Say, Can You See

At a Norfolk Admirals hockey game in Virginia, 8-year-old Elizabeth Hughes was doing a good job singing the United States anthem when her microphone stopped working. Nonetheless, she got a little help from her friends.



Link via reddit


It Gets Better Canada

A group of famous, literary and media GLBT Canadians share their personal experiences for the It Gets Better campaign.



 

TED Talk: Arianna Huffington

Arianna says the simplest way to be more successful is to get more sleep.

Two and a half years ago Arianna Huffington fainted from exhaustion, hitting her head on the way down. She had to get five stitches near her eye. Shortly after the accident, she became an advocate for getting more sleep.

Here she is at the TED Women conference telling attendees about the benefits of sleep.

 

A great Should I Work For Free chart by Jessica Hische.

 

Listening to: Goldfrapp - Ooh La La

 

8-Bit NES Lego Animation by Andrew Jive



 

Fluorescein

Recently the Goldstream river on Vancouver Island turned green. Investigators determined that the river was contaminated with Fluorescein is a synthetic organic compound soluble in water and alcohol and now harm would come to plants or animals.

 

Children are Introduced to Vintage Technology



 

Lion and tiger cubs heard sheep in South Africa.



Link via Arborath

 

Listening to: Metric - Gimmie Sympathy

 

Life is New

From BBC Earth.



 

Kitty vs. Spinning Spider

Kitty is a deaf kitten who loves to play with a robotic spider.



 

Jack Tripper the Amazing Eyeless Kitty

A spayed cat somehow gave birth to a single kitten she was unable to nurse. The kitten, Jack, was born without eyes. Jack was adopted by a neighbourhood family.



Jack is able to run, jump and play like any other kitten. What a great story.

 

Cat Who Likes To Fetch



 

Listening to: MGMT - Kids

 

A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa




Maru's Christmas Stocking

Maru plays with a Christmas Stocking, fishes and catches a cat nap.




RMR: Rick and Habitat for Humanity

Rick Mercer goes to Regina, Saskatchewan, to volunteer with RCMP cadets to build a house for Habitat For Humanity.




RMR: Bear Tagging

Rick Mercer visits Algonquin Park to help a Park Ranger and students tag a mother Black Bear and weigh her cubs.



 

Listening to: Metric - Gold Guns Girls

 

Canadian Bison Pet Rides Shotgun

A Canadian couple in Alberta has a pet bison who rides shotgun and drinks beer.



 

Santa Stops By

A Santa in Winnipeg gives out presents to random strangers.



 

Simon's Cat in 'Santa Claws'



 

The Cat Diaries



 

Funny photos of cat snowmen.

 

A cover of the Song of Healing from The Legend of Zelda with wine glasses.



 

Natalie Time Lapse: Birth to 10 years old



 

Santa Sleighs Rain or Shine

This past weekend, I went to Victoria with great friends to sleigh ride with about 80 Santas for the annual SantaCon. It was great fun! It was lovely to reconnect with wonderful Slacktorians I had not seen since the summer. I also got to get to know some new friends a little more. Always wonderful to spread merry cheer and feel red-n-white fuzzy.

Prior to Santa, we got to try a delicious Pig BBQ joint for lunch. The pulled pork poutine is amazing! Little did we know an undercover Santa was giggling at us from the kitchen.

I love walking around and wishing families Happy Holidays and giving the little ones candy canes. After going for 14 hours through 7 international destinations, this Santa pulled her sleigh into the Bunny B&B to take off her big black boots and rest her weary feet. Surprisingly after many years, Santa was allowed into the Bengal Lounge at the Fairmont Empress. It was so elegant and lovely.

Listening to: Amy Grant - Sleigh Ride

 

I am a huge fan of classic video games. So when I saw these video game bento box lunches, I melted in a tee-hee fashion.

What were these people thinking? I can appreciate anyone wishing to permanently ink their skin for life with creative artistry, but a bacon tattoo? Believe me, I am one of the biggest fans of bacon worship, but really.

My friend Jesse's question was selected to be answered by the Old Spice Guy. It's rather awesome.



Listening to: Tiësto feat. Tegan & Sara - Feel It In My Bones

 

Thanksgiving

A 28 year old Sydney fellow named James West has been receiving annual Thanksgiving emails from a family in Florida. After three years, James decided to try an online plea to track down the Tran Family and attend their annual Thanksgiving family dinner. He is also trying to track down the actual James West family member.

This is the first video of a three-part series.



 

Talented hoop performer Ethan Law.

 

Yesterday Didn't Happen



 

A cartoon by Dan Meth about Early Adopters of Technology.

This week, I was inspired by my girl friend's boyfriend's talented vegetarian cooking finesse, I made whole wheat pasta with Yves sausage, eggplant and peppers. Surprisingly delicious! Even the leftovers were hearty and comforting during the temperature drop sprinkled with snow flurries.

Recently, tried Wii Sports Bowling. I scored 212 on my first try. I love Wii and the console games because the design gets you off the couch and is so interactive. Brilliant! I particularly enjoy the karaoke games.

I started watching the Tudors. An amazing Canadian produced show that has beautiful set design, costumes, wonderfully written and acted.

Listening to: Hall & Oates - Adult Education

 

Cat vs. Gator

Seriously. Amazing and brave cat. What was he thinking?



 

Robot Penguin Causes Mutiny

Only in Japan.



 

Listening to: Matthew Good - Weapon

 

Beautiful toilet paper roll art. Is it possible? It is.

 

6 year old skateboarder Asher Bradshaw at Venice Beach Skatepark.



 

Inhabitat Halloween Costume Finalists using only recycled materials. Don't forget the kids costumes. I like the Lego ones the best.

 

It Gets Better

Even Kermit says it's not easy being green.



 

Conan O'Brien's new show debuted on TBS on Sunday. Recently, I watched an old interview by Conan with the late Hunter S. Thompson. Thompson invites Conan to his ranch to shoot some guns.



A few weeks ago, Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas was showing on the tv. Johnny Depp is fantastic as Hunter S. Thompson. The movie does the novel justice. I have seen the film a few times and it still mesmerizes me to this day.

 

Dr. Popsicle teaches Rick Mercer how to escape a submerged car.



Some good tips just in case you are ever in a car being filled with icy, cold water.

 

Chris Roth was selected for jury duty. Here are some of his doodles while in court.

 

Seacompression

A few weeks ago, I went to Seattle for Seacompression's regional decompression. It was a sold out event with many art installations, theme camps, art cars, live music, performances and community-spirited people. It was great to reconnect with many beautiful people and it filled my heart with joy to further bond with new friends.



I also had the lovely experience of connecting with alumni and new members of Costco.

Some photos from the event:

Luke Me Up

Espresso Buzz and his amazing Panoramic Shot

Michael Holden

 

I also went to the Freemont Market for Tandoozy and Ebelskivvers. Delicious as always. We also went to visit the Troll.

I tried two new coffee houses that were both deeply savory Espresso Vivace in South Lake Union and All City Coffee in Georgetown, and Smarty Pants for lunch (tasty sandwiches) also in Georgetown.

I also had the pleasure of finally going to the the Seattle Art Museum with a lovely friend from San Francisco. The main exhibition was the Picasso exhibit showcasing many drawings, paintings and sculptures from the famed artist. The exhibit is on until January 17, 2011.

Some of us also visited the beautiful architectural Smith Tower in downtown Seattle. The building opened in 1914 and was the tallest building in the west for almost 50 years. For a small fee, a visitor can ride a historic elevator to a top floor to see sweeping views of the harbour and downtown Seattle. The penthouse floor ceiling is also decorated with ornate hand-carved wood imported from China.

 

This past Halloween weekend, I was estatic to participate as a pirate in the return of Public Dream's Parade of Lost Souls. A walking route was planned where community homes decorated, played music, created art and performed for people. It was so much fun! Some friends also performed a beautiful forest-themed fire show.

Listening to: Tonic - If You Could Only See

 

Baby I'm Amazed

A blind German dog uses his echo to navigate around. Rowan was born without eyes and was visually challenged until the leaves fell of the trees and discovered he could use his bark echo to figure out where he was. Since then, he has used his hearing to follow his owner on walks and at play.



 

Misery Bear - Dawn of Ted



 

Difficult

Uffie - Difficult



 

Katie Makkai's Pretty



 

Thoughts

So, I received an email message from Blogger (Google) that I was violating DMCA copyright protection law in my last blog post. I wrote and included links to 109 Cats in Sweaters and an Oatmeal comic. I asked for clarification from Blogger (Google) and received no response.

Here is the email message. I asked for a second opinion and was informed it was probably a scare tactic to promote chilling effects. So I am debating moving my blog to another server and network within my own country.


(Start of Email Message)

Blogger DMCA takedown notification

Blogger has been notified, according to the terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), that certain content in your blog is alleged to infringe upon the copyrights of others. As a result, we have reset the post(s) to "draft" status. (If we did not do so, we would be subject to a claim of copyright infringement, regardless of its merits. The URL(s) of the allegedly infringing post(s) may be found at the end of this message.) This means your post - and any images, links or other content - is not gone. You may edit the post to remove the offending content and republish, at which point the post in question will be visible to your readers again.

A bit of background: the DMCA is a United States copyright law that provides guidelines for online service provider liability in case of copyright infringement. If you believe you have the rights to post the content at issue here, you can file a counter-claim. For more information on our DMCA policy, including how to file a counter-claim, please see http://www.google.com/dmca.html.

The notice that we received, with any personally identifying information removed, will be posted online by a service called Chilling Effects at http://www.chillingeffects.org/. We do this in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). You can search for the DMCA notice associated with the removal of your content by going to the Chilling Effects search page at http://www.chillingeffects.org/search.cgi, and entering in the URL of the blog post that was removed. If it is brought to our attention that you have republished the post without removing the content/link in question, then we will delete your post and count it as a violation on your account. Repeated violations to our Terms of Service may result in further remedial action taken against your Blogger account including deleting your blog and/or terminating your account. If you have legal questions about this notification, you should retain your own legal counsel.

Sincerely,

The Blogger Team

(End of Email Message)

 

I saw the Female Character Stereotype Chart the other day while waiting for my turn to sing karaoke on the Wii. One of the best charts I have seen in awhile.



Banksy created a Simpsons intro that aired last Sunday. It was very controversial, mainly because Simpsons animation cells are now being outsourced in Korean. The intro nearly missed being produced, but the animators threatened to walk out. I do not know which freaked me out more: the Panda or the Dolphin.



 

Imagine

Happy 70th Birthday John Lennon



 

OK Go

OK Go's new music video for White Knuckles is filmed with rescue dogs. Man, these guys rock.



 

Apparently, the secret to happiness includes the following list:

Hours of uninterrupted sleep: 6hr 15min
Commute to work: 20min
Home-cooked meals: 5
Exercise a week: 2hr 45min
Time spent outdoors: 2hr 49min
Play with children each day: 2hr
Time with partner: 3hr 58min
Watching TV: 2hr
Nights out a week: 1
Alcoholic drinks a week: 4
Takeaways a week: 1
Weekend breaks a year: 3
Holidays abroad: 2
Hours at work a day: 7hr
15min Meals out a month: 3
Shopping trips a month: 4
Get home from work: 5.42pm

 

Cat's Meow

Simon's Cat "In A Box"



 

Shanghai World Expo

RMR: Rick at Expo 2010 in Shanghai



 

EXPO 2010 - Canada Pavilion



 

Circle of Life

The Life Cycle of A Plastic Bag, Majestic Plastic Bag narrated by Jeremy Irons



 

I Am the Walrus

The Walrus recently published the article Burning With Desire about the gifting, no commercialism culture of Burning Man.


Some of my favourite art installations this year were:

The Heart Machine by the Toronto Burners (see article above).

Ein Hammer, Flower Garden, Syzygryd,

and of course Bliss.




The Double Rainbow was fun too!

Burn night was fun, but I always prefer the Temple (Flux) burn.

 

Sorry, Flickr will not let me embed photographs from its web site anymore.

Listening to: Muppets - Lime In the Coconut

 

I Am Getting Excited

13 of the Coolest Art Installations in the History of Burning Man



Listening to: Télépopmusik - Breathe

 

Nora the Cat

Previously, I was fascinated by Nora the Cat who could play piano. Apparently, lithuanian conductor, composer and artist Mindaugas Piecaitis was too. Piecaitis has composed and directed a Catcerto for Nora. Nora, the soloist, was brought in by video.



 

Smash

Things being destroyed very slowly



 

Free Hugs in Sondrio, Italy



 

Bob Craig makes beautiful collages out of clippings from National Geographic magazines. I remember making collages as a kid with a paste made out of flour and water. His vision begins with imagination as he cuts out and organizes clippings by hue and texture. What begins as a rough drawing slowly grows into a beautiful mural.

 

Elmo interviews Neil Patrick Harris

"

 

Baby gets Excited Over Silly Dog

excited dog and baby @ Yahoo! Video

 

GPS Guided Walking Tours

Recently, I was contacted by GPSmyCity.com to use my photo of the Black Swan Pub in York, England. The company wanted to use my photo in their GPS walking tour of York. Too bad the app is only available for use with an iPhone.

 

Today, I looked at some photos from the G20 Summit in Toronto. I did not realize how violent and intense it was. It seems a small group of anarchists have escalated the peaceful protest to violence. Kind of makes me think the 1 billion dollars spent for security was a good move. I do not know all the details of what is occurring during the summit, and some of the money could have been better spent helping homeless or poverty, but it reminds me of the WTO protests during the Battle In Seattle.

 

70 days later and over 75 million barrels of oil release in to the Gulf of Mexico with no recourse in sight.



Listening to: Icicle Works - Whisper To A Scream

 

University of Victoria in Australia (?) performs a beautiful interactive performance to Train's Soul Sister.



 

A tiny teacup pig plays piano and dances:



 

The Viral Video of last week:



 

Fort Rod Hill

Last Friday there was a huge celebration at Ford Rod Hill in Victoria, BC. The city celebrated the 150th birthday of the Fisgard Lighthouse and Canadian Navy's 100th Anniversary. The city was swarmed with over 10,000 sailors from around the world.

At Ford Rod Hill, the Luminara group placed lights and lanterns throughout the historical park and a Victoria fire troupe Poi Pixies performed a fire show on the walkway to the lighthouse. After the fire show, there was a beautiful fireworks display over the ocean. Luminara also setup lit art installations featuring jelly fish and salmon schools.

 

Would you drink water that is processed from the polluted ocean? Would you consume marine life harvested from the polluted ocean? An art exhibit titled Plastic Century: a tasted of the polluted oceans is showing at the California Academy of Sciences in honour of Jacques Cousteau's 100th birthday.



A map of the world showing the surface area required to power the whole world with solar power. You may be surprised--I was.

 

On May 5th it's Mukhtar's birthday, a bus-driver in Copenhagen. In 2010, he had no idea that a large group of people had planned to celebrate him. How wonderful!



 

Happy Friday

Kitty, and her human companions, are walking across the American continent to the South American continent from Miami to Ushuaia for a 3 year trek.



Kitty started traveling the 9,000-mile journey when he was a kitten.

 

Electric Daisy Carnival Auditions featuring Nigel Ficke who shows how to do it better, faster, stronger, harder, unicornier.



I recently came across some vintage and sexist advertisements for products from the nuclear family era. Did you know that Lysol used to be promoted to prevent pregnancy and STIs?



Not too mention how to avoid a Booby Trap and not get an STI.

Listening to: INXS - Suicide Blonde

 

Goodbye Winter, Hello Future

Dog Snow Sliders



Proposal in Washington Square Park



Listening to: Massive Attack - Daydreaming

 

Banksy In Toronto

Previously, I wrote about Banksy new film Exit Through the Gift Shop. For the Toronto premiere of his new film, he created some art in Toronto.



Near near 4th and La Brea



Near 9th and Broadway

 

I wonder if he will leave his mark on Vancouver.

The CBC gallery of Banksy's work around the world.

 

A Sweet Reunion

Conservationist Damian Aspinall raised gorilla Kwibi for five years in England. He released into a conservation park in West Africa. After being apart for five years, Kwibi was attacking humans. Aspinall decided to go to Africa and see if Kwibi would remember him. The reunion is amazing.



 

I Am A Gleek

I think I am officially a Gleek. I recently watched the clips from Madonna episode the Golden Globe winner Glee and was hooked. Jane Lynch's rendition of Madonna's Vogue is outstanding.

The show features a passionate talented group of performance artists (outcasts) in a high school. Each of the show's character's and actors are an inspiration to nerds, geeks, misfits and outcasts everywhere. It is interesting to hear about their high school experiences, usually of being outcasts because they were part of choir or drama clubs.

The Glee cast was also on the Oprah Winfrey show. The cast also performed at the White House for Easter.

Creator Ryan Murphy says the show is about "celebrating the difference in you". He continues to say that at that young of an age you think that's the worst in you, but as you grow older and wiser, you realize it's one of the best things about yourself.

Recently, there was a Glee flash mob in Seattle.

Listening to: Glee Cast - Don't Stop Believing

 

Urban Art Is Here

Finally, Vancouver is starting to showcase and magnify the landscape with temporary and permanent urban art installations. The previous week, I walked with J across the Cambie Bridge and along False Creek North to English Bay. Along the seawall, we saw many art installations and the new park by Granville Bridge.

By Sunset Beach, there is a beautiful aluminum art structure in the shape of a man consisting of letters and symbols from many languages. Another installation is a group of bronze statues laughing at English Bay. The metallic structure at Vanier Park titled Freezing Water is another installation.




These art installations are part of the Biennial Exhibition.

This week, I walked with J again over the Cambie Bridge, past Chinatown, through Gastown, around Canada Place and around the new Convention Centre. The interior of the Convention Centre is stunning. The new center has a living roof, seawater heating and cooling system, on-site water treatment (recycles washroom water) and a fish habitat in the foundation.




The art installations consist of a gigantic blue teardrop (maybe a raindrop) and a Digital Orca by Douglas Coupland.

Listening to: Gorillaz - Stylo

 

Frisky reviews eleven questionable Barbie releases by Matel. I remember having the Barbie MacDonald's restaurant, however, I do not ever recall seeing the Poop-n-Scoop version with dog Tanner.

To celebrate hard-working, under paid Administrative Professionals everywhere for Administrative Professionals Day, here is a list of the best ten movie and tv shows with secretaries, receptionists and personal assistants.

In a society where the spread of germs and viruses is a growing concern, always remember to never try on make-up samples until they have been sterilized. Personally, I always just try it on my finger and wash my finger afterward.

Oh, la la! Where did you get that gorgeous roadkill accessory bag? I would die to have one just like it! Just kidding.

Listening to: Bjork - Big Time Sensuality

 

Banksy's Exit Through The Gift Shop



President Obama mandates visitation rights in hospitals for same-sex couples.

Crimson Collective builds a gigantic solar-powered crane art installation for the Coachella Music Festival.

Adam Savage's speech to Harvard students titled Food for The Eagle.

Listening to: Steve Miller Band - Fly Like an Eagle

 

Some BS

Breaking News: Some Bullshit Happening Somewhere

 

The Story of Bottled Water

I personally donate monthly to Oxfam because one of the organization's primary initiatives is to provide clean water for developing countries.

Another organization H20 Africa Foundation was co-founded by Matt Damon.

 

Thank You Canada

Brian Williams, anchor and managing editor of the Daily Nightly sends Canada a thank you note.

Olympic Gold

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, became the first Canadians and North Americans to win Olympic gold in ice dancing.

Watch the video of their exquisite and flawless performance.

 

We Are More by Shane Koyczan



 

Olympics Fever

What a week! Last week I trekked, laughed, gazed and socialized all over the 2010 Olympics bonanza. Last Monday, we saw DJ Spooky from New York mix-mash it up with violinist Daniel at the Yaletown stage.



DJ Spooky provided an amazing performance showcasing his mixing talents off his new album. We avoided the corporate pavilions. After the show, we wandered up to Davie Street for some French Canadian poutine at La Belle Patate.

On Wednesday, Yonderboy and I met at the Olympic Station and walked over the Cambie Street bridge on a beautiful sunshine day. We could see the sea of red at China Creek Park next to Science World for the taping of Colbert Report with Stephen Colbert. I wanted to be at the taping, but I did not want to line up at 7 am for 6ish hours. Although, from the photos online, I see he rode a moose, hoisted up a stuffed beaver and sang O Canada to the music of the Star-Spangled Banner.

We checked out all the live shows and zip trek at Robson Square. It was incredible to watch people zip trek across the square. The ice skating rink looked awesome too. It was so great to walk around the crowds of people from all over the world excited and wearing their nations' colours with pride.



We walked down to the Olympic Flame (Cauldron) and took some photos. We also queued for 30 minutes to see the Cauldron from the viewing platform. The mountains were majestic behind Stanley Park. We also went into the movie theatre housed in double-stacked shipping containers to watch a short-film.



On Friday, I rode the new Canada Line train to Yaletown. I was very impressed with the signage and announcements to assist passengers to their destinations. The train felt like a high-class form of transportation. I met Nic in Yaletown. The streets were humming with young folks. I heard that fans has been lined up for the Deadmau5 evening show since 9 am in the morning.

We walked over the Vancouver Library to meet Y. Her mate has been VJing in the Aboriginal Peoples Pavilion all week. You could see the video displays from the exterior next to Queen Elizabeth Theatre. We went to Roxy Burger on Granville Street for dinner. Granville Street was a mad-house full of youths and people wear the flag as capes. A few more friends joined us as we cheered on Manitoba's Jon Montgomery win gold in skeleton.

We met up with a few more friends on Georgia Street and walked around Granville and Robson Streets. The art installations on Granville Street looked fantastic lightened at night.



Then, we went to see the cauldron at night. It was so beautiful. It was around midnight and the streets were still jammed with people. We headed over to Steamworks Pub to have some beers and bites. The pub was adjacent to Germany House, but the cover was $20. Needless to say, the Germany House was empty and the music played was terrible.
On the way home on the Night Bus over the Burrard Bridge, the male youths broke into song singing O Canada.

On Sunday, we tried to go to La Belle Patate for brunch, but the potato cutter broke and the shop was closed. Plan B was Japadog on Burrard and Smithe, but there was a huge lineup. I like Japadog, but not for a half an hour wait. We ended up with grilled panini sandwiches at IGA Marketplace.

We checked out Robson Square. I cheered as the zip trekkers went overhead. We were lucky enough to see the Squamish Nation's Eagle Dancers perform their songs and dances at the stage. Wow, their performance was so mesmerizing. Then, we watched a bit of the Mascots on Ice. Sumi is my favourite.

The naysayers may still be griping about the Olympics in Vancouver. But they are here, so why not enjoy the special events, live performances, showcasing our beautiful city and welcoming International visitors?



 

Someone Like You

A survey resulting with the top 10 annoying things at work.

Funny signs from the Flickr Blog.

Funny commercial featuring a Japanese Business Cat (thanks JD!).



 

Panda Attack

Shiba Inu Puppy Cam.

Listening to: Naked Eyes - Promises, Promises

 

Starry Starry Night

I recently came across a very cool online art exhibit that features Fashion Faces Clothing Sculptures.



This Lego Pop-up Kinkaku-ji (Temple) is amazing.



Also, the Flickr Blog's feature of starry photographs is lovely.



Listening to: Fleetwood Mac - Say You Love Me

 

Black Friday

“Too many of us now tend to worship self-indulgence and consumption. Human identity is no longer defined by what one does, but by what one owns.”

As quoted, by President Carter’s in his Crisis Of Confidence speech made on July 15, 1979, in Michael Moore's film Capitalism: A Love Story.

Matthew Good's review on Michael Moore's film.

I was wondering how Black Friday unfolded in the United States. Black Friday is typically the first Friday after American Thanksgiving that kicks off the Christmas shopping season. Corporations and economists debate whether or not it reflects how the economy is going and how high is consumer confidence.



Overall, it was general mayhem. There were no deaths, injuries and significant property damage, but there was a lot of fighting and disrespectful behaviour.



In Labour News, Walmart was forced to pay former employees in Massachusetts $40 million in back wages in a class-action lawsuit. The suit was filed eight years ago and claimed the mega-corporation owes the employees fourteen years worth of unpaid overtime, missed breaks, and other uncompensated work.

Listening to: Trooper - The Boys In the Bright White Sports Cars

 

Wal-Mart: The American Dream

I recently read on the Consumerist a story about a couple printing photos for the wife's father's funeral at Wal-Mart. The photo lab wouldn't give her several of her photos because the employee believed the photos may be copyrighted. The woman held back tears as she watched her deceased father's photos be shredded.

The article started whirling my brain to several other media stories I have read that cast a dark shadow on Wal-Mart's polices and practices. I do not shop at Wal-Mart because of all the employee labour laws it violates and all the pending class-action lawsuits.

However, even when Wal-Mart looses a class-action lawsuit for paying women less than men, or paying illegal immigrants less than minimum wage, it can pay the judgment easily because it makes $20,000 profit every minute, and a annual profit of $12 billion.



Articles:

Mother Charged by Police Courtesy of Wal-Mart for Child Pornography

Walmart To Pay $7,000 OSHA Fine In Worker Death

11 Things Banned By Walmart

 

Listening to: Crosby, Stills & Nash - American Dream

 

Meet Kami

Kami is a new 5 year old HIV-positive girl Muppet on Sesame Street South Africa. She also an orphan and is teaching her neighbours and friends some harsh realities of life. She is the new role model for 28,000 HIV-positive children and 1.4 million orphans in Africa.



Kami talks with President Clinton.

 

Colbert Report with Woody Harrelson.

I love Stephen Colbert's mock-journalism news show. Colbert is delightfully hilarious.

He recently started fundraising for the U.S. Speed Skating Team. His campaign raised over $40k. When the site crashed from overwhelming response, he blamed it on Canadian hackers.

 

Rick Mercer Report

Rick Mercer and Rick Hansen Bungee Jump



Listening to Trooper - Here For A Good Time

 

Happy 40th Sesame Street

Happy 40th Birthday Sesame Street! I was a huge fan of Sesame Street when I was a young kid.


Adam Sandler sings about Elmo




Feist sings 1, 2, 3, 4




Neil Patrick Harris




The Mad T Party




Yip Yip Martians




Pinball Number 4



 

A La Pink

Well, I have been going every weekend since the beginning of summer and I have finally hit the wall. What I mean to say is I have been socially engaged butterfly almost every weekend for four months straight. I am officially tired. Just in time for winter too. Tis the season for puzzles, good books, movies, board games and sheer lazy weekends.

About a month or so ago, I went to Victoria for the Slacktoria Family Reunion. We enjoyed reuniting over brunch and photographs of how we spent our summer vacation.

A few weekends, I went to the Pink Party. This party was also a Bon Voyage to Benj. I never would have thought that pink would be such a great theme for a party. The vibe was so juicy energetic, but serene.

The previous weekend, I went to Victoria for Halloween. I spent about a day helping decorate the house and had a blast staying up until dawn. Some really fantastic costumes. The house was way too crowded, deafening beats and blitzkrieg. I'm definitely not 20-something anymore. Unfortunately, most ghouls and witches only posted their photos on FaceCrack.


I just created a new Rain-themed playlist. I will add it to the sidebar.

Listening to: Bruce Hornsby & The Range - Mandolin Rain

 

Animals Are Amazing

Husky says "I Love You"




Thanks for JD for reminding me the cat zen of relaxing Maru style.




Silly Cats Video

Ideas For Change

William Kamkwamba’s Malawian parents couldn’t afford the $80 yearly tuition for their son’s school. He sneaked into classes anyway until he got caught. He continued his education by teaching himself through books from the school library. He found a Grade 5 Science textbook titled Using Energy. William harnessed the power of the wind by creating his own windmill from discarded items and scraps. His life changed forever.

My friend Dave is biking from Vancouver to Tijuana. He quit his job and sold almost all of his possessions. After two weeks, he has biked down through Washington, Oregon and is now in Northern California.

Everything Is Going to Be Alright

Apparently, artist Martin Creed's work is on display in Vancouver. Friends have mentioned seeing it over the rooftops from Chinatown.

Saturday is Earth Dance. Previously, it was at Stanley Park, but this year it is at Spannish Banks. The event usually features a lot of DJs, dancing, hugging and good vibes. I am hoping to attend, weather permitting.


I am still reeling in awe from an incredible Burn. One of my favourite art structures from the event is Holding Flame. I have been meaning to post about my Burn, but I had to think of all the things I did on my trip to the desert. It was chalk full of extraordinary fun.



Last weekend, I did nothing but relax. My sweetie dropped by my work last Friday with a surprise rose and mini cheesecake. We spent most of the weekend relaxing and watching movies, such as Get Smart. The movie was funny and entertaining, more so than I thought it would be.

On Sunday, we went over to Yv's for waffles and bacon. There was a lovely group of people gathered and we chilled over mimosas and great conversation. JD's dog Chester was there, so I got some doggy lovin'.


I spent most of this week nursing a mild cold and headaches. I think I have turned the corner though. I am not looking forward to flu season and all this chatter about H1N1.


I am loving the autumn season though. It finally feels like a good autumn with warm and cool weather, and changing leaves.

Listening to: Kevin Rudolf - Let It Rock

 

Canadian, Please

 

Goodbye Patrick Swayze

I heard this afternoon Patrick Swayze passed away at age 57 after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer. It was a little eerie for me when I found out. I thought he had beat cancer and was on the road to recovery.

My mum passed away from pancreatic cancer at age 57.

I think of Robin, who is participating in a 3-day Breast Cancer Walk this weekend. She is 17 years cancer free. She walks for those who fought, survived and those who will battle cancer in the years to come.

Listening to: Patrick Swayze - She's Like the Wind

 

Cats Slice and Dice

From the Oatmeal, 8 Ways to Prepare Your Pets for War. I *love* the samurai kittens!

Today, I am off to the PNE with friends to watch the Superdogs, the Logging Show, eat mini donuts, maybe a corndog for JD, and see the Beatles Tribute show.

I made bacon, eggs and toast for my sweetie and I while I listened to the Across the Universe soundtrack.

I am still hooked on Miss Bunny Ruffles iced Angel Tea, from Silk Road in Victoria, with Santa Cruz Lemonade. The Angel Tea leaves have spearmint, lavender, rose petals and clove. It's so refreshing.

I sewed and cut a bunch of costumes for Burning Man: pink and purple star bra, panels for a skirt (still need to make arm bands); blue sequin bra, panels for a skirt; white fun fur boot covers, and Siberian Tiger boot covers (need to still sew a bra).

I still have to make a bunch of cyberlox hair pieces, but hopefully and orange and blue one with foams and ribbons, and a cotton candy pink and white one with foams and ribbons.



One week to go before departure!

Listening to: 311 - Love Song

 

The Cat's Meow

 

Best Friends Forever

I think the term BFF is so pop-cultured, but it's cute in this instance. I came across this photo album of a Corgi and Macaw who are BFFs. It just goes to show you that friendship is blind to size, colour and species.

Listening to: Earth, Wind & Fire - September

 

Photogenic Squirrel

It all started so innocently when an aspiring young ground squirrel stepped into the family photo of Melissa Brandts in Alberta, Canada’s Banff National Park, seeking fame and fortune. After showing up on National Geographic’s web site it was picked up by The Interwebs, and the rest, as they say, is internet history.



Top 10 Crasher Squirrel Pictures.

 

Countdown

In a few weeks, I will be heading to the desert with my sweetie.



My sweetie of 6 weeks. I met him at Otherworld. He rocks my world. I am still in awe I have a boyfriend. He's everything I have been looking for in my equal.

 

A Day In Vancouver

 

Wolfie

A video of Wolfman Shaun Ellis teaching a wee lil’ baby wolf how to howl.



 

E-Wasteland

Artist Sophie Gerrard has featured the growing E-wasteland problem in Indian in her new collection. Currently, the waste is approximately 20 to 50 million tonnes.



In western nations, a computer, cell phone or electronic equipment is thrown away every 2 years. Some major cities have recycling depots for E-waste, but most people dispose of it in landfills.

E-waste is highly toxic. It contains lead, cadmium, mercury, tin, gold, copper, PVC and brominated, chlorinated and phosphorus based flame retardants. Many of these heavy metals and contaminants are extremely harmful to humans as well as to animals and plants.

Listening to: Indio - Hard Sun

 

White Trash Party, Playland and B/IAS

A few weekends ago, I went to Disaster Area's White Trash Party. I did not think the crew could top last year's epic Family Reunion, but they did. Will It Smash and the Redneck Olympics triumphed last year's shenanigans.

Almost a month ago, some friends, my niece and I went to Playland. It was somewhat gray and rainy that day, but we still had lots of fun. It was my niece's first trip to the fair. She was very brave and rode most of the high, scary rides while my feet stayed firmly planted on the ground.



In April, while I was in Seattle, some friends and I visited the B/IAS Burien/Interim Arts Space. Ignition Northwest consisting of Seattle Regional Burners and lots of hard work by volunteers brought a stunning art installation from Burning Man.

Listening to: Underworld - Two Months Off

 

Dance Revolution

100 days, 100 songs, 100 locations, 100 dances.

This guy rox.

 

Wicked and I'm Lazy

Animation with Led Zeppelin's Kashmir by Steve Scott.



 

Bureau of Communication's Declaration of Romantic Intent:



Listening to: Gerard McMann - Cry Little Sister

 

We're Screwed

Screwed I tell you. Not in a good way either. According to Michael Geist's explanation to the Canadian Senate, our Internet network is ranked 28 out of 30 OECD countries. The ranking is based on pricing, service, infrastructure and bit caps. We rank near the bottom in all four categories. Japan, Korea and France out rank us in all categories.

One has to wonder if this known fact of our Internet over last 15 or so years has also inhibited our consumer rights, business development, research and development, or academia.

It's the same with other urban issues: regulations, collective consciousness, transportation, consumer pricing, and cell phone plans. We pay more because we have no choice.

 

The US Congress is now promoting a Buy American rule in the US. The Congress is urging Americans to buy only products made with American resources or made only in America.



Many Canadians already support this mandate buy shopping at big American chains or corporations. Americans are very patriotic and will probably spend more to support their fellow Americans. Canadians will not and will typically choose the cheaper American brand (China-made) option. Who doesn't love Wal-Mart over Zellers, or Home-Depot over Rona?

Over 80% of our resource exports are to the US. This US movement could cripple our economy. Moreover, I could not see American corporations would pay higher costs for resources. They would not longer remain competitive in the market at higher prices. During a recession, I do not see the masses paying higher costs for disposable products.

List of Canadian companies on the TSE.

The whole ideal reminds me of the early 2000s when companies hung signs and banners of "Canadian Proud", even though they were American corporations.

Listening to: " target="new">REM - Loosing My Religion

 

Pogo Schtick

I am addicted to Pogo. I love card and board games. Since no one really plays them anymore in real life, Pogo is the next best thing. My character is kawaii.



Listening to: Daft Punk - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

 

Summertime

Well, yesterday was a high of 30C and today looks just as good. After months of cool, rainy and cloudy weather, it finally feels like spring... or summer? Mind you, June is famous for doing a 180 back to autumn-like weather.

 

Improv Everywhere Gives Newly Married Couple A Surprise Wedding Reception



Listening to: Billy Idol - Cradle of Love