Unions gone wild!

France is in a labour dispute involving recently laid off union members who kidnapped their employers and barricaded themselves in workplaces in protest.

"Workers at a factory operated by U.S. firm 3M held their French manager hostage overnight to protest against plans to lay off half the staff."
French manager blocked in office by angry staff

"Hundreds of French workers, angry about proposed layoffs at a Caterpillar office, were holding executives of the company hostage Tuesday, a spokesman for the workers said.

It is at least the third time this month that French workers threatened with cutbacks have blockaded managers in their offices to demand negotiations. Executives were released unharmed in both previous situations."Angry French workers hold Caterpillar execs in offices

If the managers didn't regret hiring these people before, they do now.

Tertiary Series: Terrorism Double-Standard

I'm usually not a fan of biased editorials, especially from a Conservative newspaper, but this piece on the recent Tamil protests raise some interesting points. (re: Protest may affect afternoon rush hour)

Surprisingly, I'm on the fence on this one..

URGENT POST: Anti-Americanism is Not Unfounded

I usually don't post two days in a row, but it is absolutely necessary to bring this to the attention of my readers. I think there is a reason why many Canadians harbour anti-American sentiments. Fox's late night bullshit show, Red Eye, commented on General Andrew Leslie's claim that Canada will need an "operational break" in 2011 (re: Chief says army will need 'operational break' in 2011)

Let's flip this around: if Rick Mercer made a parody about the American troops, the US will surely invade us. The sad part is that these comments are directed at our troops, who have thus far fought valiantly given the workload. This show was especially in poor taste considering that four of our bravest just came home from Afghanistan today (Thank you for your service, God bless). Look, at the end of the day, we're on the same damn team. We literally "fuel" your wars, so don't make us hold that against you.

To the members of the Canadian Forces, thank you for your service, we're sorry you had to hear such insensitive comments. Keep fighting the good fight.

Fat Family can Sure Use a Recession...

Editor's Note: Thanks Chris!

I wish I was too fat to comment on this article, but I'm not, so here goes..

Mr Chawner said: "What we get barely covers the bills and puts food on the table. It's not our fault we can't work. We deserve more."..

"All that healthy food, like fruit and veg, is too expensive. We're fat because it's in our genes. Our whole family is overweight," she added.

(Read: Family who are 'too fat to work' say £22,000 worth of benefits is not enough...)

Here's a summary of what each family member is receiving:

1. Mr and Mrs Chawner receive £177 per week in income support and incapacity benefit.
   
2. Mrs Chawner is paid an extra £330-a-month disability allowance for epilepsy and asthma, both a result of being overweight.
3. Mr Chawner gets £71 a month after developing Type 2 diabetes because of his size.
   
4. Daughter Samantha receives £84 in Jobseekers' Allowance each fortnight while
   
5. Emma, who is training to be a hairdresser, gets £58 every two weeks under a hardship fund for low-income students.

The clincher is, in my opinion, "We barely cover the bills and put food on the table"? are you (double expletive) kidding me?! It looks like you should stop putting food on the table. They should get taxed for consuming too much food.

"We used to work for the government." - Family of 8

Sean Penn: Equal Rights Hypocrite

I am having issues with Sean Penn's Acceptance speech at the Oscars, and this is rare, since I don't have issues with many things. (Sarcasm fail?)

"I think that it is a good time for those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect and anticipate their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren's eyes if they continue that way of support..."

So are you saying that people should be ashamed of themselves for voting with their conscience and/or religious beliefs? Shame on them? Shame on you and your grandchildren (in advanced) for your reverse persecution. I hate political analysts from Hollywood.

Towards a Hunger and Violence Free Zimbabwe

Former opposition leader and now Prime Minister of Zimbabwe, Morgan Tsvangirai, promised that there will be no more hunger or violence now that he is PM.

“The transitional government will make food available and affordable,” he added. “No Zimbabwean will ever go hungry again... Our hospitals must be places of healing... On Monday, all schools must reopen. This Monday."("No more hunger or violence, says PM Tsvangirai")

That's a pretty balls-y claim considering that most first-world countries still struggle with these issues. C'mon sir, even Barack "God's gift to the world" Obama promised hope and change. It could be change for the worse, but at least he didn't exaggerate. No more hunger or violence?! Your lack of political experience is as obvious as a neon thong.

In the photo: Morgan, is not going to feed anyone by holding out his hands, Tsvangirai.

Shoe-throwing is a Popular Form of Protest, Act II

Did I not tell you that shoe throwing is a popular form of protest? Wen Jiabao, Premier of China was attacked with a shoe by a protester at Cambridge University today (whenever I wrote this, I don't remember). Unfortunately, his shoe failed to make contact and campus security was able to subdue the assailant before he was able to throw the other shoe.

"Hey, Stop it." - Wen to shoe-thrower

(Article of Interest: "Protester throws shoe at Chinese Premier Wen JiaBao")

Mr Wen was coming to the last part of his address when a young Western-looking man with dark hair stood up, blew a whistle and shouted: “How can the university prostitute itself with this dictator? How can you listen to these lies?”

The man, who appeared to be in his early twenties, then took off his heavy shoe and threw it at the stage missing the Premier by a few feet.

“Stand up and protest, you're not challenging him,” he shouted in a European accent as he was bundled out of the room by security staff.

I wasn't surprised at the attack. no I knew it was going to happen again a long time ago. I'm just surprised that the security staff at Cambridge is more competent than Bush's secret service agents.

Number of Days it took the President to Mess Up

It's only been 15 days (at the time of writing) since the glorious inauguration of the 44th President. Today, President Obama admitted that he made a mistake by nominating former Democratic Leader in the Senate and long-time mentor, Tom Daschle

"I think I screwed up," Obama said in a wide-ranging interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper. "And I take responsibility for it and we're going to make sure we fix it so it doesn't happen again." (Article of Interest: "Obama: 'I screwed up' on Daschle appointment")

Daschle withdrew his nomination after it was discovered that he had more than $150,000 in back taxes. This is however, NOT his first screw up. Click here to see a list of his questionable nominees..


A survey of America's mainstream media reveals that Obama and America are still on their honeymoon as many of them fail to mention his previous errors in judgement. Big ups to NPR (National Public Radio) for picking up on this story.

(Editor's Note: Why doesn't spell check pick up the word "Obama"?)

We're in the Money

I don't know about you, but I had a very nice shopping holiday over December despite the poor deals that offered no real savings to the consumer. I received my VISA bill at the end of the month and let me tell you, I have been penny pinching throughout January to make it past the month, but pinch no more, as the song goes, "we're in the money!"


Finance Minister Jim Flaherty announced that the Conservative government will run a $40 billion deficit over two years. (Read "$40-billion recipe to juice the economy").

"The budget, tabled Tuesday in the House of Commons, will see government spending increase by nearly 11% to $206.8-billion and revenue drop roughly 5% in the 2009-10, leading to a $33.7-billion deficit.

I did the math, 40 billion over two years divded by around 33 million people and what do you have? Around 600 bucks each! I would like to take this time to let the government know that I accept all forms of payment including Paypal, credit card, certified cheque, direct deposit, practically everything except government issued IOUs. Then I started to make a shopping list of all the things I would buy..until I read the fine print of course.

"The budget casts a wide net, and throws money at a number of fronts. A chunk of the spending programs are designed to expire after the second year. There are permanent personal tax cuts, about $12-billion for infrastructure projects, and financial incentives to persuade households to undertake home renovations. Some analysts said that, surprisingly, the budget did not have a core focus"

First of all, I don't own a house or any infrastructure?! Why does the government decide how I spend my money? I feel as though I would do a much better job stimulating the economy, especially in the industries of beer and popcorn. I guess it's back to penny-pinching for me.

Flaherty Needs Credit Counselling

A girl goes to the bank to borrow money and said she absolutely needs it because her family is going through a rough time. Her dad was recently laid off by the car company that employed him for the past twenty years. She claimed that she only needs the money for a couple of years because she will get a higher paying job after upgrading her degree.

The bank approved her because she had pretty good credit in the past and seemed to be able to manage money. She thanked the loan officer, left the bank, and went shopping for a new pair of shoes.

Photo by: Blair Gable / Reuters

Article of Interest: "Ottawa needs to stimulate economy: Flaherty"

"Flaherty spent $141.09 -- with tax -- to buy a pair of black work shoes, a sign perhaps that his budget will help put Canadians to work."

All I have to say is, those shoes better not be in the budget.

A Tribute to George Walker

I remember coming home one September afternoon to planes smashing into the World Trade Center. History will judge George Bush on his tenure as President of the United States. As Bush said in an interview, he will probably not live long enough to see the verdict. Regardless, one must admit that his time in the office wasn't a stroll in the park and he gave us some memorable moments. These include bombs falling on Baghdad, the toppling of the Saddam Hussein's statue, the complete abandonment of a city devastated by one of the country's worst hurricane and one of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Still, we should thank him for demonstrating the importance of politics. For those who were interested in politics before Bush, we should thank him for keeping us entertained. So, as a tribute to Bush, I will highlight some his most memorable quotes:

"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully." - September 2000

"They misunderestimated the compassion of our country. I think they misunderestimated the will and determination of the commander-in-chief, too." - Sept. 26, 2001

"There's no doubt in my mind, not one doubt in my mind, that we will fail." - Oct. 4, 2001

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." - Aug. 5, 2004

"The fact that they purchased the machine meant somebody had to make the machine. And when somebody makes a machine, it means there's jobs at the machine-making place." - May 27, 2008

"I remember meeting a mother of a child who was abducted by the North Koreans right here in the Oval Office." - June 26, 2008

"Throughout our history, the words of the Declaration have inspired immigrants from around the world to set sail to our shores. These immigrants have helped transform 13 small colonies into a great and growing nation of more than 300 people." - July 4, 2008

Quotes taken from "Bushisms: U.S. leader sets standard for mangled phrases during presidency"

God bless him; if it wasn't for you George Walker, I would have taken up another major.
But today is the dawn of a new era. On this day, the US installed its 44th President. What's so great about Obama anyways? What was so captivating? Why was it a defining moment in US history? What was it that made the world stand still at noon, even if only for a couple of minutes? I really didn't know the answer until I watched this:



Oh now I remember, he's the first President to share the same name as the dictator of the country you just toppled. Wow, that's a strong message. Way to rub it in.

Royal Visit to Canada

In a move that will sure please his fans, Barack Hussein Obama chooses Canada as his first international get-a-way destination (Barack Obama to visit Canada after inauguration).

"This has got to please the government and please Canadians, in general," says Robert Fife, Bureau Chief of Canada's equivalent of Fox.

I personally welcome his visit because we haven't had royalty since 2005, when the Queen Mother visited Alberta with Prince Philip. I just thought he'd pick somewhere warmer...maybe he's coming in the summer. (I wouldn't get my hopes up Nunavut)

Shoe-throwing Crosses Cultural Barriers

Then this happened, Iraqi Journalist Who Threw Shoes at Bush Was Tortured in Jail, His Brother Says ...well what the hell did you expect?

Anyways, thanks for making shoe-throwing an accepted form of dissident.

A Message from Our Queen - Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Christmas

Where the hell is Santa?

It's Christmas Eve and he should be making his rounds now. I hope he doesn't run into any problems. Anyways, you can track his whereabouts here:

http://www.noradsanta.org/

Personally, I thought NORAD was for tracking terrorists and space invaders, but there you go...apparently NORAD can take a day off from official business.





Note 1: It's official, Santa is Canadian. (Santa a Canadian, declares citizenship minister) Canadian Citizenship Minister Jason Kenney declares Santa a Canadian and by proxy, the his territory of residence. This is only made possible because Santa is sitting on a billion barrels of untapped black gold. If it weren't for that, Santa can be Norwegian for all we care. Look, how the hell else can Santa afford giving kids presents? He's loaded.