Just down the street in front of the Russian embassy there is a gathering of people protesting the Ukranian election results. The fear is that because Vladimir Putin has accepted the results as legitimate that Russia is trying to unduly influence Ukrainian sovereignty.
In other news Bush will be here on Tuesday and the downtown will be shut down in Ottawa and across the river in Hull. I'll see if I can get some pictures. The Toronto Star asks "Is Bush a Weenie?"
11/27/2004
Irish Origin
My father has been doing a lot of geneological research and he discovered that the first MacDougall to arrive in Canada in 1802 was an Irish Catholic. He was the first and last it seems as he married into a Scottish world a Gibson girl in Lanark County which isn't far from where I now live. It's kind of funny to think that family has been here for over 200 years with all the moving I've done. So maybe we are related after all Jack m'lad. I still don't know where in Ireland though.
Three Rivers
American neo-theocracy, China's ascension, Islamic fundamentalism. These are the three most developed streams that history travels down right now. They are the fissures that bleed out of the monolith they call globalism. Okay, that's all I had to say and how was your night?
11/26/2004
Big Ol' Yellow Moon
The sun drops pretty fast at this time of year and when it did on our evening walk it felt like a sheet of ice fell on us and we were about an hour from home. Compensation was in the form of a huge yellow moon that shone through the trees.
National Mythology
Killer Kane has shone the light on the cracks of a precious Canadian myth about the burning of Washington, but you see we figure most of you Yanks don't know or care much about the history of that war so we took it and ran. Killer Kane himself has a bit in common with our beloved Leslie Neilson in that he too was born and raised in our precious Northern Paradise™ so of course he knows the "truth". Just ask him about Laura Secord, the American born Canadian sacred goddess of chocolate and disguise or Prime Minister Mackenzie King's crystal ball and talking dogs..
That's King in the middle. Canadian children are taught that Roosevelt and Churchill were his lackeys. King was single handedly responsible for ending WWII thanks to his psychic powers. He also invented the "original" Atomic Bomb in his kitchen (hint it was made with gin).
That's King in the middle. Canadian children are taught that Roosevelt and Churchill were his lackeys. King was single handedly responsible for ending WWII thanks to his psychic powers. He also invented the "original" Atomic Bomb in his kitchen (hint it was made with gin).
Ccccold
Winter has arrived. The leaves are frozen on the ground. The puddles are ice. My breath is a solid. Last night snowflakes whirled and twirled in the streetlights glow.Still no toque;)
11/25/2004
Happy Thanksgiving My Yankee Friends
Since most of you who visit the old Glob live in the USA I'd like to take a Thanksgiving moment. Though you lost the War of 1812 when my countrymen marched down to Washington and burned the original White House to the ground you seem to harbour no ill will against us. And for that we thank you. I suppose that's one of the great things about not teaching history in your schools (says the smug Canadian. I'm kidding. A friendly jibe. It's all we have up here okay.) And so since that scenario is not likely to reoccur I also give thanks on this day that you still haven't invaded us and snatched up all our natural resources (alright besides our self-righteous smugness and long tradition of exporting our best comics and performers like William Shatner and Leslie Nielson to Hollywood that's all we have.I mean you even took Leonard Cohen! We would like to trade him back in exchange for Avril Lavigne and Shania Twain if possible.) I'm sure you'll get them through NAFTA loopholes eventually.
But seriously have a Happy Thanksgiving!And remember we invented Basketball!
Who Said it?
"There is no yearning-to-be-liberated-by-the-US groundswell among Muslim societies -- except to be liberated perhaps from what they see as apostate tyrannies that the US so determinedly promotes and defends"
Where is this quote from?
a) Noam Chomsky's Blog
b) Alternet.org
C) Batman #642
d) A High Level report by a Pentagon advisory board
Well yeah it's the last one because the first two are too obvious so why else would I frame it this way. But basically the report outlines the Bush administrations lack of leadership and the resulting utter failure to deal with the real problem: no one outside of the USA likes them.
Where is this quote from?
a) Noam Chomsky's Blog
b) Alternet.org
C) Batman #642
d) A High Level report by a Pentagon advisory board
Well yeah it's the last one because the first two are too obvious so why else would I frame it this way. But basically the report outlines the Bush administrations lack of leadership and the resulting utter failure to deal with the real problem: no one outside of the USA likes them.
Good Morning
No I haven't been up all night again. In fact I went to bed at 9 O'clock last night so I have had about 7.5 hrs sleep. I actually find it much easier to get up at 4 or 5 in the morning than at 7 or 8 so long as I've gotten a good amount of sleep.
11/24/2004
Beware of Limping.
For some reason Luna has never liked people who limp. She growls at them under her breath. Today an elderly man was coming down the step. She saw him before I did as I looked to see what she was growling for. She slinks down low and gives him the evil glare. He walks towards us and to distract her I say "cookie" this gets her attention just long enough so we can pass withou embarressment.
This seems to be an inate behaviour as most of the time she "warns" me that a limping person is in sight, so she's not picking up cues from me. She doesn't like people on skis or rollerblades either, even people she otherwise loves, so it must have something to do with what she observes as unusual movement.
This seems to be an inate behaviour as most of the time she "warns" me that a limping person is in sight, so she's not picking up cues from me. She doesn't like people on skis or rollerblades either, even people she otherwise loves, so it must have something to do with what she observes as unusual movement.
He's Scared of the ALF Doll Too!
Well it's official. Bush can't handle the Canadian Parliamentary system. He won't speak before the Canadian Parliament on his first official visit. The conjecture is that he is afraid of being heckled.Typical.
Insomnia and Haunted Dolls
The internet is great for those nights when you can't sleep a wink. I should never consume cafeine after 5:00 pm. A little goes a long way in my system. In any case I've made many interesting discoveries this evening, seen things I wished I hadn't, been places I'll never return to. One of the more bizarre things I bumped into on my journeys are Haunted Dolls. If you need one of your own there are tons of them on ebay.There's even a haunted Cabbage Patch doll and this evil ALF doll.
HELP ME! HELP MY FAMILY!Why not buy them all and have a haunting contest to see which doll is the spookiest! There's other haunted items available to like the haunted jar (a steal at 1.99). A haunted Music Box, the haunted Victorian cast iron jolly money box, the haunted mirror and the cursed mystery box which the owner claims "IT EVEN MADE ME DRESS UP LIKE A CLOWN WHEN I WAS A KID TO TRY TO COMPLETE IT'S EVIL PURPOSE!! "
RID US OF THIS EVIL ALF DOLL!
THIS DOLL IS HAUNTED! POSSESSED!
I'M AFRAID IT'S GOING TO KILL ME AND MY FAMILY!
THIS IS NOT A JOKE! I AM AFRAID OF THIS EVIL ALF DOLL AND CAN NO LONGER WATCH RERUNS OF THE SHOW, FOR IT TERRIFIES ME NOW.
THANK YOU
I Just Peed My Pants!
A while back Queen Shiv sent out a link to a car ad that was never aired. There was supposed to have some kind of eerie ghost thing in it. I couldn't get it to play before but I found a reference to it at the Museum of Hoaxes it's supposed to be some kind of mist coming up from the side of the car. This scared the heebie jeebies out of me. Remember it's 4:00 in the morning!
Bee News
I should be sound asleep but I was catching up on the Daily Show video clips and time just flew by. I was pleased to discover that Daily Show correspondent Samantha Bee is a fellow Canadian. She comes from Toronto and graduated from U of Ottawa just down the street.
In other Bee news their is a UK drink marketed to kids called Boo Bee Juice.Tee hee snicker snicker.
and just what are these fruits up to on this German Candy wrapper? I guess things realy are more liberal in Europe!
In other Bee news their is a UK drink marketed to kids called Boo Bee Juice.Tee hee snicker snicker.
and just what are these fruits up to on this German Candy wrapper? I guess things realy are more liberal in Europe!
New Blog Discovered
I came across this blog "I'm Nacho Steppinstone" by way of Cacao who wrote don't read Jonnie before you go to bed. So I did and it's a hoot and a hlaf. Shiver in terror over Knecht Ruprecht the sadistic German rival to Santa Claus, Marvel at the gallery of antique anti-masturbation devices and electric bras. Shake your head in disbelief in the fact that Jonnie 7-11 has just obtained an internship at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library & Museum! Jonnie is found regularly as a bat to your right.
Kevin Sites Blog
Here is the blog of Kevin Sites the embedded journalist who took the video of the marine who shot the wounded Iraqi. He explains here what he experienced.
Making sure you know the basis for my choices after the incident is as important to me as knowing how the incident went down. I did not in any way feel like I had captured some kind of "prize" video. In fact, I was heartsick. Immediately after the mosque incident, I told the unit's commanding officer what had happened. I shared the video with him, and its impact rippled all the way up the chain of command. Marine commanders immediately pledged their cooperation.
11/22/2004
When Peckers Meet.
George W. Bush stood for his official Thanksgiving Day portrait today. When aides to the President questioned the unusual choice of pose, Bush responded "Americans want a President who is not afraid and this is the best way to show that. I will not back down, I will stay steadfast and firm. I refuse to send the message to America's enemies that I am weak and I will support our troops down to the last man standing even with a turkey in my pants!"
Update:When questioned the turkey later verified that Bush was indeed firm.
Corporal Dakin pretends to be amused by Bush's special sauce joke.
11/21/2004
Cleopatra the Philosopher
Unpublished medieval Arabic manuscripts depict Cleopatra in a different light than the image that has come down to us through the Romans and Shakespeare:
"Cleopatra is a scientist, a medical doctor, a woman who had invented a theory of mathematics and, above all, a well-known philosopher,"
"Cleopatra is a scientist, a medical doctor, a woman who had invented a theory of mathematics and, above all, a well-known philosopher,"
