness. What will result is that because of their actions, the world will want to take a closer look and a closer interest in how they actually control and operate on a daily basis in Iran. The attention they will get is the opposite of what they had wanted.

I hope all of the guilty parties in this crime are brought to justice and Stephan is able to see the end result of retribution for his mother’s brutal assassination.

Can’t believe that anyone who has lived in Canada for the past twenty years may not have heard of the band Rush? They are the real deal and I absolutely think that they belong in the Canadian Rock Legend Heaven when they retire.

Now, recently, there have been some disturbing stories circulating about Alex Lifeson and his son taking over the stage from another band who were on a break between sets and got into trouble with the police. What gives Alex?

Have Rush finally broken up and Geddy, Alex and Neil parted ways for good?

If not-It is time that they resurface and, if possible bring their unique sounds to our airwaves again.

We want you back boys.

Elf is enlightened comedy for the under 12 year old crowd. Or so it seems. Will Ferrell has had better film offerings than this one and I have to admit that the hype before I saw this movie had me believing that I was in store for way better.

The film follows Buddy’s story from the day he ends up crossing paths in the nursery (taking a shortcut to the North Pole) and deciding one day that he really wants to find his real dad (no matter how far he had to travel).

There are some funny scenes in this film and young kids will get a kick out of the obvious size difference (trick camera angles) that make Buddy seem enormous compared to his fellow elves. When he sits on Bob Newhart’s lap, he looks like Anna Nicole Smith sitting on Mini-Me (although Mini-Me may have actually enjoyed that visual even though he may have lost consciousness if Anna had decided to try out for the Elf role).

The film is very limited in cinematic foreplay and the settings and scenery appear to have been done on a very small sound stage. The shots in the shopping centre are a little better and the romance that blooms between Buddy and an earth girl is kind of corny.

All in all, I am disappointed but my kids appear to have given it several thumbs up. Kids win 3-1 and the DVD has taken a place beside Miracle on 42nd Street.

Merry Xmas and Elf-itazen.

Where does someone turn if they can’t have the sweet taste of a donut? I recently returned from the US and I could not believe the lack of options for someone struggling with diabetes who was exploring options for snack foods and trying to avoid sugar intake. Everywhere you go, there are so many snack foods (including donuts) that are saturated with fat, sugar, carbohydrates and other less than appealing ingredients.

I like my Tim Horton coffee (large 3 milk) in a mug just like the next guy but I think that we are more conscious of healthy eating and moderation here in Canada than the food offerings of our neighbours to the South.

No wonder that Krispy Kreme have had so much heartache (or tummyache) trying to get their product launched over here and that their share prices have fallen.

We are much more conscious of what we put in our mouths these days and if donuts came with ingredients and fat content etc…, I think many Canadians would actually read them and perhaps indulge less frequently.

Look at why McDonald’s came out with their list of ingredients to all of their meals and why salads seem to be increasing in frequency on our fast food menus.

Donuts are an awesome treat and in moderation, sweet and heavenly.

But watch out-donuts taste good because of what they contain-enjoy them in small doses.

My favorite Tim Horton donut?=Maple Cream (custard) or the cruller (a tractor tire-I was told it was also called when I was growing up).

TS Warren’s article on puppets is fascinating and showcases a lost art (??).

How many kids remember Mr Dressup with the gender neutral Casey and his law abiding dog Finnigan?

How did Ernie Coombs look so comfortable talking to his pals that enjoyed perching on the back of the Sears couch and joining Mr Dressup explore his tickle trunk?

Puppets are great though aren’t they? Never really changing emotions, always knowing the right thing to say and always able to hold their arms tightly above their bodies even though they often had to hold things but don’t have fingers…..oh…it’s all so confusing when you become an adult….as kids we were way more accepting of things just as we saw them….and puppets were kind of like small people but stiff….and happy………

I may decide to take the little ‘uns to this show, it sure sounds interesting.

Long live the puppets and long live the puppetmasters everywhere……..

I think Director Jay Russell accomplished what he had set out to do in making a film that is more a collage dedication to firemen than a movie that intends to swarm us with details and storyline. There was a tremendous dedication of everyone involved in this project and the crew of probably close to 800 people (including the actors), now know how hard firemen work to keep our communities safe. Firefighters are the backbone of any city as they respond to our tragedies and save lives and for many fleeting moments in Ladder 49, it felt more like a docu-drama than a Hollywood big production.

Ladder 49 was all about attention to detail and I believe most of the fire rescue scenes were more or less accurate. Joaquin Phoenix was intense in his role. He is shown pretty well from the first day he arrives at the fire station, through to his various promotions and the relationship he develops with John Travolta’s character.

Ladder 49 also showed the tight bonds that firefighters have with their families and young children. The family learns to accept what mommy or daddy does as a firefighter and perhaps understands the risks that they face every day they head off to work.

I like the quote in the movie that “we are all on this Earth to help others”- that is our ultimate job in this life.

Ladder 49 may not be the intense, riveting feature of another firefighter flick (Backdraft) but the production crew and actors involved in this project came away with probably a lot more than they had bargained for-a fantastic appreciation for everyone that works in the Firehouse and the commitment each one of them has to make our world a better place.

It is big business, this killing thing. We shoudn’t expect that companies have consciences in their manufacturing of killing machines and environmentally unfriendly resources.

Funny story getting the perspective of a company official oblivious to the Kyoto accord and uninformed as to the source of where Canadian armies are getting their bullets from.

I guess reading about the Duro LTV 4×4,we now understand why kids of our generation are considered higher skilled than we thought.

Their ability to make Game Boy Games come to life and high scores be exceptionally easy to attain will be considered an asset once they are old enough to apply for the military.

This story is not surprising with so many people moving to and fro’ and occupying places for short term and having to leave because rents are so bloody high.

I would also like to add the increased incidence of head lice. My young daughter has had three outbreaks already this year and also there has been an increase in Fifth’s Disease that can act similar to a bad case of arthritis in your joints (knees and wrists) until it has left your system.

Great story as a heads-up for people to keep an eye on those little buggers in the bedsheets.

Earth Day. In retrospect, what have we done to our Big Blue Marble? We blow it up and drill it and steal it’s natural resources, go through our raw richesse with reckless abandon and care less about what we are planning on leaving for our future generations.

We rip down our trees to make paper to tell others that our world is falling apart, we raze agriculture to produce more and more food and energy that we greedily throw away before really needing most of it. We milk cows and slaughter chickens and do so in rapid fashion wondering why disease and contaminations crop up?

We kill each other to make political and religious points heard and we tolerate starvation in parts of the world both here and in less fortunate places when really no-one has to go without if our resources were divided equally.

Then every year, we celebrate our small successes in achieving narrow-minded goals based on small out comes. But, I guess I am suffering from a slight case of pessimism-itis.

Achoo……… Happy Earth Day everyone.

I don’t see what the problem is with a little loosening of adoption records. People have the right to know about their past, hell isn’t it a relief sometimes to meet your own flesh and blood. As mentioned in the article, there were illegal babies sold on the black market in our country (part of our dark and glim past) and what is it like growing up with no understanding of your roots and your immediate descendants?

Let’s see all provinces move forward with this legislation (maintain some integrity by ensuring confidentiality still exists in the process of the release of information) and let’s try to get families back together not keep them at odds by reams of red tape and bureaucracy.

Nice to hear that everyone is trying so hard to get along in this story. Everyone has needs and one of these is to live in harmony with each other.

Urban Planning needs to take into consideration all of the community members and whether they are Tam-Tams or folk-dancers, let’s share the land.

A big good morning and congratulations to Gabrielle Korn, communications director at Les Amis de la Montagne on all your efforts to seek peace at the base of the mountain.

Where did all our numbers go? I never thought is would be possible that we would run out of numbers in our fair cities. But, you’re right Craig…cell phones have had a tremendous effect on our mode/confort level of communication.

Not quite as bad as the US for our cell phone use (where it seems like three out of four drivers on the road over there at any given time are on le telephone cellulaire).

But still, we need to make the adjustments necessary to adapt to the 10 digit connection. Hell, sooner or later, our children will be adapting to 11 and 12 digit numbers.

You’d think that email would have reduced some of our dependancy on the phone and I guess to a certain extent, we are talking more than we were in years past.

This article is a reminder that we are speeding ahead in our communication age, 10 digits or not.

Jamie. You got to get over the “grudge” match you have with good ol’ Brendan Murphy. Let it go, you’re bigger than him now.

I also remember someone in elementary school who thought he was tough. Girls used to like his over the top hormonal level and aggression. Anyways, it turns out that he ended up marrying someone who we all though was gorgeous. You know, bad dude gets cute chick.

Several years later, she wakes up one morning and tells him she’s gay. Gone is the fantasy and the loathing towards him. He sucks and so does his life.

I saw him several years ago. I remembered him as being so much bigger stronger, faster, blah-blah-blah… I looked into his eyes (from a distance) and I knew then that he had lost the magic. He had stayed the same size and I had outgrown,outstrengthed and I guess outlasted his charismatic period.

Yes, he is an average person now and I no longer loathe his pitiful existence anymore.

Stephen Chow appears to be a very driven and focused individual who has really made the best of his situation after his earlier years of poverty and suffering. This article was really well written and appears to summarize Mr Chow’s passion for the development of mo lei tau and the invigoration he must realize in creating films/projects that allow his fans to laugh at his craft and be entertained with his desire to show off a goofy comedy mixed in with martial arts and action.

I hope Kong Fu Hustle does well and that just one Jackie Chan is not enough, there is room for Stephen Chow for a very long time to come.

Talk about staying in character. The whole interview was like a specially created segment of the show.

It’s hard to put your finger on why certain shows take off and keep going with so much popularity and fanfare but Trailer Park Boys has really done well for itself. Good to hear that it’s caught on over in England and Australia.

But: DO we really care that they will perceive all Canadians to have Bubbles intelligence and fondness for cute things and that other characters swearing off the cuff, smoking dope and carrying weapons is what we over here are all about?

I guess Red Green’s appeal is wearing off and Corner Gas can attract only so much attention.

The advantage that Trailer Park Boys has over all the others is that it was broadcast as an independant production on limited stations and its popularity spread like a Dartmouth forest fire because of word of mouth. It is obscure but accurate, repulsive but intriguing and crude but witty.

Now about getting to second base with that cheeseburger Julian???

When I first heard of The Cardigans, I was locked in for a long journey with them. To my and other fans, they have quietly veered off the map and are stuck in a ditch somewhere with little in the way of new release power left, I guess.

Too bad, there’s nothing new at this point.

Release another CD guys, there are fans still willing to pay a few bucks for some creative Cardigan charm.

Wonder how bright the light bulb was that went off in the head of the person who decided to put this project together? It won’t have the feel of anything fresh or recent because it originates from many moons ago from a small tv broadcast in the Nowhere Mountains but regardless, if you are a Ray Charles fanatic, this must be part of your collection.

For the rest of us who prefer mainstream releases, there are other options to put under the Xmas Tree such as the DVD release of RAY with Mr Foxx.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo are one of the most naturally wholesome bands you’ll ever have the chance to hear. I still remember when Paul Simon was helping them get their visas in order to make an appearance on Saturday Night Live…a slight hush from the crowd that day and then…..they performed. When they finished, there was wild excitement and ovation ripped through the crowd because they were that good.

Someone told me they are performing live this month at the Dominion Chalmers Church, which would be awesome but the tickets may be on the pricey side if you have kids that would love to go as part of a family. I don’t know why more places don’t offer family pack prices to keep our expenses down and make it a reasonable outing? If someone goes, can you post a review?

Blue Rodeo continues to create music that is so appealing, fundamental and sweet that I am so proud that they call Canada their home. I have loved every new tune that have come down the pipe from the boys and wish them so much more continued success with their non-contrived approach and ability to keep their fans content and entertained.

I guess what separates good theatre from the rest of the bunch is whether the people in attendance can relate to the subject matter. Plays about dysfunctional families and the pain and lies that occur when normal relationships break down, although bleak as far as subject matter go, cuts across a fairly large portion of our population and lots of folks watching it would nod and agree that this is fairly legitimate.

Trainspotting sounds like a good screenplay and yes people can be crude and obnoxious in how they cope with their lives and get to a point where they say: “‘you know what, forget it, I am just not going to bother.'”

Now, will people bother to go see this presentation? Well, I think that enough people probably saw the film Trainspotting that seeing the name alone will cause some excitement.

It would be nice to read a review from someone that attended this play. Anyone?

I was at an East Side Marios last night and to my right was a large group of young people in wheelchairs and not, with differing levels of disabilities all enjoying a good laugh and fun.

Thinking back even 20 years ago, this would not have been a scene that we would have been exposed to. They had no chaperone and were completely independant in ordering their meals, paying for them and apparently having a great time without the assistance of the able-bodied community. This same community, until recently, may not have been as accepting or tolerant for who they encountered in their outings.

I guess it just goes to show you that as time evolves and as we evolve as a society, our perceptions change (oh Mommy, look at her/him) to embrace and celebrate all kinds of diversity. Just because someone may appear to look or talk differently, doesn’t mean they don’t have the same keys to our cities. I must admit that I had to ask my kids not to stare as much as they may have (unconsciously) but I was able to have this same discussion with them and they seemed to accept what was going on. After all, kids are sometimes the toughest judges unless they have someone else to explain things a bit.

This exposition is important because it too celebrates diversity and puts the mechanics of disability on stage for others to explore, experience and understand things that 20 years ago would have only been seen by a select few who were close to people living with special needs. We need to experience everything we can in this world and not for the Grace Of God do we walk along the road unaided.

Enjoyed watching Be Cool last night as part of a sparse crowd at the theatre.

It was a Ok venue for John Travolta to show the continued coolness of Chili Palmer interact with a star studded cast. He shares the screen with the delightful Uma Thurman (the tall Scandanavian long-legged blondie who is a very sensual dancer-but also knows she looks good in a bikini), the increasingly aged James Woods who gets blown away in the early part of the movie to a Russian raccoon looking mobster, a very funny Vince Vaughn (who doesn’t know he’s not black but was one of the highlights in this film), a tired looking Robert Pastorelli (as Vaughn’s boss-always attached to the headset) and other characters including Andre from BranVan 3000 and The Rock (with a black weave wiggy thing and the gay routine goin’ on). Oh-and Cedric The Entertainer who is hilarious as a record producer with a posse of muscle-pumped men in Hummers (as part of his entourage).

The film had some highlights and some funny moments (like The Rock reciting a monologue he had prepared for Chili to help him audition for a part in a new Nicole Kidman movie but he forgets to only do one character and ends up re-enacting a scene from Bring It On or some other cheerleading movie).

The film though is really a platform for the incredible talent of Christina Milian-who is given so much opportunity to showcase her raw talent in this film as the undiscovered star who Chili sees one night at The Viper Club. She is singing as part of a group controlled by Vince Vaughn’s character and Chili frees her, offering her the chance to work with him. It turns out that this good charma leads to Milian sharing the stage with Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) who have her open their concert and share a song together. Milian’s career cannot go anywhere but up with her appearance in this film and the showcasing of her talents to a wider audience. She must have been introduced to the right people both in real life and in this film.

Moby takes a lot of shitkicking in the press but the little guy keeps pounding out the techno hits. He has been accused of being an introverted trouble maker, a techno-babble blab and other less complimentary things.

He seems to have it all in perspective though. And takes things in stride. He also sounds like he is less afraid of expressing political views and seems to be more at peace with his differences with Eminem.

Moby did not have an easy childhood and it is endearing for him to be at peace with his fame and fortune while under the microscope that celebrities find themselves under.

Let’s hope he still takes time to share a cup of tea with his intelligent friends and continues spreading the message of peace and using his fame to get the soldiers home from Iraq.

Stephen Tucker is very deliberate in the editing of his film Gunner Palace so as not to upset soldiers watching it, not upset maybe families of the already deceased by showing too much gore and finally not upset the government that sent these young fella over there to “set the Iraqi people free”. Very nice to be so considerate to so many people.

It almost sounds like you’ve made a living postcard documentary for the families of the soldiers that you were staying with rather than a hard hitting documentary that shows the senselessness and incredible savagery of what American soldiers are being asked to do.

There are always going to be innocent victim trapped in the crossfire of weaponry and the Iraq invasion is no exception.

The War In Iraq Part Two is more about George Junior’s commitment to finish his beaming father’s work than understanding the pain caused after so many young men will return at the end of this mess, screwed up and suffering years (possibly for the rest of their lives) with post-war syndrom from the extreme conditions soldiers are experiencing. This means that most troops do not have the luxury of a large swimming pool, rotating bed or the luxury of pretending, ever so shortly, you’re the former owner of this richesse and splendour.

Sure, there were wealthy corrupt leaders living in luxury in Iraq who have now been forced to leave without taking very much with them. The irony is that there are rich, corrupt leaders on the American side who are still enjoying their rotating beds, swimming pools and luxurious lifestyles with little personal sacrifice.

Important for students to send out the alarms that they are not pleased with the cuts to the education system that all governments feel they…and only they..have the golden key to.

I guess it’s to be expected as well that students can only protest for so long and..six weeks..is one hell of a fight. I’ve always thought that if you yell loud and long enough outside a building, someone will eventually come and see what all the commotion is about.

The sad part of this discussion is that rising tuition costs are only beginning. Governments using our tax funded dollars could care less in most cases how responsible they are spent.

Think for one second how comfortable Paul Martin was borrowing from our EI surplus while new rules by HRDC restricted who could qualify to receive EI and a record low number of people were receiving EI. This money will be repaid when? Canada Pension Plan is another example of money that was borrowed for something else. Hey-that’s our retirement money you’re spending.

Governments can find ways to cut corners on spending responsibly but they do not possess the emotions of guilt, nervousness or compassion when it comes to making decisions and listening to large groups (like students).

If this were the case, MP’s travelling in their jobs wouldn’t have limousines, first class airfare and accommodations and their meals would consist of poutine and Pepsi like the rest of us on low to mid income.

Governments are built on promises but at the end of the day, they have the final word on what our money is spent on and what gets flushed down the toilet…..post secondary education included.

Reading Judy Rebick’s comments puts into focus the skinny on the entire Feminist Movement defining it’s purpose, the rationale for why it needs to exist and the importance of clarifying what young women who are looking for some empowerment need to understand.

At the turn of the century, most decision making for world events was made by a mostly male dominated society. Women did almost all of the work in the home (behind the scenes). Expectations for how families were run were explained in common terms in many educational films and in media ads and children were taught strict gender role definition in schools.

As with most social movements, it took the courage of a few people wanting to introduce change and willing to face certain risks to get the whole ball rolling. There have been some improvements in wage disparity and workplace benefits that have become law but it would be foolish to think that we have achieved maximum return.

The danger of any social movement is that it attracts extremist views to the table. This is where feminism starts to move away from the principles that Rebick is talking to.

Men are not all evil, Men are not the weaker sex and certainly treating men with distain and anger is not the type of attitude that moves us towards equality in our gender differences.

Workplaces need to be tolerant and supportive for the needs of both genders and we should be looking in a forward direction to how we can all ensure gender equity and non-discrimatory practices exist.

I work in a mostly feminine driven work environment (I got the job because I like helping people) and I can say with great certainty that I feel more like a piece of furniture than belonging to my immediate surroundings on most days. I am a minority in the large purse of my workplace.

(Looking for a way out)

Interesting article on an important subject-SLEEP..and the importance of it in our lives.

I guess you could add that in Japan, it is perfectly acceptable, scratch that, socially expected that you grab a power nap somewhere in the early afternoon to give you the burst of energy you will need to finish off the day. Your manager may actually be resting in the chair beside you in the lounge.

Our lives are hectic, we have so much on our minds and work doesn’t always refresh our batteries, only drain them. We may have overbearing bosses that just want production, production, production with little consideration to ask if we had a restful sleep that ended sometime just before we boarded the bus or became part of the commuting nightmare to get to work.

We should also factor in those of us with Attention Deficit Disorders (both hyperactive and not) who are busy thinking up the solutions to all of the world’s problems and night by night, find it-oh-so excruciatingly difficult to calm our brain waves down long enough to get some good REM.

There are some nights where I would prefer to be conked over the head with a steel shovel to stop the incessant voices in my head-(side effects of an overactive brain stimulation at work). I’ve resolved to write stuff down and this seems to help.

I guess we could include those in our society that are holding onto jobs with serious sleep disorders (in our discussion). How do these people do it? It must be so hard to keep it together on 1 hour or less of good sound sleep.

We might remember that the next time the person we come into contact with who looks a little sleepy and a tad cranky + who can’t accept our bright eyed and bushy tailed: “Good morning, How are you today?” morning delivery.

This discussion is making me sleepy……but it’s so important…..and yet what are the answers…….maybe I’ll call someone…but it’s so late….mrph…eyes closing…….that was a good show….who was in it……yawn…..zzzzzz

Daniel Sanger followed that lead, that pervasive lead sometimes that you’re not sure when you are going to get it-to a great story.

How many of us are aware of RCMP and other police authorities that cannot crack a crime establishment and turn to informers (some who have nothing to lose) to get the inside information that enables their leads to crack cases wide open.

Bike gangs may have changed over the years and if anything, they have become more sophisticated, more technically savy and many understand the limitations that police have in their investigations and information gathering.

Dany Kane was a young punk who was swallowed whole into an establishment that breathed corruption and evil at it’s very core. The fact that he betrayed his brotherhood to try to profit personally was a secondary deal with the Devil.

Obviously, he never benefited from his greed and will forever be trying to get out of his mess but will only reach his grave marker before falling back down into the warm place he remains buried.

I look forward to reading Sanger’s prolific true account of bike wars and the demons they spawn.

How can Carleton’s Administration justify taking such anti-student decisions all in the name of adding a few new aisles to it’s bookstore? Do the Student’s Association and Administration not plan out these kinds of moves together? Are they not collaborating with the same intrinsic beliefs and logistics?

It’s one thing to evict say..a Starbucks or Subway from your property for whatever reason because they are an outsider making a few bucks from students but realistically-it’s a free market to decide who is able to sell sandwiches and coffee on your premises.

But the Student’s Association provides a huge chunk of the Administration’s budget each year and as I see it, have an equal say as to how the institution’s run including how space is used and shared.

If this story is true and that the Student’s Association are only finding out now that they have to find new digs-then I think that this is an example of a misuse of leveraging and power.

Are Richard Van Loon’s retirement payments part of the rationale behind the hard stance to get mean with the Student’s Association?

Karma comes around…..

Wow, Madelaine Drohan has guts. Reading this article where Drohan interviewed warlords and mercinaries had me thinking about the dangers she was willing to put herself in to get the story. By now, we are familiar with the journalists at the beginning of the Iraq war that agreed to be imbedded in troops without the weapon or the training.

This is what Drohan’s experience must have been like except she did not have the strength and cover of 50 other soldiers to support her during her brief time with “the enemy”.

Because of her courage, information is available to all of us to help understand how corporations are able to operate profitably in foreign countries once they have paid their dues (sometimes by making immoral agreements with murderers).

I look forward to picking up Drohan’s 2004 release: “Making a Killing: How and Why Corporations Use Armed Force to Do Business”.

Reading her book safely in the comfort of my nice, war-free Canadian neighbourhood.

Another great article Sylvie. Canterbury High certainly is keeping it’s students in the loop providing opportunities for growth and involving them in extra-curricular events such as the Marilyn show that appears to have been a big hit.

How can high schools be attractive to their students and make these years memorable and cherished? Keep holding actitivities that bring visibility to the dedicated staff that are willing to put in the necessary time to make events successful and celebrate the successful collaboration of student/faculty that together make a difference to everyone.

There are many staff that go above and beyond the call of duty in their teaching profession and any chance to recognize their commitment and dedication to their students should be celebrated.

The simple fact that there was little coverage of the protest for this recent same sex marriage protest and that John Akpata stumbled upon the gathering may mean that we are moving on with our lives and that other issues like the Sponsorship Scandal and Mad Cow Disease may be back on the radar as more deserving of press coverage.

The decision to support Bill C-38 was more our government completing another small piece of a larger bureaucratic process than how each member was directly affected by it.

Hey, it’s a busy place in the House of Commons.

Our Prime Minister is being called to task on remembering who he had lunch with 6 years ago and being asked what they consumed that day….well….there are limits to what the Gomery Inquiry will probe the people it calls in to testify.

I read this morning that Jean Chretien’s former assistant (now 72 years young) claims that he may have contracted Alzeimer’s from a friend who he has been taking care of for the past few years and that he may not be able to remember all of the details of the comings and goings of people he paid and met with.

The Gomery Inquiry is sadly costing taxpayers by the way almost as much as the cost of the money unaccounted for by the parties responsible for the Sponsorship Agreements (lawyers love inquiries-they keep their bank accounts floating).

In 20 years time, when someone asks a former MP why they voted in favor of Bill C-38, brace yourself for their answer. It may range from not remembering because it was too long ago, they contracted Alzeimer’s from a friend (not possible-I think..but anyways), they put a blank ballot in or stood up by accident (trying to leave to go to the washroom and got pegged as a “Yea” vote) or worse still, they are suffering from “Mad Cow Disease”.

Who knew that in 2025, Humans could contract that dreaded bovine case of the shakes?

We had better get a new inquiry underway to find out how that happened????

Millions takes on a familiar “what if” scenario that any one of us would love to have to face (finding stacks and stacks of money and apparently no-one looking for it).

Although, as we have seen in so many movies previously brought to Hollywood, how is Danny Boyle’s film going to be set apart from the competition?

With the new excitement of finding a winfall, comes the pressure of what to do with it? How do you keep those that know about it quiet and how do you deal with the guilt and other feelings that may prevent you from spending even the first dollar of it? And what about the authorities? Surely, they are looking for the cash? And what if the bills are marked with invisible ink or the numbers on the bills are recorded and can be traced back to the places where they are eventually used to buy stuff?

They say money can buy happiness but in this case, it is “dirty money” that just happened to land in the life of two young boys in England.

The story sounds like it may have had some promise before the script was lifted to the screen by Boyle who is moving in a new direction from the violent, aggressive themes from his previous Trainspotting days. I guess some credit should be mentioned for being willing to take the risk of making a feel-good movie with a popular theme.

I love British movies anyways, so I may not find myself judging his latest work with the same criteria.

I enjoyed other British movies: “About A Boy” and “Liam” very much even though they were not perfect because I found they presented a freshness that British films tend to eminate.

Millions may not an Oscar winner but with it’s promising charm and young cast, it can’t be that bad-can it?

This film should have derailed George Clooney’s career. What a horrible mess of a story with little in the way of suspense, humour or little else.

So what if the soundtrack won an award for a song I actually had believed Clooney sang (boy,was I wrong..). This film was far removed from the relative success of Raising Arizona (Nicholas Cage-Success) or the delightful Fargo (Frances McDormand-Charming).

Clooney has acting rich in his blood and John Turturro is a hoot in every film he plays in (including the hilarious Ice Age vocal talent).

Coen and Coen were more like the wrecking crew Cohen and Cohen in this film and I will pass on adding it to my DVD collection.

Hostage is now checked off on my to-do list as far as movies are concerned and frankly, I’m happy that I did. The movie is a complete Bruce Willis movie-house production with his daughter Rumour starring as his daughter. The movie shows a crooked but convincing Kevin Pollak as the father of a family that have been held “hostage” by three young punks who end up in the wrong place at the wrong time and quickly face an entire SWAT Team coming to get them.

The movie beginnings showing Willis as an aging negotiator who appears to be losing his touch (but not his hair) may not have been necessary. This part could have been summarized by Willis’ narrative with some short details on the screen and then jump into the present storyline. As it stands, it was 20 minutes that could have been saved.

The movie was an emotional rollercoaster showing the strain of Willis’ desire to stay on the police force vs the increasing needs of his wife and family to stay strong.

The storyline is well put together and succeeds in putting Robert Crais’ novel to the screen with an accurate portrayal of life in the shoes of a police negotiator and is filled with realism and detail. A strong supporting cast rounds out a positive reappearance for Willis and it is apparent that an actor such as Kevin Pollack was a great addition.

I was held Hostage for nearly 2 hours, but enjoyed the thrillride.

Woody Allen is part of the old school Director’s Club where simply put, his origins and contacts in Hollywood as well as a few notable quirky hits have kept him in a limited popularity circle.

I agree that Allen’s film are closer to Kubrick than Spielberg, his comedy closer to Louis Anderson than Chris Rock.

However, I will not dispell Woody Allen’s misgivings because he has found fame, fortune and the like the little engine that could, that familiar guy with the dorky glasses, the dry humour and the ability to isolate his skills based on his own belief in his craft will continue to produce films etc…..

Many of his peers love Allen and as in past releases have supported his projects and in many cases, agreed to act in them. The question that only Woody can answer is when is enough-enough?

Melinda and Melinda has not received very good reviews and likely won’t make him that much money. He has his fan base and I will step aside for them to make glowing comments about his work-I prefer other Directors-Good thing he’s not the only one around!!!.

Just saw Sin City over the weekend. The film is so close to the Frank Miller illustrated release that it’s almost freaky how everything comes to life. The film follows three separate storylines with Josh Harknett playing bookends (featured in the beginning and the end of the film).

Rodriguez entertains us with characters that do not die after being shot,run over,blown up or gored. They cover their wounds with white bandages and move on to the next conflict in their quest to stay alive.

Mickey Rourke is perfect as Marv, a bigger than life character who reminded me of a cross between Sgt Rock and the Unknown Soldier. Bruce Willis is looking older and the Harry Potter-type scar on his forehead must have been a nightmare for the makeup department.

Jessica Alba had strict conditions in her contract for no nudity and Rosario Dawson came close to being nude as she was dressed to belong in a Victoria Secret catalogue.

This film was non-stop from top to bottom and I am glad to say that Miller, Rodriguez and Tarantino worked like magic together.

Is it not a little regurgitated to spit out one of your previous pieces of work under a new title and expect people to drop another $15 bucks on you? Hell, Meredith..do you have anything left?

I saw Meredith yesterday on one of those Wedding Day Memories Shows and she must be kicking back The Big Easy lately. I wonder if she even knows that this re-mix is out? Hoo-hoo.

Certainly this story about the need for schools and other public institutions to be onside with the people that it intends to protect and in this case instruct through so many challenging years of someone’s life is important. There were times I remember in grade 1 where one of my classmates had a bad case of the runny nose. This wasn’t a quick wipe of the kleenex runny but long strings of phlem and other substances that she used to lick from her lips with regular frequency.

Come photo day, I think she would’ve appreciated someone quietly whispering in her ear or silently placing a little tissue in the palm of her hand as a friendly supportive reminder that you can’t always be on top of things and of outward appearances. Just wipe the damn gunk before the guy with the camera says cheese.

For guys, it sometimes is not obvious that you’re aroused until the polyester fabric stretches over the nether regions. But, there are ways to walk awkwardly until things have “calmed down” down there. As a result, you may get a few comments about having bad posture etc..but generally, you shrug it off.

When it comes to the female gender, there are equally embarrasing odors, occurences and “situations” that may occur that you need good strong moral and peer support so that you don’t grow up with a predisposition to feeling that you had a crappy adolescence and the more you can forget and move on, the better.

I always thought the white-pants-period was an old wives tale dreamed up by somebody who had watched the movie Carrie a few too many times and thought that pails of pig’s blood were very available on school properties or behind closed doors in gymnasiums.

This story teaches that schools are the place where kids spend tons of time and they need to be there individually for each student in a caring and supportive way.

The reference to the homophobic mob that forced someone to jump off a bridge belongs in next week’s story (if it has to be told!!!).

You know, it’s one thing to say: “You shouldn’t smoke Crack, You shouldn’t sniff glue, You shouldn’t be a prostitute, You shouldn’t have unprotected sex”. But, jeez-Louise, it’s happening because addicts are some of the most manipulative and mood-confused people you’ll ever meet. When you’re feeling down and come into contact with an addict (say at a social event) and you start to talk about how life sucks and that you can’t see through the smoke to see the trees, the addict will be your best friend and explain that “they” have the magic cure to your problems. “Here, try a little of this” “It’s not going to hurt and the pain will go away”.

As the drugs enter your body, the first reaction you will have is extreme adrenalin as the chemicals mix with your bloodstream and akin to airplane fuel in your 1982 Chevette, you will suddenly and dramatically believe you can knock out George Forman on his best day. The problem is that once you’ve tasted that incredible euphoria that goes along with any type of drug use (but we’re talking crack here,so let’s go on), you will be hooked and it will be difficult to turn around.

Thankfully, many of us have not reached the crappiest part of our life or been forced to live on the streets searching for basic survival. However, who am I to judge why someone has become a junkine, alcoholic etc..? It may not be any part of my damn business how they got there but in the spirit of the fellow man helping another, “Not but for the Grace of God Go I”. I do have a certain responsibility to support positive steps to trying to untangle the mess that is the drug-infused neighbourhood. Addicts are not all terrible gargoyles with three heads that will eat my children.

Many were normal, functioning members of our society that hit the skids. Do we blame, shame them and leave them to suffer or do we have a responsibility to clean up our streets and give them the strength to believe they can turn their lives around?

26 yrs of representing the Catholic Church. A little over a quarter of a century as figurehead and hood ornament for The Vatican. Chosen by his peers, the Pope (and only the 2nd one selected from outside of Italy for many years) was, for many of us, the face and the spiritual adviser that I and many of my peers in this generation have ever known.

When other elected officials take office (like politicians), they become invisible and perhaps unaccountable for a heck of a lot, tending to hide behind their “handlers” to avoid coming into contact with the “people” that got them into power.

Pope John Paul II, on the other hand loved people. He especially loved children and understood the power bestowed on him to hear prayers and provide hope for people suffering from health or other difficulties.

I have met lots of people who claim to be atheist or part of a religion where the Pope really doesn’t mean anything to them. Some of these people also ironically, lack faith in themselves and seem to have grey clouds and bad weather following them because they’re just not sure what the hell they believe in but it’ll come to them sometime.

On the other hand, my father-in-law is an extremely religious man. After a satisfying life and 10 kids (all grown up) later, the Pope and religion is what gets him through each and every day. I’ve been meaning to call him this week but I know that he’s been at the church lighting many more candles than usual following the Pope’s death. I’m also sure that because the Pope was deep in his spiritual being, the loss is more than losing someone’s grandfather or someone else’s loved one. The Pope was his loved one and he cherished the earth that he walked on because he is deeply rooted in a belief, a sanctimonious embracing of something in his life. He also never forgets that he has so much to be thankful for and cherishes the role that Catholicism and spirituality play.

Thank You Pope John Paul for a beautiful journey that we shared.

What an absolutely horrible experience for Stephan to find out how brutalized his mother had been by unknown members of the Iranian “so-called” terror squad. She was ordered to be eliminated but how can any of you live with yourselves knowing that you not only beat her but brutalized her and raped her as she lay there confused and beaten, trying to understand what was happening as she lost consciousness.

I hope that you Stephan are eventually compensated for the actions taken against your mom. Undoubtedly, she was a warm, loving person who intended to share information about a country gone awry in a part of the world where few times, the truth is ever known.

The fact that a coroner was brought in to deny the original claim that she had broken her neck in a fall is one thing. Now, after the autopsy results are revealed, there is proof that Montreal photojournalist Zahra Kazemi was ushered to Heaven in the hands of angry and evil bastards who took their orders into their own hands. It must be heart-breaking for Stephan to find out how much his mother suffered.

God Bless You.

No guy wants to be the George Costanza of the neighbourhood. What does that mean?

Well, in one of the funnier episodes, George concludes that he is not going to meet a girl unless they are mute or don’t speak any English. He is frustrated with all of the failed dates he has been on, the close calls where he screwed up to end things (like re-eating some food that had been thrown out and is caught by his new girfriend’s mother) or other catastrophes that provided George with the necessary “ick” factor.

You can’t plan on meeting someone, it has to happen naturally. Some of the most appealing looking people on the planet are considerably lacking in many non-apparent qualities.

Look at how many couples in Hollywood appeared to be content with their wealth and comforts and break up because they have differences that just can’t be hammered out. If they were less fortunate, you wonder if their wish lists for change would be as long?

Ah, have a laugh realizing that you’re not the worst pick of the litter and that less intelligent neanderthals have walked the Earth ahead of you. There’s no secret science to how relationships work and even if you recognize a couple of stories in Amy Cameron’s book is worth the time to look through this.

There’s a market for books that you place in your washroom that other’s read: Farmer’s Almanac, Uncle John’s Reader series and Maxim. Why not add Amy’s book to your loo collection close to Valentine’s Day to mix things up a little bit?

Well, at least this story builds on an old tradition and they get forgotten unless someone is prepared to bring them back. Those old sea tales never harmed anyone and this story is kind of fun.

What’s the harm is trying out your chances that someone could recognize your address and drop off a postcard with the blessing of the Galapagos Island and maybe the smell of a little salty sea spray thrown in for good measure?

This is refreshing and a good idea and MUCH better than watching Tom Hanks stranded on a deserted island with a volleyball.

Christo The Magnificent? Christo The Entertainer? How about: Christo The Persistent.

This guy does not take no for an answer. Money is not an issue and try arguing with someone who will persevere to present his creations in fairly significant locations to put his place in history.

The Gates: Central Park, New York City, 1979-2005

7,500 Arches of Orange Material blowing in the wind over a 23 Mile stretch is not an abberation, it is large enough to notice from airplanes landing in Laguardia and visible from some of the many throughways in The Big Apple.

The Mayor is busy clapping his hands gleefully with anticipation as tourism will spike a projected $89 Million Dollars-with yet another site to see for visitors to NY.

26 patient years to wait for a project to be approved is a few new grey hairs. Christo persevered and in the end he got his wish to hoist seven feet pieces of material in the air and make a peaceful contribution to the restless underbelly of fast paced life.

I just hope that the vandalism gang stays out of Central Park because they could enjoy quite a field trip at Christo’s expense.

Good to hear that Head and Hands has turned the 35 yr corner for providing an avenue for youth to conduct important business in the Montreal community. Sadly, there are few if any alternatives if their venue were not available.

Upsetting to read that Montreal are facing similar problems as Ottawa (and probably many other cities) with so many people running around in circles looking for a family doctor and unfortunately having to settle for quick fixes at local medical centres. These places are run independantly by businesspeople who are taking the overflow in our communities by offering limited medical services without establishing very much in the way of rapport or a relationship with their patients. Community Health Centres are also being strapped by walk-ins from the community who are confused not knowing where to turn and sadly in need of medical help.

Our cities are short on services, big in compassion (in the non-profit sector) and struggling to meet the needs of it’s community members. Government needs to step it up.

You know, I think you’re right Dylan. Rock and roll and Shock Rock seem to have all but calmed right down. Replaced instead with specific shock incidents by well known entertainers.

Janet’s faulty wardrobe, Whitney’s defence of Bobby’s undying love, Britney’s 40 minute marriage, MTV Videos pushing sexual limits by pumping out young 15 yr old scantilly clad new sensations in our faces and Grandfathers of Rock becoming Reality TV Hosts because taking it on the road is hard on you when you’re 60.

I am tired already of the Osborne shinanigans and Gene Simmons should have not signed up for his own show unless his tongue was part of the prop department.

TV and entertainment is getting cheaper and cheaper to produce because you can take any unknown commodity and make them a star and surprise-they end up just as quickly: ..”on the cover of a Rolling Stone..”.

Maybe that’s where Rolling Stone has turned the corner. We are overwhelmed with an ever changing A-List and almost anyone can make their cover. They don’t have to have any talent to get there-like they used to.

I had to chuckle the other day when one of the American channels had a very cheery sounding weatherman who guaranteed that his weather forecast would be accurate within 3 degrees.

I didn’t hear what viewers would get if he was wrong by a 4th degree, but I thought out loud: “Even the weather business is trying to get the upper edge on viewership-anyone have Mother Nature’s direct phone number?”

Penelope Cruz is searching for a new venue to showcase her innocent brown eyes and try to rekindle some of the glam she was able to garner when she was front and centre as the sweetheart of the Spanish Silver Screen.

The question remains: Is she satisfied with the end result of her portrayal of Italia an ex-mistress who becomes a human toy/fodder for a whacked out man intent on keeping her close to him even though it would be better for all if she just faded away as a bad memory (in the film,not so much in life).

She is a passionate actress but in this film, you wonder if she travels to the lowest depths of humanity (like Christian Bale did in The Machinist) to try to cleanse her past (in real life)while attempting to rebuild courage and self-identity?

Perhaps reinvent a new degree of passion for what she does and pay a certain price for some of the decisions she has made in her life? (Tom Cruise was a short fling)

The film’s original story was written by the Director’s wife and as he describes: Part of the appeal of casting Cruz is …”Why hire a beauty to play this ugly, vulgar part?”.

Part of the answer to that is because Cruz is able to make the transition full circle from playing a victim to becoming empowered and in the end acquiring inner strength from the process of being beaten down.

Certainly fans of Cruz will see a great range of emotion: despair to brutality and vulnerability to self-preservation.

Personally, I always liked Woman On Top where she played the culinary guru with her own sexy cooking show and All The Pretty Horses with Matt Damon.

Cruz has lots of new projects in the works with 2 more films coming out including Sahara but one wonders if she will reap the rewards that come from risking a lot of her softness and sexiness acquired in her persona by playing such a gritty character in Don’t Move?

This must have been difficult for Cruz to get through, I wish her the best in her continuing journey to happiness.

Will Smith is the man of the hour.

In fact, his oldest son was dissing his dad the other day on one of those tabloid shows as a special correspondant behind the scenes of the Black Entertainment Awards. Comedy must run in the family (His son has those same qualities that Will had at a young age).

Will Smith was ahead of his time when he was The Prince Of Bel-Air with an incredible amount of confidence for someone so young and determined. He has developed his comedic timing and charm into a strong onscreen presence and his likeability factor is very high. Combine this with a tight connection with Jada Pinkett and you have a very marketable actor. Jada hasn’t done badly either.

Where others may waver in the face of pressure, Smith tackles new challenges with radiance and flair. He makes even the dullest thing cool and perpetuates trends, expressions and style. The City Of Miami is happy they were able to use his song of the same name as part of their tourism/marketing strategy (it fit their image).

He is able to harness new roles adding his own personal charm and helping his fellow actors become better because of the standards he sets for his own work. He is an idol for many, a great representation of how actors who make it big in Hollywood should be and reinvents himself if he feels that part of his persona is getting stale.

Hitch is pivotal as yet another successful notch in Will Smith’s belt and ultimately defines another wise choice for his continuing career success. He is an enterprise into himself and I am thankful he did not let his incredible success get the most of him.

Kevin James and Eva Mendes therefore made smart decisions in being part of this project.

Hitch is Hip and then some.

Normally when 38 people out of 40 people walk out of your show, the band has not been marketed to the right fans.

From this interview, it sounds like Gris-Gris are very Ho-Hum towards satisfying anyone in particular-hope they all have dayjobs (very likely-based on the reference to Daddy’s ranch where they hang out). This is a part time venture with little on the line.

Banana popsicle comparisons being made to the fleeting success of The Proclaimers. Is that justified?

These two brothers deliver folklore tunes that will continue to pay them royalties in years to come. They were quirky, matter-of-fact, appeared straight-laced and dorky and we love them.

Do they really need to release anything else to be considered accomplished musicians?

Milli Vanilli didn’t even sing their own music but sealed their own fate by refusing to release a second album; subsequently Rob killed himself (maybe from the guilt of making money for lip synching someone else’s creations?).

Britney Spears, are you paying attention here?…have you no shame for your improvised act?

The Proclaimers were better than that but always bigger on the other side of the ocean where fans swelled in large numbers soaked in booze, sweat and creased clothing because of their mosh activity.

The fact that 500 Miles caught our attention had more to do with testing out their appeal outside of Scotland to see if they could catch on over here. It had less to do with globalization for the purposes of making The Proclaimers an international act.

They will always have their fans in Europe and even if they never release anything else here, we will have our memories of when they played live here and…..a pretty funny beer commercial….laced with their catchy lyrics…..

When you stumble upon a successful platform like Shrek with all of it’s marketability, (a 4D Ride in Ogrevision at Universal Orlando and all of the Shrek games,plush toys,video games etc…that it promises), you keep pumping out sequels.

Shrek has also revitalized Eddie Murphy’s career, given Mike Myers an outlet for his “scottish/english roots”, and provided a comfy paycheque for Cameron Diaz with a place to come back to each time with less and less work required because you get good at voiceovers. In fact, voiceovers are challenging how much you make by actually appearing in films as more and more production houses are going CGI and fully animated because there skills are becoming more prolific in their use of computers and technology evolves.

Antonio Banderas jumped into Shrek 2 as well as Julie Andrews.

John Lithgow is dead (at least in Shrek) but is still allowed to come back as a ghost.

Simon Cowell also got to be plugged into the story (kind of).

But I hope with Shrek 3, there is some revitalized excitement in the storyline that gives us (and I guess our kids) some fantastic reason to see it in the theatre as opposed to waiting out the short detour to DVD.

After all, there are those among us that will proudly put future sequels to Shrek beside the original and I guess tell our grandchildren how fantastic the first one was and that for any fans of this green rollercoaster, the beginning was always the best.

Remember the publicity?: Technology promising to blow us away and the hype that was used to have us all salivating for the green ogre.

Now, longing for another sequel may be more in the minds of the production team than what we really need to see in our cinemas. The stakes are high after Shrek 2 disappointed so many.

Shrek 3 needs to bring it DAWG.

If it fails to deliver it will be like having a great desert one too many times and going home with a stomachache.

40 represents a halfway point in our life. With most of us scheduled to expire sometime between 70 and 80 years, we should be halfway there at some point and why should 40 feel any different than other times in our lives?

I know 25 year olds that are so depressed that you would be wise to stay away from conversations about getting old because they are likely to get further depressed.

Age is a number and for every 39 yr old on the verge of changing digits, there are 69 yr olds who continue to dance, socialize and live life to the fullest because they’ve never really had the luxury of stopping to think about things.

Part of the importance of raising a topic like this is based on what most of the population’s age is mostly about as well. Nursing homes, Retirement Planning and Home Security Systems for the elderly are all increasing markets as well as the constant push of RRSP planning and dietary supplements are for the middle age crowd.

Life can end at any moment………..

Interesting article but it failed to really answer the question: “Why are Columbians being declined entry to Canada because they have travelled via a US border crossing?”.

Don’t refugees have little control over the first address they head to when they are seeking asylum? Are there occasions where their route to Canada may have no choice but to go through New York or Vermont before crossing over to Canada?

Our border is not the seamless, airtight megasecure passage that we think it is.

Mexicans cross over into the United States and then eventually to Canada unchallenged so long as they can survive hours of desert travel in +40 degree heat with little if any water.

Cubans and Asian refugees risk life and limb cramped in small vessels paying crazy amounts of money to seacaptains because any life ahead is way better than the life they left behind. Many of these refugees then go on to Canada as part two of their journey.

I find it funny that we are busy denying people entry into Canada when we have lost control of immigrants who have gone underground who were scheduled to be deported or who did not show up for immigration hearings.

Is our border a one way ticket to freedom, provided that you can pass through the laughable red tape that Immigration has laid out for people to cut through?

Sounds like we are concerned with Border Security but because our past is seeded with quotas and recognizing numbers of immigrants that are essential to our future growth, you can’t be too severe with who you give the green light to and to be careful not to discriminate against others who are equally in need.

Ok, forget the importance of a script for a second.

You got served is an absolutely stunning visual display of power, dance-moves that will wonder if stunt doubles were used and thankfully where every second word could have been spiced with F%$ this and F^% that, this film intelligently keeps things very clean and respectful.

If Fame had been mixed with West Side Story, this is what this film delivers.

In fact, looking more carefully at the DVD features, there is all kinds of mention that the inspiration for the film was drawn from the two street gangs from West Side Story that director Chris Stokes wanted to draw parralels from.

I would prefer seeing street kids in tough suburbs able to get their aggressiveness out in dance-offs as opposed to shoot-outs anyday.

Cool movie, lots of props to the production team in keeping this film clean and thumbs up all around from my kids who were absolutely blown away…not by bullet scenes but from pretty wicked dance moves that will leave youre head spinning as much as the dancer on the screen.

Can you imagine a film that has seven different endings that the Production Team could have used and a couple of them would have improved the film?

I had high expectations for this film that I watched earlier today.

I am a big Deniro fan and looked to him to take the lead in this film as the DNA professor with inside information on providing comfort to parents who have lost loved ones (with the promise of bringing them back again by duplicating their DNA).

Great idea I guess for a storyline but Greg Kinnear and Rebecca Romjin (ex Stamos) are not the most gut-wrenching of actors and that is maybe where this film had good intentions that sort of fell apart.

The cast needed to be able to sell this story from start to finish. Instead, it had a lame beginning (Kinnear getting almost mugged by a couple of thugs but he recognized one of them as his former student-the muggers run off embarassed and Kinnear almost half-heartedly turns to the camera with a: “Wow, was that a coincidence or not”?)

Godsend chugged along at moderate speed after the first 10-15 minutes, almost guessing it’s way to it’s conclusion.

Wouldn’t you know it? The re-conceived Adam or Zachary (their son) would come back to this world as a deviant, juxtaposed rendition of the child they knew and cause them further stress and doubt that having another child and basically playing around with genetics may have been a big mistake?

This film (and I must admit that most Express reviewers were right on the mark with this one) should have been so much better. I don’t foresee the marketability for a sequel.

Ironically-Deniro’s current film (most recent) Hide and Seek draws strong parallels to Godsend. I wonder what his agent is thinking about?

Deniro excels in films that show a much edgier and witty charm than he is allowed in this film. When you have a behemoth like Deniro, you can let him run with certain roles but here, we’re not sure if he’s scary, demented or an introvert. Shame.

Sin City appears to be a another film that will become notorious for achieving another breakthrough in cinematography. This time, Rodriguez’ ability to adapt Frank Miller’s twisted and tormented comic book series into a veritible feast for the eyes.

Part-film, part-comic re-animation unlike anything we have seen before. I heard that all of the scenes were shot separately in front of a bluescreen and that many of the actors had not met until after the shoot was completed.

Rodriguez made sure that Miller was present throughout the entire production even sliding in an assistance director hat his way to share the responsibility, tasks and ultimately the spotlight at the film’s completion.

What this should be at it’s debut is thought provoking not because of the script or the dialogue but because of the 2 hour journey that whooshes you through Sin City and hopefully gasping for air at it’s conclusion because of the non-stop action, highly addictive visual candy and the extremes that it’s cast were willing to chase in achieving a complete cycle of adrenaline pumping action.

I’m not clear on the rationale for why these politicians are “lying” down`sorry…change that..sitting down to listen to the voices of the streetworkers? Are they troubled by what they hear or do their notetakers write feverishly while they muster up their trained political pouts into looks of understanding, caring and empathy for these hardened workers of the sex industry?

Will anything change and what are the signs of success after spending taxpayer dollars on pampered business flights and nights in extra comfy Hilton Hotels after gorging themselves in the A class restaurants (throwing aside any desire to eat and sleep where lower income community members rest their wearier heads every night).

How does one truly understand a way of life as a visitor from the outside? How are policies that cannot truly capture the challenges and dangers of life on the street be worded in such a way to provide comfort and reassurance for sex workers and provide any security for the dangers that exist in their chosen trade (let’s admit that most are probably doing it against their will or contrary to their ideal career choice).

Reading through Jamie’s column this week had me daydreaming a bit about lying on the beaches of Holquin and sipping cold drinks myself but isn’t it a little ironic how the interview at the airport (simply expanded because of the journalist slip) became an exercise in disproving any relationship to being an American?

“The hated Americans” (from Cuba’s foreign policy treatment and consequent sentiment towards the US). Cuban government are fed up with trade embargos, oppression and Uncle Sam’s steel arm of control over their past, present and (embattled) future.

It is nice to get away from what we consider to be difficult life here in Canada to go on holiday.

We soon realize as we walk through other countries like Cuba (where doctors receive a dreadful $25/week salary), we really have no reason to complain about very much.

Life in many foreign countries is dictated from the get-go by your government and salaries and working conditions are whatever they are….complain about it?..get the union involved?…scream bloody murder because there are no benefits or that you didn’t get paid because the owner/business just laid you off?………….Dream on.

The really well paid locals work very closely to where the tourism industry sleeps at night and although worked to the bone and the days are long, they persevere to support their families’ basic needs.

However————

I am always amazed at the quality of service, the frequent smiles of the locals working there and hospitality offered to all visitors regardless of race, creed or nationality.

Their suffering is silenced by their desire to make your stay a good one. Bless their hearts.

Why would you subject yourself CHASTE to this humiliation that if you were ever strip searched by the police~you would not be able to live with yourself? Keep your chastity belt on in the bedroom but leave it at home from 9-5.

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What a load of crap this letter is. It didn’t happen. AR, if the story sounded kind of funny before you wasted Savage’s time, you should have forgotten to lick the stamp.

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Monogamous One, is your husband really that attractive to consider himself a feast for the swingers in his neighbourhood? Why don’t you sort out your own marriage before even entertaining the idea of expanding your circle of intimacy?

Really interesting article filled with lots of information. Turntablism is a term i had never heard of before although it makes sense that while in the moment of a competition between two skilled spinners, the level of skill goes into overdrive.

I loved Marna Campbell’s graphic art on the cover of this week’s Express-it’s eery glow and yet simple expression makes RJD2’s portrait look a little like Vintage Morrissey in the heyday of The Smith’s popularity not so long ago.

Lucy, I sensed that your lunch date at the Chateau went extremely well and I am happy to hear that they offer such an extensive list of delicacies for the priveledged.

I knew the final cost of your lunch was probably going to be an exorbitant total for a few cups of tea and a few other little yummies but what the hell…there are occasions that may call for a little loosening of the fiscal belt every once in a while.

Say…a messy divorce, a sad breakup, a family luncheon where you haven’t seen your relatives in a long time or you’ve just won some money from somewhere but alas….I can’t contemplate blowing such a large amount of money and thankfully, I am not in any of the situations I described above.

But for a decent review of a tasty lunch..I raise my demi-tasse to you for another “spot of Darjeeling, Lucy”.

Ottawa, the quaint small political town where everyone bitches about taxes and then, if they want can either squat or picnic on Parliament Hill as politicians pass them in their steel grey suits unaffected by any threat that their protest may represent. Along the way, Ottawa has been able to achieve many new development projects and notable achievements including the Corel Centre, O-Train, Aviation Museum expansion and our ever increasing popularity of our Rideau Canal and Winterlude festivities. Where else can you go where ski hills are so close by-mostly uncluttered by huge numbers of skiers and where there are probably more local hockey rinks in the winter per capita than many other cities.

Whether Ottawa is 20th or 58th doesn’t really cause me too much dispair. While travelling to other cities like Florida (where they have little if any recycling programs), New York (where your car may or not be there in the morning) or Toronto (where it’s urban sprawl is just way too much to absorb and where crime appears to be more frequent and more random than here in Ottawa), I guess we really don’t have it too bad here.

So we’re not the funky cosmopolitan that Montreal has always been but Hull is right across the river and the Robert Guertin Arena reminds me so much of the old Montreal Forum.

Also on the increase in our inner core is the increasing prominence of new styles of clubs and restaurants that push Ottawa’s stuffy reputation to maybe have a bit of fun on the weekends. Hell, even U2 wants to play in O-Town….that’s definately a change in the old routine.

I like Ottawa’s promenades and parks and clean outward appearance that travellers I have spoken with really notice in a hurry. We’re also very approachable for directions, advice and chit-chat.

Hey, Ottawa~it’s not so bad to be further down the list, our egos are “firmly in check” and our tongues are “firmly in cheek” as we can still push our our chests for so many reasons anyways.

I agree that telemarketing techniques to sell products or services may not be the most effective way of getting business. Face to face direct sales usually works best. But that’s how businesses have decided to get their sales.

Whenever our phone rings (and I have to admit that we are way slower getting to the phone since we began having kids), we saunter to the phone and try to indicate to the caller as soon as possible that we are not interested. There may be a small 1% of the time where we agree to answer some quick impersonal survey but let’s face it..someone’s trying to earn a few dollars for themselves by cranking out the calls from the telephone room they are calling from and they know that sales are all about numbers and ratios.

I remember when I was younger calling people myself to try to get them to buy magazine subscriptions (before the Internet was so prominent) and always being so amazed by the top producers in the telephone room that continually banged out 100’s of new subscriptions every single freakin’ week. They didn’t look like they were successful but they had learned to never take no for an answer.

I also remember when I was in Australia many years ago and was working this job up North selling Oil Paintings with “two different colored frames” door to door for $150 a pop.

One sweet enough guy from England was averaging 40 sales a day in the blistering heat.

Some people (like him) can sell snow to an Eskimo while others are never really cut out to pressure people into buying stuff they wouldn’t buy themselves.

Out of respect next time, tell the person on the phone at the get-go. “No thank you but good luck with your next call”.

It’s polite~you won’t get irritated as much and it reminds the caller that you understand how tough their job must really be and that their next call potentially may be interested in buying from them.

Ok, so the patios will be rockin’ with the caffeine addicted glazed looks of young partygoers this summer. That’s not so bad is it so long as they don’t have vehicles they intend on getting into afterwards.

Beer companies are long in the teeth trying to find strategies for how they can hook new customers and it was only a matter of time before they married the jolt crowd to the Blue crowd, wasn’t it? They’re in the business of making money and so long as their product is being consumed, they’re busy raising a toast to profit.

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Mohamed Harkat is not able to appeal the deportation order because he and his lawyer were not allowed to see the rationale behind it? That just doesn’t make sense. I would love to see Anne McClellan’s face if she were deported..and told..that she was not privy to the reason why. She would hit the roof and pull out all the stops.

We look like absolute incompetents in this country for the way we have been handling the more and more frequent cases of illegally detained citizens, lacking charges, lacking substance to why we are so unclear of how our suspicions became infractions against our legal system. We are dangerously close to being in contempt of how we are flexing our legal muscles and just once~it would be nice to see one of these high-paid lawyers successfully defend one of those accused by our government and make the Anne McClelland’s of the world eat crow.

She’s also the one ironically that swears we do not racially profile in this country.

What do you call it then….Cleansing our shores of flotsam and jetsam?

The story of Selwyn Peters is all too familiar as our boarder security goes into hyper-mode and more and more incidents of profiling occurs. Is it racial profiling or just increasing the profile of who may be a threat to National Land Security?

Have Immigration and Customs Officials been evaluated for their level of understanding and tolerance for racial and cultural differences considering how many are caucasian?

Were they evaluated before 9-11?

Realistically, all of our Provincial and Federal Departments should be comprised of more balanced staffing that further represents the client groups they serve. With the influx of new immigrants arriving both here and south of our borders, staffing levels may need to be re-set to different compositions.

Just because someone looks like they may meet a racial profile, does not make them guilty of anything and therefore should not be treated with a lack of respect or ignorance. They shouldn’t actually feel that the manner they are processed is any different (like the example of Selwyn Peters).

Quite a bit of pent-up anger then Stuart out in the waters of so-called “Diversity Tolerance”.

Road rage must be increasing for a reason then. Pop in a Jared Taylor motivational CD and ..Wham….your little insignificant Toyota Tercel takes on the largesse of a bullet-proof Hummer on the roads. Look out..people..tolerant existentialist with impulsive dreams of “discrimination and segregation of reproduction” theories coming through.

Get out of the way at all costs~color,race and gender of the offending traffic insignificant.

Or like the Floridian drivers do~cut me off once and I will maximize my understanding of the right to bear arms and chase your motherf$^%in ass down the interstate and shoot bullets directly into the side of your car.

Let’s all get carried away now giving every godforsaken reason to put credance into the very ground that extremist thinkers like Jared Taylor walk on~fer Christ sake~for that matter~put his wisdom in a crack-pipe and smoke it.

Surely, he is the next Messiah, after all. Get a grip,people.

Why do you think that the USA is called a “Superpower”? Because they make strategic decisions before others have thought about their next move. In the case of Paul Wolfowitz, there could not be a better moment for Bush to make his insertion of Wolfie than when the Canadian and other governments have their heads turned. Why would they ask if this is OK?

Make the decision~plant your selection and don’t ask questions nor allow your allies and enemies to predict your next move.

It’s been a tough year of rebuilding for Killer’s Boys. Trading away youth for some toughness on the blueline has been a test of patience for the 67’s this year.

Some players like Brad Bonello have been the necessary piss and vinegar in opponents’ wounds to set them on the right track and goaltending with Battachio and Guadagnolo have been absolutely breathtaking keeping our Barberpoles in many of their games where they were outplayed and outchanced.

Other players like Mike Mancari have been able to step it up putting together back to back multi goal games while first year players are still trying to find their way in the tough and skill-filled Ontario Hockey League.

The 2005 Ottawa 67’s are not the Locke-Foy-Sheppard-Mensator of old. However, they still have lots of talent with European imports Kasper and Petruzalek able to score goals with relative ease.

But, alas, the playoffs are a different kind of hockey and anyone watching the grit and punishing play of the Kitchener Rangers in last year’s playoffs or the reckless abandon and desperation of the Gatineau Olympiques knows that it takes a mixture of luck and perseverance to make it all the way to the Memorial Cup Championship.

Let’s hope that Ottawa can represent the OHL in the finals but they will have to get through Barrie and eventually London to get there. And London just so happens to be the best team in Canada this year and the host of the tournament.

Good luck Killer and good luck to your young soldiers of hockey.

King Sunny Ade seems to have been in the spotlight forever with his inspirational melodic sounds and wonderful orchestration. How can someone remain so popular compared to the frequent one hit wonders that resonate from our radio speakers looking for the one hit that will propel them to fame and stardom and then poof…they’re gone?

With the recent passing of Paul Hewson (drummer for the extremely popular Crowded House)..and a band that I thought would always be around (like Ade), it becomes clear that fame and fortune is perceived differently based on which branch of the popularity tree you are looking out from. We may see fame and fortune as the ultimate sign of success but living in the limelight has other costs that we may not be able to see including the loss of privacy, constant scrutiny and perpetual accountability for everything decision and word we speak.

Artists like King Sunny Ade remain refreshingly innocent and appealing because they are able to stay conscious of how fleeting their success may be but always understand the basic reason for why they are popular (they are entertainers and people want to be entertained).

Ade is as bright, colorful now as he was the first time he prepared to play in front of an audience.

“We are going to make sure that we go for a long time, so people can really enjoy themselves.”

Nice to hear that there are at least some bands that do not take themselves too seriously and are willing to go along the ride of popularity for as long as people are willing to pay hard earned money to see them in concert or buy their recordings.

Keep going~you are a King I will continue to support.

With Ade~whether you go see him or not~he will always be there, ready to entertain because entertaining his fans is the main reason he is so popular and will remain high on my list of performers that are still very grounded.

We are so much in a rush to get somewhere…to the store, to the bar, to work, to get laid, to get high that we are willing to take risks that most times are not well thought out.

Why has our lifestyle changed so much that we are in so much of a hurry?

Where has our patience gone? Why are we willing to inject all kinds of crap into our arms, legs, ass and other places just to get a little short whoosh of relative euphoria?

Escaping from reality is for some, the only way to deal with stress and pain experienced in lives of frequent injustices and costly mistakes. Drug dealers and chemists that meander about to dole out their crap don’t stick around (no pun intended) to see the results of what their concoctions do to their customers. Why would they care? Many of them are users themselves suporting their own habit by bringing other “crackheads” into their lair.

The rule of thumb generally is: No matter how curious you are to try drugs, your body and mind will convince you that it now has adapted to needing more of them after your first hit, even though every report you can find will say otherwise. Mess with your brain cells and bad things will happen.

This article strikes the first match but there is much more that needs to be shared about how Crystal Meth (for example) and other drugs cause their users to crash and burn~there is no forgiveness once you’re hooked because you’ve lost your power once the drug sucks you in.

Don’t be a fool to believe that you can take just one hit and walk away.

The “grass” is not always greener on the other side.

Good to see taxpayer dollars are being spent sending MP’s on a coast to coast trip to explore that perverse of all trades-the sex trade.

Imagine this…….”sponsored by Nutragena,Trojans and Labatts Blue..it’s the Member of Parliament tour of local gutters..right across Canada..exploring how many times a condom can be used?, are street workers stressed and are they really happy pulling down the pants of others? exploring hand signals strategies used for sex related purchases when communication methods are illegal?…………….and all of the results will be tabled in a 300 page report”

Let’s hope their efforts are not like the previous attempts of local officials to live among the poor, exist on welfare amounts to see if one can really live on welfare and other superficial efforts to truly “understand” our social malaise. It is tragic that sexual acts are sold to make a living and that anyone who says they don’t mind prostituting themselves must be in some state of major inertia and working outside of the realm of the normal.

Is it just me or has Bruce Willis lost his way? This morning I hear that he snatched Lindsay Lohan (all of 18 yrs) back to his penthouse suite for an allnight romp.

Bruce is 50 and Demi doesn’t even look his way anymore. He was alright in his series of movies as the ambitious cop (Die Hard) and this time, he seems to be trying to put some distance between his former self (Moonlighting charm) and create an alter-ego that he thinks people will be able to relate to.

Ambition is a curious thing. You don’t really know how you’re doing until you get a blast of public opinion. We’ll have to see what the blast of air smells like with Hostage.

Flowers, chocolate or crap?

I agree Dan that simply because someone shows another that there are other choices in life, doesn’t mean you need to follow that person around for the rest of your life.

This is too funny. I bet the guy he visited hasn’t ever been 50 feet outside his room at his parent’s house.

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I had to laugh at pee-breath. What a funny letter you got. If it’s gross, tell your partner that they missed some spots when they did the pre-sex clean-up. My god, it happens to the best of us. Likely though that this guy has dim senses and can’t distinguish the smell of pee from vomit from crap from fart from foot odor etc….. This is too funny..still laughing now…….

_____

Or you can buy an Arnold or Stallone blow up doll. Chances are your personality is about as good as a “paint” stripper. Go to the gym for 6 months~wink and flirt while you’re there.

Then, when your body is “to die for” ask some of these guys to help you spot your deadlifts or to make adjustments to machines once your confidence is at a higher level.

Guys appreciate you taking the time to make them look and feel important (even for a second)

Glad to hear that the preoccupation you had with the Oz Cafe has been transformed into better reviews and from the sounds of it~better meals outlined in your reviews.

You know, there’s nothing worse than being in the spotlight as a reviewer and facing meals that just do not delight the senses and the palate.

This time, mom is along for the ride for what sounds like an appetizing meal at the Urban Pear (Hey, don’t reviewers get free meals?..it’s what I had heard).

Conversations with waiters and aperitifs flowing is always a good start. Noting after a delectible gobble of pork chop in maple apple sauce that it was “pretty darn good” set the meal in the right direction.

By the way, President’s Choice had a maple-apple sauce they used to/still do sell called Dad’s Favorite~it was yummy, try it if it still available to compare tastes with the sauce at the Urban Pear.

Mango Mint Custard with Blueberry Compote~now that sounds yummy!!!!

I will add this restaurant to my galavanting for April 2005. Thanks Lucy.

Are taxi drivers able to make a good living driving a cab these days? What is the average salary after expenses?

The taxi business really operates in it’s own little world. I think we take them for granted every time we hop in.

I don’t agree with raising the plate rental charges or the fees~I know they are considered self-employed, but unless they are working a second job, how are they going to come up with the increased costs unless they raise the meter rates again? And then we balk.

Speaking of meters, I ‘m glad to see that someone is doing something to de-fang meter maids (maidens?) of their “carnivorous” ways. Funny, sometimes when I park in the Glebe, I have a nervous look over my shoulder that a white Hyundai is watching me drop my coins into their hungry machines.

Speaking of de-fanging a species of man’s best friend.

What is up with all the pitbull news lately?

Toronto SPCA have agreed to take pitbulls that were seized by animal control into their care and find fast-track adoptions for them instead of the proposed euthanasia route. I don’t understand the commotion~there are good dogs and bad owners, you put the bad owners with the good dogs and you get bad dogs. Pitbulls were never intended to be bred (and let’s face it, they were overbred which kills the pureness of the species) as family pets. Lots of people who needed protection from say~the mob or the drug debt collector or the nosy neighbour suddenly had an “AHA” moment when they realized that the dog would be a perfect guardian and cheaper than a handgun. Not really the idea of a family pet.

Unfortunately, the bad apple has spoiled it for the rest of pitbull owners. Kids with bitten faces make people go on the offensive+ this will not be repealed.

Parole. Everyone thinks they understand their fears but look more closely. Most guys on parole are visited at their place of work or schooling by the parole officer

Only a select few are coming into the parole office.

Surprised?

James Roszko certainly was washed in bastard’s blood by the media after the fact. Most of the town where he lived stayed away from him unless they wanted to get verbally assaulted by a grown man who had gradually distanced himself from the rest of society.

We all can probably relate to someone even in our own neighbourhoods. You know the type? The neighbour that throws nasty glances at your kids the second that the tennis ball from their street hockey game rolls into their flowerbed or who deliberately keeps their lights off on Halloween but you’re convinced is watching you from behind closed drapes.

Why do our communities have losers and disconnects like James Roszko who even his family say was a loose cannon~physically and emotionally separated from everyone bearing his own name?

How do these people exist in their selfish worlds of mine-mine-mine and as we saw last week, 4 innocent RCMP officers (2 of which were either fathers to newborns, newlywed or waiting on the pending birth of their new child)?

I’ve heard the rhetoric already about the fact they died in the line of duty fully aware of the daily danger of being a cop..I know..and part of me accepts that..to a certain extent.

But to have a scumbag like Roszko snuff out the lives of four promising officers without sustaining one shot and then “bravely” shooting himself as a means of going out in a blaze of self-personified glory deserves no wanton journey back to his childhood to make excuses for what he did.

He murdered 4 young men. He contributed very little to society and had this incident not taken place before he died of natural causes, we never would have whispered his name.

Focus all of the energy on how the families of these slain police officers will cope with their loss and how we in society can help either financially or by sending condolences to them to let them know we are grieving their loss as well

Policing is a brave career to get into~we appreciate every call they take

Thank you so much Stuart for taking the space in the Express to voice this very contentious issue.

I have followed Jeremy Hinzman’s story closely ever since a small stream of American military deserters came to Canada to seek refuge. It is a small number of soldiers who are taking a huge gamble with the American Justice System in an effort to defend their basic values, speak out against the corruption that exists in George Bush’s platform on why he invaded Iraq and also forms the basis of defining what integrity means when you really put it to the test.

Part of the word integrity is the smaller word “grit” and long ago I was taught that unless you are willing to push defending your position to the grittiest part of the journey, then you really haven’t demonstrated that you hold a strong enough belief if you don’t see things to the very end.

It will be interesting to see what our Canadian Immigration Policies dictate when we are asked to protect the Americans literally from their leader?

If we cannot find rationale to protect these soldiers who have risked their reputation, imprisonment or death sentences and the failed expectation that they would blindlessly give their lives for the purpose of advancing financial gain for the Bush establishment, then we should have backed the Americans at the beginning when they flew over to fire mortars at the “supposed enemy”.

The American Government is considering reintroducing the draft there because they have run out of soldiers to send over to Iraq.

Worse, they are sending recruitment officers to poorer and poorer areas to find the next young candidate to put dog tags on. And what kind of background check will they be completing with these folks?

Probably not very detailed. Just the basic questions: “Do you want a career that gets you out of this shithole?” “Then come with me~and don’t ask too many questions”.

These men in hiding need our support~period, they have guts, “grit” and a conscience.

I agree Sylvie that sex education is an important part of being in school and that the Ottawa School Board should probably smarten up pronto and provide increasing not decreasing levels of information about all kinds of stuff including the increased levels of STD’s, chlamydia and VD so that students are aware even if they haven’t started practicing (hopefully) safe sex with their first heartthrob.

I heard on the news this morning and in the papers that one high school is investigating the supposed actions of some young boys who grabbed a couple of girls in the hallway and dragged them into the bathroom to try to force them to perform oral sex on them. Is the school board still sure that kids don’t need this kind of information or are they behind the times in their understanding of what corporate needs translate into local school needs?

What happens if one of these girls gets an oral infection from as the direct result of being subjected to the assault and subsequent oral sex they were bullied into?

Kids are getting pretty brash these days and I think it would be better that students complain that there is too much health information being driven into their heads than making the mistake of contracting STD’s (for example) because the school board neglected to have the information available to them.

I don’t put too much value to the opinions of “critical thinkers” like Taylor and Lindqvist.

I believe that we share the same Earth they share with us but that they should remain under a microscope and in plain view lest they amass large groups of followers and create a cult-like existence amongst society.

In reading about the types of people (lost,depressed,suicidal that went to Guyana prior to the Jim Jones mess or to Waco Texas to follow another “Massiah”,I am curious why the opportunity to have points of view like those of Jared Taylor combined into a debate that would have allowed other groups with opposing views to explain why each side feels so strongly about their cause? Isn’t that important?

Is it better to keep racist leaders out of the public light and potentially have them propogate hatred on websites and in publications which could cause underground backwash and groundswells of support from the jaded and potentially volatile members of society that may be looking for off-the-wall causes to join?

I shudder thinking about the attrocities that we have caused to each other of all races over the existence of time and I too, reach out to help my fellow man/woman/child regardless of race, diversity or mental and physical health.

I also think that North Americans have a higher level of compassion that many other countries but we are still (and could we ever be free of?) racist and intolerant to what we see as different than us, better than us and unclear to us.

Is that which is different, a genuine threat to our safety and security or something that we need to invest time in to better understand?

Finally, I completely disagree with Lindqvist’s quote about loving other people’s kids:

“You wouldn’t love other people’s children,he argued,so why should you be expected to love other races?”

What does he say when someone brings in to the room the ultimate symbol of innocence and a human being free of racism and discrimination? Go away??

With all of it’s wisdom to help the countries that it proposes to, there is serious concern that quick remedies thought up by men on this side of the world devise fast-track responses to age old societal and agricultural problems.

Tony Hall from the UN feels that: “People that deny food to their people, ..are in fact starving people to death, (and) should be held responsible ..for the highest crimes against humanity in the highest courts in the world.”

Tony, I think we understand your point about wanting to charge countries that from your binoculars appear to be neglecting their people, but be careful how far into these foreign lands you are prepared to step and make comments like that.

Are they truly denying people food or have they a better understanding of their lands and soil tolerance than you do? And more patience than you may realize from your comfy armchair?

Introducing genetically modified organisms (GMO) may look truly appealing in the labs but cultures that rely on and tolerate naturally occuring changes to their agricultural patterns and prepared to look for solutions internally with your assistance may have something pretty good.

How about providing education,knowledge,instruction and technology to provide irrigation and farming strategies that may provide a higher level of value to the countries that require foreign aid?

We should be extremely careful with casual assumptions about what we think our African and Asian brothers need that may end up obliterating their seed supply and soil fertility, and potentially cause other mass crisis like food shortages, starvation then illness and disease.

There is a delicate cycle within Mother Nature’s plans and we can’t just go in and break down the door and apologize later when we leave these poor folks to clean up the mess we left when we overstepped our boundaries and assumed what others needed.

I understand communiyt members opposing such large occupations of land for purposes that may seem unusual and unnecessary to outsiders but I guess everything has it’s price and in this case, definately~a purpose.

But on the flip side, is this argument any different than residents who oppose the construction of new condominiums that will block the sunlight as they rise up in more and more areas of big cities? Is it any different that large big box retail stores that present interesting arguments to city councils telling them that you need “yet another collection of Walmarts, Chapters and Payless”.

Money talks and I guess the families of the dead with their political and financial clout have the last say in all of this.

Integrity~~~Don’t think so. It’s all about money and prestige.

You gotta support local film productions especially when Desperate Housewives may be another blasted repeat again this week. It’s only going to cost you a donation to the Ottawa Food Bank and you may come away at least with a taste of small budget, low overhead films.

Like the independant book publishing article two weeks ago, the Ottawa Student and Independent Film Festival, it is undeniably a part of our city and needs our support.

We are so blessed in this city with great festivals and not forced to go to any one of them, thanks Express for continuing to shed light on their existence and giving us so many choices to view works of self-expression and creativity.

Living a childhood comes with certain sacrifices.

One of those is to conform or risk your cred for the price of selling personal identity.

You know~Individualism~or maybe that’s the root of the problem?

Kids unite over common needs. Where you have a gap in how much affection your parents offer you at home, how often you are told how special you are and that it’s allright to learn from mistakes and that you will be successful because your parents got your back, that means a ton when you are growing into your body.

How many times have we read that kids test their parents with limitations to see what they can get away with? “No, Nadia~you can’t go to school dressed with short mini skirt and a see-through bra.” “Why?”. “Because I love you and this is not how I want my daughter to go to school..plus you’re supposed to be going on your..Grade 4 Field Trip..today.”

Yep, this kind of conversation is taking place at younger and younger ages.

Kids will be allright once they get through the challenges and hurdles of childhood..you know..well adjusted and all that.

Parents have a different role these days towards their kids, they need to be investigators, police officers, accountants, social workers and mostly confidantes.

Kids are looking to be influenced and isn’t it better that parents show good role modelling behaviour instead of relying on a 50 yr old record exec to push the “Pimping Styles of the Rich and Famous” on our kids?

It’s more responsible to take charge of our kids and set them straight so that they know every day what’s right and what’s wrong.

It will also help them the first night they get dumped by a guy who was looking to sleep with them and the first time they turn down E or pot to know the decision they made that night was largely influenced by the love and care that their parents offer them unconditionally every day.

Love is a long term commitment~kids need this reassurance to help them deal with challenges in life.

I think that the City of Ottawa does a good job in balancing a workforce that is representative of the local community.

I also believe that not all people in Ottawa are intolerant to immigrant issues and in fact many are quite receptive to assisting people in settling in to their new environment.

I don’t think that’s where the problem begins although it would be refreshing to see a more culturally balanced City Council instead of the current representation. How are communities represented in their say of how the city operates and how are they guaranteed inclusion in decisions that become policy?

You’re right John about McGuinty’s deflection from election promise vs where he actually spent money. Immigration issues need to be at the top of the leadership radar because we count on new arrivals to our communities to add revitalization, cultural diversity and skills to our existing base.

$400 Million on job creation is a ton of money. But like with other programs that are concocted for the unemployed, there is a classroom philosophy used as the root of the retraining instead of being able to identify existing skill-set and teach from the learner’s level moving forward.

Why were these individuals “targeted” for the training and what do they bring already to the table? So many times, I hear about job retraining programs where unemployed persons are thrown into initiatives because they need some type of retraining but may not be the best candidate for this particular one. Careful screening to identify barriers and restrictions at the front end helps to reduce the number of people who drop out and increases the outcomes of graduates who move onto employment.

Regarding your projected stat that a black person who receives $6000 less per year compared to a while male and loses $180,000 over their lifetime. Let’s hope that this person doesnt wait that long before they find a voice and are recognized for their talents and compensated financially for their skills.

First of all~ I want to recognize a great effort of publications like Voir and Ottawa Express for not being afraid to raise public consciousness in presenting stories like of writer Kate Bornstein.

Bornstein like a certain segment of our population felt trapped in the body she was born into knowing that she really belonged in the opposite gender. As kids, how many times are challenged by our peers (even in daycare) to emulate the gender bias that society projects and should we not feel so compelled begins the long journey into self-denial and eroding self-confidence.

I find it very interesting that her book entitled: “Hello, Cruel World: 101 Alternatives to Teen Suicide” goes right to the jugular for the emotions that youth must feel as they sometimes do when thet are tormented by visions of gender identity and suicide must appear to be some kind of permanent solution to how they are feeling. Rather than “pussy-foot” around the subject, Bornstein recognizes (probably from first hand feelings) that his personal torment at the prospect of not wanting to continue living as a man in this world pushed him to thoughts of suicide himself and luckily, there must have been an inner force or support that allowed him to continue to the gender fix that transpired to the transition to womanhood.

Although now as a female, there are still going to be hurdles and challenges by those that are ignorant to the existence of these kinds of issues in our society, he/she has achieved the freedom she was seeking and is at peace with the personal growth that will make her a stronger contributor to our society because the issue has become a non-issue.

Ok, so I guess that saying that Francois Gendron was at the wrong place at the wrong time really doesn’t rationalize a planned attack on a young member ofour society.

RASH went out looking for him because that’s what young oppressed (or so they think) anti-fascist punks do to pass the time. Mission accomplished I guess in the eyes of their leader Raymond Villeneuve.

How can someone feel good about themselves teaching youth how to hate, why they should hate and that it’s fine to bash up Gendron for the purposes of sending home a message that only they view as important. Freakin’ gangs~that’s all they are.

Tough little hoods hiding behind a pack mentality and flipping back beers celebrating that they did well. Did they even bother to check to see that they had not put a hurt on Gendron that killed them? Probably not.

Steel boots to the head results in only temporary injuries I guess (in their minds).

Punks roaming the streets eventually grow out of their bad habits or end up in jail. These kids probably come from some good homes and must have played out all of their video games to have so much free time on their hands.

By all accounts~they do not report in to their parents at night or have parents that give a shit about them any more (if they haven’t been kicked out or run away by now anyways).

Freakin punks and their irresponsible leader (if you can call him that) in the form of Villeneuve. Where are his wife and kids these days? Doesn’t he have something better to do than lead street gangs into criminal activity?

If my son had been responsible for these violent attacks, you can be sure that I would look up Mr Villeneuve and hold him responsible for some indecent role modelling and destructive behaviour that should not be tolerated by society.

You might as well teach kids to be intolerant to immigrant influx and show them hatred to spit reflux on your community new arrivals. Great set-up Ray.

The sad thing is he is not the only one.

A Tragedy (what happened to Ken’s father) and disgraceful that military contractors are muscling their way onto Board of Director positions at our universities as a means of influencing our future graduates with rhetoric and connections back to companies that may have questionable motives.

Questioning the motives of companies that want to jump onto Board of Directors positions is a start, universities researching their own staff who allow these selections to be made is also part of the solution. Do our universities know or care what their political slant is towards Canadian/American alliances and relations or are they more concerned with having big names associated with their universities as a result of who occupies their top posts?

Ahhhh, the Box…those were the days when they played seemingly everywhere and attracted fans on both sides of the river because they sang in both “official langages”.

Hard to believe that 10 years have gone by since they broke up but also nice to see that they are back in the fold with a new album.

In my mid twenties (the last time I remember working security for one of their concerts), I remember Jean Marc appreciated my enthusiasm to keep him safe and secure from throngs of young girls trying to get a piece of him (literally).

I remember that he also said that if an opportunity came up where he could help me out later in life, to just let him know.

Well Jean Marc, that time has come now my friend. I need you to help me win this contest.

Nothing short of reconnecting on our life journey where your career has come back to fruition and with support from your fans (including me), you and your new band will do well.

I am taking you to task my friend and would love the chance for you to meet my new wife and talk about the good old days of L’Affaire Dumoutier so that we can get Closer Together.

I know every band is only Crying Out Loud for Love and they are all Ordinary People who want to make it work career-wise.

Hopefully with this new release, your new band can Carry On although there may be a Temptation to take your act on the road.

Wherever you guys are~you will always be special Inside My Heart.

Bonne Chance my friends…..<!– CONCOURSTHEBOX3 –>

Interesting that Lucy didn’t take a Rest after her last review and all of the comments that were made regarding her attack and reviewers coming to the defence of Oz Cafe.

This week, we’re back at a pizzeria specializing in homemade fare with $40 burning a hole in our pockets.

Good to see that Lucy enjoyed herself at Forno Antico (Antique Stove), a place described as more of a “fast-foody” place (first time that I’ve heard that expression-is it a word?).

Describing the cheese on her pizza, Lucy says it was not “globbed on”, rarely do traditional pizza restaurants specializing in thin crust pizza put very much cheese on because the ingredients are usually left in big pieces like the asparagus or the tomatoes and it wouldn’t cook properly is globbed with cheese.

Sounds like Lucy got long better with the staff at Forno, even getting a complimentary tiramisu (hello gorgeous~wink,wink)….

So, I guess restaurants aren’t so bad in Ottawa after all Lucy. Many are family owned and operated and enjoy serving great food, getting good reviews and like to see customers come back to their “joints” to do it all over again next time.

I will make the same point as last week. If you get poor food, even as a reviewer, let the manager know because part of giving feedback on your experience is to let the place correct themselves which can also be something that gets marked in the review.

Bon appetit.

Interesting that one of our fearless City Council members belives that when his boss expressed the possibility of handing over the new light rail project to a private company, Doucet decided that this was not such a bad idea.

Ok, let’s take the argument further. If City Council can’t make up their mind on most items on their agendas in a given week, are there maybe some warm bodies in the private sector that could take over their roles in City Council?

You know~people that can make forward thinking decisions.

Ater all, we need to move aside if we aren’t qualified to do the job~such as make a concrete decision on whether Ottawa should be a “Light Rail” city or should we scrap the whole idea?

Let’s face it..so far it has been a bust.

How many commuters really need to get to Lebreton Flats from Carleton and back?

What would make more sense (if we are serious about fuel emissions and reducing the number of cars on the roads on weekdays) is to put together a sound argument and plan for a East-West corridor for light rail with guaranteed frequent departures and enough trains to carry commuter volume.

The plan should include some of the fuel taxes/fuel rebate cheque we are supposed to get back from the Feds to help pay for it.

Property taxes should remain steady however. We already pay enough every year. I know I just saw about $11,000 of my money go to income tax last year and I still haven’t added property tax to that amount.

Ottawa should make efforts to keep the politics to a minimum, keep things simple and straightforward (where possible) and keep the province and the federal government honest (if that’s possible).

This could be a great harmonization of Kyoto principles and a pro-active local environmental response if we read it the right way and take responsibility for the need of O-Town residents.

Very disappointing that medical professionals lack the integrity to speak about how they view the workplace and clientelle they serve and simply go along with less controversial thinking.

Working in an AIDS hospice or health care facility with the terminally ill or those with life altering disease (such as AIDS) takes a very special kind of person to provide loving support and pro-active care to ensure patients are taken good care of. They are someone’s child,brother or sister or parent. Regardless of how they contracted their disease really doesn’t matter~blaming them will not make them better.

Someone who engages in unprotected sex with a different partner every time must take extensive precautions to minimize the risk of getting infected and ensure they maintain a level of rational thinking to ensure that they are not victimized or do not victimize others.

I still remember the “rumour” that circulated at the height of the AIDS epidemic introduction to North America when a male was apparently sleeping with many women in the New York area and in the morning, the woman he had slept with woke up to find (in lipstick on the mirror of the bathroom):”You’ve been infected with the AIDS virus”.

Less deadly but just as rampant, Hepatitis is becoming more widespread as more people are being tested after getting tattoos many years ago, blood transfusions or from needle use. Standard testing by doctors are coming back positive for Hep on a more regular basis.

Our society is changing with increasing terrorist threats, waterborne disease, anthrax scares, depletion of natural resources, homelessness and housing crisis, war and political crisis, global warming etc.

AIDS is an absolutely selfish and destructive disease that is trying to find a permanent home in our society~victims are suffering in silence and on a road to permanent silence

We need to take pro-active steps such as those outlined by Dan Savage to at least get a

foothold in the crisis.

Just checked out this movie the other day and it was…surprisingly good. Interesting that the film is based on a ride at Disney and that my kids checked out the ride before they watched the movie.

The ride (by the way) absolutely sucks. Holograms on a moving slow-coaster that goes through a Haunted Mansion had my kids bored to tears.

The movie is another story however. The film features Eddie Murphy in a fine role of a real estate agent who along with his wife (played by Marsha Thomason) run Evers real Estate.

The tag line they use is that it’s important that their clients find the house of their dreams so that they can live happily for Evers and Evers (cute).

They end up being called to the Haunted Mansion to list the house by the owner (who inherited the house several years before) and he has no interest in seeing Mr Evers~only the wife because she has a secret past to the owner of the mansion.

Lots of funny scenes, lots of CG Effects and tons of money was pumped into this Disney vehicle that was supposed to do way better than box office receipts eventually revealed.

It may result that I will add this film to the DVD collection but was somewhat disappointed with the special features considering the talent that went into it’s creation.

Terrence Stamp (I agree) was hillarious as the butler as were many of the other characters that made this film a subtly scary but vastly entertaining flick.

In certain neighbourhoods in the good ol’ US of A, the release of this film probably was one knee slapping series of funny events that entertained families looking for some fun on their evening out. Provided that the kids are 14+, that is. The film is for the most part tame but very predictable and borderline crude (at times) but could have been worse.

Cedric the Entertainer takes on several roles in this film and makes you think you’re watching a Big Momma’s House/Daddy Daycare take it on the roadtrip sequel.

Lil Bow Wow is starting to hit the growth charts as he entertains climbing into a persona of not only rap star but also established actor.

Shannon Elizabeth plays the young hitchhiker that somehow convinces Mr Johnson to pick her up for at least part of their trip to the family reunion.

My kids got a few great laughs but lots of the humor was directed at the Down South style of joketelling.

Not a bad film and interesting that “Are We There Yet” had similar overtones and still made cash at the box office~not even a year after this film hit the screens.

Not my first pick for Family Vacation movies but none the worse for wear for watching it.

Watching the delectable Vanessa Williams was worth the rental fee alone.

Ironically, Misstress Barbara plays at Helsinki tonight before heading off to Toronto tomorrow.

I remember her when she dj’ed at Fashion Cares (AIDS Benefit) in Toronto at the earlier part of her career. The concert was hosted by KD Lang and Rupaul.

Misstress Barbara is one hot little 29 yr old Italian (with lots of street cred) and tons of experience.

She has her own record label and website (Iturnem.com) and a pilot’s licence.

To use an analogy, Barbara has really taken off in the club scene and we wish her continued success.

This story fascinates me about how a man with so much talent rarely opening his door for visitors could have had so much potential and yet died before anyone could appreciate it with his commentary?

But then, how many other writers, composers, artists and poets are also going home to their private addresses without giving the rest of society a reason to intrude in their lives?

How many people are receiving disability pensions, inheritances or military pensions and quietly isolating themselves from the rest of us, insulating their simple existence behind closed doors because they prefer it that way?

We don’t really have the right to judge the way they live but it seems curious that so many could have had more potential if they had had some support, a good ear from someone to listen to them and confidence to come out in the susnshine more often to show their faces.

Thanks for the complimentary pass Express.

Trying to organize my thoughts for a review of The Jacket.

First off, it was not what I expected. The Bear’s Stephanie Egan prefaced the film before the lights went down saying that it was a type of romantic comedy. (??) Was I in the right theatre, I wondered?

I was shocked that Director John Maybury stole real footage from the Iraqi War 04 showing prisoners of war absolutely ripped apart by machine gun fire (although the scene was blurred deliberately but with full sound) as videotaped by a camera onboard a US Helicopter with Infrared Technology. You may remember the sight~it was absolutely disgusting.

This is how The Jacket began. One lengthy scene described as Iraq in the early 1990’s as part of Desert Storm.

Brody plays a soldier who has feelings for a young Iraqi boy that happens to walk towards him and shoots Brody (sending him to the military infirmary).

The rest of the film is a mish-mash of mixed up scenes, crappy casting and very shitty dialogue that takes you on a journey that you really want to end sooner than later.

The chemistry between Brody, Kris Kristofferson (looking so old these days) and Kiera Knightly is like watching some of your relatives that really don’t blend well be forced to sit together for way too long. Brody’s emotional journey as a war vet does not lend any credence to how American soldiers suffering from post-war-traumatic syndrome are treated.

They are rarely counselled when they can’t continue as soldiers and in Brody’s case, sent off to mental hospitals and used as guinea pigs for some sick experiments.

Clearly,the film is a mess that never could be cleaned up and it continues to amaze me how films are allowed to be released that absolutely suck.

Do they not review the capacity for audiences to be well informed and intolerant to watching movies that deprive good actors of better scripts and force movie theatres to put inferior products on the movie market?

What’s wrong with masturbation anyways? Your body produces sperm on a regular basis anyways and guys always talk about “blue balls” when they either aren’t getting any, girlfriend or wife is not showing any interest or she’s out of town.

Now, is there any truth to the “blue balls” theory? I remember in my teens, buddies used to say that if you didn’t get to blow your load that sperm would back up in your system and you ran the risk of your vas deferens or your scrotum possibly exploding because the sperm had nowhere to go.

Many of my friends at the time would go home with a girl so that they would avoid finding out what would happen if they didn’t get the little swimmers out…….funny how these stories get spread around!!!!

The best place to go to take your load off should not be anywhere where anyone else can see you, hear you or in some rare cases smell (!!) you.

I hate the smell of day old sperm~why does it have such a bad smell??????????

The Oscars seemed to be on a low-carb diet this year…no greasy foodlike substance to wipe off your cheek after the show was done.

I was unsure which direction Chris Rock was going with his Fahrenheit 911/Michael Moore/George Bush analogy and it appeared that someone must have given him a sign to move on (from somewhere in the shadows below the stage).

Sean Penn looked like he was in a sour mood when he came onstage-reminded me of the old Penn that almost looked like he was searching for a photographer to sucker-punch.

Jamie Foxx’s acceptance speech was worthwhile. I like seeing actors that are not too big for their new found fame and the Oscars is miles from In Living Color for Jamie.

Interesting to see a film like Sideways that only received nominations because of film critics in the “right” circles who knew what they liked and vaulted the film to the top of the heap, although many have said that the film was allright-if you like wine tasting.

For all the hype that this year’s show would go on indefinitely into the “wee” hours, this show ended almost at the same time as the end of the late local news. Maybe Chris Rock ran out of material? He certainly didn’t bring his A game to the show~almost looking like a color commentator than a host.

I appreciated Morgan Freeman and Clint getting some recognition but felt bad for Scorcese for not getting any hardware.

Maybe the budget was cut or maybe there just wasn’t enough Oscar worthy movies that came out to brag about. There have been so many bad remakes and crap over the past year, that pickings are becoming slimmer every year.

Certainly, this is not reflected in the increasing salaries for our stars to appear in “the movies”~directors need to be choosy.

Now, about Swank’s dress~wasn’t that the J-Lo number for 2005~absolutely gorgeous body and great smile.

Husband Chad Everett~you are a lucky bugger, you are.

Yep. That defines our Prime Minister.

We can’t fault him, can we? He has no integrity towards the needs of the Canadian people because he has misfiring in his brain function and may simply be impaired.

Now, by impaired, I am not referring to the level of Glenfiddich in his blood stream or to his level of consciousness in making advised decisions in the wake of the Tsunami appearance or to the continuing support he extends to the many countries we offer financial or military (hee-hee) support.

We are the Red, White and Blue and we know our National Anthem….We are Canadian.

Paul Martin? IS he Canadian? Or is he Quasi-American looking for a plum job in the Foreign Affairs Department once his term has come to an end in the Prime Minister’s office?

Helping Bush by spending a Billion Dollars to send Canadian troops to Jordan is not a decision that I would have given my approval for. Bush has lost his original “meal-deal” for the Iraqi people when they refused to just lay down and let themselves be occupied.

Occupation is after all, something that Bush himself would not tolerate if it happened in his backyard (or so he says)…and short and long term..anyone associated with Bush’s invasion of Iraq..including Martin will not be perceived as an ally..and that, to me, is more disconcerting than how Martin feels he has helped make a warm place for himself in Canadian political history.

Bush has made so many enemies with the invasion of Iraq, he may want to think twice before blowing up any more bombs in the Middle East…he is robbing his country blind and putting them into irreversible debt and will be responsible for the next depression singlehandedly.

Paul,…are you reading this?

Was it just me or was Christina Applegate miscast in this film?

Ok, so Will Ferrell is quite funny in his expanding reportoire or films. There were a few scenes where he made me laugh (cases in point: The Erection scene where he tells everyone to just calm down and get back to work at the office and Applegate {even in the finished scene} can’t stop laughing, or how about the scene where the two are caught together with the bears at the zoo?).

But since Married with Children~I never really thought of Applegate as a comedic actress, she must have been swayed into the co-anchor appearance in this film by an overzealous agent who thought there would be chemistry between she and Ferrell.

Chemistry there is not…..but a good cast is duly noted:Vince Vaughn was pretty funny as the competing anchor at the other tv station and probably would have been enough with her and Ferrell to carry this movie without the need for a “love interest”. I kind of sensed that Luke Wilson and Ben Stiller would creep into this movie at some point and, although very brief, they got a few hundred thousand for a small scene “à la newscaster duelling tv crews” that was kind of corny.

In fact, this wasn’t a bad film for Director Adam McKay for the specific crowd that this appeals to~not much thinking goin’ on but enough laughs to keep it tight.

I won’t be adding it to my collection but it’s worth the rent and the return.

A slightly sweet after taste…..this is Anchorman.

Sylvie may have been short on topics and therefore it is nice to see that she also is an Ottawa Express reader catching up on the latest Savage column too.

But let’s get a few things straight.

I don’t accept some male porno oggler if the downloads are young (EX:6-17 yrs of age) because each one of those girls is not an adult and frankly not of age to be appearing on porn sites showing off their pre-pubescent developing bodies. I take offence and would expect that any wife walking in to this scene, should probably get some legal advice on what her spouse was actually guilty of because I don’t think this is right.

If the young girl is 18+ yrs old and there is a sound point that caveman porn viewer wants to make to justify getting the visual stimulation that helps his manual stimulation of his unit, the argument is his to make to his spouse to keep his marriage/relationship alive.

Women, please do not get uptight about porn. Men are programmed to get visual stimulation by seeing a naked breast, a bit of pubic area or some sex in the raw to keep the blood flow to the heart at a decent capacity. It’s good for their life expectancy.

Relationships are so up and down when it comes to sex that a few porn visits or mags is not the end of the world for a guy to be caught with.

Marco, I agree with you brother…there’s so little time in the lunch hour to chow down on something that you actually take the time to taste.

Might I add as well that after you have kids (the parent cycle of life), there’s pressure just to put a well balanced meal in front of my kids and for a few brief……seconds I look down at their meal and appreciate the delicacies that I have concocted for them before the ketchup and the plum sauce gets pulled out from the fridge by eager pre-pubescent kids unsure of what manners really mean and more concerned with how everything has to take like HEINZ….

I love the European approach to life where the supper is backed up by a few hours later in the evening and families head to the local restaurant to enjoy…and I mean… really enjoy the tastes and the smells coming from the fresh baked breads, the olive oil and garlic to dip the bread, the nice wine that seems endless, the friendly service, the friendship and the fond times I remember from my travels there many years ago where life seemed less complicated and for sure…more relaxed than the fast food nightmare we have created for ourselves in North America.

Everything is so processed these days and I guess we kind of have asked for it by building so many drive thru windows at our local restaurants and a lack of analysis of what our kids are actually putting in their guts with all the preservatives and chemicals that restaurants (especially fast food places) put in their foods.

Fast may be more convenient but I like the approach that is discussed in this refreshingly filling appetite by Maeve Haldane about the novel idea of returning to “slow food”.

Alan Doyle, Sean McCann, Bob Hallett, Murray Foster and Kris MacFarlane are Great Big Sea.

One of the great big secrets that Canada can call their own…from the Rock on the Atlantic Coast.

It is so hard to believe that GBS have already been around for almost a dozen years providing us with music that makes you want to dance and move around. These guys are hard at play while they are hard at work releasing their 7th Album to eager fans.

Their success has transpired into the need to increase the band from 4 original members to 5 with Kris MacFarlane added on percussion, life is good for the “Aha me boys”.

There is a deep history to much of the music that GBS release but all of it is accessible and appealing to a diverse group of listeners. Like The Tragically Hip, there are loyal followers that will travel the wide range of kilometres to see these guys perform live, rarely is anyone disappointed after getting their t-shirts soaked from the 2 hr workout that is the Great Big Sea live experience.

The Passionate Eye is an awesome program on CBC and last week, there was a disturbing documentary from Iran that featured the irresponsible and cruel sexual relations forced upon women by men there who view females as disposable~sleeping with several partners even though they are legally married and women often bringing their kids with them as they turned tricks.

The men would ask women to prove condoms and if not~so sad, sex still took place and everyone was at risk including the spouse who the husband returned home to after he got his rocks off.

Moving the story back to our society~only a fool would take a chance having unprotected sex in any circumstance and HIV infected individuals should be reported if they are actively bedding anyone within the singles (and married) dating folk.

It is disturbing that HIV infected individuals are so careless with wanting to infect others~but I guess in their shoes would anyone of us not have a hate on to pass along a deadly disease to others as a means of getting even?? It’s scary and very sad to hear about (or hear about after it’s too late to give the fuck you just got~back).

1/2 hour of pleasure for a lifetime of disease…not worth it…..

Lucy, there are some disadvantages to dining in restaurants late at night. You are sometimes faced with the post-dinner kitchen staff (who may not have the same enthusiasm as the chef for the dinner crowd) and more likely than not, management quietly slides out of the restaurant once the big crowds have long gone.

I’m not sure why restaurant reviewers (such as this visit to OZ Kafé) like ordering Caesar’s salad?

What the hell is a Caesar salad other than high cal, high carbs and more often than not an overpriced item on the menu? Was there nothing else on the apps menu at Oz Kafé that caught your eye? Mushroom soup?

Do you not challenge your taste buds when you take on a new restaurant for a review?

So many times, I have noticed that restaurant reviewers always play safe when they go out with regular fare instead of trying “signature” dishes on a particular restaurant’s menu to see if they deliver on their promises of uniqueness.

A little note~order your steak medium well and you will not be disappointed. I can’t believe that you ordered rare and the steak was turning up on the sides (that doesn’t sound right) and I would not have hesitated to send it back.

Finally, I don’t understand your comment: “the tolerance for culinary mediocrity seems almost boundless”. Restaurants continue to dish out crap because patrons stay quiet about why they’re unhappy keep things to themselves and don’t return.

This doesn’t give the restaurant a chance to redeem themselves and make improvements that benefit everyone. Believe it or not, restaurant owners and managers care what you think about their food and if someone working there is providing either food or service that is sub-par~it’s only fair that they are informed about it.

Don’t hesitate to send food back,it’s your hard earned money putting the food on the table

Tough teens or are they really as tough as they appear? Kids live what they learn and if they don’t have a good influence in their lives, they will slide towards MTV, NBA or somewhere else to get influenced.

I’m not going to believe for a second Sylvie that the description you give of teens today is the finite conclusion to what life’s all about for this struggling, disaffected and increasingly depressed slice of our population.

As D’Janau describes, there are lots of kids doing fantastic things to make the world a better place. I have met tons of young people that truly leave such a fantastic impression in their wake because it seems they have their shit together so much more than I did when I was their age.

It would be nice for all kids to live in a bubble until they’re old enough to support themselves but you know what?…….Lots of these kids are raising themselves already….their parents have screwed them up, divorcing and remarrying at will, creating blended family environments with half-brothers/half sisters and multiple addresses to call home.

What can parents do?

It’s not any cheaper these days and most couples both have to work to support themselves and their kids. Means that so many are not physically and emotionally available for the basics (Hey Mom/Dad..How was school? ..hug..kiss..) and instead kids have to find comfort from other things and people (and the tough crowd sometimes scoops up vulnerable youth looking for someone to notice them).

Kids forced to grow up quck~skip right through the adolescent years. I wish drugs weren’t so easily available to kids and sex not seen so much as a commodity between kids~you can only lose your virginity once after all.

I guess the question on my mind would be: How many of these tough on the exterior looking kids only use the rough language to try to get respect and keep people at their distance as they go home to the suburbs to finish their homework without any parental contact

~Sad~

I think I had some expectations about this movie……unsure if they were high though.

The Wayans…that totally screwed up/oddball family that helped give Jim Carrey his tv debut all those years ago come out with a film that makes the FBI look like they hired rejects from CSIS.

The film starts out with a foiled cocaine arrest where large piles of white substance looking and smelling like ice cream….are..duh..really tubs of ice cream and the first guys they arrest are…you guessed it, really ice cream salesmen. This scene is the first one where we get a hint that undercover may mean (with makeup).

Not sure what significance this scene plays in the movie other than to show that they are bumbling idiots on the verge of losing great (read:$30,000 net/yr) jobs with the FBI?

This film really could have easily been a 3 minute skit on Mad TV or worse yet, a half hour special by the Wayan brothers.

The story for White Chicks was conceived one day when one of the brothers was leafing through a fashion mag and decided that it would be cool to make a movie about black males becoming white females (kind of a cross-double cross).

The idea conceived over a bag of chips could have easily been thrown out as a bad idea but you see…the Wayans are becoming a bigger part of the industry these days and have more money to piss away.

So, big brother Keenan Ivory stepped in with his producer’s chair and may have felt that he had a hit on his hands but sadly, the film (apart from a few laughs) is borderline Scary/Stupid Movie 4.

Should have left the DVD on the shelf at the store.

~~Between renting this film or another to rent~rent something else.~unless there’s truly nothing else there.

This article reminded me (with the Make Poverty History Campaign) of all the phone calls we get every day from all kinds of places asking us for money. Where does it all end?

Now, turning to a larger scale, campaigns that request federal aid from our governments appear to be showing up in increasing numbers. Paul Martin will be asked for assistance for many causes and it becomes difficult to decide who gets priority? (Just like deciding which organization you want to give your own money to each year).

Every cause is probably worthy in it’s own right. It may be easy for us to drop a loonie in this coffer and a twonie in that donation box, but what priorities as Canadians do we want our money to go towards? Lord knows~we pay enough taxes every day.

I guess we were tricked into thinking that the PM was secretly helping to get U2 to add a show here in Ottawa (as a local radio station has been promoting here lately),

Paul~ Bono was asking you for seed money~ he didn’t say U2 need money (they have porkbarrels full of cash already). Oh…..so that’s why Paul looked so disappointed as Bono flew off emptyhanded.

Obviously, the Feds were also poorly advised on the merits of removing the ban on “terminator” seeds as well…..difficult to see long and short term effects of political decisions when you’re so many miles away from the country that you’ve just directly impacted by a short-sighted decision.

The PM should hold a public consultation to help him decide if taxpayers want to send more money overseas or if (as others have commented), we may be better putting the “excess” dollars towards problems we have within our own borders that need to be helped first??

I lost the point of the article John when you took your promenade down Beethoven Drive speculating that he may have been black~oh,brother. Who gives….?

Few if anybody cares what Hitler thought about great composers. Come on, how stable was he in his last days writing from his bunker? The Nazis quarelled with anyone who didn’t appear to agree with the Fuhrer….most of his henchmen were saving their own butts by agreeing to generally…anything..that meant that they hoped the increasing levels of hatred didn’t stop on them.

And a group of leaders (if you can use the term loosely) driving jews into extinction were always looking for new people to hate..let’s throw in a few talented composers or writers or educated men of their time to blame their messed up view of socialism.

“Not necessarily an afro, but hair that is kinky nonetheless.” Like Christina Aguilera’s hair?

She being the former mouskateer and current gyrating white girl with the big black voice!!

This is all nonsense to me. Beethoven was an incredibly talented musical composer of his time.

His music will forever permeate the speakers at large department store elevators (now turned into Muzak) and whatever the color of his skin, it is an absolute pleasure to listen to his sweet sounds because : “music is music any color you is”.

On small scales, micro-publishers exist because of the considerable expense in being published by large name companies.

Authors may not care if their work is read by 10 people or 10,000 people but what it comes down to I guess if they want to make money out of it or simply enjoy writing or sharing their opinion with others as a means of a hobby to pass the time.

Ottawa has lots of talent in the literary field. The availability of publishing resources allows for circulation to take place of lesser known authors to practice their craft and develop their talents.

I wonder if some of this thinking was missing when the decision was made recently to put The Dominion out of business (a publication that could be classified as micro-published and intended to help put a different face on our homeless population as they would give out a copy in exchange for a small donation to passersby?).

This city reeks of too many politics but should support positive endeavors like the article above talks about and reinstate the Dominion for what it’s great purposes intended to do.

This was one of the things I really enjoyed about Vanier when I used to work on Montreal Road~~variety,variety,variety.

You could literally go from one block to another and entertain your taste buds with Mexican, French, Italian, Mediterranean foods and then back to some fresh french fries or steamed ‘ot dog with some salade au chou thrown in for good measure.

Vanier is very cosmopolitan with it’s Bingo crowd mixed in with Du Barry chinese buffet chowing down on some MSG influenced chicken balls next to places serving traditional breakfast fare well into the luch hour. Go a little further and you’ll be able to dine at the one of the few IHOPs in town and serve yourself some pancakes and strong coffee. Go down McArthur after a few rounds of bowling, check out Louis for some pizza served with their trademark pizza sauce signature on top.

El Porton Mexicana does not look out of place then for diners looking for authentic fare. I have occasion to still make some return trips to Vanier and Montreal Road and am looking for some new players to check out for a good meal. Putting their menu to the test against the big names like Mexicali Rosa’s and Lone Star will probably not be fair. Authentic Mexican food is prepared with care and attention to detail~instead of mass quantities like the other better known tortilla and enchillada providers in town.

Vanier is alive and well and as long as the customers are willing to try new things, El Porton Mexicana should do ok. I look forward to trying to try the pollo à la pablana and a few other delicacies on the menu.

Funny how you can live in Ottawa all your life and still get excited when a new place opens up like Cottage and a Kitchen and you get excited ’cause you want to try it out.

There is lots of disposable income at lunchtime and it’s always nice to find reliable,affordable and great tasting places to eat. It feels good to recommend a place that time and time and again serves up great food. I hope that Cottage and a Kitchen meets this criteria. I like the idea of a Muskoga inspired theme and mom and pop atmosphere.

This was one of the reasons that I like Olga’s on Bank Street (right beside the Works where Bumpers used to be) so much. Fresh sandwiches, hearty soup and a lineup that proves that it is a hit for Glebites. Olga is the granny character who still helps out her son who runs the place and oversees the comings and goings of Olga’s customers making you feel like a part of the place. When she was sick several years ago, cards and flowers came in from the customers concerned that she would be ok.

I will check out Cottage and a Kitchen because it’s close to work and sounds like a cross between Olga’s and Second Cup. Curious minds with hungry stomachs looking for a good meal should check out new places in Ottawa and support local business.

A shattered state of mental health is at the heart of the story behind the new film The Assassination of Richard Nixon.

Sean Penn (long removed from his days of playing Madonna’s bad boy) has evolved into the kind of actor Hollywood really needs. Diverse, controvertial and able to tackle characters in his films that showcase otherwise insignificant tales of our past with clarity and thoughfulness.

Sam Bicke was no different than many of the people that we walk by every day, ride the buses with and share restaurants and movie theatres with.

He had failed on so many levels in his personal life, likely was suffering in silence with mental illness that took over all of his thoughts and quietly crept into his psyche controlling all of his otherwise “normal” thought patterns with whispers of conspiracy, lies and corruption that centered on the government proliferation of Bicke’s 70’s society.

But what makes his story so different from any other? This is an interesting question because Bicke’s interpretation of what was ailing the government and his solution to the problems along with his personal conviction to put an end to the problems of the day by taking things into his own hands leads credence to the lack of care he was so desperately crying out for.

His wife and kids probably never really understood what had transpired from the decent man that she had married to the nervous, mumbling artifact that he had become.

But with mental illness, things aren’t supposed to make sense to others. Only the person who is suffering truly understands the pain they are living with and often efforts to make logic only causes them to fall deeper into despair and aggravation.

Could another Sam Bicke materialize in present day society? Yes~many people in our society currently suffer in the same ways that Bicke did and the solution is not waiting until they carry out the acts they often talk about but provide them with care and meds to stabilize and support them.

Quietly, behind the postcard that depicts Haitian society, Canadians occupy key positions in the justice portfolio overlooking the post-Aristide streets and neighbourhoods. In fact, the second highest official with CIDA has been there for more than 4 years. What are we ensuring by our presence there? Over 700 political prisoners are currently detained in Haiti.

Our Prime Minister claims there are no political prisoners in Haiti. What news sources is he relying on?

Quietly, we provide funding to Haiti to help them maintain a “human rights” body that clearly is not maintaining it’s mandate very well. If we are part of a Haitian Ministry (Justice) that could be pointed out to be associated with many random killings by the Haitian National Police, are we not guilty by association for our involvement in a country that may still be in control by Aristide from his digs in South Africa?

To mixed reviews, the general satisfaction level of the currently elected government may be a timebomb about to go off. Elections are tantamount to settling some of the distrust that is beginning to make the rounds of the local rumours.

Tit for tat random killings are not receiving the coverage globally that needs to be publicized so that we truly understand the scope of what is transpiring in Haiti.

The fact that Haitian journalist Abdias Jean was killed by police was a response killing to his witnessing the police slaughter of 3 people and he paid a price because he would not have hesitated to write about it. Instead, he was killed before he could even write one sentence about the senselessness of what he saw.

The University of Miami report outlines the brutality that existed before Aristide and continues to this day in a fragile, beaten-up society where peace appears to be miles from nowhere and human rights troublingly shattered by oppression and military rule.

What is Canada’s role? Stop playing into the violence and put an end to the political regime.

The trap that has put some on the street links to the quality of their upbringing and the type of childhood they had.

Many of our young homeless are running from abuse, neglect, poverty and other crappy existences they had in their familial home.

It’s not easy to say why anyone becomes homeless but usually at the heart of the matter is a very poor foundation interacting with efforts to develop a “Who Am I” struggle for self-identity and independance that either happens at home or pushes them out on the streets when resolution couldn’t be found.

Why does poverty exist in Canada?

Some equate homelessness/transient life with showing the world that you are rebelling against certain things like how much you hate your father, how you were tired of your drunken mother yelling at you or that your older sibling was bringing home dope dealers.

Partly, the reason why so many people are homeless is because the Province is out of touch with their need with petty welfare payments,housing costs are high and the employment resources to sit down with the unemployed and actually have a tete-a-tete are not abundant enough.

What kinds of skills employers are looking for,offer training on how applicants should conduct themselves during job interviews from good hygiene practices to language/communication skills,talk about going back to school and what courses to take along with grant money to help them get there, encourage/enforce counselling programs enabling the homeless and unemployed to deal with deep rooted sentiment towards childhood trauma and abuse and gear programs to hands up instead of hand outs when helping others.

Check out an intereresting project in Toronto working with youth on the street:

Eva’s Initiative~through HRDC (on the Web)

(Very awesome program they have created, that teaches youth all kinds of skills and many are working full time in the trades industries)

We all have a share in finding solutions to our homeless problem.

Double Jeopardy is a delight to watch because the film will have you guessing until the very end.

Originally, Jodie Foster had been cast to play the lead but had to back out when she became pregnant. Foster would have added a much harder edge to the newly released from prison sotryline but I think both actresses are phenomenal (although Ashley is gorgeous).

I thought Director Bruce Beresford did a commendable job giving Libby Parsons (Ashley Judd) just enough of an edge to make her character believable and introduced good chemistry between her and Travis Lehman (Tommy Lee Jones).

~~this was the film he made before the absolutely aweful Space Cowboys~~.

Bruce Greenwood plays Libby’s husband who is a royal shit disturber that had me yelling at him (or at least the tv set I was watching). Don’t treat my honey Ashley like that, Bruce.

The movie is based on a law called Double Jeopardy that says that if you are charged with murder (in this case Parsons’ husband) and then you are able to prove that he is actually alive and that you were framed, if you kill him again (this time for real), you can’t be charged again the second time around. Parsons goes on a cat and mouse hunt to find that her lying,cheating husband is really still alive and she took the fall for him because he wanted her out of the way.

Oh Joy..Oh Bliss….Spring is coming so soon and when I start to read articles about gardening….Hoe..Hoe..Hoe….I’m buying fertilizer and stocking up on Black Earth……….

I can’t weed (wait) for the sun to shine and brighten my day. I also want to see my lovely green grass come back to life and pull the start cord on my lawnmower so I can make the rounds on the property.

Who has the best flowers, who has the first rose to come up breaking through the soil like a kid stretching out of bed in the morning?

When will those sweet sounding birds make their return to the birdhouse and munch and crunch on the seeds I have waiting for them?

But, it would be a good idea to get a good manicure to make sure that your green thumb is nice and smooth before you get dirt under your nails and grass on your knees for another year……………………

We’re going to see some parting of the political waves by the time the vote comes down on same-sex legislation. MP’s will clash with each other as they are forced to go to bat or against the same bat in this divisible topic.

What remains to be seen is how our House Of Commons really feels about their ridings’ views and if they go with their party’s message or against it?

How many days a year do MP’s really work for us representing our needs and rights and working for the good of our society’s future.

This whole mess has been clouded by the war in Iraq, the Tsunami storm, the Sponsorship Scandal and the Tuition Rae Revelations so does this mean that we are able to focus on putting our priorities straight now and getting our government to table the new definition of “family”, “marriage” and “relationship”??

Time will tell………..

I had heard that Swingers Clubs were on the rise lately as couples decided that you only live once and sometimes exploring what you don’t have in your relationship brings appreciation when you get back into your lover’s arms for what you do have.

Every year at the Hedomism parties in the Carribean, you take risks by crossing over all kinds of moral lines with alcohol helping inhibitions lower levels of nervousness.

Swinger clubs may appear to be a little riskier because of the legality of the operation plus you don’t necessarily want your face in the paper while having coffee at the local Tim Horton’s because of a police bust.

I don’t know if gentleman’s clubs are becoming less popular and that swinger’s clubs and speed dating parties gaining popularity but I sense that people are becoming slightly more desperate for a pieve of lovin’ and the regular channels for meeting people (lavalife etc..) are starting to dry up.

But as they say~~there’s always another fish coming down the channel…..??…or was that there’s more fish where that came from….oh hell…..I can’t even remember what they say anymore……..lol………

It just goes to show you that higher education (and Dr. Margot Somerville pursues education like some people pursue body massage or unconditional love) does not equate to higher levels of common sense and popular opinion.

How can you not discriminate when you put a value judgement on same-sex marriage that clearly identifies that you are fighting against it?

I understand that couples are together to pro-create and carry on generations of genetic symbiosis as a means of ensuring the species but there are all kinds of relationships in this big blue world of ours.

Somerville underestimates the value and quality of other types of relationships because she wants to base her theories on normal relationships (from her perspective).

However, what is the outcome of a society where gender tolerance and marriage definition includes compositions made up of variables on the theme? Are there immediate dangers?

So what if a man and a man find true love and adopt (rescuing a child from a war ravaged country and raising him up to be one of our next great leaders)?

Or a woman and woman go through the process of in-vitro fertilization producing a beautiful baby who becomes our next great singer or dancer?

The products of our collective society will arise from influences from many walks of life, cultural disparacies and genetic fluctuations that counter and challenge what we’ve always held to be the only methodology acceptable.

Move forward Dr Somerville from the isolating theories that you propose and embrace change.

In a perfect world, man would always be with a woman and marriage would be self-fulfilling for you to behold.

This world is far from perfect and differences in how people live should not be perceived as corruption to the norm, only slight adjustments to how people have learned to cope and find happiness in this society that frequently says one thing and does completely the opposite.

So, some dude is sitting in an office somewhere in Vancouver smoking a joint and he starts thinking about his girlfriend and then…….boom….a light goes off in his head that the main problem he has found is that while giving up his search for her G SPOT, he notices that she’s rather dry and raw when they are lovemaking.

But wait, the spokesperson for O’My is a female by the name of Jennifer DeTracey. What a sweetie. She is available for any question pertaining to where to spray, how many swooshes to get her to the moon and what role men have now after the fruity spray application has been delivered?

Weak foreplay techniques aside, is this product an evolution for men to help sex go to the next level by using a handy-dandy lubricating candy?

I might decide to go for the Astroglide variety for my relationships because I prefer to eat my fruit in a bowl.

Funny that there are so many perfumes out there that are also of the fruity variety.

But I prefer to use as much natural stuff in the bedroom because the sheets don’t get stained as much with artificial dyes etc….this might be a good product to try out.

Valentines Day is right around the corner…………………

And out comes

I think that Gilles Marchildon executive director of EGALE Canada hits the nail right on the head when he says: “Marriage is a word with social weight and meaning. It means you are in a committed long-term relationship, usually with an element of exclusivity. Those couples, gay and straight, that want to be part of it should have the right to”.

Other than the above, what else constitutes a marriage that is given the same weight and value driven principles as that? Is it better to stay in a tradional marriage where you bicker over the stupidest things all day and ignore your kids because your both too busy slamming doors? Same sex partners offer their children most times double the love, double the understanding and as long as the children are given some aside conversation about who is Mommy-Mommy and why Daddy is not in the picture or vice-versa, what’s the harm?

Politicians need to get with the times and realize that our society is changing and need to make adjustments to their own value based principles. It’s one thing to hold an opinion steadfast for thirty years but if your view of the world hasn’t been modified by two cups of reality, whose needs are you meeting?

There may come a time when new government laws and legislation will not be affected by gender because it well could become insignificant and more commonplace.

For now,same sex groups will need to persevere and like delivering a baby(really push) to get their identities and rights recognized.

I personally would like to see the gradual elimination of terms like “~~queer,gay,dyke,fag,lesbo etc~~” because they are crude and demeaning.

Can we not come up with healthier terms to describe members of our society?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ironically, many people who were married in traditional marriages left their spouses because of violence,abuse,reduced sexual stimulus or mental health.

In true terms, is it not better for someone to be happy in the first place and care less about gender choice?

Mary Wanna Smoke A Doobie????

~~~”Several new companies are expected to apply for this contract, and political observers are expecting an Ontario applicant to get it.”~~~~~

I had a visual there of the typical interview that might be held with the companies that will be applying for the right to provide Health Canada with legal marijuana:

Health Canada: “Next”.

Applicant: “Yes, I would like to supply you with weed.”

Health Canada: “And is your grow-op in full compliance with Federal Regulations and can you provide 150% more next year?’

Applicant: “Yes, Ma’am. Currently, we have purchased two townhomes in Barrhaven that we have installed all of our equipment in that can yield the total required at the beginning of the contract agreement. Our plan is to add a further three townhomes that we will transform into grow-ops to meet the increased need that you are suggesting later this year.”

Health Canada: “Very well then. Have you brought the ten samples of the marijuana cigarettes that we can view and inspect…at a date..later…and certainly before we can accept your proposal here to verify quality of the…grass..I mean marijuana product..and that our…scientists..yes..the scientists can verify the hallucinatory properties of the said drugs..I mean (salivating a little)..to verify that they pass our strict guidelines for consumption and drug…..worthiness….. Thank you, we’ll be in contact to notify you if you are the successful applicant.”

Health Canada: “Next Applicant”

(Looking at the long line of companies interested in supplying marijuana to Health Canada) (In subtle whisper to her colleague)

“You know Charlie, this was a great idea we had to build up our reserves with good pot”.

My astrology is so deep this week Rob. I am so excited that with Valentine’s Day right around the corner, there is recommendations for more loving and caring that I should be extolling to my loved one. Thanks for the words of support for the expressionless, emotionless goat that I am normally supposed to be for the other 51 weeks of the year.

“More boldness and daring to the part of your life where intimacy is of crucial importance”.

~~I will take two showers before any intimacy and dammit wear that imported after shave anyways even though she says I smell too musky. (Check)

“Take to heart the idea that loving another human being is an epic, heroic, monumental enterprise”.

~~I will get my Superman costume with the cup protection pocket and fly though the air coming to land on the bed with only a slightly wonky right knee and lift my sweetie above my head screaming like a banshee. (Check)

“Write down this quote from poet Delmore Schwartz and carry it with you for the next 14 days: Love is the most difficult and dangerous form of courage. Courage is the most desperate, admirable, and noble kind of love”.

~~Might I add, that with children in the marriage, love and especially intimacy are the most difficult things to find time to do after all, we are not superhuman.

Why has same sex legislation taken so long to go through the House of Commons? Think about who is making the decision? Mostly conservative 55+ yr olds whose closest experience in a same sex relationship was when their feet were touched by the guy shining their shoes down in the Market. (slight turn-on followed by thoughts on where they were going for lunch and who would pay the tab).

Times have changed in society’s definitions of a lot of things (including relationships) and we need to move past our own feelings to allow same sex rules to be introduced. Maybe, at some point in the future, society will have changed again and same sex issues will be replaced with other more pressing needs (robot intermarriage, alien surrogate parents or sexual organ replacement surgery and optional upgrades that are covered through our Health Care Program).

Whatever turns the crank of one person is not going to be the magic solution for others. But what is really interesting in same sex couples is that many of them were married to the opposite gender but suffered violence, abuse, loss of intimacy or mental health issues that propelled them to seek refuge and salvation through a same sex partnership. So, what does that represent for conservative thinkers? Some of these folks were married by the same rules they argue are the basis of a definition of marriage and then made changes sometimes out of safety but wanted to maintain a relationship~~why punish them further??

Svend Robinson (the jewellery shopper) must have had lots of criticism within his peer group for their ignorance and lack of understanding of cultural values when he decided to come out of his pastel coloured closet but he has helped push tolerance in the right direction.

Move Same Sex Legislation Forward…………

Enki Bilal is on his cinematic journey that will lead to a certain degree of success but has not reached the $$ point yet. He took certain risks coming to North America and continued to take risks releasing movies like Bunker Palace and Tykho Man.

So what if Bilal hasn’t achieved the top of the Fortune 500 Success Pyramid~~~~~

Does it really matter?

He is a trailblazer and through him, other less risky directors learn what new innovations look like onscreen (without having to spend a red cent of their own money).

Directors like Enki Bilal are important because they are willing to take chances and look back on their film evolutions and decide what else they would like to conquer.

Hollywood fame and glamour is all relative. If Michael Moore did documentaries on investigating laminate flooring, would people really care?

Bilal will eventually hit on something more mainstream (if Immortal is not the crowninh jewel career-wise) but doesn’t appear to be in a hurry as he continues to explore new territory.

And that is fine with me…

Who gave Bob Rae so much influence in this whole tuition fiasco?

Dabbling Dalton sent our former Premier to meet with the stakeholderes in our sacred educational institutions to held shape the future.

Doesn’t it sound like the future is rather bleak if you listen to Rae’s analogy?

Where was Bob Rae dining when he decided that $35,000/yr for a student is well off these days (as he paid his $200 tab)?

Was he really considering real life scenarios when the cut off point was made for who gets grants and who gets loans?

And thanks for allowing parents of students to be afforded “special loans” if they couldn’t afford minimum parental financial contribution to their children’s education. Nice touch BOB.

Most Ontarians believe tuition is too high. The people who voted the government in have a say and they should listen to us.

The new $1.3 Billion that Rae announced for the post-secondary facilities is the smoke and mirrors behind a proposed increase of the average tuition by about $1000 per student by 2007. A chunk of the funding will come from higher tuition (clever thinking!!).

The other subtle rattle of the tuition cage that Rae has opened the door for is to introduce privatized loan funding which would mean that loans would begin accumulating interest charges as soon as your signature is dry on your loan doc. No interest relief and no government interest floating period. Think about that over a 4-5 year period.

In all of this mess, there are so many students out of work with high loans with their degree in their pocket and banks with long lists of 20 something creditors.

The government has an obligation to provide minimum grant subsidies to enable students to attend post-secondary without the clanging armour on their ankles when they graduate.

Governments reap huge rewards through an educated workforce and should be more accountable to making all efforts to increase who can afford to attend and how much they owe when they’re done.