Battle at Kruger

If you like wildlife shows you'll love this. So much for the predators lol.

Protect Free Speech On The Internet

A Blogger Needs Your Help !

www.blogsuit.org

Wayne Crookes Sues The Net:III

What's up?

                                     Err ... right, Brain!
                                     Narf!
                                         \
                                          \
                                      _            ____ 
     Quiet, Pinky; I'm pondering.    | \\  l\\l_ //    | 
            _              _         |  \\/ `/  `.|    | 
          /~\\   \        //~\       | Y |   |   ||  Y |
          |  \\   \      //  |       |  \|   |   |\ /  |   
          [   ||        ||   ]       \   |  o|o  | >  /   
         ] Y  ||        ||  Y [       \___\_--_ /_/__/
         |  \_|l,------.l|_/  |       /.-\(____) /--.\
         |   >'          `<   |       `--(______)----'
         \  (/~`--____--'~\)  /           U// U / \
          `-_>-__________-<_-'            / \  / /|
              /(_#(__)#_)\               ( .) / / ]
              \___/__\___/                `.`' /   [
               /__`--'__\                  |`-'    |
            /\(__,>-~~ __)                 |       |__
         /\//\\(  `--~~ )                 _l       |--:.
         '\/  <^\      /^>               |  `   (  <   \\
              _\ >-__-< /_             ,-\  ,-~~->. \   `:.___,/
             (___\    /___)           (____/    (____)    `---'


by Sean Gugler  

Jokes

I've been writing some heavy duty serious topical blogs lately ... so have decided to take a break and move into the inane ;) ... ergo ... my last two blogs and this one. Located a very funny page with Techy Jokes ... well ... funny to Techy's anyway ... well ... I think they're funny ... hope you do too. Enjoy :).

Techy Light Bulb Jokes

• Q. How many software people does it take to screw in a light bulb?
  A. None. Thats a hardware problem.
  A. One, but if he changes it, the whole building will probably fall down.
  A. Two. One always leaves in the middle of the project.
• 
  
• Q. How many hardware folks does it take to change a light bulb?
  A. None. That's a software problem.
  A. None. They just have marketing portray the dead bulb as a feature.
• 
  
• Q. How many Windows programmers does it take to change a light bulb?
  A. 472. One to write WinGetLightBulbHandle, one to write WinQueryStatusLightBulb, one to write WinGetLightSwitchHandle...
• 
  
• Q. How many managers does it take to change a light bulb?
  A. We've formed a task force to study the problem of why light bulbs burn out, and figure out what, exactly, we as supervisors can do to make the bulbs work smarter, not harder.
• 
  
• Q. How many MIS guys does it take to change a light bulb?
  A. MIS has received your request concerning your hardware problem, and has assigned your request Service Number 39712. Please use this number for any future reference to this light bulb issue. As soon as a technician becomes available, you will be contacted.
• 
  
• Q. How many WordPerfect support technicians does it take to change a light bulb?
  A. We have an exact copy of the light bulb here, and it seems to be working fine. Can you tell me what kind of system you have? Ok. Now, exactly how dark is it? Ok, there could be four or five things wrong . . . have you tried the light switch?
• 
  
• Q. How many Microsoft technicians does it take to change a light bulb?
  A. Three: two holding the ladder and one to screw the bulb into a tap.
• 
  
• Q. How many Microsoft vice presidents does it take to change a light bulb?
  A. Eight: one to work the bulb and seven to make sure Microsoft gets $2 for every light bulb ever changed anywhere in the world.
• Q. How many testers does it take to change a light bulb?
  A. We just noticed the room was dark; we don't actually fix the problems.
• 
  
• Q. How many developers does it take to change a light bulb?
  A. The light bulb works fine on the system in my office . . .
• 
  
• Q. How many C++ programmers does it take to change a light bulb?
  A. You're still thinking procedurally. A properly designed light bulb object would inherit a change method from a generic light bulb class, so all you'd have to do is send a light bulb change message.
• 
  
• Q. How many Microsoft engineers does it take to change a light bulb?
  A. None, Bill Gates will just redefine Darkness(tm) as the new industry standard.
• 
  
• Q. How many data base people does it take to change a light bulb?
  A. Three: One to write the light bulb removal program, one to write the light bulb insertion program, and one to act as a light bulb administrator to make sure nobody else tries to change the light bulb at the same time.
• 
  
• Q. How many [IBM] Technical Writers does it take to change a light bulb?
  A. 100. Ten to do it, and 90 to write document number GC7500439-0001, Multitasking Incandescent Source System Facility, of which 10% of the pages state only "This page intentionally left blank", and 20% of the definitions are of the form "A:...... consists of sequences of non-blank characters separated by blanks".
  A. Just one, provided there's an engineer around to explain how to do it.

Summer Time

Summer time ... when the living is easy :) as per one of my favorite female bluesy rockers, Janis Joplin.

Today is a glorious day in Toronto. Bright, sunny, warm (expected high of 24C).

And, for those facing the day to day working grind ... it's Friday!

Kitty Cat, my Black Persian X, aka Isis aka Rasputin aka Cat aka Billa aka Little Beast has been enjoying his freedom ... the balcony door is finally open ... and he can race around outside.

He's actually a big chicken. Totally afraid of the outdoors. However, once he realized that he could hang on the balcony without anyone else being able to get near ... he was in heaven.

No more cuddling with me at night, nope not him. He's out there exploring. Of course, any noise, like the thunder we had yesterday, sends him racing inside, skidding across the floor, in a panic! lol Poor little guy! He's getting there though, slowly building up his courage. In another month all will be cool in his world.

He's a rescued cat. The local Animal Shelter found him severely traumatized, frozen, and starving in mid-winter. He was a young guy then, estimated age 3. I bought him in July. Whatever happened to him created a deep fear of being outside, particularly when it's cold.

I've had him now for 5 years, he's mellowed, become The Boss, and is generally pretty happy, but the old fears occasionally come up.

Cat's outside sunning on the balcony...

Now, I'm trying to decide what I want to do to maximize my enjoyment of this exceptionally lovely day.

Cheers!

Janis Joplin - Summertime (Live Gröna Lund 1969)

Gas Price Protest

Want to protest the current increase in gas prices?

Here's a recent Newsgroup posting you might want to read:

"Don't pump gas on MAY 15th , 2007*

In April 1997, there was a "gas out" conducted nationwide in protest of gas prices. Gasoline prices dropped 30 cents a gallon overnight.

On May 15th 2007, all internet users and anyone who operates a vehicle are to not go to a gas station in protest of high gas prices. Gas is now over $4.00 a gallon in most places......$4.45 here in vancouver...."

Click here to read the entire Posting

Have a good one :)

Air India bombings - Justice Denied

All I really have to say about this, is that 22 years later, the families of the victims of the Air India bombings are still waiting for justice from Canada, this will likely continue until they get it, and I hope they do.

Everything else has been said.

Background Information:

CBC backgrounder

Lessons To Be Learned, The Report Of The Honourable Bob Rae, Independent Advisor To The Minister Of Public Safety And Emergency Preparedness, on outstanding questions with respect to the bombing of Air India Flight 182

Wikipedia - Air India bombings

Wikipedia - Santokh Bagga, CSIS Informant


Current Information:

Testimony indicates Canadian Agencies may have had advance notice. May 5, 2007

Commission Of Inquiry Into The Investigation Of The Bombing Of Air India Flight 182

CPAC video recordings of the currently in progress Hearings of the Commission Of Inquiry Into The Investigation Of The Bombing Of Air India Flight 182

Crying Wolf ... the new definition of Anti-Semitism??

The term, Anti Semitism, carries with it a powerful negative connotation, and so it should.

It originated during the time of Nazi Germany and described the hatred generated by the fascists against the Jewish community, a hard working community which integrated into and made many positive contributions to the countries in which they lived, including Germany.

I think most people would agree with me when I say that the Holocaust and the crimes committed against the European Jews were horrific, and constituted crimes against all humanity as per the Nuremberg trials. This hatred was also extended to the Roma people, the homosexual community, and the disabled. Anyone who resisted this attitude and opposed this hatred was also condemned to the concentration camps.

When I was a young child, growing up in Vancouver, my father was incensed by the attitude of some people not to do business with Jewish people or to go to Jewish professionals and use their services. He made a point of doing the opposite and had a great deal of respect for the Jewish community.

Ever since I was old enough to understand the significance of World War II and the importance of the Nazi defeat at the time, I have worn a Poppy on November 11, Canada's Remembrance Day. I wore my first Poppy with great pride when I was 11 years old.

As a teenager, and in my early 20's, a time when right wing extremists were organizing in Canada, I was vocal against these extremists and their anti-semitism. Through out my life I've found fascism, fascists, and anti-semitism unacceptable and have stepped up to show my opposition and to defend the dignity and integrity of the Jewish community, as have many others in Canada, Jews and non-Jews alike.

So, I find it offensive in the extreme, when I hear the term misused by people (Jewish or not) with agendas, whose purpose is to manipulate the media, public opinion and/or smear the reputations of people they don't like, or don't agree with, whether those individuals are Jewish or not.

It is insulting to the memory of the millions of Jews whose lives were brutally taken during the Holocaust, and to the survivors of the Holocaust.

It is insulting to the memory of those who fought against fascism and in defense of the Jews around the world (including members of my family), during World War II, and to the surviving veterans of that war.

To those people, I would like to say the following:

1. Disagreeing with a position taken by Israel, or pro-Israeli special interest groups does not, in and of itself, constitute Anti-Semitism and it doesn't make someone a Terrorist. To say it does, is inflammatory, and, an obvious attempt to both muzzle free expression of opinion on the Middle East conflict and to intimidate those who would take a different position.
2. To use that difference of opinion to engage in abuse of power, violation of civil rights, and/or to launch smear campaigns to discredit and destroy the reputations of those people who do not support every single position Israel or the pro-Israeli special interest groups take is an offense to our democratic system and way of life.
3. Misusing the term in this way takes away from the real meaning of the term and it's serious connotations. It results in a Cry Wolf scenario and after a while will not be taken seriously by anyone.

The generally accepted definition of Anti-Semitism provided by Wikipedia is:
"Anti-Semitism (alternatively spelled antisemitism) is hostility towards or prejudice against Jews (not, in common usage, Semites in general ... . This happens on an individual level and goes on to the institutionalized prejudice and persecution once prevalent in European societies, of which the highly explicit ideology of Adolf Hitler's National Socialism was the most extreme form."

Their in depth explanation can be found here: Wikipedia on Anti-Semitism

Redefining terms to further your own agenda doesn't change history or reality.

So, for example, supporting the 2006 G-8 Resolution as most of the leadership candidates did in the last Liberal leadership convention does not constitute Anti-Semitism despite the charges of Anti-Semitism and in my opinion, general smear campaign that went on during that convention. Michael Ignatieff's point, in his speech to the convention, was, the job of the Leader of the Liberal Party and possible future Prime Minister, was to represent the interests of all Canadians, not just those of special interest groups.

Taking the position that it's wrong for Israel to bomb the Palestinian infrastructure, killing innocent civilians is no more Anti-Semitic or Terrorist than taking the position that it's wrong for Hamas to send Suicide Bombers to Israel to kill innocent civilians.

Suspending students like Daniel Freeman-Maloy who are critical of Israel by charging him with some other offense, and putting Professors like David Noble in a position where they feel they have to sue for libel because they criticized the Administration for their Pro-Israeli positions, as was done at York University, is, in my opinion, a violation of the most basic Academic freedoms that we expect our Universities to uphold in the Democratic world.

Personally, I don't consider myself pro-Palestinian or pro-Israeli.

I consider myself Anti-Terrorist and always have.

The generally accepted definition of Terrorist is:
" One who utilizes the systematic use of violence and intimidation to achieve political objectives, while disguised as a civilian non-combatant. The use of a civilian disguise while on operations exempts the perpetrator from protection under the Geneva Conventions, and consequently if captured they are liable for prosecution as common criminals." www.aeroflight.co.uk/definitions.htm

And frankly, I don't care what their religious, political or other affiliation is, since Terrorists exist as extremist elements in all affiliations.

Wikipedia's Detailed Definition of Terrorism

Exploring ideologies and philosophies are a key component of campus life as is freedom of speech and the right to protest. In fact, they are key components of life.

Redefining the term Anti-Semitic to mean anyone who disagrees with any Israeli policy or the policies of pro-Israeli special interest groups, and, redefining the term Terrorist to mean anyone who disagrees with the status quo sets very dangerous precedents and is fundamentally anti-democratic because there is no recognition of legitimate dissent, and other fundamental democratic concepts.

In my opinion, it's an attempt to bully the media, public opinion, and individuals into taking a certain position and intimidating any opposition to that position.

Here's a concept ... how about just agreeing to disagree?

After all, that's what Democracy is all about!

Freedom Of Speech And The Internet

When will people stop trying to place ridiculous restrictions on the Internet!

I've heard all the "justifications" and not a single one comes close to justifying the type of draconian restrictions that some would like to see.

The latest attempt is coming out of Canada.

Lawsuits have been filed by a student and professor at York University against the outgoing York University President, Lorna Marsden and others, claiming libel, defamation of character, etc. Now I'm not going to go into the very interesting details of these lawsuits right now, I'll do that in another post.

The point here is the legal issues raised in relation to the Internet.

In response to these lawsuits, a motion was filed by those being sued, to strike down one of the claims (claim of libel) because the press release in question was issued on the Internet and therefore, according to the lawyers, should fall under Broadcast libel law and not Personal libel law. In terms of this particular case it means that the claim of libel would have to be thrown out because it was filed after the 6 week time limit allowed to file under the Broadcast libel law instead of the 2 years allowed under Personal libel law.

I'm not a lawyer, but apparently, the legal significance of this in Canada, is also that, if the Internet is considered a Broadcast medium then it comes under Canada's very restrictive Broadcast regulations which regulate everything from access to content!

So, if a judge were to allow this motion, the implications to all Canadians would be huge and would fundamentally change the way that we are legally able to interact with and on the Internet.

According to the experts, legal precedents have been set in the past to dispute this interpretation of the law, and WIPO, a treaty which Canada is a signatory to, very specifically disputes this interpretation.

So ... I'm not sure what the basis is for filing this motion, and why the lawyers think they might have a hope of succeeding???

What could they possibly have to gain?

Hmmm ... I guess we'll have to keep an eye on this one ...

On A Lighter Note

I love May in Toronto.

The last vestiges of Winter are being wiped out. The sunshine and warmth in the air heralds the promise of dresses, sandals, patios, long walks, and all the other wonderful outdoor things I associate with a Toronto summer.

A lot of us hibernate here in the winter time except for those into winter sports, and I'm not exactly the sporty type :).

I had my first Dairy Queen Blizzard of the season ... something I should be avoiding since I'm trying to lose weight ... but hey ... I was celebrating.

I watch the motorcyclists with envy this year. I was re-introduced to biking in the last couple of years, after many years. The last time I was on a bike previously was when I was 16. In the last couple of years I dated 2 men who had bikes and didn't mind me riding on the back! So much fun. However, they've moved on, and I'm envying those with their own.

Since I'm currently only periodically employed as a software developer contractor, I'll have to wait to implement my dream of getting my own bike and learning to ride it ... sigh ... .

Anyone out there want to offer me a permanent, full-time job as a software developer?

:)