floccinaucinihilipilificate

Let's all sing along now ... Auld Lang Syne .

I'm no longer going to allow Israel to play the holocaust card. Time and again, Israelis, Jews, and those not want to be accused of being holocaust deniers, have held their tongue, while Israel plays the bully in Palestine. I'm sure if the world turned a blindeye, Israel would wipe the Palestinians off the face of the planet. The latest violence that has erupted in the Palestine is yet another example of Israel showing just how far they can go, thumb their nose at the world, because the Americans will always be there to back them up. That's go to end. If the world accepts this violence from Israel, we accept it from every other military force in the world. This level of offensive action against the Palestinians -- because let's face it, it's definitely not just targeting Hamas -- is totally uncalled for; and it's the type of violence that is seen from every two-bit dictatorship around the world. Israel can claim they're a first world democracy, but ...

More depressing news from the climate change front -- as if we needed more -- and I guess we'd better get used to it, cause I don't expect anymore good news in my lifetime. In a follow up survey to the 2007 results by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) -- results which the Bush Administration did their best to poo-poo all over -- the US Geological Survey has released a report that says things will probably get bad a lot faster than the earlier prediction. Specifically, the Arctic is losing ice a lot faster than expected , causing a faster rise in sea levels, to the tune of four feet by 2100 -- although the report doesn't expect the Atlantic Ocean circulation system will shut down in this century. For the US, the continued desertification of the Southwest [PDF] will probably occur faster -- leading to droughts, possible food shortages and definitely conflict within the good ole USA as scapegoats are sought out. Those who still think t...

Another nail in the coffin comes from Vector -- if the MPAA and RIAA want to take a look at Christmas-future, this is a site they should drop by. Vector -- verified torrents -- gives you the straight goods by filtering out fake torrents -- mostly uploaded by the MPAA and RIAA to mess with your pilfering the content of their sponsors. Anyway, enjoy the site. It will be brought down shortly.

Before I read the book, I had seen the documentary based on it -- twice -- and it was every bit as effective -- disturbing, really -- on second viewing. The book, being read a couple of years after seeing the documentary, was chilling. I'm writing about the Corporation by Joel Bakan -- a book that many will regard as being anti-business, anti-globalization -- but I don't see it that way. The book is hardly anti-business. It's hardly anti-anything. It's actually a book that calls on us to exercise the epitomizes of our civil society: democracy, and social responsibility. Both of these however, run directly against the interests of a monster of our own creation: the corporation. Take some of these corporate misdeeds and ask yourself why it happened. Enron 's collapse. Monsanto 's terminator seeds. Blackwater 's creation of a mercenary army. Halliburton 's bilking of the US public funds. How did it come to be that people, working for a business...

Finally gotten around to changing the blog template (see design credit in the footer) -- and did it in 2008, as planned! Sort of. Not sure if I'm going to keep this template. I'm not sure about the blue against the black.

I'm not sure what to do with this one . Old Afghan warlords being bribed with viagra to cooperate with US troops. Isn't that like selling the sexual services of (probably) young Afghan women (probably girls) to get a leg up on the war on terrorism?

Is the general population that fucking stupid? Edmunds.com is reporting that with dropping gas prices (and huge incentives to move inventory), people are again turning to gas guzzling SUVs and trucks. Expectation is that hybrid and fuel efficient vehicles will drop in sales in December. Consumers really do not think . Even monkeys are smarter for crying out loud! I'm not even thinking about the continued demise of the environment -- I'm just thinking about the economic disaster we're currently in. You'd think people would want to save money on gas. But in just one month of lower gas prices, they've shifted their purchasing practices. It's like they're unable to think -- to plan -- to forecast. It's all about instant gratification. So yes, the general population is that fucking stupid. Which just begs for smart leadership and government regulation to ensure we have a future, because you can't rely on the public.

It's my favourite new hat -- out with the Goofy, in with the Pook Toque . Got it for Christmas this morning, and haven't really taken it off. I'll be going to bed shortly, and I'm still debating whether to take it off or not. My wife has a preference, I'm sure, but she was the one who also purchased it for me. What will I do with the pair of socks on my head?

Merry Christmas Toronto! And the rest of the world ... regardless of your religious affiliation. I'm not Christian, but I'm in a Christian family ... sort of ... and Christmas is an occasion we mark with friends and family. Christmas for me isn't about celebrating Big J's birthday -- because let's face it -- it's not his birthday -- it's a creation of the church, and nothing more, which coincidentally, co-opted a number of pagan celebrations. Go figure -- the church -- political. Christmas is a time however, for a little introspection -- a time to take a deep breath, regard past misdeeds with a sigh, and make promises to build an improved future in the coming year. Goodwill to everyone, and all that sort of stuff, which the world could always use a little bit more of. Which is precisely what Habitat for Humanity is all about this Christmas , for the Mpianas -- a family that fled the Congo in 2002 to find refuge in Toronto. The Mpianas were recently...

Oh, will we never learn? Apparently, the US military wants to arm Afghan tribes so them can take on the Taliban in areas of the country, where few dare to send troops. WTF? Haven't we learned anything from our past excursions in the developing countries? Arming people who are your friends today to fight a proxy war will only end in disaster. It has never ended good. The Taliban was armed by the US to fight the Russians -- look how that turned out? Saddam Hussein was armed by the US to fight Iran -- and that created another mess. Look at what's happening with Israel -- armed to the teeth, it seems less interested in peace as it routinely encroach on Palestinian lands. Sigh. At least Canada isn't going along with this one.

In an act of desperation, Tim DeCristopher chose civil disobedience to disrupt the bidding process that saw 149,000 acres of public land leased off to oil companies in Utah. The lease of the land to oil companies, to allow drilling, has been contested by many who wish to preserve the pristine land, located near Arches National Park, the White River, the greater Desolation Canyon region, Labyrinth Canyon, the benches east of Canyonlands National Park, Nine Mile Canyon, the Book Cliffs and the Deep Creek Mountains. It is one of the final sell-off by the dying Bush administration. DeCristopher showed at the auction, registered as a bidder, and started bidding -- and winning -- with no intention of purchasing or paying for the auctions he won. Way to go dude! You're a hero!

Yar har, fiddle di dee, Being a pirate is alright with me! Do what you want '‘cause a pirate is free, You are a pirate! Arr yarr, ahoy and avast, dinky-dink-dink-a-dinkadefast! Hang the black flag At the end of the mast! You are a pirate!

By a vote of 180 in favour to 1 against (United States) and no abstentions, the Committee also approved a resolution on the right to food, by which the Assembly would “consider it intolerable” that more than 6 million children still died every year from hunger-related illness before their fifth birthday, and that the number of undernourished people had grown to about 923 million worldwide, at the same time that the planet could produce enough food to feed 12 billion people, or twice the world’s present population. And there you have it folks. It's quite simple. The United States has voted to starve the world -- including people in the US -- in its participation on the UN Human Rights Council's Working Group on the Right to Development. By the terms of the text, the Assembly would express concern that, in many countries, girls were twice as likely as boys to die from malnutrition and childhood diseases and that twice as many women as men were estimated to suffer from malnut...

The problem of landmines in Africa is horrifying in its numbers, as it is deadly effects. The numbers are astounding. There are probably close to 45 million landmines scattered across the continent, left over from various conflicts – much of the mines having been manufactured, sold or given to various pet projects by the developed world to fight their proxy wars. To make Africa a safer place, heavy investment is needed and lots of time. Traditionally, dogs have been used to sniff out mines so they can be properly disposed of. But dogs take a long time to train, are costly to maintain and there are only so many dogs that can be handled. Enter a new and unique solution to this problem: rats. Not just any rats however – HeroRATS ! HeroRATS is project by APOPO , that train rats to sniff out landmines (as well as certain diseases and as to aid search and rescue workers). Other ways of detecting landmines are expensive and rely on foreign expertise for development, maintenance and e...

OK, it's not an outright ban, but nevertheless, it's a start. Way to go Toronto ! Banning bottled water sales from municipal premises. It's a start, and hopefully, it is only the start. I for one would love to see a tax, akin to the tax on cigarettes, be placed on bottled water sales to discourage their sales. The proceeds from the tax collected could be used for city waste management. People are just way too lazy, and if they are lazy, make them pay!

Yes, you, gullible -- mostly white people, but also a whole lot of immigrant Indian people -- stop being gullible, Deepak Chopra is actually full of shit. Yes, I know it's hard to believe, but he's been feeding you shit in his books, lectures, audio and other media releases. If you need anymore evidence that the man is full of shit, just check out his recent verbal diarrhea on CNN, regarding the acts of terrorism in Mumbai. OK, after getting over the shock that Larry King is still alive, any reasonably intelligent person must be asking themselves, since when has Chopra become an expert on terrorism or geopolitics? Maybe you need to be a transcendental bullshitter to be on the seance that is the Larry King show. Or maybe they were just looking for any brown guy to keep the idiot box going, and Chopra the media whore just happened to be scratching on the door after the murder started. (I did notice that it took CNN some time before they could actually find some Indians...