for a taste of your whisky ...

While looking at videos on youtube today I came across a number of absolutely wild music videos that left me marvelling at how amazing The Muppet Show was ... in addition to Alice Cooper's Welcome to My Nightmare and some funky stuff by Johnny Cash I found this one by Kenny Rogers and thought it was AWESOME:

Dunno Why ... but ...

Move the furniture ... crank the volume and

JUST LET IT HAPPEN ... the song is self explanatory:

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Latest contribution to the Wheat City Journal ...

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(Click to see/read a full size version)

Hmmmm ... interesting ... Stella Artois and the CBC logo ...

This is the iconic CBC logo,

sometimes called an exploding pizza,

but regardless of what it is called,

it has graced the CBC for nearly 40 years,

having been created in 1974 and used extensively since.

Tonight on CBC's As It Happens,

they picked up the story about beer maker

Stella Artois "borrowing" the logo

for its advertising campaign:

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery,

I guess borrowing an iconic logo borders on imitation.

for more check out some of the links below:

Martini Boys article

TorontoMike's article

WTF???!!! - a HOMELESS Doll ???

Meet Gwen, the Doll of the Year with the American Girl Doll collection. Isn't she lovely ...

Here's what Abby Zimet over at CommonDreams.org has to say about Gwen:

Oh, capitalism. Mattel's American Girl - creator of obscenely pricey dolls for up to $158, with bed another $118 - is now marketing Gwen, a homeless doll. For $95, you get Gwen with aforementioned dress, long blond hair and dark back story - she and her mom, fallen on hard times, live in their car before making their vinyl way to a homeless shelter. A $95 doll to celebrate the sorrowful fact that, every seven seconds, someone somewhere in this land of plenty will reportedly lose their home. What next. One of our readers suggests calling Mattel (608.836.4848) or emailing foundation@mattel.com and asking them to donate profits from the sale of "Gwen" to homeless shelters and food banks.

Here's what it says on wikipedia about Gwen's background story:

Gwen Thompson is a shy and quiet girl in Chrissa's class with large brown eyes and blond hair she lets hang over her eyes (before it was cut). She has no friends until Chrissa befriends her. The Queen Bees--Tara, Sonali, and Jadyn--refer to her as the Loser Girl and play mean and spiteful pranks on her through the book. The bullying disturbs Sonali Matthews and soon after Tara maliciously cuts off Gwen's bangs, Sonali leaves the group and becomes friends with Gwen and Chrissa.

Gwen and her mother Janine fell on hard times when her father lost his job; they later lost the house as they were unable to keep up payments. Soon after, Gwen's father left them and they became homeless the fall before the start of the book's events. Initially, Gwen's mother has them live in their car until the winter comes; she then takes them to Sunrise House, a place for homeless women and children. Sunrise House helps them get on their feet and eventually get a new apartment.

I dunno, but I think Zimet has a point ... capitalism seemingly knows NO BOUNDS ...

Gee I hope they don't stop by my office ...

Okay - let's put this headline story in context ... Calgary is grappling with homelessness, a downturn in the economy, and like the rest of us the deepening effects of a recession ... BUT, are these "good" church people concerned about ANY of those things???

Heck no ... they're in a lather because the Calgary Zoo has a BEAUTIFUL sculpture of Ganesh outside the elephant house in the Asian area of their exhibits ... and not a sitting Ganesh, but a dancing Ganesh, that is not only Good Luck, but is a harbinger of the blessings of the Cosmos. And this group of "concerned" Christians wants this lovely sculpture removed.

CBC reports this story here - "Dancing Elephant Stays, says Calgary Zoo"

In the meantime, I hope these guys don't stop by my office anytime soon ... my dancing Ganesh is standing alongside a sitting Ganesh, a tiny Kali, a Bobble-headed Jesus, an Egyptian goddess, a couple of Orthodox icons and a St Rita statue ... AND I've been trying to FIND a replica of this statue since I first saw it in Calgary a couple of years ago ... guess I'm a bad Christian ...

To Celebrate Trane's B-day ... a fav of mine !!

Born this day ...

.

Jason Alexander,

(otherwise known as George from Seinfeld)
.

.

Mickey Rooney

.

.

Bruce Springsteen

.

.

Ray Charles

,

.

COLTRANE
.

.

Ms. H.

and the number is ...

Happy Birthday Ms H. !!!

Happy B-day for Ms. H ...

Happy Birthday ...

Thirteen years ago, you came into the world in the Campbell River Hospital, and though he will deny it today, your brother was thrilled and PROUD to have a little sister ... you were welcomed by your Grandma within hours of your arrival ... and you were a beautiful baby girl ...

The nick name we gave you when you learned to crawl was "lava" because you were relentless and there was simply NO WAY to keep you out of the places YOU wanted to be ... especially if it was your brother's stuff !!!

You drove Noahkila to absolute craziness by insisting that "I was born first," and were older than he was ...

You looked beautiful in your "lovely dress" that you wore until it was nothing more than tattered rags ...

The last thirteen years are chocked full of memories of you, your sister, your brother and the many moments we've travelled together ... some are good ... some are not so good ... but ALL of them are recalled with love and fondness ...

In a moment like this, I am proud to be your dad, and I'm happy to have you as my daughter ...

I love you. And today I wish you a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!!!

One last one for a laugh ...

UM ????? U.S. military action in Africa ... where's the headlines???

Pictured above is Ali Saleh Nabhan a senior member of al-Qaeda. He is on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted terrorists’ list for his alleged involvement in the 1998 US embassy bombings that killed more than 250 people and injured 4,000 others in East Africa. Nabhan became a fugitive in 2006, wanted by the US Department of Justice for questioning in connection with the ‘02 attacks against a hotel and an Israeli airliner in Mombasa, Kenya. He was among six people shot and killed in a US military raid outside Baraawe, Somalia on September 14, 2009.

The question that ALL of this raises in my mind is simply this: why is there NOTHING in the media about the US Military conducting raids in Somalia against al-Qaeda???

It really makes me wonder what else is going on in our world that we hear NOTHING ABOUT ...
While I don

Birthday wishes across the 2400 kms ...

Happy Birthday to U ... no to L !!!!!

Born today ...

Alfonso Ribeirio who played Carlton opposite Will Smith in

Fresh Prince of Bel Air


Author Stephen King

Comic genius and actor Bill Murray

(YIKES!!! Bill turns 59 this year !!!)

The amazing and talented

Leonard Cohen,

AND there is also an

amazing selection of talented people

who mark today as their birthday including:

Rob Morrow, aka Dr Fleishmann from Northern Exposure,

Dave Coulier who played Joey on Full House,

David James Elliott who was Harmon Rabb on JAG,

Nicole Richie,

Faith Hill,

H.G. Wells,

Larry "J.R. Ewing" Hagman,

and

my personal favourite Birthday Girl today:

The beautiful, witty, brilliant and enchanting L !!

Hope your B-day is a Happy One !!!

Thinking of You

Just Because it's been on my mind lately:

131...

Pte. Jonathan Couturier, aged 23

who was based in Valcartier, Que.

died Thursday morning

after the vehicle he was riding in

struck an IED southwest of Kandahar city.

Eleven others were injured in the explosion.

Thoughts and prayers for his family, his comrades and friends.

Lest We Forget.

Leave it to Obama ...

It is truly refreshing to have an American President who is articulate, intelligent, and who dares to call it like he sees it ... Today it would appear that President Obama, in a candid conversation with CNBC's John Harwood, called Kanye West a "JACKASS."

News of the presidential edict slipped out via Tweets from staff belonging to rival ABC.

One comment in particular caught my attention, and even if it was meant in jest, says is well:

"Terry Moran, a former White House correspondent, logged on to Twitter and typed: "Pres. Obama just called Kanye West a 'jackass' for his outburst at VMAs when Taylor Swift won. Now THAT'S presidential.""

I dunno ... I think President Obama is just saying what most reasonable people are already thinking ... Gotta like someone who has the nerve to call it like he sees it and call a spade a spade, or in this case a jackass a jackass.

To see what CTV has to say about this click here.

130 ...

Pte. Patrick Lormand, 21,

of the 2nd Battalion, Royal 22nd Regiment

based in Quebec City,

was killed and four others were injured

in a roadside blast from an improvised explosive device

on Sunday afternoon while patrolling in the Panjwaii district of Afghanistan.

-

Thoughts and prayers for his wounded comrades,

his fellow soldiers,

his family,

and those who grieve his passing ...

Lest We Forget.