King Arthur Movie Tristan

Dear GOD, I want to thank You for what you have already done.
Believe it or not, all the good things you've been running after, they will start to run after you now .
I am not going to wait until I see results or receive rewards, I am thanking you right now
I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better, I am thanking you right now
I am not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they stop talking about me, I am thanking you right now.
I am not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears, i am thanking you right now.
I am not going to wait until my financial situation improves, I am going to thank you right now.
I am not going to wait until the children are asleep and the house is quiet, I am going to thank you right now.
I am not going to wait until I get promoted at work or until I get the job, I am going to thank you right now.
I am not going to wait until I understand every experience in my life that has caused me pain or grief, I am going to thank you right now.
I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier or the challenges are removed. I am thanking you right now.
I am thanking you because I am alive.
I am thanking you because I made it through the day's difficulties.
I am thanking you because I have walked around the obstacles. I am thanking you because I have the ability and the opportunity to do moreand do better.
I'm thanking you because FATHER, YOU haven't given up on me. God is just so good, and he's good all the time.
This morning i knocked at Heavens door, God asked me... My CHILD...what can I do for you?" and I said "Daddy please protect and bless the one reading this message.God smiled and answered .....
"request granted"

While Stephan Dion prattles about "The hollowing out of Corporate Canada," the retail music sector is about to get a severe stylus-holing out as Sam The Record Man is set to close the flagship Young Street store in Toronto.

This is news that truly saddens me, as Sam's Young Street is the best CD store, with the greatest inventory that I know of except for the Virgin mega-store in Times Square.

Periodically the Lady Hespeler will decide "Lets go to Toronto and shop!" I always agree, only because I can kill and hour or two, with ease, in Sam's. None of the other stores even come close to the selection of Sam's, especially their classical music department. I will miss those trips downtown, but I can't imagine what would drag me down there now.

LIFE AFTER DEATH : "DO YOU BELIEVE IN LIFE AFTER DEATH?" THE BOSS ASKED ONE OF HIS EMPLOYEES. "YES, SIR," THE NEW EMPLOYEE REPLIED. "WELL, THEN, THAT MAKES EVERYTHING JUST FINE," THE BOSS WENT ON. "AFTER YOU LEFT EARLY YESTERDAY TO GO TO YOUR GRANDMOTHER'S FUNERAL, SHE STOPPED IN TO SEE YOU! *************************************************************
PALM SUNDAY: IT WAS PALM SUNDAY AND, BECAUSE OF A SORE THROAT, FIVE-YEAR-OLD JOHNNY STAYED HOME FROM CHURCH WITH A SITTER. WHEN THE FAMILY RETURNED HOME, THEY WERE CARRYING SEVERAL PALM BRANCHES. THE BOY ASKED WHAT THEY WERE FOR. "PEOPLE HELD THEM OVER JESUS' HEAD AS HE WALKED BY." "WOULDN'T YOU KNOW IT," THE BOY FUMED, "THE ONE SUNDAY I DON'T GO, HE SHOWS UP!"
*************************************************************
CHILDREN'S SERMON: ONE EASTER SUNDAY MORNING AS THE MINISTER WAS PREACHING THE CHILDREN'S SERMON, HE REACHED INTO HIS BAG OF PROPS AND PULLED OUT AN EGG. HE POINTED AT THE EGG AND ASKED THE CHILDREN, "WHAT'S IN HERE?" "I KNOW!" A LITTLE BOY EXCLAIMED. "PANTYHOSE!! "
*************************************************************
SUPPORT A FAMILY : THE PROSPECTIVE FATHER-IN-LAW ASKED, "YOUNG MAN, CAN YOU SUPPORT A FAMILY?" THE SURPRISED GROOM-TO-BE REPLIED, "WELL, NO. I WAS JUST PLANNING TO SUPPORT YOUR DAUGHTER. THE REST OF YOU WILL HAVE TO FEND FOR YOURSELVES."
*************************************************************
FIRST TIME USHERS ! : A LITTLE BOY IN CHURCH FOR THE FIRST TIME WATCHED AS THE USHERS PASSED AROUND THE OFFERING PLATES. WHEN THEY CAME NEAR HIS PEW, THE BOY SAID LOUDLY, "DON'T PAY FOR ME DADDY. I'M UNDER FIVE."
*************************************************************
PRAYERS : THE SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER ASKED, "NOW, JOHNNY, TELL ME, DO YOU SAY PRAYERS BEFORE EATING?" "NO SIR," HE REPLIED, "WE DON'T HAVE TO, MY MOM IS A GOOD COOK!"
*************************************************************
CLIMB THE WALLS : "OH, I SURE AM HAPPY TO SEE YOU," THE LITTLE BOY SAID TO HIS GRANDMOTHER ON HIS MOTHER'S SIDE. "NOW MAYBE DADDY WILL DO THE TRICK HE HAS BEEN PROMISING US." THE GRANDMOTHER WAS CURIOUS. "WHAT TRICK IS THAT?" SHE ASKED. "I HEARD HIM TELL MOMMY THAT HE WOULD CLIMB THE WALLS IF YOU CAME TO VISIT," THE LITTLE BOY ANSWERED.
*************************************************************
THE MOOD RING: MY HUSBAND BOUGHT ME A MOOD RING THE OTHER DAY. WHEN I'M IN A GOOD MOOD IT TURNS GREEN. WHEN I'M IN A BAD MOOD, IT LEAVES A RED MARK ON HIS FOREHEAD.
*************************************************************
THE WATER PISTOL: WHEN MY THREE-YEAR-OLD SON OPENED THE BIRTHDAY GIFT FROM HIS GRANDMOTHER, HE DISCOVERED A WATER PISTOL.. HE SQUEALED WITH DELIGHT AND HEADED FOR THE NEAREST SINK. I WAS NOT SO PLEASED. I TURNED TO MOM AND SAID, "I'M SURPRISED AT YOU. DON'T YOU REMEMBER HOW WE USED TO DRIVE YOU CRAZY WITH WATER GUNS?" MOM SMILED AND THEN REPLIED.... "I REMEMBER!!"
*************************************************************
A new teacher was trying to make use of her psychology courses. She started her class by saying, "Everyone who thinks they're stupid, stand up!" After a few seconds, Little Davie stood up. The teacher said, "Do you think you're stupid, Little Davie ?" "No, ma'am, but I hate to see you standing there all by yourself!"
*************************************************************
Little Davie watched, fascinated, as his mother smoothed cold cream on her face. "Why do you do that, mommy?" he asked. "To make myself beautiful," said his mother, who then began removing the cream with a tissue. "What's the matter?" asked Little Davie. "Giving up?" *************************************************************
GRANDMA'S AGE: LITTLE JOHNNY ASKED HIS GRANDMA! HOW OLD SHE WAS. GRANDMA ANSWERED, "39 AND HOLDING." JOHNNY THOUGHT FOR A MOMENT, AND THEN SAID, "AND HOW OLD WOULD YOU BE IF YOU LET GO?"

Follow the instructions and stand back! You've got to see this. It's incredible! First look and see the whale under the water. Keep your cursor out of the picture until you see the whale. Then move your mouse cursor onto the picture, but stand back, you might get wet. (It's like 3D!) You have to left click on the whale.

Click here: World's Most Dangerous Creature

so please send this message to someone you think fits this description. Please do not send it back to me as I have already received it from another International, Very Good Looking, Damn Smart Woman! And remember this motto to live by: Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, wine in the other, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!" Have a wonderful day ! To the Girls !!

Today's Sun has an article by Tom Harris and Dr. Tim Ball called Prove it! that challenges an assumption that's become near and dear to my heart: compact fluorescent light bulbs are better for the environment than incandescent:

Prove it! That's how we must respond whenever governments ban established products to "save the planet." If politicians can't validate their schemes with comprehensive and unbiased scientific studies then they should stop telling us how to live our lives.

Take the recently announced ban on incandescent light bulbs. The federal government's "Action on Climate Change and Air Pollution" boasts the ban "will give Canadian consumers real opportunity both to save money on energy and to help clean up our environment." Prove it!

Show us the results of comprehensive life cycle analyses that demonstrate the energy savings accrued when operating a compact fluorescent lamp (CFL) more than compensates for the increased manufacturing and mercury disposal impacts associated with CFLs. Prove to us that the loss of convenience and light quality of the incandescent is off-set by a significant net environmental benefit. Or many Canadians will conclude the move was purely political, designed to look good in the press and trump the NDP who had a private members' bill banning incandescents in the works.

And when studying this, don't forget to take into account the impact of driving your burnt out bulbs to the landfill. The more I read up on CFB's (compact fluorescent bulbs), the dumber the idea of banning them looks.

Instead of handing more regulatory power to the "pimply minions of bureaucracy," any attempt to regulate Canadians lives, whether large scale or in the minutiae like CFBs, ought to require absolute proof of it's necessity, and that the scheme will work as advertised.

More

I just finished reading The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd


It's about a woman in her 40's, Jessie Sullivan, who goes back to her home on Egret Island to care for her sick mother.

Jessie is married to Hugh and has a daughter away at college. While she is caring for her mom, who has cut off one of her own fingers, Jessie is trying to figure out why her mom has done this.
While on Egret Island she meets a monk, Brother Thomas, who hasnt taken his final vows yet. She begins to fall in love with the monk and wonders if she wants to leave her husband.

In the end Jessie finds out a hidden secret from her childhood concerning her fathers death. Which helps answer some questions about her moms strange behavior.


This was a nice read. I really enjoyed it.


I give this one 4 out of 5

David Miller is often found saying just dumb things. If he was right wing he would be eaten alive in the press, by the countries (supposed) comedians &tc. But he's a 'caring' lefty, so he gets away with it.

The latest was last week, after a shooting at a Toronto High School, in which 15-year-old Jordan Manners was killed:

The incident prompted Toronto mayor David Miller to stress the need for stricter gun control. "Handguns have one purpose and that is to kill and it really reinforces what we've been saying for quite a while at the city... We absolutely have to get the guns off the streets. It's going to require some changes to our laws but it has to be done."

Agree or disagree with the sentiment at your leisure. However, it is illegal for a person under 18 to posses a firearm licence in Canada. With the various restrictions in place, that means a person under 18 cannot own a firearm, handgun or otherwise. In effect, if you are under 18 years old, handguns are banned.

Yesterday, police arrested two 17 year old youths in the murder of Jordan Manners:

Toronto police have charged a teenage boy with killing 15-year-old Jordan Manners in a North York high school and say another suspect turned himself in Sunday night.

The youths, both 17-years-old, are facing first-degree murder charges.

Investigators had obtained judicial authorization to temporarily release the name of one teenager, warning that he "should be considered armed and dangerous."

Armed and dangerous, yet legally banned from owning a firearm in Canada. That's what makes David Miller's, and some other politicians, knee jerk reaction so dumb. It solves no problem, not even the principle one of getting David Miller re-elected.

Last week I was driving south along Townline Road here in Cambridge, toward the site of the new RIM Centre, home of the Waterloo Predators (Names are based on pure speculation and is not to be taken as fact; Site location, however, is based on conjecture, and may be treated as such). This section of Townline is a two lane road, yet some guy on a motor bike travelling north was passing in the centre of the road, between cars. Which brings me to one of the funniest stories of the week:

About 40 motorcyclists from across the province held a rally at Queen's Park yesterday calling for stiffer penalties for motorists whose actions put bikers' lives at risk.

"Bikes have a right to share the road and we need to cut down on the carnage," said Brian Burnett, provincial vice-chairman with Bikers Rights Organization Canada. "The province set up new laws to stop street races. We want to see changes to the Highway Traffic Act regarding the usually lax charges laid in regarding tragic collisions with bikes."

The group took part in a Fallen Riders Memorial Awareness Ride and held a ceremony for 67 bikers killed on the road since the late 1960s.

Burnett said as many as 40 bikers can be killed on Ontario roads every year.

Because I'm responsible for clown boy passing cars in the middle of the road. Or that guy last year who was driving on a 410 exit ramp at over 200 KM/ hour.

I have always been amazed that I am not allowed to drive to the grocery store at 40KM/hour, without a seat belt, but these guys can drive 100KM/hour on the highway with, as cousin Eddie would say, "nothing between the ground and my brain but a piece of government [approved] plastic."

With that in mind, they should be careful what they ask for. When Dalton McGuinty sees that 40 bikers a year number, he will be looking to ban bikes; that's how he solves problems. But really, should they be asking for greater protection from drivers until they have done more about the lousy bike riders on the road. They are out there, they are a legion, and anybody who drives regularly sees them everyday in the summer. It's not all of them, certainly not, but it's enough.

But none of that is why the story is so amusing. It's the last line that makes it so:

The biker group also wants the province to strike down the mandatory helmet law.

The Washington Posts Gene Weingarten had a great column, appearing in todays National Post, entitled "Much to Paris Hilton's embarrassment..." (sorry, no link available). It covers phrases not found in google, some of which are hilarious. A googlenot (Weingarten 's phrase, not found on google) is what he calls them:


"Much to Paris Hilton's embarrassment"
"Caviar 'n' taters"
"Next, boil the toast"
"Please accept these underpants as collateral..."
"Hey, this tastes like aardvark"
"Wearing only a codpiece and a sombrero"
and my favourite
"Supercalifragilisticexpialidociousesque"

Look for that last one to make it into my repertoire of lines, and if your at dinner with me, don't be surprised if you hear "Hey, this tastes like aardvark."

I found a few of my own

"fat, ugly Shania Twain"
"he rode his bike up Mt. Everest" (Surprisingly, however, "bicycle up Everest" had a hit, as in "IE6 and Javascript: Slower than me riding a bicycle up Everest.")
"brilliant Jean Charest"
"dolphin in the headlights"
And finally
"Weingartenisms" and, in fairness "Hespelerisms" & "Gardinerisms".

Some have called this dangerous; some have been found to be suicidal after watching. I just laughed till I - well none of your business what happened next - but be forewarned. If you have a delicate nature, this could be dangerous for you: Celine Dion and Anastasia singing AC/DC's You Shook Me (All Night Long)



And this is how it should sound. Interesting that AC?DC sings "knocked me out with those Canadian thighs", and the Canadian sings "American thighs."

From the ridiculous, to the sublime. Mick Jagger, according to director Julien Temple, wrapped a bamboo cage full of bees around his... his... um... weapon of choice, so that the bees would sting it and it would swell up, thus becoming, well... swell. Apparently the Jagger family jewel is in the one or two carat range. The thing is, if "You're so vein" Mick Jagger, who is reputed to have bed thousands, is not satisfied with his, what chance do the rest of have to be satisfied with ours?

It's an interesting week when suddenly Kieth Richards isn't the weird one in the band.

John Wayne was born 100 years ago last weekend. Happy Birthday Duke. (Wonder if the Duke ever questioned his manhood?)

I love this story. Italian consumer groups are pissed at Barbara Streisand because of her ticket prices. In other words the socialists are upset that very vocal socialist Barbara is acting like a capitalist.

Kiera Knightly won a libel suit against British tabloid The Daily Mail about a story that suggested she was to blame for the death of an anorexic teenager and that she had an eating disorder.

Which is nice because it gives me a chance to post a picture of the very nice Ms. Knightly.

Rosie O'Donnell has left the building, and she's taking a beating even from what should be sympathetic observers, like the Huffington Post:

Bullies never like it when the tables are turned, and Rosie was no different...

This fight was not about the war in Iraq (despite Joy Behar's best efforts) — it was 100% about Rosie's nose being out of joint, and about her ability to dish it out but not take it...

It is ego that drove Rosie to quit three weeks before the expiration of her contract, ego that impelled her to pout in non-rhyming free verse on her blog, posting a self-pitying video and affecting a put-upon air... now she's walking three weeks early, because she picked a fight with an easy mark — and lost? Wow. From bully to baby in 0.5 seconds... Even so, she's a professional, or should be — and with three weeks left to go, a professional stays in the hot seat she's been given the freedom all year to create, and sees it through...

If I could say it better myself, I would.

I was sorry to hear that Bobby Ash, better know as Uncle Bobby to kids of my generation, passed away this week in Elliot Lake, Ont. of a heart attack. He was 82. Condolences to his family and friends.

Who said it first: Jim Balsillie will move his new NHL team to Cambridge?

If you guessed At Home in Hespeler, who said, way back in early October of last year,

Jim Balsillie, owner of RIM of Waterloo, is moving the Penguins to Cambridge...

This may sound crazy but... Cambridge is outside the 50 mile boundary from both Toronto and Buffalo, yet about 20 minutes from Hamilton.

give yourself ten points (sorry, no prizes. Who do you think I am, Jim Balsillie?)

Of course, if you don't want to get your poop early, you can always read the CBC:

Waterloo? No rink. Yet. Interestingly, Research in Motion, the company for which Balsillie is the co-chief executive officer, recently bought a large parcel of land - more than 25 acres - in Cambridge. Draw your own conclusions.

It's a funny world when my old jokes are todays news. I laughed all the way home today, as Kitchener's News Talk 570 was running a news person from Townline Road and the 401, walking distance from my computer. I know what blog they finally got around to reading.

Oh, and of course, I still have the architects graphic for what the new Blackberry Arena will look like.

Twenty one things that are important to make sure one does in life...................

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.

TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, theirconversational skills will be as important as any other.

THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all youwant.

FOUR. When you say, "I love you," mean it.

FIVE. When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.

SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.

EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dream. People who don't have dreams don'thave much.

NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the onlyway to live life completely.

TEN. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling, no calling up the past.

ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.

TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.

THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer,smile and ask, "Why do you need to know?"

FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve greatrisk..

FIFTEEN. Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.

SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others;and responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate stepsto correct it.

TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in yourvoice.

TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) have elected a new leader, to replace the ever shrill Leah Casselman. Warren "Smokey" Thomas is a longtime union activist and registered practical nurse from Kingston, and he was elected in April. Regarding the union's activism, here's what he has to say:

"We will not practise partisan politics."

From the North Bay Nugget

Smokey, said he will sit down with provincial leaders to get a feel for each party's platform.

Past performance won't be considered, he said. The primary factor will be the platform each party provides and what each would do for his union.

Holy cow! A sane and rational approach. I offer further suggestions to brother Smokey:

Don't consult each party once, do it always.

Ignore Sid Ryan ("We absolutely oppose the Tories. We know where they took us. I would put it to Smokey that he would find out very quickly where the Tories (will go) because there was no union that suffered more (during the Harris regime) than OPSEU.").
Really Smokey, don't pick fights with any party, not even those big bad mean old Tories. The unions got clobbered by Mike Harris in part because they hated Mike Harris. Harris had nothing to gain playing nice with them, and they made it clear they weren't interested in nice anyway.

Side up with whichever party you can agree with on an issue by issue basis. Support who you want in an election, but don't burn the other bridges, and support them where appropriate.

Remember, your job is looking out for your members, not partisan politics. You have the right idea, now stick with it.

I gave myself to him,

And took himself for pay.

The solemn contract of a life

Was ratified this way.



The wealth might disappoint,

Myself a poorer prove

Than this great purchaser suspect,

The daily own of Love



Depreciate the vision;

But, till the merchant buy,

Still fable, in the isles of spice,

The subtle cargoes lie.



At least, ’t is mutual risk,—

Some found it mutual gain;

Sweet debt of Life,—each night to owe,

Insolvent, every noon.



-Emily Dickinson

something about me challenge



'This challenge will start on August 1st, 2007. To join, you will choose up to 5 books that represent you in some way...'



Heres my list: (this was harder than I thought since I have so many favorites, it's hard to narrow them down)

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: I am a fan of Jane Austens work and this is my favorite books! See how I'm getting all excited just thinking of it...lol I've read this one several times, enjoyed the movie adaptation and highly recommend this book. Elizabeth Bennett and Fitzwilliam Darcy are two of the best written characters of all time.


Yes :o)
I can relate to Elizabeth Bennett's views on love and marriage.

If you like this one, you'll also like Bridget Jones Diary




Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell:
Another one of my all time favorite books and movies. Set in Atlanta during the time of the Civil War this novel is full of romance, drama and courage. Scarlett O'Hara is the true heroine here, you love to hate her. I could relate to her need to survive no matter what.

And no one is more desirable than the handsome Rhett Butler.


'After all, tomorrow is another day'.




The Poinsonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver: I absolutely recommend this book. I cried when I read certain parts.
Missionary Nathan Price, a Baptist preacher, takes his wife and four daughters off to Africa in the 1950's. I could relate to the mother, simply because I am a mother.
They suffer so much and this story is just so amazing. You feel like the characters are real people. I really enjoyed this book.






She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb: I read this one a few times, I discovered it through Oprah's Book club and thank you Oprah for that :) I also discovered author Wally Lamb here. A wonderful book, I could relate to the main character Dolores Price, she battles alot in life and in the end comes out a better person from it. Get your box of tissues ready.









Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1) by J. K. : I am a big HP fan and once you read this book, you will be hooked immediately. I promise! I've already gotten 3 other people hooked on te HP series. About a boy called Harry, he is 'the boy who lived'.
In a world of wizards, little skinny Harry is famous as a survivor of a wizard who tried to kill him and who killed his parents among many others. Harry is left only with a lightning-bolt scar on his forehead as a result of that encounter.

He goes off to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at age 10 and from then on soooooooo much happens. Great stories for kids and adults alike!

Back on April 2nd, Gerry Nicholls offered what he opined to be the best five baseball movies:

• The Natural
• 61*
• The Rookie
• The Sandlot
• For the Love of the Game

Then, for good measure, he threw in a link to Abbot and Costello's who's on first.



I piped in that he missed Bull Durham, and offered a couple of routines to back me up:

And talk about great comedy routines, the meeting on the mound:

Larry: Excuse me, but what the hell's going on out here?
Crash Davis: Well, Nuke's scared because his eyelids are jammed and his old man's here. We need a live... is it a live rooster?
[Jose nods]
Crash Davis: . We need a live rooster to take the curse off Jose's glove and nobody seems to know what to get Millie or Jimmy for their wedding present.
[to the players]
Crash Davis: Is that about right?
[the players nod]
Crash Davis: We're dealing with a lot of shit.
Larry: Okay, well, uh... candlesticks always make a nice gift, and uh, maybe you could find out where she's registered and maybe a place-setting or maybe a silverware pattern. Okay, let's get two! Go get 'em.

This ones not bad either:

Skip: You guys. You lollygag the ball around the infield. You lollygag your way down to first. You lollygag in and out of the dugout. You know what that makes you? Larry!
Larry: Lollygaggers!
Skip: Lollygaggers.

Then yesterday the Toronto Sun ran this quote in a small caption they call Say it Again:

Relax, all right? Don't try to strike everybody out. Strikeouts are boring; besides that, they're fascist. Throw some more ground balls. It's more democratic.

Strikeouts are fascist; ground balls democratic. You would think that would be the kind of line Gerry Nicholls and myself would remember. Considering the nature of our blogs, you would think that this might have been mentioned.

Aand you would think wrong. Consider the record straightened.

Coming from a guy who said this last October, this post may be construed as a big deal

Normally a Leaf fan, I have all but given up on professional hockey. I can't get an emotional attachment to any other team, I can't cheer for team corporate Toronto any more; the game has gone lame, the refs still call the score and the NHL is sucking up to markets that don't give a rats a**, while sticking it to those that do.

However, I was in Ottawa at the beginning of the playoffs, actually like the town, and talked to a number of nice Ottawanians who are big Sens fans. For a Leaf guy, this is like cheering on the Canadiens (won't happen, don't ask - there fans are too big a jerks), but I'm going to do it.

Daniel Alfredson is still a clown, but I kind of like this team anyway - hey every team has their joker - and the family I have in Ottawa would love a Stanley Cup parade to go to. Don't ask me to stay in and watch it on TV, but I'm pulling for the Senators, and fellow Leaf fans who don't like it can stick it in their golf carts and go putt themselves.

And you, on the Ottawa bandwagon, move over I'm jumping on.

We have lost one of our cats, the kitten in fact, who's been featured here before. Both as picture of the day, (and again, and again) as story addition,

and as an international celebrity.

I have put up a small web page dedicated to finding him. If you are in the Hespeler area, please take a peek, just in case you have seen him.

Knitting, a novel by Anne Bartlett.

I finished this one last nite while sitting on my back porch.

It's a good read. The main characters are 2 widows, this story is set in Australia.

Mostly about knitting and I could relate to the main characters when they spoke about works in progess and ripping out those stitches.

It's also nice the way the author describes the yarn and stitches.


The 2 women become friends, though one of them is a bit 'off'.

In the end you find out why.






I give this 4 orcas out of a possible 5













next on the nightstand is:

The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd

so far so good!

It is nearly axiomatic that anything Cuban "President" Fidel Castro says will be false, incorrect, misleading, and downright pernicious... recently, el Presidente's grumblings have been worth hearing, not because they are precisely right, but because they are at least on the right track...

interference by politicians in the market for fuel (added to the massive existing interference) has real-world impact, and Fidel Castro, of all people, understands...

The article is called Ethanol Versus the Poor, and it's worth reading.

Food for thought, from the Green Party of Canada website (emphasis mine: put them together to form one sentence):

We believe that to achieve sustainability, and in order to provide for the needs of present and future generations within the finite resources of the earth, continuing growth in global consumption, population and material inequity must be halted and reversed.

- There's a new "Canadian Military Personnel" website that pays tribute to those "who gave their lives serving Canada," called Fallen Canadians.

- A great article here by David Warren on the just how out of touch those who buy into global warming are. Meanwhile, Greenpeace builds an ark. (h/t Joanne)

- This line, about Canada's aboriginals, caught my eye:

Canada's native Indians are so angry about the government's failure to improve their often-impoverished living conditions...

Governments fail to improve people living conditions, it's a little admitted, always reliable, fact. If you want your life improved, it requires doing it yourself.

- Now this is funny, thanks to Road Hammer for finding it.

Those who read regularly will recognize Opus, the little penguin of comic fame who sometimes dots these pages. While sometimes overtly left wing and political, other times Opus is positively libertarian. Example, this week:

Daimler Chrysler has thrown off the Chrysler moniker, selling off it's American arm to Cerberus Capital Management. (What will they call the new company, Cerberus-Dodge?)

What's been fun the past few months, is listening to analysts, and unionists, saying that whoever buys Chrysler will need the blessing of the unions. Talk about letting Buzz control the buzz. But it was always a ridiculous argument, that somehow the union controlled the destiny of the company. And thus it has been proven, as Magna selling out it's own workers wasn't enough to get it the company:

The offer by Cerberus Capital Management for the Chrysler Group is far superior to other bids including one from Canadian corporate titans Magna International Inc. and Onex Corp., industry sources say.

Chrysler's German parent, DaimlerChrysler Group, announced yesterday that Cerberus, one of the largest private equity firms in the world, is taking an 81 per cent stake of the auto maker's North American operations and its related financial services business for $7.4 billion (U.S.).

"It was substantially higher than the others," said one official familiar with the bids.

Under its offer, Cerberus will also assume Chrysler's long-term liabilities for pension and health-care benefits.

One analyst indicated recently that Magna-Onex was a leading contender and would value Chrysler at about $5 billion, excluding Chrysler Financial.

Billionaire Kirk Kerkorian's Tracinda Corp. publicly bid $4.5 billion in cash but industry watchers said DaimlerChrysler was seeking an offer in the $8 billion to $9 billion range. Other equity funds including Blackstone Group in the U.S. also showed interest in Chrysler.

So it was about the money, not who could get along with the unions? Really? After Daimler spent all those years playing nice with it's workers, now the CAW is surprised it wasn't consulted on a $7B deal?

On the eve of what could be an important day in Chrysler's history, the Canadian Auto Workers' union was disappointed Sunday it had yet to hear from Cerberus Capital Management LP, which recently emerged as the likely winning bidder to buy Chrysler Group from DaimlerChrysler AG.

The New York-based private-equity firm has not approached the CAW, said Local 444 President Ken Lewenza, expressing his disappointment over reports that Chrysler's fate could be sealed today.

"(Cerberus) has never, ever talked to the CAW," Lewenza said. "All I know is what I've seen and heard in the media, but I would be very disappointed if an equity firm came in and took over."

The United Auto Workers union in the U.S. and CAW have objected to Chrysler's sale to a private-equity firm, saying they fear such a buyer would try to return the company to profit by wringing savings from labour.

"Whoever buys Chrysler is going to have to respect our collective bargaining agreement," CAW president Buzz Hargrove said.

UAW spokesman Roger Kerson couldn't be reached for comment.

Lewenza said he was not surprised by Cerberus' sudden move into the spotlight.

"By hiring (former Chrysler Chief Operating Officer) Wolfgang Bernhard, they put themselves on the map and got people's attention," he said. "The focus on Magna was mostly because (CEO) Frank Stronach made his bid public."

Hargrove said Bernhard has a strong personal relationship with DaimlerChrysler Chief Executive Officer Dieter Zetsche.

"From DaimlerChrysler's standpoint, it's purely about who could put the most cash in their pockets the fastest," said Dan Luria, an analyst for the Michigan Manufacturing Technology Institute in Plymouth, Mich. "Cerberus clearly has deep pockets."

Note this bad habit Buzz has: he bad mouths the guy with power. He spent an election saying anyone but Harper. When Harper wins, of course, he's shocked and surprised to find himself on the outside. They did the same thing with Mike Harris. Now, the ink isn't dry on the sale, and Buzz is bad mouthing a) the new company and b) the new guy in charge. So here's a prediction. Sometime in the next year, Buzz will be publicly complaining about how the new owners are not respecting/not listening to/not concerned about the CAW and the workers.

And then he'll wonder why.

And who had a better mothers day - Shane Doan's mother, or Gilles Duceppe's?

What the heck, I figured I read so much, I might as well blog about it.
I don't know if anyone will read any of it, but here I hope to post the books I'm reading, want to read...etc.



Right now I've been re-reading the Harry Potter books 1-6.
Book 7 is due out this summer and I wanted to refresh my memory.
I had almost forgotten about my Proffessor Lupin crush...lol!

Yeah baby ;P






But since I have a short attention span, I have been reading other books as well. I just finished Darkfall by Dean Koontz (my fav author).
It was a good read. Reminded me a bit of Law & Order. Had 2 cops, partners who are falling in love, 2 voodoo priests, one good one evil, and the gates of Hell open up at the end. Hey, that's what I call spicy!

This read gets 3 orcas out of 5 because though I enjoyed this read,
it's one of Koontz's older stories and you don't see his usual humor in it.

His sense of humor in his books is one of the reasons I enjoy them so much.











And currently on the nightstand is this:
Knitting, a novel.

So far, so good. I'm only on chapter one so far, and I'm not bored out of my mind.

Paris Hilton has finally spoken about, thereby relieving us of the excruciating pain of not knowing what Mme. Hilton is thinking in this difficult time in our lives her life:

I told the truth, I feel that I was treated unfairly and that the sentence is both cruel and unwarranted. I don't deserve this."

To be clear, what she apparently told the truth about was that "her publicist had told her she was permitted to drive for work-related reasons after the first 30 days of her license suspension late last November, and she relied on that."

The publicist has been fired.

There's a book out there called Invest Like Warren Buffett, Live Like Jimmy Buffett. This week, Jimmy Buffet introduced Warren Buffet at the Berkshire Hathaway's annual shareholder meeting Saturday.

"Since blood is thicker than water, I'm your new chairman," the singer, who is boycotting Canadian Seafood at his restaurants to protest the seal hunt, said.

Warner Brothers, feeling peevish about their movies hitting the internet before they hit the big screen, have cancelled preview screenings in Canada (not including media screenings). While stories focus on movies such as Oceans 13 and Harry Potter and the Order of The Phoenix, here's some other movies we, thankfully, won't be getting a preview screening of:

Nancy Drew
License to Wed
No Reservations
The Invasion
The Brave One
August Rush

Sadly Thomas Kinkade's The Christmas Cottage, is not a Warner Brother's movie, and thus will be previewed in Canada and will hit the internet, thereby causing plague, pestilence and ruining Christmas for everybody.

Paris Hilton's publicist has been re-hired. Apparently he explained to her that being sentenced to a penal institution means spending a month at Ron Jeremy's estate.

News that Michael Moore was under investigation by the Treasury Department, which sounds very serious, brought great joy to my heart. Then I discovered it's for breaking the Cuban trade embargo and suddenly it's the Treasury Department that looks bloated and stupid.

Rapper Akon is in hot water for a "dirty dance" he performed in concert in Trinidad on April 12th. The dance was recorded and posted on YouTube. The girl, it turns out, is only 14. Some call it dirty dancing, but what I saw was dry-humping, and I wouldn't pay to see a singer do that to a woman of any age. I would post the video, except it is quite possibly child porn.

Some days I wake up, kneel beside my bed and THANK GOD I WASN'T BORN A RAP FAN!

Today, the CAW is calling on all members to "bring public awareness of manufacturing job losses." They are marching in Kitchener, Ingersall and Oakville. The latter group will bus themselves to a Scarborough Town Centre and march to the Collins and Aikmen plant scheduled to close in July.

One of the CAWs bugaboos is the high Canadian dollar, which they claim is driving out exporters. I would argue their problem is the opposite, the low dollar of the Cretien era. While exporters and the unions loved the low dollar, and claimed it was driving growth through the 90's, it was really driving the present manufacturing contraction.

Money's value is determined, like any commodity, through supply and demand. If demand goes up for money, the price of it rises. Demand goes down, supply increases and price goes down. If you go to Florida, before leaving you go to the bank and convert some Canadian money to American money. You have added to the supply of Canadian funds and to the demand for American funds, thus lowering the value of the Canadian dollar vs. the American dollar. Now your $2,000 is insignificant, (remember the Bank of Canada trying to stave of dramatic decreases - and failing - by selling $50M US?), but what if you are a manufacturer?

Manufacturing plants spend hundreds of millions investing in their plants. They do a cost benefit analysis for a project and, if they see a future in a given location, they upgrade/improve/invest in their plant. In the 90's everybody was building like mad, but not investing. Canada's manufacturing facilities have fallen behind the rest of the world. Changes to manufacturing have been drastic the last 20 years, and manufacturers have not been investing in Canada. The result: loss of jobs now.

So to Buzz and the CAW. Before you blame the strong currency on your woes, understand that the low currency you so love is the long term root cause for the present problem.

The hard left think tank Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives released a much trumpeted report Wednesday that said Canadians are being gouged at the gas pumps. Entitled Gas Price Gouge: The Sequel (pdf file here), the report concludes that consumers are being gouged because gas prices are 15c above what they should be. Using historical price analysis, author Hugh Mackenzie determines that gas company profits should never be allowed to increase above the historical.

Early on Mackenzie makes the point that there are "signals to the industry that the price that the market will bear has gone up." Still on the first page, he concludes, "the precedent was set (after Hurricane Katrina) as the psychological barrier of $1.00 per litre... was broken." These are both valid and possibly accurate points, but irrelevant to the thesis at hand.

The problem with the report, as others have already noted, is it treats gas company profits as a bad thing. They are, however, neither bad nor good, they are simply part of a market transaction. Gas company's, as noted in the report, charge what "the market will bear." The consumer has choices, one of which is to not buy gas. But Mackenzie and the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives never acknowledge this report.

The problem in the gas industry isn't profits, it's possible collusion. Profits are both legal and moral, as they should be. Gouging, the word used throughout this report, is defined as "pricing above the market," yet Mackenzie himself acknowledges the market will bear present prices.

The basic thesis, that the profit rates of two years ago are somehow the appropriate profits, rests on the idea that the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives or some other such organization should determine gas prices, not the market as defined by supply and demand.

This report, however, is not a complete throw away. As noted above it's possible there's a problem with gas and oil industry: not profit making or price taking, but possible collusion. If this reports numbers are accurate (and Back Off Government questions that), then this report helps provide evidence of that collusion. Collusion, an agreement amongst sellers to act jointly in their common interest, is illegal in Canada, and anti-market behaviour. This is where Mackenzie should have spent his time. Otherwise, all he really proved was that the people running the gas companies are good at their business.

More:
More junk science from the Centre for Policy Alternatives
Road Hammer