It's time for more news of the weird and wacky with comments by me thrown in for good measure.
Despite the bold prediction by a California preacher who foresaw the world's end would take place this past Saturday at 6pm, Harold Camping has now revised his apocalyptic prophecy, saying he had a slight miscalculation and was actually off by five months. He now says the Earth actually will be obliterated on Oct. 21 of this year. Camping, who predicted that 200 million Christians would be taken to heaven Saturday before global cataclysm struck the planet, said that he felt so terrible when his doomsday message did not come true that he left home and took refuge in a motel with his wife. His independent ministry, Family Radio International, spent millions — some of it from donations made by followers — on more than 5,000 billboards and 20 recreational vehicles plastered with the Judgment Day message.
**He probably left home for fear that the brain dead morons who believed him and gave away all of their money and possessions were going to track him down and make sure he saw his maker. Come on, lets be honest. Do you really think God would end the world before Oprah's final show had a chance to be aired?**
The infamous black bears of Christina Lake, B.C., appear to be weaning themselves off dog food, according to the man who once fed them $100 worth of kibbles a day. Allen Piche pleaded guilty in March to feeding the two dozen wild black bears on his property. He'll be sentenced in the fall but in the meantime was ordered by the B.C. Conservation Society to stop the practice, which had been going on for years. Police discovered the docile bears when they raided a marijuana grow operation on Piche's property last August. Initially, there was speculation the bears were guarding the marijuana, but Piche denied that was the case.
**Police became suspicious about the marijuana when they found the bears wearing tie-died Grateful Dead t-shirts and suffering from a serious case of the munchies.**
OK, I never promise my comments will be funny.
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
News Oddities For January
It's time for more news of the weird and wacky with comments by me thrown in for good measure.
Police say a man who had three outstanding warrants for his arrest gave officers a false name during a traffic stop — but ended up in custody anyway because that man was also wanted. During a traffic stop in Great Falls, Montana, Jonothan Ray Gonsalez told police that his name was Timothy Michael Koop Jr. The officer learned a man by that name was wanted in Hill County and arrested him. A a search of Gonsalez after his arrest turned up half a gram of methamphetamine in his jacket pocket and he was charged with criminal possession of dangerous drugs. To add insult to stupidity, a charge of issuing a false report to law enforcement was added.
**Why didn't he pick a different name of someone that he knew wouldn't be wanted by police like Willie Nelson, Charlie Sheen or Lindsay Lohan?**
Authorities in Delaware say a man broke into a house, got drunk and couldn't make his way back outside — so he called police for help. Police say 44-year-old John Finch was trapped in the home partly because he'd broken into it before, back in April. That led the homeowner to change the locks so that a key was required — even inside. No one was home when Finch broke in again, through a rear window. He stayed for a few days, drinking five bottles of liquor. He was too drunk to climb back out of the window, however, and called police, who arrested him.
**He has a lawyer but hasn't been in front of a judge yet. It seems he's too busy setting up the jail house chapter of Mensa.**
A man confessed to robbing a bank after his wife saw a surveillance photo on the evening news and alerted them. A camera got a clear shot of the man with a pony tail and scruffy beard robbing the First Bank in Bradenton, Florida. The robber got away. According to reports, Manatee County Sheriff's officials got a break when Afra Sandifar saw a news report about the robbery. She called authorities and told them her husband was the robber. That's when 45-year-old Troy Sandifar fled the couple's apartment. Deputies stopped his vehicle but Troy Sandifar refused to get out. They say he ingested what appeared to be drugs before they were able to arrest him. He was taken to the hospital, where authorities say he confessed.
**See guys...this is why you don't buy your wife a Chia Pet and dieting books for Christmas.**
OK, I never said my comments would be funny.
Police say a man who had three outstanding warrants for his arrest gave officers a false name during a traffic stop — but ended up in custody anyway because that man was also wanted. During a traffic stop in Great Falls, Montana, Jonothan Ray Gonsalez told police that his name was Timothy Michael Koop Jr. The officer learned a man by that name was wanted in Hill County and arrested him. A a search of Gonsalez after his arrest turned up half a gram of methamphetamine in his jacket pocket and he was charged with criminal possession of dangerous drugs. To add insult to stupidity, a charge of issuing a false report to law enforcement was added.
**Why didn't he pick a different name of someone that he knew wouldn't be wanted by police like Willie Nelson, Charlie Sheen or Lindsay Lohan?**
Authorities in Delaware say a man broke into a house, got drunk and couldn't make his way back outside — so he called police for help. Police say 44-year-old John Finch was trapped in the home partly because he'd broken into it before, back in April. That led the homeowner to change the locks so that a key was required — even inside. No one was home when Finch broke in again, through a rear window. He stayed for a few days, drinking five bottles of liquor. He was too drunk to climb back out of the window, however, and called police, who arrested him.
**He has a lawyer but hasn't been in front of a judge yet. It seems he's too busy setting up the jail house chapter of Mensa.**
A man confessed to robbing a bank after his wife saw a surveillance photo on the evening news and alerted them. A camera got a clear shot of the man with a pony tail and scruffy beard robbing the First Bank in Bradenton, Florida. The robber got away. According to reports, Manatee County Sheriff's officials got a break when Afra Sandifar saw a news report about the robbery. She called authorities and told them her husband was the robber. That's when 45-year-old Troy Sandifar fled the couple's apartment. Deputies stopped his vehicle but Troy Sandifar refused to get out. They say he ingested what appeared to be drugs before they were able to arrest him. He was taken to the hospital, where authorities say he confessed.
**See guys...this is why you don't buy your wife a Chia Pet and dieting books for Christmas.**
OK, I never said my comments would be funny.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
News Oddities For March
It's time once again for more news of the weird and wacky with a few comments by me thrown in for good measure.
A 25-year-old Florida man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for violating his probation by trying to break into the Brevard County jail. Authorities say he tried to climb a 12-foot fence at the Brevard County Detention Center. He was caught and hospitalized with severe cuts from the barbed wire. He had been released a week earlier after accepting a plea deal on a manslaughter charge.
**Is the food really that good in Florida prisons? Either that or he missed some of that sweet sweet inmate lovin'.**
Two golfers at a San Diego area country club sank a most unlikely pair of aces. Charles T. White nailed a hole-in-one on the ninth hole at Bernardo Heights Country Club. Next up in the foursome was Kitty Tinker, who matched it. A spokesman for the club confirmed the consecutive aces. A 2000 Golf Digest study calculated the odds of two golfers in the same foursome acing the same hole at 17 million to one.
**Even Tiger Woods has never seen that happen although that hasn't stopped him from trying to sink more than one in the same night before.**
A college student proposed to his girlfriend on a New Jersey Transit bus at New York's Port Authority Bus Terminal. Leora Feigenbaum was on her way home from Manhattan when a Port Authority employee escorted the 20-year-old from the back of the line to the bus. On board, she found flowers, decorations and boyfriend Adam Frohlinger holding an engagement ring. Frohlinger, who is 21, says he picked the bus because he knew it was the last place his girlfriend would expect a proposal.
**Really, do ya think so? I'm sure all girls dream of being proposed to on a bus with the sweet smell of urine hanging in the air and the dazzling array of day old newspapers and garbage lining the floor.**
OK, I never promised my punchlines would be funny.
A 25-year-old Florida man has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for violating his probation by trying to break into the Brevard County jail. Authorities say he tried to climb a 12-foot fence at the Brevard County Detention Center. He was caught and hospitalized with severe cuts from the barbed wire. He had been released a week earlier after accepting a plea deal on a manslaughter charge.
**Is the food really that good in Florida prisons? Either that or he missed some of that sweet sweet inmate lovin'.**
Two golfers at a San Diego area country club sank a most unlikely pair of aces. Charles T. White nailed a hole-in-one on the ninth hole at Bernardo Heights Country Club. Next up in the foursome was Kitty Tinker, who matched it. A spokesman for the club confirmed the consecutive aces. A 2000 Golf Digest study calculated the odds of two golfers in the same foursome acing the same hole at 17 million to one.
**Even Tiger Woods has never seen that happen although that hasn't stopped him from trying to sink more than one in the same night before.**
A college student proposed to his girlfriend on a New Jersey Transit bus at New York's Port Authority Bus Terminal. Leora Feigenbaum was on her way home from Manhattan when a Port Authority employee escorted the 20-year-old from the back of the line to the bus. On board, she found flowers, decorations and boyfriend Adam Frohlinger holding an engagement ring. Frohlinger, who is 21, says he picked the bus because he knew it was the last place his girlfriend would expect a proposal.
**Really, do ya think so? I'm sure all girls dream of being proposed to on a bus with the sweet smell of urine hanging in the air and the dazzling array of day old newspapers and garbage lining the floor.**
OK, I never promised my punchlines would be funny.
Thursday, January 07, 2010
News Oddities for January
I am a news junkie. I have to know what's happening in the news so I can be up to date with current events. But sometimes, being up to date can be awfully depressing. I get tired of reading about murders in Toronto, deaths in Afghanistan and losses in the Gold Medal game by Team Canada. That last one really sucks.
So from time to time I like to read the stories that are a bit more bizarre or offbeat. Here are a few I came across today that you might get a kick out of.
A man who decided to help clear the street with his own push snowblower ended up with a public intoxication ticket. Police in Barrie, Ontario say it was for the man's own protection as he was too intoxicated to operate the machine and was almost struck twice by passing vehicles. Police arrested the 41-year-old man and held him until he was sober. A public intoxication ticket runs $55.
**Wow, that really blows for that guy. He was only going to get a warning until he used the snowblower to send yellow snow flying towards the cops.**
Police are looking for a woman who went on a rampage at a McDonald's in Kansas City because she didn't like her hamburger. Police say the woman caused thousands of dollars in damage when she became upset that the restaurant wouldn't refund her money. Employees had offered to replace her hamburger, but the woman refused and demanded her money back. Police released a video showing the woman throwing a bucket of water over the counter and pushing off a glass display case and three cash registers. She then cursed and fled.
**Did she not realize where she was? Since when was McDonald's food ever considered to be good. I'm usually just happy if it's warm and it wasn't cooked 3 hours before I ordered it.**
More than a dozen Chihuahuas from San Francisco flew in style in the main cabin of a Virgin America flight to new homes in New York. Officials from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals met the 15 animals at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and will help find them homes. Chihuahuas are in abundance at California animal shelters and experts say pop culture is to blame for the overpopulation of the dogs in California, with fans imitating Chihuahua-toting celebrities like Paris Hilton.
**Two of the dogs went missing for a short time on the flight but they were found in the washroom joining the "Mile High Club". One witness said they were doing it People Style.**
So from time to time I like to read the stories that are a bit more bizarre or offbeat. Here are a few I came across today that you might get a kick out of.
A man who decided to help clear the street with his own push snowblower ended up with a public intoxication ticket. Police in Barrie, Ontario say it was for the man's own protection as he was too intoxicated to operate the machine and was almost struck twice by passing vehicles. Police arrested the 41-year-old man and held him until he was sober. A public intoxication ticket runs $55.
**Wow, that really blows for that guy. He was only going to get a warning until he used the snowblower to send yellow snow flying towards the cops.**
Police are looking for a woman who went on a rampage at a McDonald's in Kansas City because she didn't like her hamburger. Police say the woman caused thousands of dollars in damage when she became upset that the restaurant wouldn't refund her money. Employees had offered to replace her hamburger, but the woman refused and demanded her money back. Police released a video showing the woman throwing a bucket of water over the counter and pushing off a glass display case and three cash registers. She then cursed and fled.
**Did she not realize where she was? Since when was McDonald's food ever considered to be good. I'm usually just happy if it's warm and it wasn't cooked 3 hours before I ordered it.**
More than a dozen Chihuahuas from San Francisco flew in style in the main cabin of a Virgin America flight to new homes in New York. Officials from the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals met the 15 animals at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and will help find them homes. Chihuahuas are in abundance at California animal shelters and experts say pop culture is to blame for the overpopulation of the dogs in California, with fans imitating Chihuahua-toting celebrities like Paris Hilton.
**Two of the dogs went missing for a short time on the flight but they were found in the washroom joining the "Mile High Club". One witness said they were doing it People Style.**
Sunday, August 24, 2008
1980's - Best Decade Fer Sure
The years 1980 to 1989 were by far the most radical years for almost everything gnarly. The decades that followed gagged me with a spoon. The 80's were bad (meaning good) while the 90's and 2000's were just plain groody.
OK, I'll cool it on the 80's speak for now since many of you would probably just be lost if I kept it up. The language of the 80's had a life of its own and was quite colourful to say the least. Words and sayings like "Tubular", "Bodacious", "Hoser", "Like, oh my God", "That's the Ticket","Psyche" and "Totally Awesome" were being used in every day conversations. I have to admit I used them all quite often back in the day.
I consider myself quite lucky to have been a teenager during the 80's as it was truly the greatest decade I've experienced so far for so many reasons.
NEWS
The 80's had its share of news events both good and bad as well. Among the most memorable for me were:
- Terry Fox and the Marathon of Hope and his passing - 1980
- Mount St. Helen's Volcano eruption - 1980
- John Lennon being killed - 1980
- Attempted Assasination of Ronald Reagan - 1981
- The death of John Belushi - 1982
- The Live Aid Concert - 1985
- Space Shuttle Challenger Explosion - 1986
- Nuclear Accident at Chernobyl - 1986
- The Berlin Wall falls - 1989
- Tanks in Tiananmen Square - 1989
There were countless other moments but these stand out to me. Here's video of the attempt on Ronald Reagan's life.
MUSIC
When it comes to music, your efforts to convince me otherwise will fail as the 80's were by far the best decade for tunes. I really don't even know where to start. Some of the best artists and groups that excelled in the 80's were around prior to then but their popularity soared during this time. Bands and artists like Pink Floyd, Queen, Van Halen, Bruce Springsteen, Journey, AC/DC, Billy Joel, Elton John, Michael Jackson and The Police were already established but flourished with huge hits.
The bands and individuals that came along in the 80's created the soundtrack for my youth. To this day I still love U2 and they are by far my favourite band of all time. Other great hit makers that I loved included Prince & The Revolution, Madonna, Phil Collins, The Cure, The Cult, The Smiths, Howard Jones, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard and Motley Crue
When it came to names of bands, they didn't come any better or stranger than a-ha, Alphaville, Bananarama, Flock of Seagulls, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Kajagoogoo, Men At Work, Psychedelic Furs, Scritti Politti, Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Spandau Ballet, Ultravox, Nik Kershaw, and Wang Chung. The 80's music is still as popular today as it was back then.
Of course one big change was how we listened to music. Today's it's mp3's, CD's and digital files. Back then I spent my money on records, 45's and cassettes to hear the songs I loved.
One of my favourite videos from the 80's came from the band a-ha and the song Take On Me. Here's that video.
MOVIES
When it comes to 80's cinema, I'm going to steer clear of the "Chick Flicks" and "Artsy Fartsy" type movies. For me, a trip to the theatre in the 80's was about seeing what I liked as a teen and being entertained. In later years I learned to like many other movies from the decade but at the time my favourite movies from the 80's included:
- Some Kind of Wonderful, Sixteen Candles, E.T., The Sure Thing, The Star Wars movies (Empire and Jedi), Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Cannonball Run, Goonies, Gremlins, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Better Off Dead, The Breakfast Club, The Karate Kid, Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop, Footloose, Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, Batman, Ghostbusters and Back to the Future to name a few.
There were some great movie quotes from the 80's as well. Who can forget:
- "We're gonna need some new FBI guys I guess." - Die Hard
- "Wax on, wax off." - Karate Kid
- "I love the smell of napalm in the morning." - Apocolypse Now
- "Wait til they get a load of me." - Batman
- "I spent seven years in high school, I'm no dummy." - Better Off Dead
- "Listen...you smell something?" - Ghostbusters
- "Does Barry Manilow know you stole his wardrobe?" - Breakfast Club
- "I'll be back." - Terminator
- "They're here." - Poltergeist
- "Yippe-ki-yay Mother****er." - Die Hard
Here's an original movie trailer from 1985 for The Breakfast Club.
FADS / FASHIONS & GAMES
The 80's had it's own distinct style to match the awesomeness of the decade. Is that a word?
Who can forget the leg warmers the girls wore over their jeans, Swatch Watches, Rubik's Cube, Guys with one earring (guilty as charged), Neon everything, Spandex, Mullets and Rat tails, Dungeons and Dragons, Arcades with games like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong, Valley Girl Talk, wearing your collar up, feathered hair, 20-Minute Workout, Boat Shoes, Break Dancing, Atari video games, Rollerskating Rinks, Sleeveless Shirts, Sony Walkmans, Pop Rocks, Ghetto Blasters, Ghost Hunting at haunted houses and Moonwalking.
TELEVISION
Finally, I spent countless hours parked in front of the T.V. working on my couch potato physique and watching some of the best and worst sitcoms and shows the networks could produce. M*A*S*H was by far my favourite in the early years. Others that I never missed included WKRP in Cincinnati, Mork & Mindy, The A-Team, The Love Boat, WWF Wrestling, BJ and the Bear, Battlestar Galactica, The Cosby Show, CHiPs, Fantasy Island, Family Ties, Fame, Dukes of Hazzard, That's Incredible, Welcome Back Kotter, Wonder Years, Laverne & Shirley, Charlie's Angels and The Incredible Hulk. I'm sure there were many others but I can't list them all.
Here's the opening theme to The Love Boat. I love the guest stars.
The 80's were an awesome decade to grow up in and to experience and it was the perfect decade for me. I look back fondly on those 10 years and although I like to look ahead to the future, it's nice to have my memories to remember the past.
OK, I'll cool it on the 80's speak for now since many of you would probably just be lost if I kept it up. The language of the 80's had a life of its own and was quite colourful to say the least. Words and sayings like "Tubular", "Bodacious", "Hoser", "Like, oh my God", "That's the Ticket","Psyche" and "Totally Awesome" were being used in every day conversations. I have to admit I used them all quite often back in the day.
I consider myself quite lucky to have been a teenager during the 80's as it was truly the greatest decade I've experienced so far for so many reasons.
NEWS
The 80's had its share of news events both good and bad as well. Among the most memorable for me were:
- Terry Fox and the Marathon of Hope and his passing - 1980
- Mount St. Helen's Volcano eruption - 1980
- John Lennon being killed - 1980
- Attempted Assasination of Ronald Reagan - 1981
- The death of John Belushi - 1982
- The Live Aid Concert - 1985
- Space Shuttle Challenger Explosion - 1986
- Nuclear Accident at Chernobyl - 1986
- The Berlin Wall falls - 1989
- Tanks in Tiananmen Square - 1989
There were countless other moments but these stand out to me. Here's video of the attempt on Ronald Reagan's life.
MUSIC
When it comes to music, your efforts to convince me otherwise will fail as the 80's were by far the best decade for tunes. I really don't even know where to start. Some of the best artists and groups that excelled in the 80's were around prior to then but their popularity soared during this time. Bands and artists like Pink Floyd, Queen, Van Halen, Bruce Springsteen, Journey, AC/DC, Billy Joel, Elton John, Michael Jackson and The Police were already established but flourished with huge hits.
The bands and individuals that came along in the 80's created the soundtrack for my youth. To this day I still love U2 and they are by far my favourite band of all time. Other great hit makers that I loved included Prince & The Revolution, Madonna, Phil Collins, The Cure, The Cult, The Smiths, Howard Jones, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard and Motley Crue
When it came to names of bands, they didn't come any better or stranger than a-ha, Alphaville, Bananarama, Flock of Seagulls, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Kajagoogoo, Men At Work, Psychedelic Furs, Scritti Politti, Sigue Sigue Sputnik, Spandau Ballet, Ultravox, Nik Kershaw, and Wang Chung. The 80's music is still as popular today as it was back then.
Of course one big change was how we listened to music. Today's it's mp3's, CD's and digital files. Back then I spent my money on records, 45's and cassettes to hear the songs I loved.
One of my favourite videos from the 80's came from the band a-ha and the song Take On Me. Here's that video.
MOVIES
When it comes to 80's cinema, I'm going to steer clear of the "Chick Flicks" and "Artsy Fartsy" type movies. For me, a trip to the theatre in the 80's was about seeing what I liked as a teen and being entertained. In later years I learned to like many other movies from the decade but at the time my favourite movies from the 80's included:
- Some Kind of Wonderful, Sixteen Candles, E.T., The Sure Thing, The Star Wars movies (Empire and Jedi), Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Cannonball Run, Goonies, Gremlins, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Better Off Dead, The Breakfast Club, The Karate Kid, Top Gun, Beverly Hills Cop, Footloose, Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, Batman, Ghostbusters and Back to the Future to name a few.
There were some great movie quotes from the 80's as well. Who can forget:
- "We're gonna need some new FBI guys I guess." - Die Hard
- "Wax on, wax off." - Karate Kid
- "I love the smell of napalm in the morning." - Apocolypse Now
- "Wait til they get a load of me." - Batman
- "I spent seven years in high school, I'm no dummy." - Better Off Dead
- "Listen...you smell something?" - Ghostbusters
- "Does Barry Manilow know you stole his wardrobe?" - Breakfast Club
- "I'll be back." - Terminator
- "They're here." - Poltergeist
- "Yippe-ki-yay Mother****er." - Die Hard
Here's an original movie trailer from 1985 for The Breakfast Club.
FADS / FASHIONS & GAMES
The 80's had it's own distinct style to match the awesomeness of the decade. Is that a word?
Who can forget the leg warmers the girls wore over their jeans, Swatch Watches, Rubik's Cube, Guys with one earring (guilty as charged), Neon everything, Spandex, Mullets and Rat tails, Dungeons and Dragons, Arcades with games like Pac-Man and Donkey Kong, Valley Girl Talk, wearing your collar up, feathered hair, 20-Minute Workout, Boat Shoes, Break Dancing, Atari video games, Rollerskating Rinks, Sleeveless Shirts, Sony Walkmans, Pop Rocks, Ghetto Blasters, Ghost Hunting at haunted houses and Moonwalking.
TELEVISION
Finally, I spent countless hours parked in front of the T.V. working on my couch potato physique and watching some of the best and worst sitcoms and shows the networks could produce. M*A*S*H was by far my favourite in the early years. Others that I never missed included WKRP in Cincinnati, Mork & Mindy, The A-Team, The Love Boat, WWF Wrestling, BJ and the Bear, Battlestar Galactica, The Cosby Show, CHiPs, Fantasy Island, Family Ties, Fame, Dukes of Hazzard, That's Incredible, Welcome Back Kotter, Wonder Years, Laverne & Shirley, Charlie's Angels and The Incredible Hulk. I'm sure there were many others but I can't list them all.
Here's the opening theme to The Love Boat. I love the guest stars.
The 80's were an awesome decade to grow up in and to experience and it was the perfect decade for me. I look back fondly on those 10 years and although I like to look ahead to the future, it's nice to have my memories to remember the past.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
No More Buses for Me
Normally I like to keep my blog light-hearted, amusing and topical but today I’m afraid it will only be the last of the three with a little disturbing and mind-boggling thrown in.
If you’ve been anywhere near a newspaper or heard the news on TV or radio in the 24 hours or so then you’ve heard about this story that is making headlines around the world.
If you find yourself wondering why I bothered to write anything about this incident, this is just me trying to come to grips with what happened and convince myself that this really took place. I still can’t believe it.
The video below from CTV gives a fairly accurate description of what transpired so I won't rehash the details. If you don't know what happened, have a look at the video to bring yourself up to speed.
There are eyewitness accounts that say the attacker after decapitating the victim, carried the severed head to the front of the bus and dropped it on the ground in front of the witnesses. Am I crazy to be stunned by this. It shocks me to imagine and to realize that this is happening in Canada. I think that is probably what baffles me the most. I just can’t grasp that something like this could happen here.
This is a story that you know there has to be more to it. The attacker was either mentally disturbed or something happened to set him off. Nobody in their right mind would ever do such a thing.
One police Staff Sgt. was quoted as saying, “It’s not something that regularly happens on a bus.” Really?!?! No Shit Sherlock!! Especially in Canada!
I’m not trying to say that Canada is all rainbows and gumdrops and a place where crime doesn’t exist and evil people don’t dwell. Sadly we have our share of murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gangs, drug dealers and everything else you might find in other countries. It just isn’t always to that extreme.
This incident I would class as extreme. I’d also call it odd, weird, sick, disgusting, a waste and many other words to describe how horrible this is.
I try to imagine what it will be like for the family of the victim and how they will cope and come to terms with the loss of their loved one in such a horrendous, disturbing and senseless manner.
At this point there are so many questions yet to be answered; the biggest of which has to be “why?”
If you’ve been anywhere near a newspaper or heard the news on TV or radio in the 24 hours or so then you’ve heard about this story that is making headlines around the world.
If you find yourself wondering why I bothered to write anything about this incident, this is just me trying to come to grips with what happened and convince myself that this really took place. I still can’t believe it.
The video below from CTV gives a fairly accurate description of what transpired so I won't rehash the details. If you don't know what happened, have a look at the video to bring yourself up to speed.
There are eyewitness accounts that say the attacker after decapitating the victim, carried the severed head to the front of the bus and dropped it on the ground in front of the witnesses. Am I crazy to be stunned by this. It shocks me to imagine and to realize that this is happening in Canada. I think that is probably what baffles me the most. I just can’t grasp that something like this could happen here.
This is a story that you know there has to be more to it. The attacker was either mentally disturbed or something happened to set him off. Nobody in their right mind would ever do such a thing.
One police Staff Sgt. was quoted as saying, “It’s not something that regularly happens on a bus.” Really?!?! No Shit Sherlock!! Especially in Canada!
I’m not trying to say that Canada is all rainbows and gumdrops and a place where crime doesn’t exist and evil people don’t dwell. Sadly we have our share of murderers, rapists, pedophiles, gangs, drug dealers and everything else you might find in other countries. It just isn’t always to that extreme.
This incident I would class as extreme. I’d also call it odd, weird, sick, disgusting, a waste and many other words to describe how horrible this is.
I try to imagine what it will be like for the family of the victim and how they will cope and come to terms with the loss of their loved one in such a horrendous, disturbing and senseless manner.
At this point there are so many questions yet to be answered; the biggest of which has to be “why?”
Monday, April 14, 2008
Clip of the Week - April 14/08
If you're like me, from time to time you enjoy seeing others mess up. If it wasn't for stuff like this, blooper television shows wouldn't exist.
I have some empathy for those poor souls. I had a similar slip of the tongue back in my radio days. I was talking on-air one morning about something that happened in a baseball game and I meant to say, "The batter missed the coaches bunt sign." Unfortunately what came out of my mouth was, "The batter missed the boaches *unt sign." As if that isn't bad enough, in my effort to quickly correct myself, I said it again! Needless to say, everywhere I went for the next couple of weeks, I had people bugging me about it.
This weeks clip is something similar as a female newscaster has a little slip up.
I have some empathy for those poor souls. I had a similar slip of the tongue back in my radio days. I was talking on-air one morning about something that happened in a baseball game and I meant to say, "The batter missed the coaches bunt sign." Unfortunately what came out of my mouth was, "The batter missed the boaches *unt sign." As if that isn't bad enough, in my effort to quickly correct myself, I said it again! Needless to say, everywhere I went for the next couple of weeks, I had people bugging me about it.
This weeks clip is something similar as a female newscaster has a little slip up.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
News Junkies Annonymous
As I'm sure many of you know, I'm a news junkie. I always need the latest news and information on what is happening both locally and around the world.
I guess having been in the media for so many years it's in my blood. In fact, it amazes me how some people can be so totally oblivious to what is happening around them or of what news is happening. I realize that some people lead busy lives and may not be able to find the time to pick up a newspaper or turn on the TV long enough to get an information fix but I also know there are some people who just don't care. They live in a cocoon where the only thing that matters is what affects them personally. I can't live that way.
As an information sponge, I had a tough time keeping myself away from the TV and the computer with so many crazy and interesting things going on during this time.
The bridge collapse in Minnesota was both horrific and mind-boggling. How could something like that happen and on such a large scale. As bad as it was it certainly could have been much worse had the traffic been heavier. Those fortunate enough to survive the disaster will no doubt be cashing in on this one. Lawyers were probably lining up to help the survivours out of their vehicles and out of harms way and asking the victims if they needed a representative in their lawsuits.
The space shuttle Endeavor is currently orbiting the earth after a successful launch during my time off. Of course by successful I mean it didn't fall apart during the lift-off. Getting the astronauts home could be a different problem all together. Here they've launched this shuttle that has been overhauled and basically rebuilt for safety reasons and on it's first launch after all the work it suffers damage to some heat tiles. Of course I don't need to remind you of what happened to the last shuttle that tried to return home with damaged tiles. They're still trying to find all of the pieces in Texas. The thing I find scary is they've been in space over a week and there's still no decision (at the time I'm writing this) on what they need to do to fix the problem or if they're going to fix it at all. If they don't make an attempt to fix the hole and the worst case scenario happens during re-entry into the earth's atmosphere, heads will certainly role. Lets face it, with the Challenger and Columbia disasters and the psycho diaper wearing astronaut love triangle, NASA doesn't need any more bad press.
The other big story has to be the trapped miners in Utah. While I'm certainly hopeful for a positive outcome, after 10 days trapped underground with no food, water and an unknown amount of air, the chances of these men coming out alive and with all of their faculties intact grows slimmer with each passing moment. The one thing that really bothers me about this story is how the media was so quick to lay blame on the mining company and the manner in which they mined for the coal. The ONLY focus should be on the rescue operation at this time. There will be plenty of time to point fingers and place blame once the ordeal is over with. At the time of my writing this, the latest report had them hearing something from the mine and starting a new hole to try and determine what the sound was and where it came from. There's still hope for a happy ending but you can bet these officials won't make the same mistake as the executives did during the Sago Mine disaster.
So as you can see I have a need for news. Whether it's a cabinet shuffle on Parliament Hill, a missing child in Quebec or an earthquake in Peru...you can bet I've done my best to feed my hunger for information.
I guess having been in the media for so many years it's in my blood. In fact, it amazes me how some people can be so totally oblivious to what is happening around them or of what news is happening. I realize that some people lead busy lives and may not be able to find the time to pick up a newspaper or turn on the TV long enough to get an information fix but I also know there are some people who just don't care. They live in a cocoon where the only thing that matters is what affects them personally. I can't live that way.
As an information sponge, I had a tough time keeping myself away from the TV and the computer with so many crazy and interesting things going on during this time.The bridge collapse in Minnesota was both horrific and mind-boggling. How could something like that happen and on such a large scale. As bad as it was it certainly could have been much worse had the traffic been heavier. Those fortunate enough to survive the disaster will no doubt be cashing in on this one. Lawyers were probably lining up to help the survivours out of their vehicles and out of harms way and asking the victims if they needed a representative in their lawsuits.
The space shuttle Endeavor is currently orbiting the earth after a successful launch during my time off. Of course by successful I mean it didn't fall apart during the lift-off. Getting the astronauts home could be a different problem all together. Here they've launched this shuttle that has been overhauled and basically rebuilt for safety reasons and on it's first launch after all the work it suffers damage to some heat tiles. Of course I don't need to remind you of what happened to the last shuttle that tried to return home with damaged tiles. They're still trying to find all of the pieces in Texas. The thing I find scary is they've been in space over a week and there's still no decision (at the time I'm writing this) on what they need to do to fix the problem or if they're going to fix it at all. If they don't make an attempt to fix the hole and the worst case scenario happens during re-entry into the earth's atmosphere, heads will certainly role. Lets face it, with the Challenger and Columbia disasters and the psycho diaper wearing astronaut love triangle, NASA doesn't need any more bad press.The other big story has to be the trapped miners in Utah. While I'm certainly hopeful for a positive outcome, after 10 days trapped underground with no food, water and an unknown amount of air, the chances of these men coming out alive and with all of their faculties intact grows slimmer with each passing moment. The one thing that really bothers me about this story is how the media was so quick to lay blame on the mining company and the manner in which they mined for the coal. The ONLY focus should be on the rescue operation at this time. There will be plenty of time to point fingers and place blame once the ordeal is over with. At the time of my writing this, the latest report had them hearing something from the mine and starting a new hole to try and determine what the sound was and where it came from. There's still hope for a happy ending but you can bet these officials won't make the same mistake as the executives did during the Sago Mine disaster.
So as you can see I have a need for news. Whether it's a cabinet shuffle on Parliament Hill, a missing child in Quebec or an earthquake in Peru...you can bet I've done my best to feed my hunger for information.
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