Gunfight at the OK Convention Centre

Hours before former U.S. presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton were scheduled to begin their "conversation" at downtown Toronto's Metro Convention Centre on Friday, dozens of protesters, cops and gawkers had gathered along Front Street to witness the historic meet-up. But the protesters, at least, had their sights on just one of the two men.

Resting against benches on the other side of the street from the convention centre were row upon row of placards decorated with pictures of Mr. Bush and the words "war crimes." Other protest signs carried the now-infamous picture of the hooded, electrode-laden Abu Ghraib prisoner in a crucifix pose. Members of the Toronto Coalition to Stop the War carried signs reading, "War criminals not welcome here." Another political group, Food Not Bombs, set up an impromptu buffet table on the street, featuring such delicious puns as "Condoleezza Rice" and "Chard (him with war crimes) stir-fry." Even local 1005 of the Steelworkers' Union got in on the act. Virtually every sign, cause and chant related to the 43rd, rather than 42nd president.

From today's news...

Canadians seem to know their politics. We like fornicators better than war criminals.

It was forty years ago, today...

Many people know that it was 40 years ago, today, on May 26, that John Lennon along with wife Yoko Ono, started his week-long bed-in for peace in Montreal. What most people don't know is that the couple spent the previous night at Toronto's King Edward hotel where a remarkable thing happened.

Then 14-year-old Jerry Levitan had heard that the famous Beatle had spent the previous night at the King "Eddie" and so armed with a Kodak Brownie and a crude, Super-8 movie camera incapable of sound, he was determined to find and interview Lennon. After knocking on a few random doors, a helpful hotel chamber maid directed him to the couple's room.

Unbelievably, Lennon allowed the boy in who immediately started snapping pictures. After a while, Lennon had to leave for a time, but young Levitan asked if he could come back when Lennon returned and tape an interview about peace that he could later play to his school mates. The young lad then must have been beside himself when Lennon agreed.

14-year-old Jerry Levitan interviewing Lennon at the King Edward Hotel May 26th, 1969


Here are a couple of excerpts from the interview:

Levitan went on to become a lawyer and filmmaker. His animated 2007 short, I Met the Walrus, based on about four minutes of his 30-minute interview with Lennon, was nominated for an Oscar.

Lennon left Toronto that night and flew with Ono to Montreal to begin their bed-in. They recorded Give Peace A Chance in their hotel room on June 1.

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My tribute to John Lennon's "Imagine".

Window washing dominates news

Two window washers were stranded for almost two hours, 19 storeys above ground-level after the electrical wires of their lift became entangled with a sign and was pulled out of a socket, leaving them without electricity and unable to get back down.

The thing I found most interesting about this news story was the name of the reporter.

Don't forget to check the oil

If you wondered how bad the economic downturn is for the airline industry, here's a clue. This Air Canada pilot at Toronto's Pearson International Airport was spotted doing a chore normally performed by other staff.

Dead man walking!

Yesterday, I took the longest walk since my recent heart attack. I went about two miles (round trip) to re-fill one of my prescriptions. It was quite pleasant even if most of the way my nostrils were filled with car exhaust and for a short stretch the fumes of some solvent from a homeowner who was painting or something. The worst part of the trip was paying the almost $100 for a one-month supply of Lipitor. If the heart attack doesn't kill and you survive the hospital food, the cost of medication should do the trick. I hope I die soon--I can't afford the meds that are keeping me alive! Did I mention the side effects of taking five different drugs each day? I'm not sure if I mentioned it because one of the effects is being in a stupor. I think I used to be a fairly smart guy. Now, when there's a knock on my door, I open the refrigerator door. It wouldn't be so bad, but now I'm 20 pounds overweight and I need to go on diet pills I can't afford.

How messy does a room have to be to warrant a 9-1-1 call?

An Ohio man who argued with his grown son over a messy bedroom said he overreacted when he called 911. Andrew Mizsak called authorities Thursday after his 28-year-old son threw a plate of food across the kitchen table and made a fist at him when told to clean his room.

The son, also named Andrew, lives in a room in his parents' basement.

The father declined to press charges and told police he doesn't want to ruin his son's political career.

The son, who also works as a political consultant, said he's lucky to be living in the house rent free. He also promises to keep his room clean.

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Editor's note: The story isn't funny enough on its own. Look at the comments it elicited...

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"The son, who also works as a political consultant, said he's lucky to be living in the house rent free."

Got to be a Democrat.

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"threw a plate of food across the kitchen table and made a fist at him when told to clean his room."

Hmmm... gets angry when confronted with the mess he's made - MUST be a Republican.

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"He also promises to keep his room clean."

Must be Green Party.

Another difference of the sexes

I don't know why manufacturers of women's personal products have always felt so comfortable pushing their products in our faces. Men don't seem to need to have personal products advertised in order for them to select one and use it.

From the time that young girl first complained to her mother about not "feeling fresh", and her mother advising her to use Summer's Eve douche, such ads have had me shaking my head in disdain. Is it really necessary to show the applicator in a Tampax ad? The applicator of a yeast infection product? Puhlease.

The recent TV commercial for Monistat is about as tacky as they come, in my opinion. A woman dressed in her night clothes is seen standing in her bathroom with the apparent sound of a thunderstorm. As the camera pans toward the mirror she is standing front of, we see a look of concern on her face and that around her crotch are dark clouds and lightning bolts as the announcer says something like "Don't let a yeast infection get you down".

Cue the product package while extolling its amazing properties.

Suddenly, the woman is transported to her bright kitchen, smiling and enjoying a cup of coffee. The raging storm in her groin has been replaced by sunshine, birds singing and a rainbow. Oh, brother.

Strange creatures

I'm at this moment watching the Toronto Blue Jays beating up on the Chicago White Sox. "Doc" Halladay has just struck out his eighth batter trying to improve his record to 9 and 1 and for the team to extend their American League East lead. Last week, Doc beat the Yankees and his (Doc's) most excellent student of last year, A.J. Burnett. A.J. left the Jays at the end of last season after a terrific (I believe) 18-win season for a contract of about $80 million with New York.

But I'm not here to talk about Doc or the Jays or Burnett for that matter. A few minutes ago, I noticed something a bit strange and amusing. I've seen it many tmes but never really thought about it. If you've watched any baseball, you've probably seen it, too. A pitch was tossed into the dirt and immediately after the catcher caught it, he extended his glove back so that the umpire can take the ball. The umpire raised the ball toward his eyes and examined it. The thing is, every time they do that, they always discard the ball. I mean always. And yet, they consistently go through the ritual of having a look at it before doing so. Why bother? Why not cut out the middle man and have the catcher toss the ball aside? I guess it gives the umpire an air of superiority and power that only he can make the decision as to the fate of the ball. In reality, the decision is made the moment the ball hits the ground.

I'm thinking the gesture the umpire makes is sort of like the other useless habit many people have--the disgusting habit of examining the itsy bitsy piece of foreign material they pick out of any one of various orifices like the corner of their eye, their ear, or worst of all, their nose. Funny creatures, humans.

Canada defends north with Cannon

A bruhaha has been brewing at the North Pole. Canada's sovereignty has been repeatedly tested by a number of nations intent on using her northern waterways and even on making land grabs. The far north is believed to contain oil and mineral deposits and Russia has been posturing by planting a flag at the North Pole seabed and conducting aerial exercises in the region.

In reaction, Canada has been bolstering her military and coast guard presence. Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said Thursday that the Conservative government will strive to "work peacefully" with other polar nations but "will not hesitate to defend Canadian Arctic sovereignty." In February, two Russian bombers made an Arctic test flight, which Canadian military aircraft scrambled to intercept.

Stay tuned, kiddies. This cat and mouse game is not over. There is a lot at stake and it's anybody's guess where this goes.

Lois gets the better of Superman

Toronto-born original Superman artist, Joe Shuster, was supposedly meek and mild mannered like Clark Kent. But he, too, it seems, had a secret identity. Some accounts say that Joe and his co-creator, Jerry Siegel, sold the rights to their ultimate super hero to DC Comics for a mere $130.

To make ends meet, Joe Shuster took to drawing scenes of S&M porn in the same style as characters Clark Kent, Lois Lane, etc. The 16-volume series was titled "Nights of Horror. Now, author Craig Yoe has published an illustrated hardcover covering the story, called Secret Identity: The Fetish Art of Superman's Co-creator Joe Shuster (Manda, $27.50). The story surrounding the artist's descent into sadomasochistic pornography is bizarre even as a comic-book tale.

Here's a sample of Joe Shuster's dalliance. Maybe this is the kind of scene Joe had always envisioned Superman and Lois Lane in.

Beach wedding in Jamaica (not mine) need help with a dress. 36DDD, 5'7, 140, and no where or time to shop in my area so need to find something online. If you can point me to something, please send links.

Would YOU like to get married in Jamaica? ;)

Editor's note: a few minutes later, this was posted...

I see from your profile that you're currently married.

Editor's note: a few minutes later, this was posted...

Would divorce be totally out of the question?

Even better than a bottle of Muscatel

So, where can one expect to find the best Chardonnay in the world? In Canada, of course. In a blind taste test, wine experts chose a wine produced right here in Ontario's Niagara region over bottles from France, California, Australia and New Zealand, using such flattering terms as "well-contained opulence" and "fine spicy finish."

"This proves you can do wonderful things in Canada" said French-born Don-Jean Léandri, who has been a sommelier for 30 years and participated in the taste test organized by Cellier magazine. He said the results should have French winemakers looking over their shoulders.

The Chardonnay judged to be the finest is the 2005 vintage of Claystone Terrace Chardonnay. It sells for $37.50 in Quebec, but unfortunately, is sold out in Ontario. The news item did not mention any other sources.

On "popular" culture

I wouldn't recognize Beyonce if she fell on me.

I couldn't pick out a single Goo Goo Doll out of a police lineup.

If my life depended on it, I couldn't name even one rap song.

The only desperate housewife I've ever known was my ex-.

Except for Susan Boyle, the name/image of no other Idol contestant resides in my brain.

Reality TV has never occupied my reality.

I consider the above quite an accomplishment.

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Mine that Bird!

Did you hear about the Kentucky Derby winner? It was won by a Canadian-bred horse (Mine that Bird) that looked like it had no chance at all. I was at Toronto's Woodbine Raceway and before the race, I remarked to the guy beside me that if I could bet for a horse to finish last, that would be my pick. Not only did he win--he went from almost last to first in the slop and finished about seven lengths ahead of the second-place horse. He went off at 50-1. Days before, the horse was racing at a "B" track in New Mexico where he couldn't even beat those nags. I thought for sure that shortly after the race, it would be announced that he was disqualified for being juiced.

If you look at the video, he made champion horses look like they were standing still.The horse was bought (I think as a yearling) by Woodbine trainer David Cotey for (are you ready for this?) $9,500. Compare this to the $million+ paid for other Derby contenders. The horse won three stake races as a two-year-old at Woodbine and was named top two-year-old in the country. Cotey sold the animal for about $450,000 to Americans. He raced only twice before the Derby as a three-year-old at Sunland Park in New Mexico, finishing second and fourth. The connections were dreaming in technicolour when they decided to enter him in the Derby. The new trainer hauled the horse with his pickup truck for 21 hours to Churchill Downs. If you ask me, the race was an unrepeatable miracle.

Let's see what he does in the Preakness and or Belmont. Here's the video. You can hear the announcer say during the backstretch run that Mine that Bird is well back from the rest of them. As the field nears the final turn, watch for a horse coming through along the rail...

Heidi and Spencer's (and Vinny's not so) big adventure

Suddenly, I was hearing reference after reference to Heidi and Spencer's wedding. After about a week of this, I finally decided to try and find out who the heck these "celebrities" that I've never heard of are. After a few searches, reading articles and viewing videos, I learnt who they are. Now, I'm wondering why they are.

In the old days, many very talented people never had the luck to become a household name. It seems to me that these days, the most extraordinarily ordinary people are given (at least) five minutes of fame. If you have any aspirations of greatness at all, don't give up. You will surely get a chance. By the way, it seems to help if you're shallow, annoying and act like you're the greatest thing since the internet.

Q & A's from around the web

Ok, Well I am taking AP classes next year, and I always have a fear the teacher will say "Are you in the write class?" This is a more advanced English class. Honest question, to all races. If you saw a Black girl in an AP class, what is the first thing to pop up in your mind?

Wow she must be really smart to be hear.

Editor's note: Who said today's youth have trouble with English?