Quote of the Day

"The reason all Canadian newspapers are so bland is that there's a high price the publishers have to pay to print anything controversial."

Mark Steyn, interviewed on the Michael Coren Show

Mark Steyn on the Michael Coren Show

In anticipation of Mark Steyn appearing in front of B.C.'s Kangaroo Court aka "The B.C. Human Rights Tribunal", I'd like to present this recent TV interview:
Free Speech is SUCH an important right, yet dark forces disguised as innocuous government bureaucrats, are trying to take it away from you and me.

I, for one, plan to be down at 800 Hornby Street in Vancouver by 8:00am on Monday. If you can, please do join me!

The Hijacking of Islam

The religion of Islam is supposed to stand for Equality and Social Justice. But it has been hijacked and now seems to represent something very different. So says Tarek Fatah, in this fascinating interview with CFRB's John Moore, which you can listen to here. The more I listen to Fatah, the more I admire him. You can visit his website here.

Gilary Massa: Free Speech Denier and Devout Hypocrite

I have a question for all Canadians: Have you ever wondered about the quality of education your tax dollars are producing at Canadian universities?

A disturbing example comes in the form of one Gilary Massa, Vice President External of the York University Federation of Students in Toronto. Her and her colleagues on the York student union have declared that Pro-Life groups are no longer allowed to be on campus. She added that all clubs "will be investigated to ensure compliance".

Don't believe this is happening in Canada in 2008? Please read the story here. For more in-depth analysis read here and here. You'll also learn that just a few months ago, Ms. Massa was totally in support of free speech when it came to preaching hatred toward Israel. What a hypocrite!

I took a quick look at the York student council page. I'll let you draw your own conclusions but I sense that something has gone deeply awry at this university.

Fantastic Video of Vancouver

I didn't know I lived in such a cool place!

Lest We Forget

2008-Q1: Canadian Economy Worse Than in U.S.

The smugness of Canadians may ease off a bit after hearing the news that the Canadian economy shrank in the first quarter of 2008, while the American economy grew by 3 times this same amount. This doesn't quite fit into the ongoing socialist narrative, does it?

De-nial is more than a river in Egypt!

Just Another Typical Obama Supporter

This one's a white priest:

This is a Man of God? Right! Just confirms why I'm a Recovering Catholic.

The Carol Burnett Show: When TV Comedy Was Actually Funny

Here are some absolutely hilarious clips featuring one of the most brilliant American comedians, Tim Conway. They're a vivid reminder of how badly television has failed since then.

On this first one, the straight man is Harvey Korman, who just passed away.


This one is even funnier. Apparently Conway refused to let the scene go on until he could tell an impromptu elephant story. There are two versions of the same scene shown.


Here's Conway reprising his role as Mr. Tudball:

An Hilarious YouTube Video

I don't know why, but I find this woman endlessly amusing:

Gastown

Our tour ended up at the Gassy Jack statue in the heart of Gastown. Here are some shots from through this favourite area of tourists.

Vancouver's Sins of the City Tour

If you're looking for something different to do in Vancouver then go on the Sins of the City tour. I didn't know what to expect but found it extremely interesting and enjoyable!



Japantown in Vancouver is probably the most under-appreciated neighbourhoods in the entire city. On the tour we learned that that many of the original fronts of the buildings had the tiled names of the families who owned them.
Look carefully and you'll see a Japanese name engraved in an Art Deco font.

Just one of 4 identical heads on the top of a building. Don't you decorate your home the same way?!
This woman came rushing out of the Japanese School we stopped at, most concerned about what on earth we were doing. Patrick, our tour guide, calmed her down though and she became very intrigued with the concept of the tour.
Lots and lots of lost souls all around, though I never felt unsafe.
Chinatown is endlessly fascinating.
Spot one of these buses when it's raining and you can easily get a seat!

The Provincial Law Courts

Downtown Vistas

Today I went to a centrally located restaurant I never knew existed. It's called the Law Courts Inn and sits on the 4th Floor of the Provincial Law Courts, on the south side of Smithe between Hornby & Howe. This is a place where a lot of lawyers go and I got the sense that the prices were somewhat subsidized. Though the service was a bit slow, the food was good and the views were amazing!

Tourism Vancouver Kiosk

This information kiosk is located on the north side of Robson, near the entrance to the Art Gallery. It's the first of many that will appear throughout the city, the closer we get to the February 2010 Winter Olympics.

Cynical Quote of the Day

"When I date a man now, about midway through dinner I ask myself if he's the one I eventually want my children to spend every other weekend with."

Rita Rudner

Further to the last post

I decided to post the 2 links about the racial baby adoptions on a favourite website of mine. It was interesting to see that I'm not the only one who was greatly disturbed by this.

You know that expression, "You shouldn't judge a person until you've walked a mile in their moccasins"? With that in mind, let me share with you all a brief glimpse of my background.

My father is German, born in the old country in 1931. So he was just 14 when WW2 ended. He saw no future for his homeland and emigrated to Canada in 1951. I was born 13 years later. He was so disgusted with what the Nazis had done, starting with - let's not dare forget - their separation of "us" & "them": "Us and the Jews", "Us and the Blacks" (think Jesse Owens), "Us and the Gypsies", "Us and the Homosexuals", etc.

From a young age my Dad taught me to treat everyone equal. He pointed out that I had a right to dislike anyone, but I should do so based on that individual's words and actions, not on their skin colour, accent, religion, etc.

Where I went to elementary school and high school, there was a grand mixture of children of all ethnicities. In elementary school my 2 best friends were a Filipino kid named Paul and a half-Filipino / half-Caucasian kid named Jimmy. In high school my 2 best friends were an Indian-Muslim fellow named Deenu and a half-German / half-Swedish fellow named Richard. Also in high school, most of my other close friends with ethnically Chinese. But we were all Canadian.

At the time I didn't appreciate the apparent rarity of how all of us kids, whose parents and grandparents had come to Canada from all over the world, got along so incredibly well. There simply wasn't any racism amongst us. There was a separation of dopers and jocks and braniacs and artists, but never were there any separations by race.

Sadly, much has changed since I graduated from high school in 1982. The governments throughout my country (federal, provincial, and municipal) have created an assortment of programs that quite deliberately distinguish people by race. Oh, of course they haven't spun it the way the Nazis did. It's all done in a supposedly positive or affirmative way. But the end effect has some strong similarities.

Nowadays in Vancouver you see large groups of people in public spaces who are entirely of a single ethnic make-up. In high-schools the kids have self-segregated themselves down ethnic lines, often speaking their own native language, which nobody else can understand. There are jobs posted by government agencies where "only minorities need apply". There are entire neighbourhoods where no English (or French) is spoken. Political candidates are nominated from a sudden horde of brand new members where strangely enough, 99% come from a single ethnic minority. And now we have babies that can not be adopted by anyone outside of their "community".

This is "progressive"? This is positive? Yet this is the Canada (and I assume the United States) of 2008. Are there any spaceships leaving for Mars? I want to book a seat.

The Downside of Liberal Political Correctness

One common facet amongst liberals is that they adamantly believe that they're smarter, wiser, and kinder than you & me. Here's an exposé of such liberal minded thinking. God help us!

Update: Here's a similar story about what's going on in the U.S. I suppose I should call up the white parents of my Korean friend and tell them how loathsome they are. Nuts!

Mark Steyn to Appear Before the BC Human Wrongs Tribunal

Beginning on June 2nd, Mark Steyn will be appearing in Vancouver:

I don't yet know whether members of the public can attend this fiasco.

Potpourri of New Photos

I walked down to Granville Island to replenish my empty fridge and caught some images along the way.




I thought these flowers were absolutely amazing, almost as if the edges of them were painted.

Phoenix: 4 Hours on Mars

It's now over 4 hours since Phoenix landed on Mars and it has already started sending photographs back to Earth! Here are a few:




This expedition is being run out of the University of Arizona. They've setup an excellent website here.

Bicycle Journey

I've been working a lot recently. Hadn't actually been outside for 3 days straight. Not healthy. So I decided to take my bicycle out for a spin today. Enjoy!