Another busy news day

Let's see, what has caught my eye:

Visa Student charged in Cecilia Zhang murder

Looks like a feather in the caps of the Toronto and Peel police forces as they look to have a pretty good case against Min Chen. Chen apparently knew Cecilia and it is believed that she was comfortable around him. Motive has not been revealed, but I'm glad something has broken in this case. Does nothing for the family, though, and kudos to the police for acknowledging that. If found guilty, I'll put the over-under on sentencing at around 5 years (knowing our great and wise justice system).

Molson and Coors announce merger

So the 3rd-largest U.S. brewery merges with one of the largest in Canada. I can't say the largest because Molson and Labatt are still pretty even in market share. Molson currently is the licensed brewer of Coors product in Canada. Combined, the new company (Moors?) is still 5th largest, although they hope to cut costs by $175 million. Apparently, there is still concern that someone could bust up the marriage between the two companies (Ian Molson, cousin of chairman Eric Molson, is reportedly on the verge of putting a $4 billion bid together to buy and privatize Molson).

Lesbian couple seeks divorce

Anyone not see this coming? Apart from the legislative branch, that is? The couple in question were married for 5 days before initiating divorce proceedings (no, Rosie O'Donnell is not one half of the couple). The couple is not being named in the media. Some great quotes in the article. First, from one of the lawyers involved, Julie Hannaford:

"You can't say to people that we're going to punish you for being in a same-sex marriage by never allowing you out of that marriage," she said.

"That just doesn't make sense."

And, just in case there was any doubt where the Amazing McGuinty stands:

For his part, Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty suggested Wednesday that the case should be allowed to continue.

"We certainly support same-sex marriages and logically what flows from that are divorces," he said.

Mother of Tamra Keepness loses all her kids

I honestly don't know what to make of this. Apparently, there is concern for the safety of the other children, but it sure looks to me like they're trying to smoke out the mother or some other family member. This is a story that grows weirder by the minute.

In other (non-important) news, I was happy to hear that Reiko Aylesworth, who played Michelle Dessler the last two seasons on 24, will be added to the CSI:Vegas cast. Aylesworth was definitely one of my favorite actors on 24 and, while she'll be missed there, I'd much rather watch her than the eternally-depressed Jorja Fox. Also, I'm going to be seriously overdosing on CSI come September, as it's been announced that CSI:Miami starts Monday, September 20, CSI:NY starts the 22nd (looks like the West Wing just got dumped from my schedule) and Vegas kicks off on the 23rd. Mondays are shaping up to be great TV nights again, as 24 is apparently moving to Mondays in January.

Well, that's enough for today. See y'all later.

What a Strange World We Live In

Case in point:
 
Martha Stewart, in one of the all-time great boneheaded moves, sells her shares in ImClone, a biotech/pharmaceutical firm, after receiving a call from her broker.  The broker called to tell her that the CEO of ImClone, Sam Waksal (a good friend of Stewart's), was selling his shares.  This was done on the eve of an announcement by the FDA that a key cancer drug of ImClone's, Erbitux, was not going to pass its latest trial.  The decision by Stewart to sell saved her $51,000.
 
Yesterday, a judge sentenced her to 5 months in prison, followed by 5 months house arrest and a $30,000 fine.  ImClone, which she sold at about $60, trades at $80 following Erbitux' successful completion of FDA trials.  Stewart was forced to resign as CEO from the company she built, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, and later resigned as a board member after she was convicted.  So she made a dumb move, tried to cover it up, and got nailed.  As quoted in the article on Canoe's website:

But she said a prison term was appropriate because "lying to government agencies during the course of an investigation is a very serious matter, regardless of the outcome of the investigation."

2nd Case in point:
 
Dr. Leslie Griesdorf, a Toronto dentist, was arrested in early 2003 after Toronto police were informed that he had used a credit card on a known child pornography website.  Upon searching his house they found (again sourcing from Canoe):

...a four-square-metre vault with seven locks on a thick steel door hidden behind a wood facade in the basement of the dentist's Catalda Court house. They needed 16 hours to remove 2,000 VHS tapes, between 30,000 and 50,000 photo re-prints, 185 8-mm films, 20 reel-to-reel movies, plus a 30-year-old magazine collection and six computer hard drives.

The article goes on to document more specifically the content of some of these items, which I will not go into here. Anyways, he was sentenced on Thursday.

"Sentenced" to 18-months conditional and 9 months house arrest. He is allowed to own a computer. If he does not re-offend, he will not be required to go to prison.

I have officially had it with the Canadian justice system. The Crown, citing Griesdorf's willingness to co-operate with the police as well as a psychiatric evaluation that stated he we not likely to be a repeat offender, didn't even PURSUE a prison term. Doesn't anybody get it?

This guy spent 30 years amassing an enormous collection of child porn, exploiting the members of society we, as adults, should feel most strongly about protecting, and gets a slap on the wrist. And let's not forget, this guy was a DENTIST, who probably treated kids.

Martha Stewart does nothing to hurt anyone, but does break laws. For that, she was fairly punished. Griesfeld exploits kids and encourages others to hurt and abuse kids so he can get his jollies. For wilfully damaging society, he gets nothing.

Maybe we should propose a sentence of one day for each image/film/book owned. That seems fair to me. I feel the need to DO SOMETHING. I just haven't got the foggiest idea what.

I feel dirty. I think I'll go shower.

Later.

Uh-oh.......

Gonna be an interesting news day, I see. 
 
Martha Stewart is gonna get sentenced at 10 AM, which I will weigh in on later.   That post will also discuss the lack of a sentence for Toronto dentist/kiddie-porn distributor Dr. Leslie Griesdorf.

Don Cherry fans can relax for another year.  CBC signed him on for this season.  Apparently, he will also be the mediator in the CBA talks between the NHLPA and the league (I made that part up).

Mike Weir posted a respectable -3 in his second round today at the British Open, which has him in the top 10, although a lot of golfers are still out on the course.

Paul Martin will unveil his new cabinet on Tuesday.  Apparently, he has opted for a lovely dark teak this time, as opposed to the blanched oak Chretien preferred.

Al-Jazeera (the Arabic news channel) will soon be available to Canadian viewers.  I wonder if there's a chance they'll be able to get a reporter on the floor of the Democratic National Convention.  The CRTC says that they reserve the right to keep any abusive and/or anti-Semitic comments off the air.  Al-Jazeera will, as a result, be available unedited between 1:30 and 1:33 PM each day.
 
Thought that would cover things, until I found this bombshell on The CSI fan website:
 
George Eads and Jorja Fox fired from CSI. 
  
Those not in the know, George Eads plays CSI Nick Stokes and Jorja Fox plays CSI Sara Sidle.  They are, probably, the two lowest characters on the CSI roster.  They tried to lobby for more money and CBS said buh-bye.  Good for CBS.  Ensemble characters seem to try this ploy when their shows become more and more popular.  What they fail to realize is that they are part of an ensemble and can be replaced. 

 
Fans of CSI aren't watching the show to see Fox and Eads, they are interested in the mysteries and the science (although, I must admit to REALLY liking the cast of CSI: Miami).  If they change the players, I'm pretty sure that everyone will adjust to the new players (I think Greg Saunders (the lab rat) will be out in the field this year) and things will carry on.  I much prefer this type of cop show, where the focus is on the cases and less on the people, at least outside of the office.  I can think of only one exception, and that was NYPD Blue, although that show was always more about the relationships within the precinct than the cases they were dealing with.
 
Anyways, good luck to Jorja Fox and George Eads (who at least has a fallback gig, playing Evel Knievel in a made-for-TV biopic).  I suspect they'll learn the lesson that they are not irreplaceable when CSI remains #1 this season.

Oops, one more

There are probably only 10 people in North America who have heard of Candy Dulfer.  In the early- to mid-90s, she created two really slick jazz sax CD's, Saxuality and Sax-a-Go-Go.  It's really hard to describe her sound.  There's some early electronica, thanks to a collaboration with the Eurythmics Dave Stewart ("Lily Was Here" from Saxuality, which was the closest thing I think she ever had to a North American hit.  For the most part, however, she hits a mostly upbeat, bouncy jazz groove.  Some say she's a female Kenny G, but I always thought her sound a just a bit more guts to it than Mr. Gorelick's tunes.
 
Checking Amazon, it appears she's made about 10 albums, but she apparently makes the cardinal error so many awesome instrumentalists do.  She attempts to sing.  It nearly did  Joe Satriani in, but he saw the error of his ways quickly and went back to straight guitar.  Eric Johnson, who has a voice so thin it makes Britney Spears sound like Ella Fitzgerald, has not yet learned, which is probably why he remains on the periphery.  Sorry, but I like my instrumentalists to play their instruments and leave the singing to singers.

How cool is this

My son, Aidan, is starting to get into feature-length movies.  Guess what movies he likes:
TRON, Space Jam, with Michael Jordan and BUGS BUNNY and Star Wars.  He also likes it when I play music by Peter Gabriel, Triumph, Michael W. Smith and Van Halen.
 
Nice to see the apple hasn't fallen far from the tree.

Aaaah, memories

Some of you are aware of this.  Those who are not, I bought myself a new toy last week.  I get a lot of use out of portable music devices going back to my youth, when I bought my first cassette Walkman at age 18 (that was 1985, so the idea of having a walkman in school was still verboten).  As a result, I was pretty much guaranteed to need to replace them about once a year.
 
I really hope I don't have to do that with this puppy.  Since it has no moving parts and a rechargeable Li-Ion battery, I'm feeling pretty optimistic about it.  I even went so far as to get the extended 3-year warranty.  It sounds awesome and I finally have a pair of headphones that string around behind the neck, which I've wanted for the longest time.  It's nice and light and holds 4 hours of MP3's.
 
Why am I telling you all of this?  Well, if you've been to Christine's and my house, you've probably seen the almost 1,000 CD's we own.  There are so many memories wrapped up in these discs, when I play them they take me back to important events in my life.  For example:
 
"Ray's Blues" by Dave Grusin from The Firm soundtrack will always remind me of my Papa.  The day my Papa passed away, I sat in a dark apartment and played "Ray's Blues" for hours.  The simple piano opening reminded me of my Papa: a man who didn't need a lot, who just loved his wife and family more than anything.
 
Nothing Like The Sun and The Soul Cages by Sting.  These two albums, along with all of my Springsteen and Genesis albums, are the soundtrack of my early 20's, years in which I was living on my own, working at Dofasco, playing slo-pitch 5 nights a week and golfing when I wasn't playing slo-pitch or working.  Nary a care in the world.
 
The soundtrack to The Fugitive, which I found in the HMV on Sparks Street in Ottawa.  I spent the summer of 1994 working for the Federal Government and spent many a sunny Saturday walking through downtown Ottawa with theat soundtrack blasting in my ears.  One of my all-time favorite movies.  And a soundtrack from one of my all-time favorite summers.
 
So many more.  I suspect I'll come back and write some more as I rip more CD's (relax, all my song-ripping is legit, for those in the audience concerned about those things).
 
Later.

I wanna soak up the sun

Unfortunately, I soaked up a bit too much. Triumphant Sound (Philpott's Men's singing group) had a great BBQ/pool party on the weekend. As usual, I went the whole day sans sunscreen and got torched. No big deal. I've had sunburns before.

But not like THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!

Last night, when I got home from work, my whole back suddenly felt like million of tiny bugs were crawling all over it. I wound up spending the whole night lying facedown on the couch with cold towels on my back. I needed to pop two extra strength Tylenol every 4 hours just so I could sleep, and then had to call in sick today because I didn't want to risk having an itch attack on the bus.

SPF-30, you're my new best friend.

More on Same-Sex Marriage

Amy wrote a terrific little post on her blog. I encourage you to read it. It presents the marriage issues I have written about recently in a different light, as she (rightly) expresses concern about the ever-increasing incidence of divorce.

I made a comment, but after writing it, also decided to put my comment here:

Amy, to a degree I agree with you and I think that my prior postings will support my concern about the safety and well-being of our kids. I totally agree with you about the subject of divorce and you are right on. However, same-sex marriage (like common-law) violates the biblical precept of marriage. It is on the purely moral ground that I fight for this. I am well aware that I could ask 10 people their opinion on same-sex marriage and get 10 different answers but, like many Christians, we have a belief that marriage is strictly "the union of ONE MAN and ONE WOMAN, under God, until DEATH DO YOU PART". Having said that, there are rules for divorce in the Bible.

I think that the biggest threat to the institution of marriage is not divorce, same-sex, common law, or anything else. It is simply the fact that the world has invaded God's intent of what marriage is supposed to be and corrupted and spoiled it.

From the perspective of society, we are becoming more and more accepting of things that used to be unacceptable behavior. I still remember the first time someone I knew got divorced. I have to confess that I looked at them funny the first few times I saw them. Today, I work with 4 divorced women (one twice), another currently separated from her husband and, I'm sure, a few others who are not as forthcoming about their circumstances. Celebrities, especially, love having attention drawn to their circumstances (see Spears, Britney; O'Donnell, Rosie; Taylor, Elizabeth, etc.).

What people fail to see is the polarizing effect this has on kids. So many kids grow up today without a mom or dad, with TWO moms or TWO dads, with parents who have no commitment to each other beyond today. Kids are slowly becoming, I think, very confused, and the governments and school boards do little to help things by mixing in (in some cases) teaching to make children of same-sex couples feel "normal" by introducing readings and teachings that make this lifestyle acceptable. Same with children of divorce.

I don't have an answer other than to say that we, as parents, have an awesome responsibility to teach our children about God and Jesus and how crucial it is to open up their lives to Him. It's the only way we can be sure that future generations will continue to honor Him.

I pray for each of you reading this post that you will take up the standard and teach your kids what God says about living relationally in this badly messed-up world.

Peace.

Attaboy, G.W.

Go. Read it. NOW!

Some folks aren't gonna like this

Y'know, Michael Moore has been getting a lot of attention lately. His interpretation of current events, presented in the film Fahrenheit 9/11, is certainly stirring the pot. My question is this.........

WHY DO WE CARE?

In the past 7 days, we have had the outlandish Blackstock court decision, Martin Ferrier's 12 hours in public and now, Tamra Keepness, who is missing in Saskatchewan.

Don't seem to read a lot about this, which I consider much more important.

I have yet, personally, to waste my time writing about an opinionated jerk like Moore. He has his opinions and he believes they're right. So be it. I disagree. Also, so be it.

I encourage everyone who reads this post to pray for Tamra Keepness and her family. Pray that maybe she will be the one that comes back safe.

Later, y'all.

Looks like I'm moving into an anti-crime blog

Again, from Canoe News.

Can you believe this one? Let's recap the low points of Mr. Martin Ferrier:

1. 60 (SIXTY) Convictions including rape, forcible confinement, assault and arson
2. He refused to participate in any treatment programs while in custody
3. Police believe that he will quickly reoffend
4. Parole board documents quote a doctor describing him as an "incurable psychopath" who wants to be remembered as "Canada's most prolific killer"

and, best of all...............

4. According to his own MOTHER, who is afraid he will commit murder if released, Ferrier "...wants to be as notorious as Paul Bernardo".

There's a guy with high aspirations.

Peel police felt it best to issue a public warning (ya think?). The Peel chief stated that, if anyone crosses Ferrier's path, they should practice "good crime prevention and safety measures".

Isn't that why we have police?

Apparently, he's served his time. 60 convictions isn't enough to put him away for life. So, they put this guy back out into the public, where he will commit more crimes and hurt more people. Then he'll get 5 or so more years and we'll do it all over again. I fear for our society.

Maybe I should talk to my brother about getting a gun.

I do not believe this

From Canoe News.

A pair of people who tortured their boys each get a 9-month sentence for doing things to their boys documented in the article and which I cannot repeat without possibly throwing up.

9 months?

Y'know, they are talking about giving Martha Stewart at least 1 year in prison for selling shares of ImClone stock based on an insider tip. These two bright lights torture two boys for much of their young lives and get 9 months each. This time next year, they will be walking the streets free. Anyone wanna wager on the ability of those two boys to walk free of what these two yahoos did to them.

The judge in the case calls the couple's behavior "cruel, damaging and demeaning". However, there is "no evidence" that the couple were sadists.

Guess that makes it alright. If the "evidence" told us they could count to 20 without taking off their shoes and socks, maybe the judge would have reduced the charge to a misdemeanor.

Our penal system is badly screwed up. Maybe it's personal bias, just being a parent, but these two should be put in general population and given an opportunity to leave when they are very, very old (if they survive that long).

Somebody tell me why we as a people don't demand that the governments and the justice system do a more effective job of protecting those who cannot protect themselves?

Makes me want to change careers.

I want a PARADE!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had an epiphany this week. Started out as a joke, evolved into a legit idea:

Think about this:

The Caribbean community celebrates their heritage with a Toronto-wide festival called Caribana.

Other ethnic groups also celebrate their heritages with slightly smaller events during the year.

We just endured gay pride week (I refuse to capitalize the title). They get numerous parades and special events.

I have decided to write my MP asking for Caucasian Heterosexual Week. I think we should have a parade where we can celebrate our straightness, our pasty whiteness and our love of things like sports, Bugs Bunny cartoons and lasting marriages/relationships with members of the opposite sex.

I'm convinced that caucasian male heterosexuals are now a minority in Canada, and we are entitled to an opportunity to celebrate who we are.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE, MY BROTHERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!