Friday, December 31, 2004

Unidentified Fraudulent Objects

UFO sightings are a common occurance. UFO sightings are also big business.
Every so often, I'll catch an A&E Special on Roswell, or a "CNN Presents: UFO's- Real or Fake?" documentary. Although I doubt that the Earth is the only planet in the universe with life on it, I do enjoy a good laugh whenever I watch these kinds of programs. Cover-ups, scandals, government intervention... it all seems pretty over-the-top to me.

But what about the obscure sightings?

I've lived in Smithers, British Columbia for over a decade (minus the two years I spent at college, of course). In that time, it has become obvious that this is a hotspot of UFO sightings. A "Northern Triangle", if you will. Specifically, the stretch of highway from Terrace, through Hazelton, Smithers and Telkwa, all the way to Houston, has been the location of a large number of sightings (scroll down a third of the way).

Dont believe me? Take a look at some of these, they are just a tiny sample from the past couple of years. This doesn't even include the numerous sightings from the early 1990's!

One of the things that strikes me about these reports, is that they are all generally the same. A large, circular object hovers for a moment, then takes off at rapid speed. Although the colours may vary, most often the object will dart from position to position at a seemingly super-sonic speed.

A few weeks ago, I was talking to a good friend of mine regarding this unique phenomena. We each had a good laugh about the prospect of distant travels coming hundreds or thousands of light years, stopping to take a quick peek at what Houston, B.C. has to offer, and then continuing on its merry way!

My friend proceeded to tell me about what he and his gang of teenage misfits used to do way-back-when. It seems that a person can make a dandy UFO with nothing more than a package of candles, a clear plastic recycle bag, a lighter, and some good quality tape.

The UFO works like a hot-air balloon. A number of candles are taped to the inside edge of the plastic bag. When lit, the hot air rises and fills the bag. Eventually, it will rise on its own. When the 'balloon' rises to a decent height, it will begin swaying with the air currents and wind. Often, it will hover motionless until a strong gust comes and pushes it aside. From a distance of a couple of kilometres (or miles, even), this sudden push will seem super-sonic! An ever better idea is to get coloured candles, for an even better effect.

When I went to high school in the mid 90's, I remember hearing stories of crazy UFO sightings. My friend laughs at how he was a part of the group that had everyone fooled. Interestingly enough, the sightings back then were nearly identical to the more recent sightings.

Ahhhh, how the tradition continues. Good times, Good times.

Thursday, December 30, 2004

New Recruits = More Free Beer for the Rest of Us

Don't forget to welcome bluetory and Ben to the Brigade! With men like these on our side, how can we fail?

Say... does anyone else think new recruits ought to be buying four or five rounds, instead of just one?

Wednesday, December 29, 2004

I signed my name

Here's a little something that helped me unwind a bit. Be sure to sign your name. They need to know how sorry we are.





My PS message: "My leather jacket still looks terrific. Thanks."

Hehehe.

(Stanley Cup Ring to Popilop)

Tuesday, December 28, 2004

Southeast Asia Roundup

Tim Blair has the best updates on all the craziness in Southeast Asia.

Oddly enough, my good friend the Asylum was in Thailand for Christmas. Quite a few of us were kinda worried, since we hadn't heard from her in a while, but apparently she is back home in Taiwan, and doing relatively fine. In a mass email she sent to the lot of us, she wrote the following:

Unbelievable. I cant believe I was there. If I wasnt scheduled to meet my parents online at 9:30 am, I would have been on the beach. Instead I was about 300 m from the beach and only had to run from the approaching waters. Seeing the terror up close is something I would never wish upon anyone. Hopefully I can get a full update on my blog station soon, right now Im exhausted and have to work.


Thank God for parents, that's all I got to say about that.
My assumption is that it is alright for me to post this (since it was a mass email and all...). Having a first hand account before my very eyes is too good to pass up, it needed to be blogged! I can't wait to see what she says when things get a little more... errr... normal for her. Glad you're still in one piece, Asylum!

Tim Blair also has links posted regarding supplies and donations. I whole-heartedly encourage everyone to do something. Every little bit helps.

Monday, December 27, 2004

Welcome Aboard

Welcome Enter Stage Right, newest addition to the Brigade. Glad to have you at my six.

Friday, December 24, 2004

Not the kind of Worker's Comp I'd be interesting in

Now that's what I call a hazardous workplace:

SYDNEY - Coca Cola must pay more than $2.8 million Cdn. to an Australian man who was shot while restocking one of its vending machines, the New South Wales Supreme Court has ruled.


More details here. Geez! Who knew working for Coke was considered hazardous?

Yeah, that's right.

The Babbler's got it right, again:

That bears repeating: Paul Martin is not the flag. In fact, it bears expansion: the Liberal Party is not the flag, nor is the Conservative Party to which I belong, nor is any politician or party or movement. The flag is a symbol of all of us.

I'm no fan of Paul Martin's, and if Danny Williams wants to have a pissing match with him, that's fine with me. But the minute he drops MY flag into the dirt in the middle of his juvenile urinary contest, I say: for shame.


Have a great holiday, Babbler. Can't wait to hear from you again.

Thursday, December 23, 2004

Sidebar lovin'

I've alphabetized the sidebar as best I can. You wouldn't think it would be that hard, but STINK it took a while.

Since I've figured out how to use Hello, I'm really anxious to put up some more pics. Soon and very soon!

An important reminder from that Southern Belle you don't wanna mess with:

We are reminded of what Christmas truly means though and it's not all about the crowds that I have had to fight, the hustle and bustle, the baking, the parties, etc..it's about the birth of Jesus and sometimes I do think we forget the true meaning of Christmas. As much as we try not to, we do get wrapped up in doing for ourselves and our own families. I do hope you took a little time out this holiday season to remember the real reason we celebrate and do a little for someone less fortunate.
(emphasis mine)

Yeah, I need to get on that. As bitter as I may sound sometimes, I'm pretty darned blessed. Thanks, Julie.

Oh good, it's headed for Canada

Well, thank God it's headed for Canada

EVANSVILLE, Indiana (CNN) -- A storm that blew across the Midwest and East Coast was headed to Canada on Thursday...


Say, uh... Canada is a pretty big country, you know? Was the storm headed to ALL of Canada, in some mind-blowing, 10 million square kilometre front that is going to wipe out half the continent, The-Day-After-Tomorrow-style?

Dang, I must've missed that one on the Weather network.

More on Moore (but not Michael this time)

Alan Adams has a thought-provoking article up at Sportsnet.ca.

Thought-provoking, at least, for those of us who love hockey and are interested in seeing how this whole Bertuzzi/Moore/Civil suit thing plays out.


It's worth noting that this is Moore's version of history and his comments serve his own purpose. What was said before Bertuzzi mugged Moore is an allegation at best and the comments are nothing more than that. They would have to be proven in court.

Then there's the role the Avalanche played in all this.

In court on Wednesday, Bertuzzi's lawyer, Len Doust, noted Moore's comment to the ambulance driver as he was being taken to hospital. "He said, 'I told the coach not to play me anymore. They've already had four or five runs at me,' ," Doust said.

Doust went on to say she asked Granato why he had put Moore on the ice with the game out of hand.

"He said he didn't want to out his stars out there," Doust said Granato told police.

If Granato's comments are accurate, it could go a ways in showing he was negligent in his decision-making progress. The argument would be he saved the star players but fed the lamb (Moore) to the lions.


Go read the whole thing. If there is an NHL season this year, Bertuzzi had better play in it.

That was one heck of a party!

Women Allegedly Assault Man With Tongs


How can you resist a headline like that?

SAVANNAH, Ga. Dec 22, 2004 — Police are looking for two women they say sexually assaulted a man with a pair of cooking tongs in a drug-related attack.
Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan police say the victim, a 25-year-old man, awoke Saturday morning with a metal object protruding from his body.


I wonder what part of his body the metal object was "protruding" from? m'heh.

The victim, who police say was using cocaine at the time, told police he does not remember much of what happened.


That's probably for the best. I wouldn't want to remember it either.*

He told doctors he was drinking and using cocaine at his mobile home Friday night when he saw two women outside his home and invited them in.


Drinking: check; Drugs: check; Mobile Home: check. Color Me Shocked.

The victim's cousin took him to Memorial Health University Medical Center Saturday after he complained of pain. Doctors surgically removed an object identified as "one half of a pair of food tongs," and turned it over to police.


I'd hate to be the poor cop that has to dust it for fingerprints.

The two women are wanted on aggravated sexual battery charges, but police say they aren't having much luck finding them.


So for all you Southerners, be on the look out! A pair of tong-weilding maniacs are on the loose!

"We have no descriptions of the women, being that (the victim) is not cooperating with the police," police spokesman Sgt. Mike Wilson said. "And there's little we can do to urge cooperation."


I could think of a few things that might urge a little more cooperation out him.

"Hey Dave, are ya done fingerprinting that tong? We need it over here a minute..."
"Baaah! No! Nooooo! I'll talk, I'll TALK! Anything but that!"


Wednesday, December 22, 2004

Crazy Qatsi

I was starting to get a little perturbed at the lack of postings coming from Mr. Qatsi, but now that I know why, I'll refrain from publically lambasting him :-)

Good Grief man! I hope things get a little less hectic in the new year.

Christmas Wish

All I really want for Christmas, is for my co-blogger, Pei Yusei, to post something here.

Then it would truly be a Merry Christmas.

Merry Christmas, Pei Yusei


I'll take advice from this Doctor.

I've recently come across the Daily Demarche, a most honorable and noble blog if ever there was one. Now, I'm probably not doing him much of a favor by linking to him, since he already averages five to ten time the traffic I get. And I must admit, I'm a little leary about helping his status in the ecosystem, since I'm only slighty ahead of him right now. Nonetheless, with words like this regarding the stuff going on in Iraq right now, he needs to be read... on a daily basis:

Never before have so few had the potential to harm so many. Every jihadist killed in Iraq will not attack Disneyland. Every nation that realizes that we will protect ourselves through pre-emptive strike is less likely to support the Osama bin Ladens of the world.


That's some high-quality posting you got there, Doc. Keep up the fine work.

The Man down under

Tim Blair is recalling the most memorable quotes of 2004, month by ever-loving month.

My personal favourite so far is a quote from August:

* "You have to enervate the base." -- no wonder Ben Affleck is a Kerry supporter. Consider that base well and truly enervated


For anyone who doesn't know what enervate means...

Perhaps he meant electrify, empower, enliven, excite, or encourage.

Or perhaps we shouldn't be taking political advice from Hollywood celebs.

What are we up to now... 41? 42?

Give a hearty hello to John the Mad, newest recruit to the Brigade. You're not a groupie anymore pal, and the first round is on you!

As well, don't forget to re-welcome Alan into the mix. He now likes Canada's mustard-yellow tees...

Next he'll be on the committee to bring back the Senator Stripe!

Tuesday, December 21, 2004

Small town, sardine-packed shopping.

The town I live in has six... maybe seven thousand people. I swear that every single one of them was out and about yesterday. It's been absolute chaos in the "downtown core" of Smithers, BC.

Going to pick up that parcel at the Post Office? Good Luck.
Need to ship something via Greyhound to that relative down south? Wishful Thinking.
Trying to find that last-minute gift for your second cousin's Uncle's sister-in law's friend? I'll pray for you.

But at least I'm not the only one complaining. And it's true, you do see some rather unique things... even in Smithers.

Monday, December 20, 2004

Exploding Hockey Rink

I agree with the Penguins assessment of what really happened inside a Duluth Mn. hockey arena.

Poor Zamboni. It didn't have to be this way.

In Carpellian fashion.

So here I sit, attempting to blog while wearing these dreadful wrist guards. How these are supposed to treat carpel tunnel syndrome is beyond me, but I'm not a doctor.

One of my favorite things about the whole blogging experience, is checking my sitemeter stats.
For awhile, I was getting a lot of visitors via yahoo search on Sergei Zoltok. Zoltok was a hockey player in NHL who passed away this year. I blogged about him here.

I just have to laugh at how some people find my site. For example, check out the search terms someone used at Google just recently. That's right, I'm on there! Or this Yahoo search query... kind of a contradiction in terms, I'd say.

But the funniest of all have occured since I posted on the Chinese man-made beauty pageant. I mentioned in that post that there was a transexual in the "competition". Now I'm getting all sorts of odd referrals from those interested in Chinese transexuality and plastic surgery.

But hey, a guy does what he needs to in order to increase his traffic. You understand, don't ya?

Latest Red Ensign Standard

The Babbler has posted the lasest version of the Red Ensign Standard. Be sure to check it out, and have a good look at what the rest of the Brigade is up to.

Heck, if that obscure law professor from Tennessee mentions it, you know it must be good.

Sunday, December 19, 2004

If you feel so inclined....

Robert McClelland has set up the 2004 Canadian Weblog Awards

Feel free to request your nominations in the comment thread here (hint, hint).

I just noticed now that I'd be up against the Babbler in the best new Blog category... Yikes! But with my loyal and faithful readership beside me, I know I can take him!

(Stanley Cup Ring to Bound By Gravity)

Saturday, December 18, 2004

Gratuitous Beer Post

Compliments of Beaker.

Tee hee, tee hee.

That IS pretty sad.

Blistering Barnacles! 'Tis a sad stat indeed, me matey.

Those Communists sure are Progressive

What in the world???

Student Wins China Plastic-Surgery Pageant


"I'm so happy... I... *sniff* I... errr... my tear ducts aren't working, but I'm really happy!"

BEIJING Dec 18, 2004 — A 22-year-old student who has had cosmetic surgery on her eyelids and cheeks was crowned the winner Saturday of China's first pageant for such "manmade beauties."


From each according to his ability... to each according to his looks...

Feng Qian received a $6,000 country club membership after being picked from among 20 finalists, who ranged in age from 18 to 62.


It was discovered later on that the 62 year old woman was none other than Michael Jackson.

Surging numbers of newly prosperous Chinese are going under the knife after decades of communist austerity, seeking shapelier noses, fuller breasts and other features.


"austerity"??? Is that what they are calling it now? Tell that to this guy. He looks pretty "austere" to me.

Competitors had to submit proof that they had undergone surgery. Sponsors included Chinese makers of cosmetic surgery products. The contest had a talent show and evening gown and swimsuit competitions.


As well as the ever-popular "switch-noses-for-a-day" competition.

One contestant, Liu Xiaojin, was (sic) a 21-year-old transsexual who was a man until three years ago. She shared a prize for Best Media Image with the retiree, Liu Yulan, who has had a facelift and three other procedures.


I wonder how many "procedures" it took to change Mr. Liu into Ms. Lucy Lu.

Organizers said 90 women from other countries, including the United States and Japan, applied to compete. But they said the non-Chinese applicants were deemed not serious enough about the contest or had language or scheduling problems.


Foul! Foul! No Fair! Foul! The contest was fixed! I demand a recount! Hanging Chads! Disenfranchized Voters! Absentee Ballots!!! DIEBOLD VOTING MACHINES!!! YYYEEEEAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHHHH!11!!!1!!

The government says China's cosmetic surgery industry took in $2.4 billion last year.


Sheesh.

Friday, December 17, 2004

And while I'm linking up a storm....

The BC Imperial Torturer has a post up at the Rottie. But be warned: do not read it if you sensitive to foul language. As well, if you have a heart beating inside your chest, reading this post will make your blood boil, and will make you want to throw things. Large Things. Large Things That Cause Destruction.

You have been warned.

Wish I had said that.

From the Cosh-meister:

Pfizer has now had to absorb the nonnews that Celebrex, its COX-2 inhibitor for arthritis, carries cardiac risks similar to those which led Merck to pull Vioxx earlier this year. In other amusing news, Astra-Zeneca announced that a new lung-cancer treatment, Iressa, failed to outperform placebo in a huge clinical trial. There's a particularly strong thread of black comedy in that announcement, as Iressa had been approved for sale by the FDA with a requirement for a weird caveat to customers that "There are no controlled trials demonstrating a clinical benefit, such as improvement in disease-related symptoms or increased survival." (Trivial considerations at best, no doubt, for a lung-cancer sufferer!)

***********************************************
The case of Iressa also makes this statement in the Reuters report sound rather hilarious, to my ears at least:

Industry analysts said the slew of bad news reflected the difficulties of bringing effective new medicines to market and the increasingly tough regulatory environment in terms of proving safety and efficacy.

What Iressa's failure proves, of course, is exactly the opposite. It was a drug cleared for sale with no genuine scientific evidence for its efficacy and with a warning right on the bottle saying, basically, "We're not sure this pill will help you."

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

Go read the whole thing, especially his final, "incidental" thought at the end. Fascinating.

Same old Penguin

Brand new URL, same ol' Penguin.

Finally got that sidebar link updated.

Thursday, December 16, 2004

My Kind of Pilot

Most honorable Pilot.

ROSELAND -- Not too many people know Craig Miers, of Windham, N.H., but he became an instant hero here Tuesday afternoon.

Miers, 25, did what most pilots hope they never have to do: make an emergency landing in a bustling commercial area at lunchtime.


Go check out the pistures of the plane sitting in traffic... it's quite something. My most favorite thing about this story has to be the fact that the plane landed near "Cripe" Street.


That's probably not what I would've been saying. Cripes!

Wednesday, December 15, 2004

My body is failing me

I had an expecially nasty case of the flu yesterday. Took half the day off, and skipped out today. It was fortuitous that I had an empty bucket in the back of my van... (you may draw your own conclusions as to why)
I'm hopeful that I'll be able to make it tomorrow, since I'm supposed to have three weeks off starting Monday in order to treat the nasty Carpul Tunnel Syndrome I've acquired. I'd at least like to make a meaningful contribution to my employer before I take off on that little escapade.
All that, plus my surgery for... errr... you-know-what coming up in January (hopefully), means Temujin is gonna go stir-crazy.

At least I should get Worker's compensation pay for the CTS.

Stupid body. I want a new one, this one is faulty. And do you know who I'm blaming for all of this? Yup, you guessed it. I didn't realize it was bad for me.

Monday, December 13, 2004

Move over, Dr. Atkins.

Holy Smokes!

Surgeons Remove Woman's 66-Pound Tumor


Go read the whole story... crazy!
(Stanley Cup Ring to Neale News)

Errr... yeah, what he said.

I like to say I wrote this masterpiece.

But I didn't.

Saturday, December 11, 2004

Pictures galore

Notice the addition of the Canadian Flag and Mongolian Flag on the sidebar. As well, I rather like the Cheetah picture in the top corner.

Friends stick together. And that's the way it is.

Of Kudlow and Hanson

I've been really getting into the National Review Online. This is primarily due to the high praise given it by Chase.

Two of the many thought-provoking articles on their site are this one regarding Martha Stewart (by Larry Kudlow), and this one that discusses the Ents of Europe (by Victor Davis Hanson).

My mind has been opened, and yours will be too.

Oh yeah, and speaking of Chase and having my mind opened... if you don't read this excerpt, and buy his book, you'll be missing out on something special.

So go feed his filthy capitalist appetite, would ya?



And while I'm at it...

Give a shout-out to my New Found Friend, Jenn who is... err... losing it :-)

But Don't Read The Post Entitled "Because I want you to suffer along with me"

You'll regret it if you do! Don't say I didn't warn ya.

New Brigade Member

A Hearty Hello to "the" Phantom Observer, newest member of the Brigade!

At this rate, I'll be a Senior Officer by new year.

Blogging and the news

If anybody's reading this, I apologize for not blogging in a while. Life really has been that crazy. I realize that it's always the same story with me, but I can't help it - honestly. Being faithful to a blog is only really easy when you have a desk job and you don't have a supervisor staring down your neck all the time. I actually don't have either of those things in my job - but let me tell you a little about it. I work 8:00 pm to 2:30 am on week-ends usually (although this week I've been working week-days as well, to my utter discontent). My job is essentially pointless in the grand scheme of things . . . cooking mostly deep-fried items is hardly my idea of a "valuable contribution to society", but such is my lot these days, or so it would seem. I would like to be raking in the dough performing with guitar, piano and vocals, but, being relatively new to the Vancouver area (which is the only part of the Lower Mainland where it might be possible to pull something like that off), I haven't yet got around to taking any initiative in this area. And there's nothing that can drain one's power of self-motivation more than being broke.

Well, obviously this isn't my entire excuse. Even assuming I worked 8 to 2:30 every day of the week (which is not the case), I would still have at least 6 hours from about 1 to 7 to sit down and hack something out here. Which leads me to the other half of my excuse. I'm currently attending a reasonably high-profile school, where, though I'm only taking one class, I am finding myself constantly "under the weather". I have already put 160 hours into research for my final paper (for which I have been given an extention until early January, due mostly to the fact that I tackled a piece of literature [namely, Ulysses by James Joyce {which, if you haven't noticed, is on my "favourite books" list in my user profile}] that is hardly what you'd call "straight-forward), and I think I can safely say I'll have to put another forty hours at least into the thing. But, if you're thinking "that Pei Yusei is off his freaking rocker" - I have good reasons. I have every intention at this point of completing a masters degree and then continuing on for a Ph.D., hopefully in England, where I hear the grass is greener and the domesticated cats are softer, and then going on for a professorship somewhere. Most of these "ambitions" have been present (although moderately suppressed and un-spoken) in my psyche (or heart, or soul) for years, but I feel more and more like this what I want to do with my life, so there it is!

Well, to the five people (I hope) reading this, I wish you a Merry Christmas (in the event that I don't post again before then).

Thursday, December 09, 2004

Oh please, please, please!

Oh please let this be a sign of good things to come...

We must have a hockey season.

Oh my

Oh my, Oh my, Oh my.

Does anyone check this blog anymore?

I'm posting... Can it be??? Yes indeed, it is. Does anyone even still come here? It's been ages since I last posted anything.
Thankfully I've got the Monger referring me. As a Doctor, he is trained to be merciful and caring... surely that must be the reason, and I'm grateful for it...

West Coast Chaos: "We Welcome Sympathy Links!" heh.

Here is something a little out of the ordinary:

Americans weigh down cruise ship


M'heh! How glorious.

DOZENS of seats on the world's most luxurious cruise liner have collapsed under the weight of obese American passengers.


If they would only take a lesson from the commun... errr... New Democrats in Canada and outlaw Twinkies and other trans-fatty goodness, this kind of thing could be avoided.

But the best line of all comes at the end of the article:

"And we do have 10 restaurants on the ship, so if they are big when they get on, they tend to be bigger when they get off."


My kind of holiday.

(Stanley Cup Ring to Seth for the link (who, by the way, is rapidly approaching the 1000 mark on his sitemeter stats... go see if you can be the lucky one!))

Tuesday, December 07, 2004

Instalanche!

The Brigade got an Instalanche.

This explains why I've had a bump in my site traffic, even though the 'lanche wasn't directly linking to me.

Sweetness!

Monday, December 06, 2004

I hope you have the time of your life.

"Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)"

Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test, and don't ask why
It's not a question, but a lesson learned in time

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

So take the photographs, and still frames in your mind
Hang it on a shelf in good health and good time
Tattoos of memories and dead skin on trial
For what it's worth it was worth all the while

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

It's something unpredictable, but in the end it's right.
I hope you had the time of your life.

The Red Ensign Standard

Volume Ten of the Red Ensign Standard has been published by Paul Denton of Ravishing Light. Be sure to check out what my fellow Red Ensigners have been blogging about lately.

This is the first time I've been included in the Standard (since it is the first volume to be published since my entry into the group). Paul links to two posts of mine... thanks Paul!

He put a lot of work into it (it ain't easy scanning the posts of 40 blogs, and picking out one or two gems!), so be sure to give it a look.

Where was this guy ten years ago?

If only there had been a guy like Chase in my high school. Just look at some of the fascinating stuff he is getting himself involved with. Wise beyond his years.

Nicely Done.

Sunday, December 05, 2004

A Fine Fisking for a Sunday Morning

U.S. army deserter wants to stay in Canada

Fantastic! That's exactly what we need in Canada, more of these spineless jellyfish.

TORONTO - Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board will hear Monday why Jeremy Hinzman, a former paratrooper with the U.S. army, should be granted refugee status in Canada.

Rather than serve in Iraq, Hinzman deserted the army and came to Canada in January seeking sanctuary in a Quaker hall outside Toronto
.

I've got an idea: Why doesn't he just paratroop his candy ass to France. Refugee status? What is he seeking refuge from? It must be the squalid conditions he faces living under the BushCheneyRumsfeldHalliburtonRove dictatorship. When will those silly Americans learn! If only they would follow our lead and implement vast wealth-distribution and publicly funded social programs. Then no one would have to live in squalor.

He considers the Iraq conflict immoral and illegal and while he refuses to speak his mind until his hearing is over, back in July, Hinzman, 25, put his position into perspective: "My life isn't that significant, but also it's not so worthless as to be killed or to go kill innocent people."


So... uhhh... don't kill any innocent people then. Just the terrorists will do fine. Flipping burgers at the Arby's in downtown Toronto isn't exactly an overly significant role either, but it's about all your good for now (no offense to burger- flippers out there).

Canada has not granted refugee status to American citizens in the past, but Hinzman's supporters are counting on a precedent in international law to help the American.


It's nothing against Americans, but here in Canada we generally don't accept you as a refugee because living in America is ACTUALLY BETTER THAN LIVING HERE!

Gerry Cordon, a Hinzman supporter, says a soldier who refused to fight in Saddam Hussein's army in the invasion of Kuwait, successfully sought refugee status.


Oooooooohhhhhhh! Now there's a precedent! I could spend three hours dealing with this one quote alone. Sufficed to say, Hussein invaded Kuwait because he is a megalomaniacal dictator who wanted more beachfront property (because 50 palaces isn't quite good enough), and who was getting tired of gassing, raping, and torturing his own countrymen. He wanted to spread the love to other nations as well. Any lawyer who would use that case as a precedent is a stark-raving moonbat of the highest order.

To help his client, Hinzman's lawyer plans to present evidence of a systematic pattern of U.S. war crimes in Iraq,


like restoring electricity, getting internet connections fully functional (minus the secret police to monitor and confiscate what is doubleungood), rebuilding a shattered economy, putting people to work...

including attacks on civilian population centers,


guarded by terrorists in civilian clothing carrying kalishnakov's and rocket-propelled grenades.

and the torture and murder of prisoners, at Monday's hearing.


"prisoners" who wave the white flag in surrender and then begin shooting. "prisoners" who fein death in order to cause havoc when their captors aren't watching. "prisoners" who drive car bombs into checkpoints. "prisoners" who view women as only slightly less valuable than your average dung beetle.

The board will also hear eyewitness testimony of the killing of Iraqi civilians from former Marine Sgt. Jimmy Massey.

Massey, who served in Iraq, says he's witnessed instances of civilians being shot – not as a mistake, but with cold deliberation.


Cold Deliberation? Isn't that what jurors in Canada have to endure when the courtroom thermostat isn't working?
And is it just me, or is an "eye witness" of such things actually an accomplice? Why didn't he say/do anything about it at the time? I dunno, maybe it's not important to ask such questions.

As far as I'm concerned, this guy can stay in Canada. I'm sure he'd find Grise Fiord nice this time of year.

Saturday, December 04, 2004

This is only mildly funny.

Warning: Extreme Bad Taste Alert!

I thought this was pretty funny.

(Stanley Cup Ring to Beaker)

Friday, December 03, 2004

No blog no free time make Temujin go.... Crazy!

At least I post more than him :-)

Wednesday, December 01, 2004

No, he didn't make me cough.

I went to the doctor today to get checked out. I've been having a number of health issues lately, the most concerning being a rather large bulge in an important area that has developed into quite the annoyance. At first I wasn't going to do anything about it (typical guy response), but over the last month it seems to have been getting bigger, and with the other health problems I've experienced recently (more on that in the future), I ain't about to take anymore chances. It hasn't become painful, but I need to get it fixed and that is that.

Not necessarily dangerous in themselves, inguinal hernias can lead to life-threatening complications. For that reason, your doctor is likely to recommend surgical repair of a hernia that's painful or growing larger. The good news is that it's not the same hernia operation your father may have had, with a large abdominal incision, a long hospital stay and weeks of immobility. Instead, many inguinal hernias now can be successfully repaired with a technique that uses several small incisions, leading to a faster, less painful recovery.



You've only got one life, and you gotta take care of it. My body needs to last me at least sixty more years... heck, I'd really like it to be here for 70 or 80 more.


Thanks to the wonders of Universal Socialized medicine, I can receive the surgery for "free". I just need to hear back from the Specialist as to when I can have my surgery.... circa 2006 I'm thinking. Imagine with me, if you will: Canada has a privatized medical system to compliment it's social service...

those who can afford the surgery/operation/medical treatment can pay for it and receive it at their convenience...

those who cannot afford the surgery can get their services through the government by paying in the MSP Program (in BC it is called MSP), and they can receive service whenever possible...

sounds good to me, what is the problem? There would be less line-ups and less waiting times, because the filthy capitalists would use the private system, freeing up time and resources from the socialized one.

I'll blog more about my health later (since you're all so interested!). I will say this: there will probably be a LOT more posting here in the near future...

I won't have anything else to do.

Update Dec 2, 6:48pm- I took the words right out of Andrew's mouth... two months after he spoke them! He wrote url in the comments, but I thought it would be good to link it here as well (for all you lazy people you can't cut 'n paste).

New Red Ensign Blogger

Welcome, Tipperography!

Why did you join?

I would like to see a Canada that is not only willing but also much more able to be a force for liberty and decency in this world. And I would like to see those improving ties between Canada and the U.S.

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In the long run improving ties is the best way for Canada to exercise more independence and its own will. This is why the Red Ensign is now on my blog.


I couldn't have said it better myself.

And I'm the first in line to see you hazed!