Dear Mr. Volvo V90,

I acknowledge that you are concerned for the safety of the toddler sitting in what looks like an expensive "top of the line" child seat, and that you've put that little wiggly sign in your back window reminding the rest of us to be careful...because there's a "baby on board".

I also appreciate that you've chosen a vehicle make that is known as one of the safest on the road...so...answer me this: Why the fuck are you smoking in an enclosed car while your kid is sitting in the back seat?

For someone who seems so concerned about safety...it just seems...I dunno....ironic.

Bombay TV Revisited!

Here's my old Bombay Movie...go ahead and make your own.

I'm dying to see it!
Leave it in my comments or on your own blog and lead me to it.

Wedding Meltdowns

Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm not a believer in the Wedding Extravaganza. I'm way too pragmatic for that kind of thing. Some women are just mental when it comes to their wedding plans, and I blame Barbie and Fairy Tales for this.

Here is a bride meldown over her hair.
I particularly love the bridesmaid who can't stop laughing when the brides hairpiece lands in the toilet. The bride is a spectacle in her melodrama.

Here's a Russian wedding where the bride shouldn't have had that garlic sandwich before the ceremony.

The spirit catches this groom, to the hilarity of everyone present.

This bride should have her mouth washed out with soap.
I hope she's marrying a sailor.

This insane woman had 16 bridesmaids, 15 groomsmen, and about 100 flower girls and boys. This woman was just begging for a nervous breakdown and a bankruptcy trustee.

During the vows, a cellphone goes off...and so does the groom.

The groom gets arrested at this wedding...Someone tipped off the police that he was wanted for burglary. Can you say pissed off ex?

Here's a little compilation of wedding disasters.

Last, but not least...here's one of a psycho bride who ruins her own wedding by getting arrested during her reception. Drink much?

Seriously.
Save your money and sanity. Have a small and intimate wedding.

Sunday Click Around

The picture to your left is not a link to anything, I just thought it was funny.

Here are 33 names for things you never knew had names.

Earworm has DJ mashups of songs you normally wouldn't put together.

Ann Coulter is an idiot.

Want to keep up on who is breaking up in the other dimension that is called Hollywood? BreakUp Central helps you keep up with the manic world of marriage and relationships in Hollyweird.

Ok, this is me if I were a gay intern working on the Jay Leno show and was going to spend even a second with Steve Irwin doing what he did best.

I loved these two on American Idol, I hope the brother goes far. Check out the sister's face when the brother is done...who was Daddy's princess?
Here is one of my favourite scenes from Monsoon Wedding.

Punjabi roll call is really well timed, and pretty good too...if you can get past the offensive lyrics. I couldn't watch it all the way through because I can only hear the obscenities so for long before it becomes too much for me. Speaking of obscenities, here's "Casino, The Fucking Short Version". There's also one for Snatch, but it would be overkill.

Here is Petronas Indian Boys, because if anyone can put you in your place, it's your granny.

Here's the tunnel of terror in Russia, as well as proof that there's no drinking on the job in Russia either.

Showstash has a lot of your favourite shows and movies in full length. I burned quite a bit of time watching Sopranos episodes I missed.

Say "I Love You" in 100 different languages.

I love the faces of old people. I think that they're interesting and in many ways beautiful. I suppose it has to do with respect for things earned, and if you live over 70...that's quite an achievement, and a wealth of history and information for the rest of us. The Face of Age celebrates this.

zReportage is a site that combines photos and essays on various ways of life around the world. Pretty fascinating.

I've been watching some old music on YouTube recently. Here are some that I've enjoyed:
Etta James w/ Dr. John - I'd Rather Go Blind.
Joan Armatrading - Love & Affection.
Candi Stanton - Young Hearts Run Free.
African Queen - 2 Face Idibia.
Chaka Khan - Sweet Thing.
Otis Redding - Mr. Pitiful.
Brenda Holloway - When I'm Gone.

Here's Bivsa Jugoslavija.
Because I'm not the only one who wishes all that shit never happened.

That's all kids.

Banks Are Ripping Us Off!

No kidding?

Jack Layton is all in a tizzy, and the leading banks seem to be blowing him off, with the old "Oh, he's just on a socialist NDP rant".

I understand the concept of "convenience fees", but when both your home branch and the other branch ding you, totalling up to four or five bucks per transaction...that's a little greedy, no?

Well, this guy in Scotland took his bank to court for his service fees, and won by default when his bank arrogantly ignored the court order, and didn't show up.

He sent the bailiffs in to collect what was owed to him.

"Mr Purcell said: 'I think the bank was pretty shocked when the bailiffs went in. But my view is that this is exactly what they would have done to me.'"

Maybe this is what we all should do.

Putin's off the wagon....
*sigh*
I miss Yeltsin...at least he was in a drunken stupor most of the time, when he wasn't entertainingly "unsober".





....could Katsav be taking the Wag The Dog road, ala Clinton?

It's a mad, mad world...

Apparently, not only do we have to worry about them getting into our schools and hiding in the bathrooms to grab kids....

....now we have to worry about them enrolling and posing as students themselves!

"29 year old Neil Havens Rodreick II enrolled at Mingus Springs Charter School in Arizona under the name of 'Casey Price'. He was accompanied by 61-year-old Lonnie Stiffler (below), one of the men he was living with, who claimed to be his grandfather. That school notified authorities when paperwork his 'grandfather' provided turned out to be false."

Here's the part of the article that got me:

"Susan Quayle, spokeswoman for Yavapai County sheriff's office, said that Stiffler and Snow were 'very upset when the detectives told them they had been having a sexual relationship with a 29-year-old man, and not a pre-teen boy.'"


Jesus Christ.

In other news:
Exactly what kind of parties are teens having these days?

I guess the days of smoking pot, and staying out past your curfew can step aside to gang-bangs and videotape.

There's a debate on this case going on at Metafilter, if you care to check it out.

Families with gang links get kicked out of subsidized housing.

What do you think about that?

"Steve Floros, the corporation's director of property management. denied there's a new edict that a gang-affiliated family must go. "There's no new protocol, it's covered under the Tenant Protection Act, it's something that all landlords can refer to if there's an illegal act on or about the residential premises".

Recently, I read that the province is now confiscating homes that were used in grow ops.
If that can be done, why can't this?
I mean, if I own a house and let my brother live in it, and he has a grow op in it, and he gets caught...they take my house.
Do they care if I didn't know about it?
That's my problem.

I don't have a problem with this.
What I have a problem with is the fairness of the tribunal.
Can a bitter neighbour report something that isn't true and have you up in front of the tribunal?
Or are these cases based on proven or convicted criminal activity by someone living on the premises.
It doesn't sound like it from the article...but then, it's The Star that's reporting, and they've got a soft spot for "exposing" the unfairness of society...even if they have to exaggerate, and sensationalize it a little.
So, I'm not convinced that it's being done in such a cavalier way.

I'm not sure...but it's happening.
If our taxes are subsidizing these units, and people are living in them that are terrorizing others with their gang activities and violence...then it's up to the government to do something about it on our behalf.

I'm just not sure about how competent, or effective they can be.

Insane Parents

A little while ago, I read about a teacher who was lashed by media for refusing to allow birthday parties in her classroom.
She said that the classroom was an inappropriate place to have a birthday party, and that with twenty-five children in a class, it took away from valuable class time.
She also said that it wasn't fair to children whose parents could perhaps not afford to give out grab bags, and bring cupcakes or cake.
I understand her point...acknowledging a birthday at school is a good thing, going overboard is not.

Ok...so it's your kids birthday.
How many parties do you have?
One at school, one at home...maybe another at the non-custodial parents home...I've seen birthday celebrations last over a week.
How about the "half-birthday"?
A year is just too long to wait for a birthday party!

I read this article on MSN Money:

"Karin Urban of Westlake Village, California forked out $10,000 on a princess party for her daughter Sabrina, sending a Cinderella character out to the homes of dozens of children to hand-deliver an invitation along with a song. She hired 10 princesses that day, as well as a horse-drawn carriage, 12-foot-tall balloon sculptures of the Little Mermaid, 10 activity tents and characters out of "Alice in Wonderland."

"The balloons themselves cost $4,500," she said. "It was a little crazy.""

A little crazy?
Pssst, Karin...you're fucking insane!

I don't care how much money you have, a $10,000 party for a 3 year old is beyond nuts.

You know what this kind of person creates?

This:

Sunday Click Around

I love the titles and art of old Pulp Fiction. So naughty and titillating. Now, they're kitchy and hilarious...back in the day, you had to hide the covers like porn. I remember mama telling me that when she read "Nana" by Emile Zola, she had to hide the book from her parents because it was about a French Courtesan. Imagine that Emile Zola was considered 'smut' in the 1950's by some people. So, if we apply the same rule, these must be classics by now. Anyhow, here is a site that has a lot of Pulp Fiction postcards that look pretty cool.

How Things Used to Be is a collection of facts about how life was in the 1500's. I don't know how accurate it is, but it's pretty fascinating.

Speaking of how things were, here are 37 Fads That Swept the Nation via Neatorama. There are a lot of them that I can't imagine how they "swept the Nation", but I suppose people being the sheep that we are, can tip the stupidest things into mass consumption.

I'm assuming this is done as a joke. It's David Brent from The Office (UK Version) singing "If You Don't Know Me by Now". It's just a tad...awkward. Speaking of awkward, here is a video resume by Yale University's Aleksey Vayner. This is someone who totally bought into the whole motivational speaker movement, with a good, healthy dose of "I'm an Ivy League Guy".

I'm assuming that this fashion photographer is Serbian, because nowhere on this site does it say where he's from...but the name combined with the lack of info on the "about" page tells me all I need to know. Speaking of photographers, here is Lois Greenfield's site...nice.
And Riri's 365 Days Project. I love Riri's unconventional beauty. She's totally unselfconscious, and that's part of the appeal of her photos for me.
Here are Melvin Brown's nostalgia portraits. I liked them.

Russian sign language music video, and Crazy Russian Fun...both from English Russia.

Have we solved the mystery of mutual attraction? Yes. It's called money, power and fame. That's how guys like Salman Rushdie, and Howard Stern get chicks that look like models.

Oliver Laric's Aircondition video....oddly hypnotizing.

Miriam Makeba's Click Song. I was looking for something on video of Letta Mbulu, but I couldn't find anything. More's the pity, because she's got a beautiful voice. If you have a chance to find something by her, give her a listen.

Now, for the comedy. Gonna Make you Slug...slugs dancing to "Gonna Make you Sweat" by C&C Music Factory. Dave Chapelle's "I'm Oprah's baby daddy"....Here is the whole 45 minute set of the Russell Peter's "Comedy Now" set that toured the internet and catapulted him into international fame.
Carlos Mencia's "Whup Your Kids" and "What Women Want".
And one that you've probably already seen. A DUI stop that turns into a dance class.
Reno 911: Mime Crime.

And last but not least...since I posted that creepy Tom Waits video earlier this week, I thought that I'd post my favourite version of "Waltzing Matilda" by Tom Waits.
I think his version really captures the sad desperation of the lyrics.

Ok kids, that's all.

What Some People Must Endure...

Every so often I catch the A&E program "Intervention".
And I thank God that no one in my family is forced to deal with this heartbreak.

For a taste, here's Christy.

And here's Christy with her sister who cares about her, and loves her and wants to help.

People can watch and laugh, and talk about how "crazy" it is, and how it's entertaining to watch.
All I can think about is how horrible it is, and how painful and unfair life can be to people who must deal with the weak.
Those that fall and can't get back up, and seem determined to take everyone down with them.

Little Miss Sunshine

The Mister and me watched this movie last night, and I loved it!
Quirky, a little odd, but in a great way.

I loved the message...Dysfunctional family, just trying to cope, and deal...I can't stand the pageant industry, and this movie is a great poke at it. Here's the dance scene, where Olive's father is told to "get her off the stage" because she doesn't fit the "Little Miss Sunshine" image, and her dance is horrifying the people gathered to see their little girls dressed and made up to look like a pedophile's dream girl.
All except Olive, who looks like what she is...a little girl.



Here's another clip that shows the dysfunction:

I read that Shawn Hornbeck & Ben Ownby, and their families will be interviewed by Oprah on Thursday.

Is this responsible?

I'm assuming that perhaps the parents need money or something.
I fail to understand why we need to interview them or the teens about their ordeal. The public has questions because apparently, the children had access to e-mail, and telephone..so, the excuse is that people are starting to "blame the victim".

"The boy's parents told Ms. Winfrey they have not asked their son what happened on the advice of child advocacy experts, but are convinced their son did not contact them out of fear for his life, theirs or other members of their family"

So, what's going to happen?
If child advocacy experts have recommended that they not ask the children questions about what happened, why are you taking the kids on a national talk show that is famous for revelations?
Is he going to spill the beans on Oprah?

I dunno.
Hasn't he only been home a week or two?
Am I being overly critical when I say that I think this is an irresponsible move on the part of his parents?

What You're Not Missing on LiveJournal

Since My So-Called Strife has done a "What You're Not Missing on MySpace" post, I thought I'd do a "What You're Not Missing on LiveJournal".
Some are NSFW.

You're not missing,
This...
or this....
or this....
.... and especially not this.

Musical Snapshots



On my way home tonight, I was listening to "Strawberry Letter 23" by The Brothers Johnson. There are certain songs that I don't hear often enough to erase a memory, so when I hear certain songs, a little black and white film reel plays in my head.

I'd like to ask you to pick a song or two, and tell me your memory in my comments section.

I'll give you five of mine:

Stawberry Letter 23 - The Brothers Johnson
I'm sitting in a diner booth at Jane and Baby Point with my first boyfriend, after walking for a long time in the January cold. He put a quarter in the jukebox and chose three songs, but that song is the one that is stuck in my memory for that night. That night when I was out past my curfew, and in trouble...but I didn't care.

King of the Road - Roger Miller
My father standing in the living room of our Tyndall Avenue apartment in his shorts and a t-shirt. Handsome, and young smelling of Aqua Velva and Vitalis.
A cigarette in one hand, while rolling a piece of the foil from the pack between his palms. A nervous habit he had.

Daniel - Elton John
Driving up north to my Uja's cottage in Pefferlaw, long before my cousins were born. Sitting in the big blue meteor, and sweating. Sticking to the seats with nothing to do but listen to the radio and my Uja and Tetka Ljuba talking. The windows open, and feeling like we'd never get there.

Mr. Big Stuff - Jean Knight
In my grade 5 class on a Friday afternoon, when Mr Edison, one of the many teacher transplants from New Zealand at Parkdale P.S. used to let us play records and dance for the last hour of school.

Yellow Bird - ?
My teacher Mr. Leadbetter (another New Zealand transplant) used to pull out his guitar and sing this song, along with many others in my grade 6 class. He'd sit on a desk, and play and sing. I was in love with him. He was so very kind to me, always patient and encouraging. It's Mr. Leadbetter that gave me the gift of the love of books and reading.
Thank you, wherever you are.

Now you.

What's He Doing in There?



I love Tom Waits.
I do. I do.

Two Things, This Cold Morning...

Was reading this article about Jerome Almon, who is a Rap Singer, who says that he was harassed by Customs Officers at the border.

I'm not arguing with him, really...we've been harassed too. Asked ridiculous questions, held up, looked at "funny", condescended to, subtly insulted.

There's no doubt that some of those Customs people have Napoleon complexes.

I would always suggest keeping your attitude and tone respectful, no matter what they ask or say. It's been the times that irritation creeps through that has caused us delay.

Forgive me if I laughed when I read Jerome, (the owner of Murdercap Records), comparing himself to Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King.
I always find it humourous when people who yell obscenities to sampled music compare themselves to respected civil rights pioneers who changed a nation.

Then I read the comments on that article, and I cringed. Whoa people, I'm not a big 'Gangsta Rap' fan either, but there are some pretty hateful stereotypes being thrown around in those comments.


And, didn't we already ban Squeegie Kids a few years ago?
"Banning squeegee people from begging on public roadways violates their freedom of expression".
Really?
I think it's safer for them to "express" their requests for money on the sidewalks.

That's all for now...

Oh, and by the by...Hey you!
Yeah, you...Birkenstock wearing Champion of the Environment; I'll listen to you about perfume when I can stand within three feet of you and not think of a field of goats.

I now return you to your jobs...

Ummm, What's the Point?



Apparently, you're not naked unless the nipple makes an appearance.

Another Episode of STFU.


Lawyers are filing a constitutional challenge of a young people's curfew in Thompson, Manitoba.

"Children under 12 must be off the streets by 10 p.m., teens aged 12 to 15 have until 11 p.m., while 16- and 17-year-olds face a midnight curfew".

What does a child under 12 need out on the street after 10pm?

Please.

If you're not going to parent your child, the government will.

Obviously.

Ok...with what I'm about to say, you're going to think I'm an insenstive bitch of the first order.

I read this article about welfare recipients struggling on $1,008 a month.

Oh, where to start, where to start.

Firstly, let me start with the fact that my mother was a single mom, with no child support or alimony, and we didn't go on welfare. My mother tried Ontario Housing for about 3 months, but moved us out promptly because she didn't like what she saw.
She worked sometimes two jobs.
There was no "daycare", no GST rebate cheques, no child benefit to apply for. There was a pittance of $20 a month called a "baby bonus".

In some ways, if you're someone who has health issues, welfare is definitely the way to go, medical, dental and drug is paid. So, this outweighs the fact that you only get a grand a month.
Ok, at $7.75 per hour, you would end up with about the same...so why bother working?
There are plenty of people doing just that. With no medical, dental,or drugs.
The working poor.

What kills me, is that you can sit and complain that you don't get enough to live on, but you can afford to dye your hair ridiculous colours and get piercings and tattoos.
I guess it depends on what your priorities are.

Ohhhhh Radmila....you're so insensitive!
Listen, there is help available now, that was never there before.
Subsidized daycare, GST rebates, Child Benefits (not the schmeezly $20 a month of baby bonus either). I pay 11 bucks an hour for some positions, and I have trouble finding someone willing to do it. There are lots of jobs out there, but they're just not worth leaving your apartment for when you can stay home and get paid just as much, with benefits.

Minimum wage has to be based on something more than just "proud to be working".
It has to be made more attractive than welfare.
Forgive me for not shedding a tear for able bodied people who complain about their circumstances, but have demands and expectations before they'll get off their asses and get a job.

But, I can't even blame anyone.
Why should someone work when it's more lucrative not to?