Archive for the ‘miscell’ Category
He has gone…
Tuesday, May 8th, 2012… to where the wild things are…
Great memories of reading this to all of my kids.
My favorite lines:
THAT VERY NIGHT IN MAX’S ROOM
A FOREST GREW, AND GREW, AND GREW UNTIL THE CEILING HUNG WITH VINES
AND THE WALLS BECAME THE WORLD ALL AROUND
AND AN OCEAN TUMBLED BY
WITH A PRIVATE BOAT!”
FOR MAX. AND HE SAILED OFF THROUGH NIGHT AND DAY
AND IN AND OUT OF WEEKS AND ALMOST OVER A YEAR…
….To where the wild things are…
Christopher Walken puts it best:
Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario
Friday miscellany…
Friday, April 27th, 2012… no particular theme edition…
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A big problem with social media is that it gives idiots, racists, bigots, misogynists, etc., a tool to spew their ignorant venom.
Assholes.
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A successful Wildrose candidate blamed urban Alberta for the PC win the other day.
Bikman said Tuesday: “I think that these social issues that came up during the last week and the PC’s ability to exploit them, caused some concern in the voters within urban areas, at least, because they didn’t really understand the issues, they didn’t really understand that there was an aspect of free speech.”
Bikman also said rural people “possess more common sense, a least that’s my experience.
“The people who make their living off the land really seem to understand the way nature really works.”
LOL!
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Lots of email phishing going on these days. Even if you know the sender, think twice about clicking on links if something seems not quite right…
I wonder where that phish has gone.
You did love it so. You looked after it like a son.
And it went wherever I did go.
Is it in the cupboard?
Yes! Yes! No!…
Wouldn’t you like to know? It was a lovely little phish.
And it went wherever I did go.
It’s behind the sofa!
Where can that phish be?
It is a most elusive phish!
And it went wherever I did go.
Ooooh, phishy, phishy, phishy phish!
A-phish, a-phish, a-phish, a-phishy, ooooh.
Ooooh, phishy, phishy, phishy phish!
That went wherever I did go.
Egyptian husbands will soon be legally allowed to have sex with their dead wives for up to six hours after their death, local media is claiming.
The controversial new law is claimed to be part of a raft of measures being introduced by the Islamist-dominated parliament.
It will also see the minimum age of marriage lowered to 14 and the ridding of women’s rights of getting education and employment.
As my brother pointed out on Facebook:
If memory serves me correctly, the NDP didn’t support Canada’s involvement in WWI, supported a policy of Canadian neutrality in both the War of 1812 AND the Seven Years’ War – what a bunch of granola eating, tree hugging, whale protecting pacifists!
Mr. Harper is in clear need of a remedial history class. What a kook!
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Prediction: Rangers in 5.
Reality: Rangers in 7.
Prediction: LA in 7
Reality: LA in 5.
Prediction: Bruins in 6.
Reality: Washington in 7.
Prediction: Blues in 5.
Reality: Blues in 5.
Prediction: Yawn… Joisey in 5.
Reality: Joisey in 7.
Prediction: Coyotes in 5.
Reality: Coyotes in 6.
Prediction: Pens in 7. maybe.
Reality: Flyers in 7.
Prediction: Wings in 6.
Reality: Nashville in 5.
Not bad. 5 outta 8 correct.
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Finally – from the news this morning… might Canadians FINALLY be paying attention?
Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario
Friday miscellany…
Friday, April 6th, 2012Jason Kenney edition.
Is Jason Kenney Canada’s Joseph McCarthy?
I think so…
The depths to which Kenney will sink knows no bounds. I’m waiting for the Inquisition legislation to be introduced.
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Sticking with Jason Kenney for a minute… as much as that makes bile rise in my throat…
The mix-up took place at a March 29 ceremony, CIC said in a letter to the CBC’s Evan Dyer.
Seriously, Jason? Your Department has nothing better to do but ensure that new citizens say “Queen Elizabeth” aloud? Seriously? I can think of some easy WFA cuts, if that’s the case!
Bring on the Republic of Canada!
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Question: my iPhone 3s is tanking more often than not. How sure are we that the iPhone 5 will roll out this summer? If it looks pretty certain, I’ll put up with the glitches for a few more months. If not, off to Rogers to upgrade to a 4s.
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In light of the unprecedented incompetence exposed by the Auditor General on the F-35 procurement scandal, the swirl of parliamentary and media attention surrounding the other simmering scandal of fraudulent robocols has died down somewhat.
But the issue will not go away because a fraud occurred and Canadians must find out what happened. A few weeks ago, the Chief Electoral Officer told a Commons committee that impersonating officials responsible for the integrity of the voting system is an affront to our democracy. Indeed it is. Those that perpetrated this crime must be found.
Despite the lame attempts of Conservative MP’s to shrug off, minimize, or even make the incredulous suggestion that this must be all Elections Canada fault, all signs point to them. The technological tools they use and the black-op tactics they employ are widely established. These underlying behaviors and kill at all costs culture is also perfectly in keeping with how the Harper Conservatives operate.
No Daniel, folks like you and I will ensure that the Cons won’t be allowed to merely sweep these illegal activities under the rug.
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Speaking of the damning AG report on those very same fighter jets… how long until we start hearing grunts from the Harperite backbenchers that the AG was influenced by extremist environmental groups funded by the NDP?
I’m guessing next week.
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Speaking of next week… many Government departments are going to release the specifics of the program cuts to their staff on Tuesday.
To my friends and colleagues: good luck.
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Watched the Jays’ opener last night which they won in 16 innings! If the first game is any sign of things to come, it’s going to be an exciting season! GO JAYS!!!!!
Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario
Friday miscellany…
Friday, March 23rd, 2012… complete with Dippers, Lisa Raitt, Ashley (boo-yaa) Madison!
And fish trafficking too!
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The NDP leadership convention is this weekend and NDPers from across the nation are flocking to the land of the Toronto Blue Jays (used to be the Leafs) to choose and bless the leader to replace Mr. Jack Layton.
How will they choose? Will they stay the course and keep to their socialist roots? Or will they be more pragmatic than this and pick someone who promised to broaden their appeal to all Canadians by moving toward the centre of the spectrum?
Nick Nanos notes the following:
The fine line this weekend for the NDP will be for the policy driven party members to select the type of leader Canadians expect, while at the same time delivering on populist appeal. Likewise, for fair-weather political junkies (i.e., the majority of Canadians), they will likely tune in to see how well the leadership process is run by the NDP and also whether the winner measures up. Both are key signals that will drive the intermediate term fortunes of the NDP.
Personally, I’d like to see Nathan Cullen take the helm – if for no other reason than the fact that he has endorsed riding-level cooperation among the progressive parties; which is, of course, the only way that this country will rid itself of the disease called Harperitis.
As for an outright merger? I don’t think any one of the leadership candidates has the balls to make the changes needed (e.g., remove the whole “socialist-thing” from the party Constitution) to facilitate the marriage. But it will, and must, happen at some point.
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I do not condone wildcat strikes, but it seems that a few Air Canada employees were suspended because they “clapped sarcastically” as Lisa “Back-to-work” Raitt picked up her luggage at Pearson Airport (soon to be renamed “Manning Airport” by the Politburo). And in protest, a num,ber of ground workers walked off the job, illegally.
Again, I don’t agree with illegal strikes, but I also don’t agree that the workers, if the story is accurate, should have been suspended. We all have an enshrined freedom to express our opinions and they were simply exercising that freedom. I would have done something similar in the same situation.
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Ottawa. City of cheaters. At least according to Ashley Madison. You know, that organisation whose sole aim is to make cheating on your partner just a little easier? Those guys.
OTTAWA — Ottawa is the most “cheater-friendly” city in Canada, according to an infidelity website that allows would-be adulterers to hook up.
According to figured collected by AshleyMadison.com, which has 37,800 members in Ottawa and the surrounding area, 3.87 per cent of residents in the capital area have accessed the website’s services at least once.
AshleyMadison.com founder and CEO Noel Biderman is not surprised Ottawa topped the list. It makes sense that Ottawa would have the highest per capita users, he says.
“Compared to the rest of Canada, I don’t know that Ottawa is boring. It’s a place for international people to come and go. There have even been spy scandals.”
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And, I mean, I know it’s The Star, but isn’t this just the laziest article you’ve ever read?
ABERDEEN TOWNSHIP, N.J.—More than 900 students at a New Jersey middle school have been told no more hugging.
The district says Matawan-Aberdeen Middle School Principal Tyler Blackmore made an announcement that students were in a “no hugging school” following some “incidents of unsuitable, physical interactions.”
School Superintendent David Healy says the district has the responsibility to teach children about appropriate interactions.
The superintendent says despite the rule, students who hug will not be suspended.
The superintendent says he believes the principal acted responsibly.
Students range in ages from 11 to 14 in grades six to eight.
Was it “bring your kid to work” day and the Star staff gave the job to a 10 year old?
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Red meat makes people happy… well, duh!
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Finally, fish trafficking – don’t be drawn into the whirlpool of self-destruction!
h/t to Christina for pointing out this gem!
Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario
Friday miscellany…
Friday, March 16th, 2012Encyclopaedia Britannica edition…
Bye-bye to that venerable institution.
I remember when my parents bought a set from a door-to-door salesman. I went through every single page! But the truth is that research tools have come a long way and we shouldn’t mourn the death of the candle because of the invention of the light bulb… as Ayn Rand might say.
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The National Capital Commission – abolish it. Soon. It’s an antiquated, short-sighted and undemocratic body that is in charge of BILLIONS of dollars worth of properties in the NCR. Its time has passed. Disperse the lands to the City.
OTTAWA — Nicholas Hoare, owner of the independent Canadian bookstore chain of the same name, said he was forced to close his Ottawa store when the National Capital Commission tried to hike his yearly rent to nearly $145,000.
The NCC sent Hoare a notice in mid-December stating his new lease agreement would increase the $84,000 rent of his Sussex Dr. store by 72 per cent. The letter also said the rent would continue to increase incrementally each year for the duration of the five-year lease agreement.
“We got this registered letter out of the blue from these clowns telling us in no uncertain terms that this was final and not negotiable,” he said.
Hoare said Matthew Mitchell, the manager of the Ottawa store, tried to contact the NCC and negotiate the lease but he received no response.
“Nobody would phone him back. It’s like dealing with a brick wall,” he said. “There was no discussion, no argument, no negotiation.”
Hmmmm… RoboGate seems to be unfolding a bit more clearly now. I wonder how the Cons are going to spin this? Again, I’m not going to jump to conclusions until the investigations have concluded.
But still…
An investigation by CBC News has turned up voters all over Canada who say the reason they got robocalls sending them to fictitious polling stations was that they’d revealed they would not vote Conservative.
Although the Conservative Party has denied any involvement in the calls, these new details suggest that the misleading calls relied on data gathered by, and carefully guarded by, the Conservative Party.
Chief Electoral Officer Marc Mayrand announced Thursday that he now has “over 700 Canadians from across the country” who allege “specific circumstances” of fraudulent or improper calls. CBC News examined 31 ridings where such calls have been reported and found a pattern: those receiving those calls also had previous calls from the Conservative Party to find out which way they would vote.
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For St. Patrick’s Day:
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Still amazed that, even though my Leafs are struggling right now, Sens fans are still obsessed more with the Blue and White rather than their own damned team! I will NEVER understand these people! They are in dire need of therapy!
RT @redscarfunion: Who’s jacked up for a big weekend? #FirstPlaceFriday #Sens #Sens20 #ottawa #ottcity #habssuck #leafssuck #suckitphaneuf
I’ve noted this before… I guess some things never change.
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There’s a group here in Ottawa that is trying to get the municipal ban on backyard hen-raising lifted. Specifically:
Objective: To influence revision of City of Ottawa bylaw #2003-77, to allow hens in urban and rural residential back yards.
I personally don’t have a problem with the idea of hens (no roosters) in the backyard. Other cities have done it and there seems to be an answer to every question posed about health (human and chicken), noise, vermin, etc. Plus, I think it important that we, as a society, begin to re-assess how our properties are used; food gardens and small-scale poultry operations, or, as a colleague has put it, non-productive domestic crops (i.e., lawns).
I have converted a nice proportion of what little backyard I have into plots for my tomatoes, beans, raspberries, horseradishes, beets and cucumbers. The food is GREAT and fresh as can be, plus, my youngest daughter has taken a keen interest in our wee little “farm”. And this is good as it is teaching her the value of work plus teaches her that food doesn’t just magically appear on store shelves.
So I say, hell, why not! The City might at least direct staff to take a closer look at this issue rather than dismiss it off the cuff like this:
“First and foremost, sincere apologies for our slow response to your message. By-law and Regulatory Services does not support the introduction of urban chickens for many reasons you refuted in your communication (noise, odour, attraction of predatory animals such as coyotes, potential for the spread of zoonotic diseases). The City is not presently resourced to issue permits nor respond to complaints concerning chickens – including chickens at large – and the Ottawa Humane Society (who provides sheltering services for the City) would have to be consulted on whether or not they have capacity to expand to shelter stray chickens and at what cost. We further question what becomes of chickens who grow too old to continue to produce eggs.
You speak of “responsible” hen ownership. Our concern would be the residents who do not take this responsibility seriously.
I appreciate and respect your submission and will retain it for future reference.
Linda Anderson
Chief
By-law and Regulatory Services”
If you are on Facebook, check them out here.
Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario
Friday miscellany…
Friday, March 9th, 2012… O M G! The SKY is falling edition…
Literally. The sky. Falling. Yup. The sun burps and we all freak out. Oh no! The GPS on my iPhone might lose some of its precision!!!!
Anyhow, the solar “storm” seems to have had little impact and we can all carry on with our lives.
Phew.
You know what was the funniest thing about this? The reaction in the social media. The Twitterverse was full of quotes from the bible claiming that these were the end of days, while others were taking a lighter look at things:
RT @Unnamedinsider: After the nuclear disaster in Japan failed to produce any superheroes, I’m hoping this #SolarStorm could be my chance!!
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Hee-hee.
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Unless you have been living under a digital rock for the past week, you have seen the Kony video put out by the Invisible Children campaign. Went viral, it did. And it sure tugged at the heartstrings. Movies like Blood Diamond showed the viciousness of the Lord’s Resistance Army and got some global attention.
But there are two things that bugged me a little about this campaign:
- The Lord’s Resistance is a group in retreat. It isn’t really that big a deal any more. After being relentlessly hunted by the armies of several nations, it is a shadow of it’s former self. So where was this video 15 years ago? Oh yeah, YouTube wasn’t around yet.
- The blatant appeal for money to buy a Kony “kit” immediately threw up a field of red flags for me. Seriously?
- Plus, it seems as though the organization behind the campaign may be concerned more about lining its own pockets than finding and capturing Kony.
I’m undecided on this one. Horrific things have happened in that part of the world thanks to Kony, true. But asking for money for a campaign that might already be moot is a bit suspicious.
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What is it with aggressive drivers this week? Two days in a row now I have almost been clipped by cars roaring through the crosswalk (with flashing lights!) in front of my building at Tunney’s Pasture! It’s a CROSSWALK PEOPLE!
For the record, the one who missed me by about 8 inches or so at about 12:45 today had a custom plate # 10 08 88, and was a red Ford coupe. If you know this guy, please tell them that a certain bald guy wants to pull his liver out through his nose!
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Call-bot. It’s coming for you!
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Figgers Harper would take Ford’s side on the subway versus LRT issue in T.O. He is consistent – I’ll give that to him.
“I prefer when I want to use public transit to go underground, unimpeded … and when I want to use my car I prefer not to be running in to LRTs and streetcars,” Mr. Harper said after a ground-breaking ceremony for a pedestrian tunnel connecting Toronto’s island airport to the mainland.
Naw, the Feds aren’t getting involved in local issues… naawwww… not THIS government!
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I would like to take the dude who came up with the idea of gifts at Easter (which personally don’t even recognise as a holiday), and introduce him to the woodshed!
Great! Another excuse to spend money on our kids to show them how much we love them.
This is about a crackpot idea as giving out loot bags to kid’s party guests party guests! WHO was the GENIUS who thought of THAT???
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The Grapefruit League has begun!
Go Jays Go!!!!
Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario
Friday miscellany…
Friday, March 2nd, 2012… in like a lion edition…
I have, so far, stayed away from saying a lot about the ongoing car accident going by the name of Robo-gate, phonescam, etc. Final determinations of blame and guilt have yet to happen. Here is what we do know.
- Something did happen in Guelph. The RCMP and Elections Canada are formally investigating and they would not be doing so without cause.
- It is known that at least one CPC operative was behind the misdirecting calls.
- What is not known is from what level of the organisation did the command to carry out the fraudulent calls.
- Misdirecting and annoying or rude calls also occurred in dozens of other ridings. The overwhelming majority of these ridings were CPC / Grit contests.
- The contention by the CPC that the Liberals made these calls themselves is beyond ludicrous.
My conclusion this far is that something fishy and likely illegal went down last spring. And in at least one case the CPC is culpable at some level of the organisation. As for the other cases, this will unfold as it will… too soon to make a judgment.
Yet….
Wow. 31,000.
What the CPC should be very concerned about is that IF there was knowledge of or overt support for these acts and IF foot soldiers are tagged by the Mounties or Elections Canada, then they may make a deal to avoid lengthy jail time. And names will be named.
In the meantime, this makes for fun times for those of us who would like to see King Harper dethroned.
And don’t preach to me all holier-than-thou-like that I and other progressives shouldn’t make political hay out of this! Think back to feeding frenzy at the beginning of the sponsorship scandal, my conservative friends…
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OC Transpo? Tell me something. What are there far fewer buses stopping at Hurdman on Friday mornings? And why do some buses, like the 94 (bus number 6492) I just saw, pull up to either far end of the platform, unload, and get away ASAP even though you see customers running up to your doors? Hmm?
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Lego profits are going through a block-constructed roof? Really? This is so old school, one might find it hard to believe this market is growing. But a cursory scan of the net shows a HUGE following out there. Go figger.
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Hey! Davey Jones! My Monkees lunchbox was always my fave! Just so ya know.
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So Sears is closing their store in the Rideau Centre! Wow! This will apparently open the way for something called Nordstrom – whatever that is…
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Sigh…
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Finally – Happy Birthday Dr. Suess!
My Mom subscribed to a kid’s book club pretty much since I was born and well into the ’70′s where a new hardcover Dr. Suess or Berenstain Bears books was delivered once every month or so. I can clearly remember my brother and I excitingly crossing the highway to our mailbox to see if the new, cardboard encased, book had arrived!
My fave? Green Eggs and Ham. Hands down,
And these books are still around after having survived me and my three siblings plus my kids and those of my brothers…
Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario
I like this new app…
Sunday, February 26th, 2012Friday miscellany…
Friday, February 24th, 2012… climate change, robo-calls, dingoes and Oscars edition…
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Sugar bushes in Ontario and Quebec have tapped their trees weeks early this year due to the non-winter that we have been experiencing in this part of the world. Tapping in February hasn’t happened in decades. The sugar bush owners are pretty happy about this, yet I cannot help but wonder about the longer term impacts on our ecosystems.
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The family and I made it onto the Rideau Canal twice this winter. Only 38 days of the longest skating rink in the world this year. I wonder if we won’t see a year sometime soon when the Canal won’t open to skating at all!
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So the EU countries stopped short of condemning tar sand oil as “dirtier” than petroleum from other sources. I don’t know about this decision. A “dirty” label really would have been only symbolic and wouldn’t impact policies as Canada exports very little of its crude to the EU..
BRUSSELS — Years of lobbying over European Union rules that would label fuel from tar sands as more polluting than fuels from other sources reached a stalemate Thursday when a committee of technical experts failed to agree on the draft.
The European Commission, the Union’s executive branch, and many environmentalists say the “dirty” label is necessary to help fuel buyers choose the least carbon-intensive energy forms and help to curb global warming.
Canada, home to vast crude reserves most of which are in the form known as tar sands or oil sands, has challenged the E.U. law, saying it is discriminatory and could damage trade ties.
The vote Thursday at a meeting of technical experts, which was held behind closed doors, failed to reach a qualified majority under the Union’s voting system, which weights voting to reflect the populations of E.U. member states. The European climate commissioner, Connie Hedegaard, claimed victory in averting a “no” vote. “Now our proposal will go to ministers, and I hope governments will realize that unconventional fuels of course need to account for their considerably higher emissions through separate values,” she said in a statement.
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Robo-call-gate. Will it stick? J’en doute.
This is the Teflon government, don’t forget. And also the government that thinks it is A-OK to get tough on crime. Unless said crime is election fraud. Then it’s soft-as-a-kitten on crime.
Hypocrites.
Yeah, yeah, I know that nothing has been proven yet re: a direct connection to the CPC, but c’mon! How many dots does it take to make a line? Senior staff were likely blissfully unaware of what was happening, but you can bet your patootie that someone in a position of decision-making within the party did know the scoop. And approved it!
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CANBERRA — An inquest started hearing new evidence on Friday into the 1980 death of baby Azaria Chamberlain. It’s a case that has haunted Australia for decades, drawing international attention after her parents said she had been killed by a dingo, or wild dog.
The inquest into baby Azaria’s death in the Australian outback of baby Azaria, the fourth such inquest since the infant disappeared, began in Darwin Magistrates Court in the Northern Territory in response to new information provided by the baby’s parents.
The evidence concerns several dingo attacks on infants and young children since Azaria’s death. Her parents expect the court to declare officially that Azaria was killed by a dingo, rather than by her mother, a lawyer representing parents Lindy and Michael Chamberlain said.
No word on whether Meryl Streep will be asked to do a sequel.
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And it looks like dingoes of the two-legged variety are squaring off big-time Downunder. The prize? The office of President! When it comes to political infighting, we Canucks have nothing to match this battle royale!
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Oscars? Meh. You know what I think about award shows. I saw Moneyball. Good flick.
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The Noravirus has been making its rounds in O-Town. I think that is what my eldest had the other day. Brutal little bug. Ottawa Public Health recommends the following:
At this time of year, increased cases of Noravirus circulate in the community and can affect schools, hospitals, day care centres and long term care facilities, and anywhere groups of people gather. To avoid infection with Norovirus, we recommend the following:
Good advice.
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Duh-o! Winter is coming!
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Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario
Totally unneccesary invasion of privacy!
The Tony Clement gazebo - on video!
I hope you know what you're doing Mr. Burke












