He has been in the print media, and media industry for over 30 years. Publisher of magazines, newspapers, and promoter of movies, books, and other events. You can email him at
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Okay - I’m not going to start this off by condemning the Chinese as the official ‘product tampering people’ of the planet. Gosh no, nothing like that.
I won’t mention the fake Colgate toothpaste with the added flavour and goodness of anti-freeze. Next time why don’t you spell Colgate right. We really aren’t that stupid. Nor blind.
I’ll try not to talk about the “intentional” adding of a dangerous product into close to hundred different brands of pet foods. So much of a list, that it would have been easier to create a list of the pet foods that were alright to purchase.
Nor will I bring up the faulty wiring products sold through those handy dandy ‘Dollar’ stores. Extension cords, outlet extension plugs etc., these products have been linked to fires. Not cool.
I’m not going to mention the recall of close to 20 million toys - everything from Elmo to Barbie to Thomas the Train. Toys all around the world covered with lead paint - I didn’t think anyone made lead paint anymore - apparently I was wrong. Besides what’s a little lead poisoning between countries, eh? The movie “Toys” could take on a whole new meaning.
The Russians are coming! The Russians are coming!
Actually…the Russians have landed - at the bottom of the arctic - with a freakin’ flag no less. - ??
Yo guys, there had to be a better way to say, “Nyet Comrades, we take some too, da!?” I’m sure we could work somethin’ out.
And it begins, the race for the north - the race for all the hidden goodies buried under the frozen arctic ice and snow. Goodies of unimaginable proportions and wealth. I’ll say it again, goodies of unimaginable proportions and wealth. You name it and it’s supposed to be there. Oil, gold, diamonds and lord knows what. Tim Horton’s is probably already staking claim to outlets in Resolute, Nunavut.
Russia’s claim will be the first of many, along with Canada, Iceland (Norway) and Greenland (Denmark). For some bizarre reason the US has been left out of the loop. Something to do with not signing an agreement about ratifying the north pole region - yadda yadda. Oops. Well done people, might wanna be nicer to us oddball canucks.
Canadians recently celebrated the 90 year anniversary of the taking of Vimy Ridge in France during the 1st World War by a gallant group of Canadians soldiers who were fighting for a profound reason.
On that same weekend of celebratory thoughts and events, the Canadian Forces lost 6 personnel by a land mine; two days later another 2 were killed by a roadside bombing in Afghanistan. According to the media: “eight casualties in a week is the worst loss of personnel since the Korean war.” What’s next? “That was the worst loss of troops in one day since Vietnam” or “The Second World War”?
In July 2006, I wrote a piece called “Will the war in Afghanistan be Harper’s demise? Or Canada’s?” I believe I’ve got the answer now. It’s neither. It’s the Canadian Armed Forces and the other nations who fight a losing battle - a battle not their own. A battle courtesy of the Bush administration and their stupid ideas.
I wonder what the men who crashed landed at Vimy Ridge would say about the Afghanistan war? Would they ask the big question? Why are we there? Would they ask why the troops are busy being social workers instead of doing their job? Would they ask why will it take ten or twenty years for the ‘coalition’ to remove the Taliban? When it took them a total of 4 years to defeat a powerhouse like Germany and the rest of that group! It took the Canadian troops a day to take Vimy. It took 6 years to take out Hitler and his merry band of assholes. Something wrong here, people.
Due to an overwhelming amount of ‘recalls’ this month, "March 2007" has been ‘recalled’ Please check your “Best Before” date to see if it is overdue. If the “Best Before” date is March 31st, 2007, please throw it out immediately, or take March back to the retail outlet where you purchased it for a full refund. In addition to March being recalled, the following products were also recalled this month in the USA…
- Del Monte Pet Products Voluntarily Withdraws Specific Product Codes of Pet Treats and Wet Dog Food Products (March 30, 2007)
- Eight In One Announces Nationwide Recall of All Lots Of Dingo® Chick’n Jerky Treats for Dogs, Cats And Ferrets (March 30, 2007)
- Alpo® Brand Prime Cuts In Gravy Canned Dog Food Voluntary Nationwide Recall (March 30, 2007)
- FDA Finds Melamine in Wheat Gluten used by Hill’s Pet Nutrition (March 30, 2007)
- Hills Pet Nutrition, Inc. Voluntarily Recalls Single Product, Prescription Diet™ m/d™ Feline Dry Food, Only Product Containing Wheat Gluten (March 30, 2007)
- Consumer Alert: Undeclared Milk in Lorenzo’s Brand Mexican Breads (March 29, 2007)
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I should also include SCTV, Kids in the Hall, and some time ago Wayne & Shuster. And in some cases, even Red Green. For Canadians, these shows (like Jon Stewart and The Daily Show in the US) have provided us with a look at Canadian politics that we wouldn’t normally see. They have become a mainstay of Canadian television.
For example where else would we see the Prime Minister of Canada drive around and around the Parliament Buildings on his first day as PM, as he tried to avoid the media who were waiting for him? On This Hour Has 22 Minutes. Certainly not on the mainstream news. Where else could Canadians see their leaders shown to be what they can really be, but on the Air Farce?
The extraordinary thing is that all of these TV shows have taken place, and some continue to do so - on Canada’s CBC Television Network. This government and public sponsored television network is mocked constantly by the actors while performing in their shows on the CBC.
This concept of course is related to Canada’s Freedom of Speech rights. The CBC has always been the voice of Canadians, been that way for over 50 years, reckon it’ll keep doing so. And as such, these shows, and those as far back as Wayne & Shuster have knocked the snot out of the CBC and their policies; and all Canadian leaders and everything else in-between.
Tired of your old weather satellite? Well then, just shoot the damn thing down! Oops, sorry about the international space station. Luckily for all of us, their third time at trying to blow the satellite out of space finally worked. However, the missile could have gone off-course and taken out any other satellite up there. ‘Could have’ being the key words the Chinese would mumble, if the Chinese even mumbled.
On the other hand, the extra 40,000 plus pieces of the leftover satellite floating around in space will undoubtedly upset all the aliens who drive through the earth’s air space on occasion. We get pissed when bugs are plastered on the windshield, imagine a bolt?
While the fact that thousands of nuts, bolts and other assorted metal goodies are floating around in space is not all that new, and considering that China is the “emerging power”; and since their pollution level has risen dramatically over the past decade, space just had to be on their list as well. Driving through space is a little trickier than it used to be. NASA needs to build a garbage-truck shuttle.