At Home in Hespeler

One day, Sarah Palin woke up, put on the coffee (fair trade, naturally), looked out the window and said to no one in particular, “where the hell did the glaciers go?“

It’s true, the glaciers are melting at an alarming rate and Alaska is surrounded by cold water. Two-hundred and thirteen communities are threatened by inland creeping tides. Sarah Palin, former mayor, governor and author has recently turned up in Hong Kong, New York, Chicago,  Grand Rapids, Cincinnati, Roanoke, Dallas andSioux Falls, SD running from the catastrophic effects of global warming: run Sarah run.

Global Warming, Going... Going... Gone Nuts For The Environment, Uncategorized

Scholars are predicting that 50 million people worldwide will be displaced by  2010 because of rising sea levels, desertification, dried up aquifers, weather-induced flooding and other serious environmental changes.

Whew, 50 million people by 2010: that only gives one month to re-settle them.

While a chunk of the refugees I’m sure are from the Philippines, Africa and other poorer countries, how many are coming from the US? Manhattan is sinking, as is Los Angeles and San Fransisco . Two-hundred and thirteen Alaska coastal towns are being washed out. How many refugees are right now headed towards our border? 5 million? 10? Good Lord man, if only 1 million it will still be about 995,000 more than our border can realistically handle.

Sceptics be dammed, 50 million environmental refugees is hard for even Exxon to hide, and this month the predictions will be proven. Follow along as At Home in Hespeler highlights a different environmental refugee at 6pm every day this week.

Going... Going... Gone Nuts For The Environment, Uncategorized

All the fluffy news about those nutty celebrities

Twilight: New Moon, the movie that was given numerous zero and one star reviews, topped last weekends box office with a $258.8M worldwide weekend. It also set a new opening day high when it took $72.2M. This isn’t shocking, when movie prices increase the same number of people bring in more money. However, it can’t be comfortable being a critic in an industry that’s in deep decline, knowing the value a large swath of the population puts on your opinion is zero, or even negative.

Taylor Swift won four awards at last weekends American Music Awards, including Artist of the Year. Swift thanked God, her mother and Kanye West when receiving the award.

West, who’s career has taken a bit of a hit after interrupting Swift’s acceptance speech for femal video of the year at the MTV video awards, again interrupted her speech, asking three giggling girls coming home from Twilight: New Moon if they would like fries with that.

The other big winner at the |AMAs was Michael Jackson, who released no new music but did release his mortal coil to great success.

The controversy of the show was Adam Lambert’s homo-erotic dance routine. Many fans complained about the routine, others complained that the complainers are really homo-phobic. Lambert’s problem is, however, that he’s not Madonna – he came to success on family friendly American Idol, not as a skanky-ho who fished the bottom of the moral barrel. In short, the homo-phobes he offended are his fans.

Review in Brief – Twilight: New Moon: It was better than the first Twilight movie, dad.

The NFL announced this week that his years Superbowl half time show will be headlined by the Who, with Pete Townsend, Roger Daltrey and a bunch of guys not named Keith Moon and John Entwistle (or even Kenny Jones)

Canada lost one of it’s treasures this past week when singer/songwriter Haydain Neale passed away, age 39. Neale, who is, is variously reported to be from Hamilton and Guelph, died of lung cancer last Sunday.

Here is Haidain Neale, and his band Jacksoul, with Sleepless.

Fluffernutter Adam Lambert, AMAs. American Music Awards, Haydain Neale, Jacksoul, John Entwistle, Kanye West, Kenny Jones, Kieth Moon, Michael Jackson, Pete Townsend, Roger Daltry, Sleepless, Superbowl, Taylor Swift, The Who, Twilight: NEw Moon

If the stadium is built in City Park, there’s money on the table from federal and provincial infrastructure funding on top of what the Pan Am bid organizers will kick in, leaving the cost to taxpayers less than half…

Memo to former provincial Liberal candidate Marianne Meed Ward: when your using federal and provincial infrastructure funding, the taxpayers are still picking up the cost, and Pan Am bid organizers are spending… tax dollars.

Uncategorized

You just can’t do a Queen cover and improve upon what Queen did… until now:

Uncategorized Animal, Bohemian Rhapsody, chickens, dr teeth, Fozzy Bear, Kermit, Miss Piggy, Muppets, Queen, Rizzo

the constitution is for natives… in our street…, with guns (and no, I didn’t make that up): not for ordinary citizens driving their car.

Dalton Dalton Dalton, In Dalton McGuinty’s Ontario… Caledonia, Dalton McGuinty, stunt driving

The party base understood in 2006 and Canadian citizens are understanding now. Ignatieff’s supporters didn’t do their homework. They didn’t read his books. They contented themselves with his ability to navigate the cocktail circuit.”
“Some of them are enraged today. I hear: ‘Why didn’t anyone tell us about him?'”
“We told you, loud and clear. You didn’t listen.’

and

 “But they (party members) didn’t accept the 26 per cent (of the popular vote in the last election). Now we’re at 23.”

It’s worth saying that it’s not that they didn’t try and read his books but, like me, they picked up The Lesser Evil: Political Ethics in an Age of Terror, and slept like a baby for two weeks, unable to keep their poor weary eyes open for more than a page and a half of his pompous drivel.

 Then the front thrusts:

Ross Rebagliati, former Olympic snowboarder with the Clitonesque excuses, now running for the Liberal party in  Okanagan-Coquihalla BC, gives an interview to McLeans:

McL: …did the Liberals approach you, or did you approach them?
RR: They approached me. It came up over lunch and I thought about it for a few minutes, and by the end of the meal, I had decided to do it.

RR:… We’re sending our Canadian soldiers overseas to create a democracy in a foreign land, and a lot of them are paying the ultimate price. And we can’t even bring ourselves to vote here, when we have that right and privilege? To me, that’s unacceptable.
McL: Have you been a regular voter?
RR: No I haven’t.

McL: Are there other politicians you admire?
RR: Sure, Trudeau… he had a cool car and all the girls liked him.

McL: What will you be doing during the Olympics this February?
RR: I’ll be in both Whistler and Vancouver… but I don’t have a single ticket. But as far as I’m concerned I’m just going to flash my gold medal. (Note: he’s entitled to his entitlements).

McL: Are you in favour of legalization?
RR: I’m not really going to go there right now. I think the media obviously has a big opportunity to corner me as a one-issue guy, but I don’t want to be that guy.

McL:…What’s your campaign theme song going to be?
RR: I like the Bob Marley song Get Up, Stand Up.

When your star candidates are this good, what can go wrong?

Silly Liberals, Uncategorized Janine Krieber, Liberal Party, Michael Ignatieff, Parliament Pub, Ross Rebagliati, Stephane Dion, Warren Kinsella

What’s the biggest story of the decade?

After Sept 11, 2001, possibly the biggest story is right under their nose, spiting their face. After many of the worlds economies reorganized, taxed breathing or set up brand new markets for exhaling and farting, the science behind global warming turns out to be fraudulent.

I know they have a vested interest in ignoring this story (that much has become obvious the last four days), but maybe if a big whack of people tell them they consider it a big story, it will occur to them to report it.

***********
PS – If you ask someone the top five stories of 2000 – 2010 and Sept 11 doesn’t even make the list, can that person be considered qualified to comment on anything?

The Great Global Warming Swindle climate emails, Global Warming, Globe and Mail, sept 11

means having the freedom to do your job without interference, not without effort:

Prime Minister Stephen Harper urged journalists to “shine light into dark corners” of government affairs during a speech late Saturday, but wouldn’t take questions from reporters covering the event…

Freedom for Canadians goes hand-in-hand with journalistic freedom, he told the dinner guests gathered at Seneca College in Markham, home to thriving Asian communities.

Members of the ethnic press and their readers understand what it’s like in countries where “truth is only what the state says it is” and journalists are co-opted as government mouthpieces or threatened with their lives, Mr. Harper said.

So the story is, he doesn’t really believe in freedom of the press because he didn’t take questions.

But lets face it, why should anybody make their job easy? Even when possibly the biggest story in years is handed to them on a silver platter, they don’t report it.

If your not up to speed on the global warming scientists fudging the science, Small Dead Animals has been as good as anybody on this story, and the only credible media outlet in Canada covering it.

Media doesn't matter canadian media, Global Warming, Small Dead Animals, Stephen Harper

All the fluffy news about those nutty celebrities

“Hello, Ohio!” With those two words, Bruce Springsteen dropped jaws throughout The Palace in Auburn Hills, Michigan. After several references to Ohio, Springsteen’s guitar player and sidekick Steve Van Zandt corrected him.

It’s “Every front man’s nightmare,” Springsteen told the audience apologetically.

Kings of Leon drummer Nathan Followill, 30, married singer Jessie Baylin last weekend in Brentwood. Followill, one of three brothers in the Kings of Leon, met the country singer at the Bonoroo festival n 2006. Congratulations to the happy couple.

Nineteen year old country superstar Taylor Swift appears to have a boyfriend, 17 year old Twilight actor Taylor Lautner. No word on how serious the relationship is, but should marriage be in their future nobody in the wedding party, we are guessing, will be wearing off the rack.

Twilight: New Moon opened this weekend to abysmal reviews, of which the target teenage girl audience could care less. Expect it to be a blockbuster, regardless of what Kevin Williamson thought of it. Next week Saturday Fluffernutter will have a review in brief for those who are holding off until At Home in Hespeler has given a verdict.

Fluffernutter Auburn Hills, Bruce Springsteen, Jessie Baylin, Kings of Leon, Michigan, Nathan Followill, Ohio, Steve Van Zandt, Taylor Lautner, Taylor Swift, Twilight: NEw Moon

Eschewing the traditional advertising themes, Pantene shows how to sell shampoo?

Cool Videos Commercial, Pantene, Violin

Heady days here in Hespeler as our circa 1950’s liquor store is replaced by a new,12,000 square foot behomoth, that has room for a vintages section and, get this, more than 4 feet of cold display for the beer. Our old store was serviceable but the former drive-through store, that was one of those “fill out the form and somebody will get your Canadian Club for you,” set-ups until sometime in the 70’s, had outlived it’s usefulness. It never really could handle the Hespeler appetite, and now we have the 6th biggest LCBO outlet in Ontario. Heady days indeed.

Not to be outdone, the ROC (rest of Cambridge) threw their Santa Claus parade on the south side of the 401, and had a parade driver arrested for impaired driving– I am reliably informed it was, in fact, Santa’s driver. He will plead fog I am guessing.

Maybe they can’t handle their drink in the ROC, but here in Hespeler Daddy Dalton has deemed us all growed up and sent us flying into the 1990’s. We are, as you can imagine, chuffed.

Blogging will be light the rest of the evening, as I have some  Wychwood Brewery Bah Humbug Christmas Ale to get through.

Cambridge Bah Humbug Christmas Ale, Cambridge, Dalton McGuinty, Hespeler, LCBO, Parade, Santa Claus, Wychwood Brewery

All the fluffy news about those nutty celebrities

Seventies rock band that simply refuse to accept a good embalming, Aerosmith, may be breaking up. “Steven [Singer Steven Tyler] quit as far as I can tell,” according to guitarist Joe Perry. The band hasn’t performed together since Tyler fell off a stage in August and  canceled their summer tour. It was the worst fall in rock and roll since Kieth Richards fell out of the coconut tree, giving immortality to the tree, and several nearby coconuts.

So Kate Gosselin has spent the summer polishing her resume, appearing on such staple network TV shows as The Today show, and guest-co-hosting on The View. Ex-husband Jon? He was on The Insider with ex-Bristol Palin guy-pal Levi Johnson Sunday.  Johnson said of Gosselin, “he’s a good guy… he’s getting the same bad image as I am and it ain’t true. I can relate to that.” 

Good Lord Jon! Levi Johnson? Are you paying attention to what’s happening to the shambles of your career?  Has anybodies star dropped so far so fast since Fatty Arbuckle?

Review in Brief – Men who Talk to Goats: (as told to me in two independent conversations). This would be a great movie to see stoned

Breaking News: Steven Tyler is not leaving Aerosmith. Tyler appeared on stage with Perry during a solo show to promote Perry’s new release, Have Guitar Will Travel, to announce he is still the singer for Aerosmith. He then sang Walk This Way with Perry’s band without falling off the stage or any kind of tropical tree.  

Boxer Mike Tyson was arrested this week after allegedly punching a photographer in LA. There was a time when if Tyson punched some photographer, the photographer would be on life support. Instead, he made a citizens arrest of Tyson, who also made a citizens arrest on the photog. The 50 year old paparazzi had none of his ears bitten off during the battle.

Breaking news. Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry fell out of a coconut tree, landing on Kieth Richards and causing Steven Tyler to announce he will never sing with the Rolling Stones again, unless, of course, he’s asked.

Fluffernutter Aerosmith, Fatty Arbuckle, Have Guitar Will Travel, Joe Perr, Jon Gosselin, Kate Gosselin, Kieth Richards, Levi Johnson, Mike Tyson, Rolling Stones, Steven Tyler, The Insider, The Today Show, The View

Meet Churchill, 10.

So named because of her love of  brandy and fine cigars, not to mention her complete lack of appeasement with evil empires and dogs (” a modest species who have much to be modest about.”)

I offer this introduction in case I should happen to mention our fine cat in passing, at which time please do not assume I mean Winston Churchill and go bothering 10 Downing Street to see if he is still alive.

cats 10 Downing, Cat, Churchill, Thatcher

nb:  The official Lament of the Canadian Forces, played to honour fallen soldiers, is Flowers of the Forest.

Remembrance Flowers of the Forest, Lament, November 11, Piper, Remembrance Day