Desi In Toronto

Understandably, the seal hunt is horrible.  I mean images on this page speaks a thousand words (warning: not for the faint of heart). And of course, the blood spilling on white snow enhances the “goriness” of the kill which further inflames us humans who cannot stand the site of senseless killing.

But then you have to look at it logically. I am talking to you, enjoying your burger at McDonald’s and you, enjoying your chicken teriyaki and you, enjoying your BBQed pork chops. All those animals you are enjoying at the moment were reared and then slaughtered, all for the pleasure of your palate.

So please all those of you who preach, cut the fucking crap. Seals are not endangered and they are not needlessly culled. If the image of the culling is something that displeases you, please do not look. And if you are going to be a holier-than-thou hypocrite, then I request you to FO.

And for those who are genuinely PETA supporters, please focus your energies on the slaughter houses for pigs, cows, chicken, goats, sheep, horses etc. Seal hunting is a bonafied industry (for now) and will go on to be bonafied, until we have a environmental or financial situation which demands that seal hunt be eliminated.

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NEW DELHI: For those suffering from aviophobia, the fear of flying, divine help will be at hand soon with a grand temple with south Indian architecture coming up just outside the airport here.

“We started constructing this temple in August last year. It will be open for public in two-three months,” said Arun Arora, spokesperson for Delhi’s airport development firm, which has been promoted by GMR, a Hyderabad-based infrastructure company.

“But the temple is not being built inside the airport. It is a part of the commercial area in the airport’s vicinity. It will be accessible to anyone,” Arora said.

Well, it’s true. Whenever I fly, I look for the nearest deity and bow my head and hope I get to where I want safely and not trust the experts like : the pilot, the engineer, the stewards, the air traffic controller, the ground staff etc.

This mindless superstition is so pathetic that it boggles my mind.

I remember the time when outright stupidity broke out in 1995/1996 when statues of the lord Ganesha started “drinking milk” around India and the world. I remember how excited all my batch mates were, in the MBA college I was attending (you heard right, MBA graduates became sniveling pathetic morons). Of course, the hysteria died down a bit once it was discovered that this “miracle” was the result of surface tension and capillary action but more so because the statues were clogged with the 1000s of liters of milk. But that did not dissuade the believers who still think stone statues drink milk.

And my friends call me stupid for not believing.

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Thousands of Tamil protesters have left Toronto’s Gardiner Expressway, after surging onto the highway to call attention to the escalating civilian death toll in Sri Lanka.

Around midnight, protesters began making their way down an on-ramp as police monitored the situation. Some told ctvtoronto.ca they planned to take their demonstration to Queen’s Park.

Reporters and witnesses at the scene said the demonstration was largely peaceful. However, police arrested at least one person and video taken from a nearby highrise showed a bicycle being thrown at officers.

And what does Canada’s all time favourite blog have to say?

Kate McMilan

Hey Sri Lanka, would you just hurry up and finish them off so traffic can get back to normal?

Because it is necessary for Kate to get to work/home therefore, killing a few brown babies is no big issue for her. And the comments left on her post :

As a law abiding citizen, I explicity convey to the government a monopoly on the use of force to use accordingly in the pursuit of peace and justice.

So I’m getting a little tired of groups using force to get their message across: Indians at Caledonia, Tamils in Ottawa and Toronto. Who’s next? A precedent has been set.

Uh huh. I especially like “Indians in Caledonia” comment. Cause it’s not their land to begin with……

I’m having a hard time believing no one could find a big snowplow to clear the road.

Yes, killing a few brown people is no big deal. After all, the roads need to remain open on Sundays evenings.

I don’t really hate anyone but having read Kate’s blog over the last few months and having seen her on TV, I can truly say that I hate Kate and each of her racist followers. And as a Canadian it shames me to call these fuckers my fellow citizens.

As to the genocide going on in Sri Lanka. I don’t care either way. (UPDATE : I meant to say I don’t care which side is right or wrong not that I don’t care about the genocide!!). Both sides have royally fucked and mucked the issue. Tamils in SL have valid concerns and so does the SL government. And the SL problem has, to a large degree, had an adverse affect on India so, in my mind it would be prudent that the problem is solved soon. Since, the government has an upper hand (after many, many years) there is no way they are going to sit for negotiations.

And to the Tamils here in Canada. I think they are looking for some moral support from the government (like Harper gave to the Israelis in the last intifada) which they are definitely not going to get if the Tamil supporters in Canada are going to wave the flag of LTTE, a violent terrorist organisation.

And to Bill Carroll and his cahoots, fuck you and your moralising – “OH MY GOD!!!!!! THERE ARE CHILDREN ON THE GARDINER EXPRESS!!!!!”. Because there have never been crowds with kids on the roads and highways after a rare win by the Maple Leafs.

Ah, hypocrisy is so simple and beautiful.

The directors of the Miss California USA pageant are looking into whether title holder Carrie Prejean violated her contract by working with a national group opposed to gay marriage and by posing semi-nude when she was a teenage model.

Pageant spokesman Roger Neal said Tuesday it appears Prejean has run afoul of several sections of the 12-page contract that all prospective contestants were required to sign before competing in the November state contest.

So the new voice of the loopy Right is basically a hypocrite. It’s ok for her to express her sexuality in whatever way she wants to but not ok for others.

Prejean, a San Diego native who attends San Diego Christian College, was named the first runner-up to Miss North Carolina in the Miss USA pageant April 19. Her response to a question during the pageant that she opposed extending marriage to gays and lesbians made her a media sensation, darling of religious conservatives and the target of embarrassing disclosures.

Updated: Oops…..the post is not very clear. I was trying to say that this beauty queen with her “principled stand” of dissing other people’s sexual practices, flaunts her own sexuality the way she she’s fit to do so. Hence, the title.

The brain drain from Canada to the US just kicked into high gear!!

One of Canada’s top AIDS researchers is moving to the United States, taking as many as 25 scientists on his team with him.

The University of Montreal’s Rafick-Pierre Sékaly says he is leaving in part because of federal cuts in science funding and hopes his departure will be a wake-up call.

“I hope it will trigger some kind of movement that will foster a deep soul searching and investment,” he said in an interview.

He expects to more than double his $3.5-million research budget in his new position as scientific director of the Vaccine and Gene Therapy Institute in Florida, but will also keep a lab going at the University of Montreal.

Of course the brain drain has been going on for years. The simple fact is that there are more jobs in US and more money. But the truth is that Canada was still able to retain top talent especially in the Bush years. Now that the war on science in US is over and is continuing under Stephen Harper in Canada, we are watching the end of the leadership in science.

Congratulations to Harper on his win against science. I expect that Canada will turn to evangelical science soon.

Everyone knows that Rockstar energy drinks are loaded with sugar and are, overall, not good for you. Here is another reason to stay away from the drinks :

A few facts about Rockstar Energy Drink.  It was co-founded by conservative radio host Michael Savage.  It’s current CEO is Russell Weiner, Michael Savage’s son and a co-founder of the “Paul Revere Society” here in the States.

A few facts about Michael Savage.  Better yet, here are a few comments directly from the mouth of Michael Savage:

“You want me to tell you what makes me sick? When I see two puffy white males kissing each other, I want to puke.  When I see two women kissing each other, on the lips, as lovers, I want to vomit.”

“When you hear “human rights,” think only one thing: someone who wants to rape your son. And you’ll get it just right. OK, you got it, right? When you hear “human rights,” think only someone who wants to molest your son, and send you to jail if you defend him. Write that down, make a note of it.”

“…children’s minds are being raped by the homosexual mafia, that’s my position. They’re raping our children’s minds.”

“You know what autism is? I’ll tell you what autism is. In 99 percent of the cases, it’s a brat who hasn’t been told to cut the act out. That’s what autism is.”

So folks, if you have an iota of social consciousness in you, please stay away from Rockstar. You are only deepening the pockets of racists and homophobes.

(via CC)

Why I hate wingnuts. This is a comment by one of Canada’s premier wingnuts.

[pre-emptive note... to the usual anonymous trolls]

this is, indisputably… a terrible loss for the family & friends of these brave soldiers… but let’s also try to keep a little perspective.

before you go all “taliban jack” here… try to remember that, statistically, we have lost less than 20 soldiers per year since 2001.

in contrast…

“nineteen snowmobilers have died in avalanches in B.C. and Alberta just this winter.”and if you want a real wakeup call… read a book about world war one… or snakes.

Here’s my comment :

“we have lost less than 20 soldiers per year since 2001.”

Neo. How many of them were your kids/relatives/uncles/aunts/neighbours/people you know?

..dumbest comments EVAH!! Keep digging that hole, Neo, keep digging that hole…….

…..aaaand the response from Neo.

oh, look… agsharma… another empty blogger profile set up exclusively for drive-by trolling.

hey mr troll… let’s go with the complete quote, shall we?

begin quote…

[pre-emptive note... to the usual anonymous trolls]

this is, indisputably… a terrible loss for the family & friends of these brave soldiers… but let’s also try to keep a little perspective.

before you go all “taliban jack” here… try to remember that, statistically, we have lost less than 20 soldiers per year since 2001.

in contrast…

“nineteen snowmobilers have died in avalanches in B.C. and Alberta just this winter.”and if you want a real wakeup call… read a book about world war one… or snakes.end quote…

which of the facts here are you disputing? you’re suggesting i don’t support the troops?

oh, that’s right… you’re not disputing anything factually. you’re just using the infamous, leftbot… “you’re a big poopyhead”… gambit.

you guys are just so pathetic.

It never ceases to amaze me how the right wing thinks.

My point was how could this blogger say “just” 20 deaths per year? It almost seems like this blogger says, because there were a few deaths, we should continue letting soldiers die out there even if it means that the probability of a soldier dying each year is 0.571% ((20/3500)*100). This is precisely why I hate politicians (and idiotic bloggers) who think this probability is low enough to continue a war that has lost it’s meaning. And that’s why I do not support this war. The soldiers, yes. But not the war.

And what the hell is the meaning of comparing deaths on the battlefield with accidental deaths in BC?

I have been warned not to engage the wingnuts because their screams and moans do wake up the dead. I usually do not leave comments on their sites. But I could not resist this time.  My excuse is that I had not finished my morning coffee yet!!

Crusader of privatisation of health care : GP Dr Jacques Chaoulli

You went on a four week hunger strike to protest restrictions on private healthcare. What’s the first thing you ate when it was over? Orange juice and tomatoes I think.
You’ve publicly compared yourself to Mahatma Gandhi. Aside from a willingness to starve, what do the two of you have in common? When Gandhi was practising law in South Africa, he noticed the infringement on human rights against blacks. He felt that wasn’t fair and he wanted to defend them. Everyone thought he was crazy but he continued his fight alone. I wanted to fight for the human rights of my patients and, like Gandhi, everybody thought I was crazy and that I could never prevail over the government.

…….and then there is this, the actual cost of going to a Private emergency clinic.

In a scene that combined tragedy with Monty Python farce, a 77-year-old man in acute respiratory failure turned up at a private medical clinic in Montreal only to be told to wait his turn.

Jean-Jacques Sauvageau waited until his heart stopped and his dentures fell out onto the floor. Even then, the famous doctor who came to tend to him did a cursory exam and didn’t try to revive him, leaving him instead before the horrified eyes of fellow patients. The events were depicted in a report issued yesterday by Quebec coroner Catherine Rudel-Tessier. And the doctor taken to task for his failure to try to resuscitate the patient is private-care crusader Jacques Chaoulli.

That’s the same Jacques Chaoulli who “fights for human rights”. Here is a comparison of the care that the good doctor was providing against the care that the dreaded “public health system” wanted to provide

He (Jacques Chaoulli) left him sitting in the chair, and told the nurse to phone 911 to report the death. But the 911 operator pleaded with the nurse to try to revive Mr. Sauvageau. Dr. Chaoulli got on the phone and tried to argue the patient was dead; however, the 911 operator insisted. Meanwhile, the other patients grew increasingly alarmed, seeing the apparently dead man, his mouth and eyes wide open. Sarah Twain-Lagarde, in the clinic with her feverish toddler, called 911 herself and tried to resuscitate Mr. Sauvageau, but nurses told her to stop.

And this is the problem I have with the fucking idiots who insist we need more privatisation in the health system because public health system “infringes human rights”. If this fuckers would say right out “we want to make more money which is why we want privatisation”, I would hate them but at least I would respect their honesty. Instead, they cloak there greed in “human rights” and then  go about ignoring the very rights that they have been championing.

I know I am making a mountain out of a molehill here. I mean this is just a one of case and it could have happened in a Public Health Care system (come to think of it, it has happened in a public hospital). But this guy is THE CHAMPION OF PRIVATE HEALTH CARE in Canada. He should have known better to act the way he did and yet he did not care about the patient.

<HT: CathieFromCanada>

Ever since I became a Canadian one thing that has been consistent, when I go out of the country and sometime within Canada itself, I come across people from all walks of life who perpetuate the belief that Canadians have the most regressive and oppressive tax system in the world.

Unfortunately, having to contribute 39% of my salary as taxes to the various branches of the government, I cound never really counter the argument. I knew that my taxes were going towards the health services, schools, roads, etc but there was no hard data to support my belief that the taxes we give in Canada give us unprecedented services.

Well, today that changes. For all you whiners and cry babies who moan and groan about paying taxes, read this the next time you have to pay taxes.

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The majority of Canadian households enjoy a higher quality of life because the public services their taxes fund come at a solid bargain, according to a new study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).

Canada’s Quiet Bargain: The Benefits of Public Spending responds to incessant calls for tax cuts and concludes public services make a significant contribution to the majority of Canadians’ standard of living – worth at least 50% of their income.

“What passes for a tax cut debate in Canada is really only half a debate,” says economist Hugh Mackenzie, the study’s co-author and CCPA research associate.

“Our taxes pay for services that are extremely valuable to Canadians. The suggestion we often hear, that taxes are a burden, hides the reality that our taxes fund public services that make Canada’s standard of living among the very best.”

The study shows middle-income Canadian families enjoy public services worth about $41,000 – or 63% of their income. Even households earning $80,000-$90,000 a year enjoy public services benefits equivalent to about half of their income.

The study also shows 80% of Canadians would be better off if the federal government hadn’t cut the GST; 75% would be better off if their provincial governments invested in public services instead of broad-based income tax cuts; and 88% would be better off without federal cuts to capital gains taxes.

“Tax cuts are always made to sound like they’re free money to middle-income Canadians – they are anything but,” says Mackenzie. “We’re far better off with the public services our taxes fund than we are with tax cuts.”

Isn’t a beauty pageant under enough strain to keep itself away from “bimbo”esque image that now they have to make sure that the image does not become “homophobic bimbo” esque?

During the televised event, Carrie Prejean – Miss California – said she believed that “a marriage should be between a man and a woman”.

“We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage,” said Ms Prejean, in a section of the show that has become a popular clip on YouTube.

“I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman,” she continued.

“No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised.”

The remarks drew a mixture of booing and applause from the audience.

Speaking after the show, which was broadcast on Sunday evening in the US, Ms Prejean said: “I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I said what I feel. I stated an opinion that was true to myself and that’s all I can do.”

Hilton said he had been “floored” by Ms Prejean’s answer, which, he said, “alienated millions of gay and lesbian Americans, their families and their supporters”.

He told ABC News: “She lost it because of that question. She was definitely the front-runner before that.”

One of the issues that lights me up is the issue of file sharing. I am one of those who believes that file sharing is essential to the music business and it should be incorporated in the business models of today’s music businesses. I know that quite a few bands have tried file sharing with varying degrees of success. Here is a perspective from an insider :

My observation is based on a lot of trying and failing, as well as being a moderate user of filesharing myself — mainly to check out stuff I read about but cannot get my hands on in the local store back here in Norway.

My concern is about this argument, which has been seen in most any debate about this subject for the last 10 years, usually formulated roughly as below:

“Filesharing will provide massive marketing to new artists, and drive forward a new and more dynamic music market.”

I beg to differ.

Well, I think he gets it wrong right away.

Filesharing is not an outlet to massively increase the sales of a new artist at all. Filesharing is conduit for the new artist to introduce themselves to the world who would, normally, ignore the new artist because of prohibitive initial costs. Why in the world would I spend money on downloading songs from a new artist only to find out that it was money wasted? I would rather (and I often do) download songs, give them a listen and then pay a subscription fee. Not only that but the next time the artist releases their new album, I do not go to the filesharing sites at all and download their music right away.

I think the authour of the post is disappointed for some other reason :

But if one starts thinking about it, it has the ironic effect that TPB is a driving force of consolidating the market power of the major labels rather than driving forward any new music. The conclusion has to be that “pirates” are just as little resistant to the major label marketing as any other person. Even though there are thousands and thousands of artists out there that want their music to be shared and listened to, they are widely and effectively ignored by the masses

Well, of course the popular artists will get a larger share of the downloads. The popular music is heavily promoted by major labels and get more airplay than a small upcoming artist. It almost seems like that the authour of the post has assumed that the downloaders should download only new artists’ music, else they are “pirating” the music promoted by the major labels. That is just plain nonsense.  Here is an enlightening article on why the music industry is in the crapper. In other words, don’t agree to whatever the music/movie industry says. Quite a lot that they say is absolute shit.

The fact of the matter is that the business model that has worked so successfully for the labels/artists over the years is now in disarray because of the power of the end user. The future of music, as illustrated here, is “get to know the consumers needs and then make money out of it”…..and not shove the product down their throats whether they like it or not.

Those days are over and done with.

Update (21st April 2009) : Yup. Music piracy is a REALLY bad thing.

Looks like it’s the season of dumb commentaries.

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There are two major obstacles to a rich public discussion on Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and what it means to all of us.

The most obvious obstacle is religious literalism, which leads to Creationism. It’s the belief the Bible or other ancient sacred texts offer the first and last word on how humans came into existence.

The second major barrier to a rewarding public conversation about the impact of evolution on the way we understand the world is not named nearly as much.

It is “scientism.”

Scientism is the belief that the sciences have no boundaries and will, in the end, be able to explain everything in the universe. Scientism can, like religious literalism, become its own ideology.

The Encyclopedia of Science, Technology and Ethics defines scientism as “an exaggerated trust in the efficacy of natural science to be applied to all areas of investigation (as in philosophy, the social sciences and the humanities).”

Okaaaaay, to be honest I have never really come across the term “scientism” but I will grant this guy the argument. But then I would ask the question, so what? Science (and consequently, the scientists) has always tackled whatever issues that come forth. I mean scientists have (kinda) solved the itch issue. So, yes, there are no boundaries for science be it a test space mission to Mars or why we fall in love.

Then this douchbag falls off the rails.

Those who unknowingly fall into the trap of scientism act as if hard science is the only way of knowing reality. If something can’t be “proved” through the scientific method, through observable and measurable evidence, they say it’s irrelevant.

Scientism is terribly limiting of human understanding. It leaves little or no place for the insights of the arts, philosophy, psychology, literature, mythology, dreams, music, the emotions or spirituality.

This has got to be dumbest thing I have heard. Read the highlighted part again. And mull over what this idiot just said. As far as I can tell, he says that if a scientist says “I can explain, through science, why when you look at the Mona Lisa, you admire the painting”, you will actually STOP admiring the painting. So if a scientist can explain to us why we fall in love, we will actually stop falling in love. The authour is basically saying : leave the “mysteries” alone.

In general, scientism leaves little or no place for the imagination, which Albert Einstein, after all, said is “everything.”

And then of course his creationism comes pouring forth :

While I am not at all persuaded by Creationists who believe the Earth is less than 10,000 years old, I also have trouble with those who claim science can only support the atheistic proposal that evolution is a result of pure chance.

Such people maintain orthodox science cannot contemplate the possibility that the evolutionary process may include elements of purpose. This is an example of scientism.

Holy crap….dude, you ARE A CREATIONIST. Just because you say you don’t agree with die hard creationists does not make you any less of a creationist. “Element of purpose”? What the fuck does that even mean? It really irritates me to hear sanctimonious assholes like this guy to pooh pah the creationists and then say exactly what they are saying.

I think the proposal that humans evolved over billions of years from simpler life forms is a no-brainer.

However, I don’t believe either Darwin or neo-Darwinists have yet devised a complete picture of how evolution happens, or what drives it.

Of course it isn’t, it’s called scientific discovery. And what the scientists have so far is pretty accurate.To argue otherwise is to fly in the face of facts, in the face of reason and in the face of every innocent child looking at you for an honest explaination.

Here is the icing on the cake :

In other words…..(in the)….. viewpoint (that) represents that of many scientists, appears to believe that any discussion of evolution that does not uphold chance as the only driving force is ridiculous.

This is blinkered.

It defaults to atheism. And it assumes incorrectly that what we believe, and the way we live, is always based on provable “facts,” which do not include conjecture, speculation or imagination.

And there you have it. The whole fucking point of this opinion piece was to fault atheism….like I said – Barking Mad. And the rest of the post deginarates into a whiny, crybaby piece about how science is ruining spirituality and philosophy and it is worth reading if only to see how lunatic the authour sounds.

Update (via CanadianCynic): Wow!! Canada’s dumbest blogger likes this column. What a fucking surprise!!

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By RICK BELL

……

According to the Mounties, voices can be heard outside Knights’ house and three males are spotted. Two jump in a truck and take off.

One starts up a quad he finds just outside the house. The farmer gets in his vehicle and chases the man on the quad. About 2 km from the house, the car rams the quad off the road.

The farmer pulls out a shotgun and fires at the individual who is skedaddling away, but it isn’t a case of the buckshot stops here.

The guy is hit but keeps running. The farmer calls friends and relations to help find the man on the run, according to the police.

He is found and is brought back to where the farmer’s wheels met the fleeing quad. Police say the man sits in the passenger side of an idling truck, but when the driver steps out for a minute the guy moves behind the wheel and puts it in drive.

The suspect loses control of the truck a short way down the road, is caught again and is held until police arrive.

Brian Knight now faces a list of beefs, including assault and criminal negligence causing bodily harm and dangerous driving.

The other person is up for allegedly stealing the quad and the truck.

Naturally, to top it all off, the Mounties do the usual finger wagging. Don’t take the law into your own hands. Call us and we’ll handle it.

You have to ask. Do these officers believe any of the bunkum they burp or is it just the drill they repeat because it’s the set script and this is their part to parrot?

What are you supposed to do, far from a cop shop, all alone, call the police and wait until pretty close to when hell freezes over?

Then they come, write a report and what? Do we see an arrest? And, if there is an arrest, do we see a vigorous prosecution or does it become some chickenpoop file to get off someone’s desk?

And, if there is a vigorous prosecution, will we see a conviction? And if there is a conviction, what sentence will the guilty receive? Don’t tell me. We all know the answer.

The criminal justice system is itself an injustice and if you have the intestines to say it publicly you’ll be slimed as a knuckle-dragging Neanderthal by the people who screwed the thing up in the first place.

Well, I will start by saying that Rick Bell is an idiot. No….make that a fucking idiot.

So, if I get this straight, the guy chases the thief, is able to get his property back and instead of being, rightfully, proud that he was able to get his Quad back, FIRES TWICE at the fleeing thief and then, just as a typical vigilante, calls his friends and goes on a hunt.

In what world is this guy justified in shooting a fleeing person AFTER he gains his property back? Hope they convict this guy and take his guns away. And Rick, please stop being a chest beating neanderthal. The guy has a right to defended his property, a right to defend himself. But not a right to attack once he has gained his property back. That is criminal.

I found a “delightful” post by a dickhead named Werner Patels. I have never really been to his blog before although I have seen him being kicked around so I should have known better when I read his post on immigration.

Immigration to Canada is a sensitive issue for me. It pains me to hear nonsense from people who are utterly delighted in being a mr-know-it-all because they had a smooth ride in immigrating to Canada. I am assuming he immigrated to Canada considering the authority with which he write his afore mentioned post.

What pissed me off right away was the way he was pulling out numbers out of his tight ass. E.g.

23% of immigrants in Canada contribute to the country’s prosperity and the other 77% cost us $18 billion (a year, according to some sources, and excluding any of the costs incurred for law enforcement in fighting crime)

I see. That bit of information is really impressive but can you back it up? I mean, where are the links? That’s ok, I will do the work for you :

As far as I can see from this table from statcan.gc.ca, the labour participation is waaaaay above your number of 23% employed. And what is this shit about 77% costing us $18 billion!!! Dude, take a chill pill. Either give us references or stop trying to be a bad magician.

Immigrants not learning to speak English or French: I agree that if a SKILLED labour is entering the country, he/she is REQUIRED to know one of these two languages. But there are numerous unskilled labourers entering the market by droves. How the fuck can you expect them to know Eng or Fr? And please don’t give me a lecture about requiring only skilled labourers in Canada. Are you going to get your emaculate hands dirty? There are jobs that skilled labourers cannot and will not do and that’s where your miners, your truck drivers, your security guards come in (BTW, I suddenly realised, that all the jobs I listed require a certain amount of skill. So what exactly is a un-skilled labourer?)

And check this para by the blabbering mouth

Not demanding that our immigrants speak our official languages is not only dangerous to the social cohesion of our country, but also extremely detrimental to the democratic process. So many votes in places like Toronto, Montréal and Vancouver are regularly cast not by the people themselves, but by party officials who, either through gestures or with the help of a corrupt translator, direct those people how to vote.

Holy Shit!!! As you can see this guy likes to paint with broad strokes. According to him there is a massive scam going on in the ethinic communities in immigration hubs of Canada’s major cities . Sure there would be some push by a politician from South Asia to court a vote from people from south Asia. But what happens when there are 3 south Asians running for the same seat from different? As far as I can tell, south Asianess goes out the window and the issues come out. And that is what is happening in the ethnic community. If this is not democratic, then I don t know what the hell democracy is anymore.

I had ignored this campaign against Patels from CC as I did not know much about him but now I would like to join the campaign : Werner Patels Banned.

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India’s election authority has censured the great-grandson of India’s first prime minister for making hate speeches against minority Muslims during political rallies ahead of the country’s national elections.

The Election Commission’s order came late Sunday after footage emerged of 29-year-old Varun Gandhi, who is seeking a seat in Parliament for the first time on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), comparing a rival Muslim politician to Osama bin Laden and threatening to cut the throats of Muslims during political rallies.

I have to ask the obvious question, who the fuck sponsors these kind of people to politics? These self anointed saviours of Hinduism are the scum that feeds at the bottom of a barrel. The sad fact is that uneducated masses of India will follow whosoever says “Jai Sri Ram” the loudest. It is pathetic how India portrays itself to be this developing super power and yet is run by people advocating mass murder in the name of religion. Case in point, we have a murderer running the state of Gujrat (the state in which, ironically, the peace loving Mahatma Gandhi was born).

And once caught on tape, would the main Hindu body, back track to cover the faux pax? No, no, that would be too “cowardly”. Instead they did a brave thing by saying :

The state unit president of the All India Hindu Mahasabha, Mahant Narayan Giri, told newspersons that Varun Gandhi has said nothing wrong in his speech and was being targeted for speaking for the cause of “Hindutva”.

Aah, yes, the old defend, the poor weak Hindus because they are third class citizens of India where they constitute 80% of the population. And I just lost my lunch when I read this by Varun Gandhi :

“It’s a very sad day in Indian politics when anyone who speaks for Hindus is branded communal.”

Communal. God fucking damn!! You represent a party that is nothing BUT communal. Each and every riot in the last 20 years can be traced back to BJP and their subsidiary parties.

Shame on you all who vote for these people.

Continuing from yesterday’s post about Evolution, here is a prime example of Conservative moral depravity :

Canada’s science minister, the man at the centre of the controversy over federal funding cuts to researchers, won’t say if he believes in evolution.

“I’m not going to answer that question. I am a Christian, and I don’t think anybody asking a question about my religion is appropriate,” Gary Goodyear, the federal Minister of State for Science and Technology, said in an interview with The Globe and Mail.

The question was do you believe in Evolution. Who the fuck asked about your religion? You are the SCIENCE minister. If you have troubling saying right off the bat about your belief (or in this case non-belief) in Evolution then you have every reason to go back to your Chiropractor job.

I love this doctor’s response to the crap that Goodyear spewed :

Evolution is a scientific fact, Dr. Alters said, and the foundation of modern biology, genetics and paleontology. It is taught at universities and accepted by many of the world’s major religions, he said.

“It is the same as asking the gentleman, ‘Do you believe the world is flat?’ and he doesn’t answer on religious grounds,” said Dr. Alters. “Or gravity, or plate tectonics, or that the Earth goes around the sun.”

Lol!!! That’s a good smack down.

Anyway, I googled Goodyear this morning and saw that the minister now all of a sudden does not believe that asking his views on Evolution is a violation of his religious beliefs :

OTTAWA — Canada’s science minister moved to cut short a brewing controversy Tuesday over his views on evolution.

Gary Goodyear raised eyebrows when he refused to tell a national newspaper if he believed in the science of evolution.

But the minister of state for science and technology clarified Tuesday that he does indeed believe in evolution.

“We’re evolving all the time,” Goodyear said in an interview.

“Of course I believe in evolution.”

I wonder how many Hail Marys he had to say after such blasphemous talk!!! Now that your “faith” in science has been restored, can we not cut the research budget? Supporting science and research is what is going to help Canada be a stronger country not praying for a miracle.

I find it hard to believe that in a progressive and educated country like Canada, this would happen (Update: finally, some positive results, at the last count 55% believed in evolution):

4,367 so far have said “no”. It really irritates and bugs me to no end that people in this day and age would say that evolution did not happen. I mean, for gods sake, what is it going to take for these buffoons to understand that the Theory Of Evolution rests on unshakable scientific facts.

I don’t profess to know everything about the Theory Of Evolution but I am implicit and explicitly trust scientists who do understand the theory very well. And before you say “ah ha, this prick is trusting some fucking expert”. Well, yes, I do trust someone who is an authority on the Evolution theory, who knows what the details of the theory are just as I would trust an aircraft engineer who tells me that the theory of flight is based on scientific and well tested facts to enable me to climb into an aircraft without uttering a prayer.

At the same time, when someone says they do not believe in the Theory Of Evolution because it “does not sound true”, I call that kind of a statement absolutely full of crap. Just because you think it “does not sound true” does not make it bogus. E=MC2 never sounded true to anyone when Einstein came up with it, but it has since been tested and utilised very well as the nuclear strikes in Nagasaki and Hiroshima have demonstrated.

I found this very interesting tit-bit on the net and may explain why the question of the validity of evolution never was raised in India.

That’s not to say that the Indian society is not religious. I would say that religion in India is at the same level as it is in the US. However, science and religion have had a comfortable co-existence with some minor flare ups every  now and then.

And here is a complete and utter bullshit version of revisionism by the fucking elite of United States Of Amerika.

UPDATED:

Woohoo!! Check this out. Guess I am wrong about Canadians (yes, yes, I know that this is an unscientific poll, but what the hell. Let me enjoy the moment)

<Link>

George W. Bush, who left office with one of the lowest popularity ratings in U.S. history, will officially kick off his unofficial post-presidential image rehabilitation tour with a speech in Calgary on Tuesday.

But some protesters who plan to be on hand at the city’s convention centre say “Dubya” doesn’t deserve a soapbox — he should be in handcuffs.

When Mr. Bush steps up to the podium at a closely controlled private event, he’ll face 1,500 friendly faces brought in by organizers and the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. Tickets reportedly sold for $400 each and were made available exclusively by invitation.

Those invitations say Mr. Bush will share his thoughts “on eight momentous years in the Oval Office.” The former president will also speak about “the challenges facing the world in the 21st century.”

Protesters promise to be out in full force.

It’s a war criminal being invited to Canada by a municipal representative body, to come and have a chat,” said Toby Pollett, who argues Mr. Bush should be arrested at the border over the alleged torture of prisoners in U.S. military camps.

It’s ludicrous, really, when you look at it.”

What I find amusing of this escapade is when 50 Cents was banned from performing in Toronto because of his violent lyrics and his celebration of the “gangsta” culture 2 or 3 years ago. And here we have a preson who freely admits that war in Iraq war was wrong.  A war in which 100,000′s are dead, a war in which 4,000 US citizens have been killed, a war that encouraged torture and “any means necessary” to extract information….and what do the yahoos in Calgary do? They invite this potential mass murderer for a speech!! No protest from the government about the presence of a mass murderer in this case.

<Link>

LAHORE, PAKISTAN — At least a dozen men attacked Sri Lanka’s cricket team with rifles, grenades and rocket launchers Tuesday ahead of a match in Pakistan, wounding seven players, an umpire and an assistant coach from Britain in a brazen assault on South Asia’s most beloved sport. Six policemen and a civilian were killed.

The players’ and the coach’s injuries were not life-threatening, officials said. The umpire was in critical condition.

In a coordinated attack, the assailants ambushed the convoy carrying the squad and match officials at a traffic circle 100 yards (meters) from the main sports stadium in the eastern city of Lahore, triggering a 15-minute gunbattle with police guarding the vehicles.

None of the attackers was killed or captured at the scene, city police chief Haji Habibur Rehman said. Authorities did not speculate on the identities of the attackers or their motives.

Oh great. So even the most revered sport in South Asia is not left alone by the fucking terrorists. What crap, man. When Australia and India canceled their tours due to security concerns, I was of the opinion that these countries are over-reacting. I mean, who in their right mind would attack a sport that Pakistan, itself, excels in and tarnish the reputation of the country?

But I guess the terrorists don’t really care as long as they get their “holy land”.

And can the politicians in Pakistan get a little more back bone and take care of this issue? It was always with a wink and a nod that the politicians catered to the powerful islamic forces in the country. And now that the perception of the country is slowly turning to a “failed” state, can they move to curb these terror laden organisation?

I know, I know, I complain and then go back to listening to his show. In my defense, I put it on between dropping my daughter off at my in-laws in the morning and the GO station to listen for weather report and the news headlines. A total of 10 minutes. And in those 10 minutes BC says something so profoundly idiotic that I have to wonder what a full show must be like.

Recently, he put on his “wall of shame” these people :

TOKYO (AFP) — A Japanese conservation group said Monday it plans to fit prosthetic front limbs to a sea turtle injured in what marine scientists believe was a shark attack.

“She should eventually be able to lay eggs on a beach.”

The injured loggerhead sea turtle, with a 74-centimetre (30-inch) long shell, was named Yu after being rescued off southwestern Japan following a suspected shark attack last summer, Akai said.

BC’s argument was, in this world of people losing their limbs and not being able to access the same medical care that this turtle is receiving, this conservation group needs to go on the wall of shame.

I really don’t understand how BC thinks? I mean, is he trying to be a moron on purpose to boost his listener-ship?I have no clue.

This group is trying to raise money for an issue that they think is important. That’s what they do. They are a conservation group and are trying to conserve another life. Sure, the easiest thing for they to do is to shoot the damn turtle but that’s not conservation. So, if they want to sell the idea to the public about prosthetic limbs for a turtle, let them.

He took calls regarding the issue, unfortunately, I had only enough time to listen to the first two calls only. And that’s when it was amply clear that BC has a bone to pick with the idea that animals have access to better medical facilities than people do in Ontario. A legit claim, no doubt about it (He cited his personal example where his daughter received a CT scan 1 year after it was requested, which I think is stretching the truth a bit but who knows. Maybe he and his wife had a bad experience with the health care system. Parents often have this complain).

So, why in the world did he not ask the legit question : Do pets have better medical facilities in Canada? Why did he go about the round about way by blaming a conservation group trying to help an animal?

Because that’s the way he works. He inflames passions amongst his listeners and then tries to have an argument with them. His second call was by a person who was defending the conservation group and BC’s argument (paraphrasing here) “you are saying that if there was an amputee child and an amputee animal in front of you, you would help the animal“.

And that’s what it comes down to. Framing an illogical, ill conceived idea and then using it to “win” the argument. He did not even give the caller to explain that in such a situation, no one would pay attention to the animal. Nope, BC had an argument to win, damn the logic.