I've been asked where I find all the stuff I do. I like to be informed. I also like to stay on top of trends, and occasionally I enjoy being shocked. So here's a list of some of the sites I visit regularly. I warn you -- some of these places are not for the weak of heart, and some are definitely Not Suitable For Work (NSFW). Please view at home with no minors about.
Snopes: the best place on the internet to learn the truth about the email your friends or relatives are forwarding to you. All internet users should be required to visit this site at least once a week.
Rotten's Dead Pool: pick ten peopole who will die this year. Win internet fame if you earn first place! You can also see Dr. Sputnik's society page there. (As of August 20th, 5 of my ten picks have croaked: Eddie Albert, George F. Kennan,Ted Radcliffe, Hank Stram, and Pope John Paul II.)
Daily Rotten News: News That You Possibly Cannot Use. This is a collection of today's news stories that are sick and disturbing. I also really enjoy their "Today in Rotten History" feature, which is also updated daily.
SpaceWeather.com: news and information about the Sun-Earth environment. What, did you think I only look at bad stuff?
Astronomy Picture of the Day: Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. Very geeky.
Just Curious: Ask a Question, Post an Answer. It will leave you feeling curious. I dare you to post a question!
Group Hug: Anonymous Confessions of the Guilty. This site can be very addictive!
Awful Plastic Surgery: a website devoted to the horrible effects of a plastic surgery addiction. This has to be the most disturbing website in the universe.
The Superficial: a nasty archive of celebrity gossip. It's very, very nasty. Thanks to Fred for sharing it with me!
See a Secret, Post a Secret: PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail-in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard. Very creepy. Thanks to PP for the link!
The Absolutely Worst Place to Go on the Internet -- IRCimages.com: please don't say I didn't warn you. As it says on the website: Images displayed on IRCImages.com come directly from urls displayed in IRC channel topics.The images could be ANYTHING. Our data is gathered live, and displayed exactly as it appears in IRC networks /list. Images are cached locally to prevent dead links, speed up load times, remove viruses, and prevent hotlinking. In case you're slow - this site is NOT work safe.
And (rubbing hands gleefully) if you have any sites to share with me, please, feel free to post them in the comments section!
Saturday
new winter gear
Thanks to my late Grampie Marshall, I am able to buy brand spanking new fall and winter "outside" wear. No more yard sale winter apparel for me!
This first jacket is for fall -- I had eyed it when it first hit Mark's Work Wearhouse this spring, but it cost $139.99. But I bought it today for $19.99! No, that's not a typo! I got it for less than ten percent of the original asking price. So I also splurged on the cutesy scarf.
And this is my new winter coat. The fleece liner zips out so I can have two different types of jackets (wind/water proof and a warmish fleece). I know navy blue doesn't really match with my black snow pants: however, when it's minus thirty outside and I am wearing my snow pants, I'm not really thinking much about fashion....
(Sorry that it's blurry -- but you can see that this jacket has a very warm hood.)
This first jacket is for fall -- I had eyed it when it first hit Mark's Work Wearhouse this spring, but it cost $139.99. But I bought it today for $19.99! No, that's not a typo! I got it for less than ten percent of the original asking price. So I also splurged on the cutesy scarf.
And this is my new winter coat. The fleece liner zips out so I can have two different types of jackets (wind/water proof and a warmish fleece). I know navy blue doesn't really match with my black snow pants: however, when it's minus thirty outside and I am wearing my snow pants, I'm not really thinking much about fashion....
(Sorry that it's blurry -- but you can see that this jacket has a very warm hood.)
Sunday
moxie and her big blue ball
We allowed Moxie to play with her big blue ball once again today -- the thing makes her go insane!
"I'm gonna eat you, big blue ball!"
"Snort snort snort...."
Oh no! The ball gets away!
"I'm gonna eat you, big blue ball!"
"Snort snort snort...."
Oh no! The ball gets away!
Currently Reading
Currently reread the Narnia series, due to the movie coming out soonish. Thanks to Brocco (aka Sean) for lending me the books.
Gave up on Thirty Acres by Ringuet: it's a French Canadian novel about the ups and downs of a Quebecois farmer. I enjoyed the first section, about the young farmer who inherits his uncle's farm and marries a woman, not so much because he loves her, but because he knows she will be a good wife and provide him with many healthy children. However, 'Charis, the main character, is too set in his ways and the fast pace of change leaves him sorrowfully behind. I'm in one of those "sensitive" reading phases, when I can't really handle the stress encountered by the protagonist. (I am too empathetic.)
I am reading the current issue of "the Walrus", thus adding a new rag to my magazine addiction.
I am flipping through Daniel Clowes' new illustrated novel, Ice Haven. You may have seen Ghost World, which was based on his previous work.
And dearest Nik bought me Miriam Toews' prize winning book, a complicated kindness. I shall soon start this book.
I love to read.
Gave up on Thirty Acres by Ringuet: it's a French Canadian novel about the ups and downs of a Quebecois farmer. I enjoyed the first section, about the young farmer who inherits his uncle's farm and marries a woman, not so much because he loves her, but because he knows she will be a good wife and provide him with many healthy children. However, 'Charis, the main character, is too set in his ways and the fast pace of change leaves him sorrowfully behind. I'm in one of those "sensitive" reading phases, when I can't really handle the stress encountered by the protagonist. (I am too empathetic.)
I am reading the current issue of "the Walrus", thus adding a new rag to my magazine addiction.
I am flipping through Daniel Clowes' new illustrated novel, Ice Haven. You may have seen Ghost World, which was based on his previous work.
And dearest Nik bought me Miriam Toews' prize winning book, a complicated kindness. I shall soon start this book.
I love to read.
music list
My Top Five iTunes songs*:
Free by Cat Power
Pop Is Dead by Radiohead
Palo Alto by Radiohead
My Number by Tegan and Sara
Cancelled Check by Beck
(* based on the stars I've given them and the play count, from the music on my laptop)
Free by Cat Power
Pop Is Dead by Radiohead
Palo Alto by Radiohead
My Number by Tegan and Sara
Cancelled Check by Beck
(* based on the stars I've given them and the play count, from the music on my laptop)
Friday
No Stop Overs!
I can't believe that this story hasn't gone mainstream! It came about from the Maher Arar case -- please visit Mr. Arar's website to learn more about his year of torture and how, despite being a Canadian Citizen, our government failed to protect him.
From CBC:
Flyers passing through U.S. have few rights, Arar judge told
Last Updated Thu, 11 Aug 2005 11:10:12 EDT
CBC News
A senior lawyer for the U.S. government has told a judge hearing a lawsuit over Maher Arar's deportation to Syria that foreign citizens passing through American airports have almost no rights.
At most, Mary Mason told a hearing in Brooklyn, N.Y., passengers would have the right not to be subjected to "gross physical abuse."
The policy has implications for Canadians who head for international destinations via big American airports in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and other major centres.
Mason said the U.S. government is interpreting its powers in such a way that passengers never intending to enter the U.S. connecting to international flights at U.S. airports must prove they are no threat and could be allowed to enter the country.
If passengers are deemed to be inadmissible, they have no constitutional rights even if later taken to an American prison. Mason told Judge David Trager that's because they are deemed to be still outside the U.S., from a legal point of view.
"Someone who's inadmissible is in the same category as the people that the CIA snatches and grabs from other countries," said Barbara Olshansky, a lawyer for the U.S.-based Center for Constitutional Rights, which is suing a number of U.S. officials on Arar's behalf.
"You are fair game for however executive branch wants to treat you."
Mason said the interpretation means travellers can be detained without charge, denied the right to consult a lawyer, and even refused necessities such as food and sleep.
That's what happened to Arar, a Canadian-Syrian citizen who was stopped while trying to board a connecting flight in New York in 2002 and accused of having terrorist connections.
The Ottawa engineer was detained, not allowed to speak to a lawyer or the Canadian consul, and eventually deported through Jordan to Syria, where he claimed he was tortured while being held in prison for a year.
At most, Mason told the judge, a foreign passenger detained while travelling through a U.S. airport might have a limited right to protection from "gross physical abuse."
But in a motion filed this week, the U.S. Justice Department argues that even if torture does occur, U.S. officials can't be sued under the Torture Victims Protection Act because it only applies to foreign individuals committing or allowing torture.
The department wants the Arar lawsuit dismissed on that basis.
The U.S. Department of Justice declined to discuss the case or what the new interpretation could mean for Canadians travelling through the United States.
However, department spokeswoman Cynthia Magnuson issued this short statement: "The United States does not practise torture, export torture or condone torture."
In legal briefs written by U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, the Justice Department has defined torture to mean "pain consistent with major organ failure or death."
From CBC:
Flyers passing through U.S. have few rights, Arar judge told
Last Updated Thu, 11 Aug 2005 11:10:12 EDT
CBC News
A senior lawyer for the U.S. government has told a judge hearing a lawsuit over Maher Arar's deportation to Syria that foreign citizens passing through American airports have almost no rights.
At most, Mary Mason told a hearing in Brooklyn, N.Y., passengers would have the right not to be subjected to "gross physical abuse."
The policy has implications for Canadians who head for international destinations via big American airports in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and other major centres.
Mason said the U.S. government is interpreting its powers in such a way that passengers never intending to enter the U.S. connecting to international flights at U.S. airports must prove they are no threat and could be allowed to enter the country.
If passengers are deemed to be inadmissible, they have no constitutional rights even if later taken to an American prison. Mason told Judge David Trager that's because they are deemed to be still outside the U.S., from a legal point of view.
"Someone who's inadmissible is in the same category as the people that the CIA snatches and grabs from other countries," said Barbara Olshansky, a lawyer for the U.S.-based Center for Constitutional Rights, which is suing a number of U.S. officials on Arar's behalf.
"You are fair game for however executive branch wants to treat you."
Mason said the interpretation means travellers can be detained without charge, denied the right to consult a lawyer, and even refused necessities such as food and sleep.
That's what happened to Arar, a Canadian-Syrian citizen who was stopped while trying to board a connecting flight in New York in 2002 and accused of having terrorist connections.
The Ottawa engineer was detained, not allowed to speak to a lawyer or the Canadian consul, and eventually deported through Jordan to Syria, where he claimed he was tortured while being held in prison for a year.
At most, Mason told the judge, a foreign passenger detained while travelling through a U.S. airport might have a limited right to protection from "gross physical abuse."
But in a motion filed this week, the U.S. Justice Department argues that even if torture does occur, U.S. officials can't be sued under the Torture Victims Protection Act because it only applies to foreign individuals committing or allowing torture.
The department wants the Arar lawsuit dismissed on that basis.
The U.S. Department of Justice declined to discuss the case or what the new interpretation could mean for Canadians travelling through the United States.
However, department spokeswoman Cynthia Magnuson issued this short statement: "The United States does not practise torture, export torture or condone torture."
In legal briefs written by U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, the Justice Department has defined torture to mean "pain consistent with major organ failure or death."
Saturday
summer ripens
Today I went to the Gatineau Hills (and forgot the camera at home, sorry). I lounged for almost two hours under a hot sun, in a quiet, private yet shared, spring-fed lake. No motorized boats allowed. I floated on my back to watch the turkey vultures soar on the air drifts from the near by mountains. Little frogs hopped amongst the reeds by the shore. A friend put on his scuba diving gear and hunted out the mysteries of the dark depths. Cries from the loons. A diving kingfisher. Little minnows nibbling on my toes when I lay quietly in the shallows.
There's a part of me that remains untamed -- I need these quiet excursions to find myself once again. I know who I am during those moments.
Friday
graffiti in pompeii
I like stuff like this -- graffiti on walls from almost 2000 years ago:
Orbilat's Pompeii Graffiti webiste.
For example: Virgula Tertio suo: indecens es. (Virgula to her Tertius: you are one horny lad!)
See this for more graffiti from Pompeii.
Orbilat's Pompeii Graffiti webiste.
For example: Virgula Tertio suo: indecens es. (Virgula to her Tertius: you are one horny lad!)
See this for more graffiti from Pompeii.
Wednesday
new Governor General
From CTV.ca:
PM picks Quebecer, Haitian immigrant as next GG
CTV.ca News Staff
The new Governor-General of Canada will be an award-winning journalist who was born in Haïti and immigrated to Quebec as a child. Michaelle Jean will also be the youngest person to ever serve as the Queen's representative in Canada.
Jean, 47, has worked for CBC and Radio-Canada since 1988. She is currently the host of the Newsworld documentary series, The Passionate Eye. She presents a similar series on the French-language news channel, RDI.
Her name did not appear on any of the speculative "short lists" published in newspaper columns in recent months. In fact, Jean has a relatively low public profile in English Canada.
The more high-profile Adrienne Clarkson, who also came to the job from CBC-TV, is stepping down in September after serving six years at Rideau Hall.
"It sounds like another Adrienne Clarkson type appointment," John Aimers of the Monarchist League told CTV. "Someone who has not been involved in politics who comes from the world of media, who has obviously a compelling life story."
Jean will become Canada's 27th governor general at a pivotal time in politics, with the Prime Minister Paul Martin's Liberals into their second year of a minority government.
The appointment of a Quebecer seemed inevitable – it was Quebec's turn, the Martin couldn't afford to ignore the province. Liberals aren't polling well in the province, and there are federal and provincial elections expected next year.
Jean will be the first Quebecer to be governor general since Jeanne Sauve served from 1984 to 1990.
Jean's CBC bio says she speaks five languages fluently (French, English, Spanish, Italian and Haitian Creole). She has studied at the University of Montreal, plus universities in Florence, Milan and Perugia, Italy.
Jean's family fled Haiti during the reign of Francois ("Baby Doc") Duvalier, and she is the niece of a well-known Haitian writer, Rene Depestre, who chronicled his country's social and political problems.
Clarkson suffered criticism for her spending while in office -- the budget jumped 70 per cent over her six years. But Clarkson's defenders say she opened up Rideau Hall to more visitors, handed out more awards and travelled extensively across Canada.
While she received occasional darts for her junkets overseas, laurels came her way for extensive travels to Canada's far north, and her New Year's holidays with Canadian troops serving in the Arabian Sea and Afghanistan.
Jean, who has a six-year-old daughter with filmmaker Jean-Daniel Lafond, may have that same kind of star power in Quebec.
"She's a model of integration," says Quebec MP Denis Coderre. "She's a francophone. It sends a good message of symbolism."
PM picks Quebecer, Haitian immigrant as next GG
CTV.ca News Staff
The new Governor-General of Canada will be an award-winning journalist who was born in Haïti and immigrated to Quebec as a child. Michaelle Jean will also be the youngest person to ever serve as the Queen's representative in Canada.
Jean, 47, has worked for CBC and Radio-Canada since 1988. She is currently the host of the Newsworld documentary series, The Passionate Eye. She presents a similar series on the French-language news channel, RDI.
Her name did not appear on any of the speculative "short lists" published in newspaper columns in recent months. In fact, Jean has a relatively low public profile in English Canada.
The more high-profile Adrienne Clarkson, who also came to the job from CBC-TV, is stepping down in September after serving six years at Rideau Hall.
"It sounds like another Adrienne Clarkson type appointment," John Aimers of the Monarchist League told CTV. "Someone who has not been involved in politics who comes from the world of media, who has obviously a compelling life story."
Jean will become Canada's 27th governor general at a pivotal time in politics, with the Prime Minister Paul Martin's Liberals into their second year of a minority government.
The appointment of a Quebecer seemed inevitable – it was Quebec's turn, the Martin couldn't afford to ignore the province. Liberals aren't polling well in the province, and there are federal and provincial elections expected next year.
Jean will be the first Quebecer to be governor general since Jeanne Sauve served from 1984 to 1990.
Jean's CBC bio says she speaks five languages fluently (French, English, Spanish, Italian and Haitian Creole). She has studied at the University of Montreal, plus universities in Florence, Milan and Perugia, Italy.
Jean's family fled Haiti during the reign of Francois ("Baby Doc") Duvalier, and she is the niece of a well-known Haitian writer, Rene Depestre, who chronicled his country's social and political problems.
Clarkson suffered criticism for her spending while in office -- the budget jumped 70 per cent over her six years. But Clarkson's defenders say she opened up Rideau Hall to more visitors, handed out more awards and travelled extensively across Canada.
While she received occasional darts for her junkets overseas, laurels came her way for extensive travels to Canada's far north, and her New Year's holidays with Canadian troops serving in the Arabian Sea and Afghanistan.
Jean, who has a six-year-old daughter with filmmaker Jean-Daniel Lafond, may have that same kind of star power in Quebec.
"She's a model of integration," says Quebec MP Denis Coderre. "She's a francophone. It sends a good message of symbolism."
Tuesday
waiting room
An abstract photo, thanks to a glass wall at the hospital's waiting room. I spent a lot of time waiting.
Monday
more zoo pics
Just two more zoo pics. It was hot, sunny, and just after feeding time when we arrived at the Toronto Zoo. All of the animals were curled up napping, trying to hide from human eyes.
A large, male orangutan.
Napping tiger, looking very domestic stretched out on his back.
A large, male orangutan.
Napping tiger, looking very domestic stretched out on his back.
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