The reactions to today’s news that GO Transit is instituting “quiet zones” on their trains received the typical didn’t-think-too-hard-about-it applause and accolades, no doubt from the same suburban readers responsible for the Ford plague loosed on the city:

“Thank you, Jesus! (and GO Transit). Now.. if only they can install headrests designed for people taller than 4’5″…”

“About time! Nobody wants to hear phone conversations about “Dude Iwas so wasted last night” or “CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?!” or “Tell Mom to take the steaks out of the freezer”. Thumbs up GO!”

“Thank Goodness!  I can’t wait to see this on the Georgetown (Kitchener) line.  There are some seriously unmannered women on my ride home who think the train car is their personal Starbucks – passing around drinks and food and yelling amongst themselves.  Everyone hates them…we can’t wait for the Quiet Zone!!”

Yes, thumbs up, GO! Now passengers can be assured that no one will be bothered by loud conversations or screaming children. The teeth that come with the new guidelines practically guarantee this:

What if there are no seats available on the lower level, but I don’t want to be quiet?

With the Rob Ford crack “tape” seemingly lost forever, people are starting to get antsy. “Where is it?”, they’re rightfully asking. “Without it, who knows if it’s even real!”

Not precisely correct, but still, it’d be good to have a gander at that video, wouldn’t it?

And about that not being correct part, consider this for a moment; many crimes didn’t have video cameras, or good enough video evidence, to prove that they ever took place. So does that mean that all you need to do is to take someone out into a back alley and it’s your word against theirs?

In a court, that wouldn’t be the end of it. There’s this stuff called corroborating evidence — not proof, but strong hints — and in the absence of any recorded evidence we have … eye witnesses.

People tend to forget about this type of sworn evidence: people who actually saw the event in question.

Now I already know what the Ford supporters are saying: “But these are unnamed sources claiming this! Plus they’re drug dealers! Plus they’re lefties!”

Unnamed?

Poppycock!

There are at least five publicly named sources at this point — the reporters themselves — who have claimed (on record, no less), that they saw the video with their own eyes. In court, they’d be witnesses.

Drug dealers?

I doubt it. But the people who claim to own the video, probably yes. Does that mean that those people (the witnesses and the drug dealers are not to be conflated), were able to use their ill-gotten drug money to make up a sensational video? If you believe that Santa comes down your chimney every year, you might buy this one too. Does that therefore make the video fake? Highly unlikely.

Finally, is there any other corroborating evidence to link Ford to drugs? You bet there is. And there’s motive in what the mayor is currently doing too.

Seems to me that with five public and named sources, the likelihood of the video existing being high, the likelihood of the video being fake being low, the fact that not only is the whole thing believable but also likely, and finally, that everything that the Fords have subsequently done points to a clear motive — it all sounds like a pretty solid case to me.

Ford’s defense: his flaccid word.

This is what Sarah and I been hoping for for a long time. If you’re wondering why, just do a search for “Rob Ford” for a smattering of the crap that the man has loosed upon Toronto.

Unfortunately, the scrutiny and media attention are so fierce (and global), that Sarah has had to diminish her enthusiasm to a great extent (her Multiple Sclerosis takes a big hit with intense emotion). Nevertheless, we’re both keen to see this thing follow through, video evidence and all. (and how about a drug test?)

So needless to say, we discuss Rob Ford regularly, and we try to bounce ideas about his “shortcomings” off each other — the kinds of things big/mainstream media are not willing to touch.

One of the issues, now that the scandal has exploded and the shrapnel is coming back down to earth, is Ford’s refusal to deal with any of the allegations directly. Of course, we’re not the only ones to notice this, but so far nobody’s speculating about why this is the case.

I suppose that’s fine because it gives us something to ruminate over, though it certainly does make the media seem like “lame ducks”.

So the conclusion that we came to is somewhat simple and probably pretty obvious: Ford doesn’t want any additional scrutiny on the scandal because he’s afraid of all the damaging facts that may emerge — and for good reason!

When you consider this in the context of Ford scandals (the Florida drinking and driving charge, the drunken tirade at a Leafs’ game, etc.) it makes perfect sense. No matter how many times Ford tried pointing the finger at the media for unearthing these unfortunate incidents, and moreover, vehemently and aggressively denying them, it eventually turned out that he was the one lying, openly, on camera, and on record. Repeatedly, unapologetically, and overtly.

In fact, there hasn’t really been a single Ford scandal that’s been shown to be untrue — so why are we expected to believe a known public liar like Rob Ford now?

Drug dealers may not necessarily be the most reliable sources, but given Ford’s track record of nearly 100% lies and denials, plus that little thing of the clear-as-day video evidence, not to mention all those additional rumours, make their story seem a whole lot more convincing than Ford’s singular and exclusive rebuttal of “ridiculous!”

So now that the latest scandal has emerged — and let’s face it, this one’s a doozie — it’s no wonder Ford is refusing to answer any questions, launch any lawsuits, or challenge any of the assertions except to call them ridiculous. It also explains why Ford insists that it’s him who should be taken to court when he’s being libeled and misrepresented.

I mean, it’s either that, or the man is a complete idiot. I suppose that could be the case too, but such abject incompetence is yet another reason why Rob Ford is in no way fit to be mayor of what is otherwise a fantastic and thriving city.

Hi guys! it’s Sarah here trying for the 1,000 time to publish a successful  food review! lol

Now, my Double Date guests are a couple I met on FaceBook! Michael is a trusted friend for quite some time and he arrived in Toronto to visit me with his GORGEOUS wife Luana, a brazillian beauty!

Because I tell him all of the time how much I love this small place down the street called SABAI SABAI & drinks, he FINALLY  came to town! What a friend!

Patrick wondered about this strange dude that his girl talks to all the time! Always the bodyguard, Patrick and I  approached the table cautiously with me smiling like a fool! Seeing my friend Michel in person rocked my world and meeting his superstar wife was brilliant.

After introductions, we ordered. We decided on getting several tapas style sharable dishes to begin with. One Masaman curry with perfectly prepared shrimp delicious gravy, and some red peppers – $7; some sticky rice – $3.  Now, this curry dish is too spicy or my palate, however Luana practically devoured it! Michael then ordered our FAVOURITE  dish  Kal Soi with egg noodles and super tender chunks of beef, curry, veg, and for presentation sake some FLASHED FRIED noodles which gave the dish height, drama, and excitement! 8-11$ :D

To test his heat tolerance, I ordered what is usually the hottest dish on the menu, their Green Mango salad. With Thai Bird chilies and Habanero ones too secretly mixed in to the mélange, Michael claimed that it was not spicy whatsoever… We knew the truth though!

Dessert changes regularly but ranges between $5-7 and have some Thai flavor too, lemongrass frequently takes a staring roll.

In the end, we ordered half the menu many alcoholic drinks at 5-6$ each the total was still under $120  including tax and tip!

Split between 4 people we say, it is THE spot you should check the next time you are trying to make reservations.

Tip from me to you: call ahead because it gets busy! Order as much as you can! ;-)

XOXO

~ SDot.

The recent news that hundreds of students in Ottawa have been suspended from school for not proving they’ve been immunized reminded me of what’s wrong with the thinking behind the whole effort. Or rather, the lack of thinking behind it.

I’m not going to go into what I think of immunizations themselves, just the argument behind legally requiring everyone to get them (which is not actually true, but why bother with facts or ask any questions?)

The best argument supporting immunization is: look at how far we’ve come and how many diseases we’ve virtually eradicated … introducing an unvaccinated child into a school potentially reverses all of that progress and puts everyone at risk!

Right…

So if we bring a kid with, say, polio into a school where all the other kids have been vaccinated, they’re all at risk of catching polio? In other words, the vaccine is so ineffective that the moment you sneak the bug back into the general population, it’s game over. So get your shots so that everyone’s protected!

I suppose one could make the argument that if you choose not to be vaccinated and subsequently contract the illness, you should have to pay for your own treatments. Harsh, and not something I would support (my tax money supports lots of chronically ill people and I think that’s just fine), but at least there’s a cold, logical connection there.

But to claim that the vaccinated population is at risk of contracting the very disease that they’ve been “protected” against by being exposed to said disease, however that happens,  is such an idiotic, nonsensical, and backwards argument that it’s hard to believe that anyone could repeat it without bursting into laughter.

The other argument I often hear is that if we allow people to make choices for themselves, they will choose to abstain from vaccinations and we’re going to end up with a pandemic, essentially destroying our healthcare system, etc. Basically, it’s about money, and isn’t it ridiculous of us to expect to be taken care of by the government that takes so much of our money under the auspices of using it to take care of us? If it’s good for us, we should be forced into it, so it’s vaccinations, cigarettes, booze, and a dizzying array of “safe” pharmaceuticals and continued government vigilance for everyone!

If you believe that vaccinations are ultimately useful, I’m happy to support your right to that opinion, and I’m even willing to have a part of my tax money to provide you with vaccinations (in fact, this is happening without my consent anyways), should you choose to get them. Choice is the operative word here.

In the meantime, let’s not throw around these infantile arguments that do nothing but imply that we’re all complete idiots while we’re forced to succumb to them whether we like it or not. It adds insult to injury.

US Center for Disease Control Statistics (2006)

Deaths and serious problems from vaccines: 772
Deaths and serious problems from “vaccine-preventable” diseases: 772
Deaths from cigarette smoking (2004): 443,000

Just so I’m clear, I support neither the Tamil Tigers nor the Sri Lankan government in their ongoing struggle. Yes, I do know a bit of the history of the island, the forced displacement of the indigenous Tamil people, etc., but not enough to take a firm stand either way.

But that’s not my point in writing this anyway.

I want to expose the hypocrisy, arbitrariness, and two-facedness of our government in designating enemies and terrorists, especially now that they’ve pushed the “anti-terrorist” Bill S-7 down the throats of Canadians (the latest in a long line of tyrannical, totalitarian, deadly measures that have only one, logical conclusion).

The Tamil Tigers consider themselves freedom fighters, fighting an evil and corrupt strong-man government (openly and proudly installed and maintaned by the Harper government). Sure, many people wouldn’t agree with that definition of the Tigers, but that’s beside the point — Harper loves him his Sri Lankan “authorities” and has made sure Canada’s been helping out since 2006 while simultaneously ensuring dissent is fully destroyed:

Canadian interest in Sri Lanka is also driven by a foreign policy commitment to the principles of freedom of expression, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law.

In April 2006, Canada listed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam as a terrorist organization under the Canadian Criminal Code, and in June 2008, the World Tamil Movement was also added to the list.

Now, John Baird, the guy currently running this part of Harper’s shit show, has this to say about the same government that they’ve been brown-nosing and loving up over the past 7 years:

“We’re appalled that Sri Lanka seems poised to host CHOGM and to be chair-in-residence of the Commonwealth for two years,” he told the Guardian.

“Canada didn’t get involved in the Commonwealth to accommodate evil; we came to combat it. We are deeply disappointed that Sri Lanka appears poised to take on this leadership role.”

This in-your-face hypocrisy is troubling on many levels, but there are two that stand out above others.

1. It’s excruciatingly obvious that this has nothing to do with “terrorism”, supporting human rights, ensuring equality, etc.; it’s all about arbitrarily (at least, on the surface), vilifying one group or another for reasons of conquest, division, strife, and control.  And while simultaneously decrying our new enemies abroad (but not actually doing anything to back up the vociferous fist-pounding), the government is passing measures designed to go after its own people in the most draconian manner and with complete impunity at home (again, see S-7 for just a smattering).
2. This “these are friends, no, they’re hated enemies” narrative, state of constant and unending war, fear, and domestic subjugation have been spelled out almost exactly in works that were once considered mere horrific works of fiction:
   

This dark and unsettling road that we’re on is nonetheless clearly marked, and has an even more clear destination. It’s not as if history hasn’t shown us example after example of where all of this leads (if we let it), and those who choose to remain ignorant, or worse, supportive of it, also have plenty of first-hand experience to draw on:

“In keeping silent about evil, in burying it so deep within us that no sign of it appears on the surface, we are implanting it, and it will rise up a thousand fold in the future. When we neither punish nor reproach evildoers, we are not simply protecting their trivial old age, we are thereby ripping the foundations of justice from beneath new generations.”

“And how we burned in the camps later, thinking: What would things have been like if every Security operative, when he went out at night to make an arrest, had been uncertain whether he would return alive and had to say good-bye to his family? Or if, during periods of mass arrests, as for example in Leningrad, when they arrested a quarter of the entire city, people had not simply sat there in their lairs, paling with terror at every bang of the downstairs door and at every step on the staircase, but had understood they had nothing left to lose and had boldly set up in the downstairs hall an ambush of half a dozen people with axes, hammers, pokers, or whatever else was at hand?… The Organs would very quickly have suffered a shortage of officers and transport and, notwithstanding all of Stalin’s thirst, the cursed machine would have ground to a halt!

If…if…

We didn’t love freedom enough. And even more – we had no awareness of the real situation…. We purely and simply deserved everything that happened afterward.”

The law defines treason thusly:

…[a]…citizen’s actions to help a foreign governmentoverthrow, make waragainst, or seriously injure the [parent nation].

Under Canada’s definition, this only extends to helping out a country with which Canada is at war with … like Afghanistan (a recent example demonstrates that this does not have to be the case) . That alone is enough to prove that Stephen Harper is a traitor to Canada and must be arrested for treason immediately.

If that definition isn’t enough for you, though, how about selling out Canada to foreign ownership, completely disregarding every Canadian safeguard against doing business with oppressive foreign regimes? (All clearly documented in case you had a doubt)

Maybe the fact that Harper is doing double duty and actively destroying the Canadian economy and pushing skilled workers in every industry into poverty and out onto the streets, while handing over our country to foreign interests, is enough to convince you?

Maybe it bothers you that the illegitimate Harper government constantly and openly lies about what’s happening and covers up,  muzzles, and would gleefully have arrested  anyone and anything that questions him or his corporate owners (clearly predominantly foreign)?

How about the fact that, while simultaneously opening the doors to offensive governments that shit all over human rights, Harper is doing his hardest to strip away any social programs and assistance that Canadians have to ensure that we are beholden to our foreign new masters?

The whole kit and kaboodle is called insourcing, and all the cool kids are doing it these days.

And if it sounds like a form of foreign economic invasion, well, if it croaks like a frog…

After almost a decade in power, all of the “but it’s for Canada!” lines are just so much open deception. Of course he isn’t doing it for Canada! Harper doesn’t give a shit about you, me, or this rotten country he wants to hand over to the highest bidder as soon as possible.

And under “austerity“, all of our money is handed over whether we agree with it or not.

If all of this – the working to directly destroy Canada and hand it over to other countries – isn’t treason, I don’t know what is.

Stephen Harper, and most of his treasonous cabinet, must be arrested and tried right now. His actions are anti-Canadian and transparent.

Rob Ford balked noticeably at being told that he would have to pay his own court costs in the conflict of interest case, which he says he won “fair and square”.

Although he reserved his harshest, most thoughtful criticism for the proposals that Metrolinx recently put out in order to fund transit in Toronto, he nonetheless believes that he was wronged in being forced to pay his own way after “winning” the appeals to the case — one out of four appeals, or 25% of the total to be exact (after completely losing the original case).

But this is Rob Ford, after all, who believes that 25% qualifies as an overwhelming “win”, or that a 47% voting result is a “majority” during an election, etc.

Ford is probably also upset that those opposing him are working for free (assholes!), essentially leaving him the only one footing the bill for his own crimes, which the appeal judges once again reiterated were very real and very wrong, hence the loss of most of the appeals.

The funny thing is that this is exactly what Ford and his idiot supporters outright demand — it’s everyone for themselves, and cut and slash and privatize and fuck everyone in the process because money should be in the pockets of the rich, corrupt, and openly criminal. This is Ford’s raison d’etre incarnate; but, of course, because it’s being done to Rob and not by him, it’s completely wrong! That’s  the new neo-Con, money-trumps-everything, buried-in-hypocrisy-and-lies-and-corruption Canada.

Clayton Ruby offered an insightful and absolutely correct analysis of the situation: “Mayor Ford’s costs request was, once again, scuppered by Mayor Ford.” The term “karmic retribution” would also be very appropriate — now the universe just needs more  of it.

May 2006 – Toronto Hydro says get ready for another 20% hike increase in order to deal with “aging infrastructure”.

August 2007 – Toronto Hydro demands a 6.3% rate hike to deal with “aging infrastructure”.

March 2007 – Toronto Hydro seeks a rate hike of 6.3% to deal with losses incurred due to a loss in revenue because of a promotion to encourage customers to use less electricity (how inept are these people?!).

July 2008 – Toronto Hydro announces a rate drop because:

Hydro explains it managed to get the Ontario Energy Board to agree to some rate guarantees over a number of years, allowing the utility to ensure it will have enough money to refurbish its system and hire new employees to replace those who are retiring.

Hydro says it’s the first time the OEB has ever given them a multi-year approval. That agreement is part of what’s allowing them to plan for the future – and lower your costs in the present, at least for now.

August 2009 – Toronto Hydro applies for another rate hike to accommodate renewable energy and to deal with “aging infrastructure”.

April 2010 – Hydro plans another 15% rate hike to deal with “aging infrastructure”.

July 2010 – Hydro is successfully sued for illegally overcharging customers. Settlement says that if Hydro makes a mistake in repaying customers (wrong amount, wrong date, cheque never sent or received), they’re completely off the hook and the case is settled (i.e. the law says it’s okay for them to lie in order to weasel out of their obligations).

September 2010 – Hydro seeks rate increase of 4 to 5% to deal with “aging infrastructure”.

November 2010 – Hydro says prepare for rates to jump by almost 50% in order to deal with “aging infrastructure”.

March 2011 – Toronto Hydro posts record profits, directly as a result of rate increases.

November 2011 – Rate price increase after two years of increases amounting to 41% in order to deal with “aging infrastructure”.

January 2012 – Toronto Hydro demands yet another rate hike, threatening to fire all employees (except highly paid executives), and plunge the city into darkness in order to deal with “aging infrastructure”. The energy board rejects the plea, saying Hydro is essentially full of crap.

March 2013 – Toronto Hydro threatens more blackouts unless they’re allowed to gauge customers under the “aging infrastructure” excuse again.

April 2013 – Toronto Hydro raises rates again in order to deal with “aging infrastructure”. The Energy Board welcomes the January 2012 plan with open arms. Toronto now has the highest electricity rates in North America.

The fact that these numbers, and the excuses behind them, are so widely varied and apparently completely ineffectual  should be a direct indication of the open lies of Toronto Hydro. Their ongoing 5-year plan, a dismal failure since at least 2006 (if you believe them), to fix “aging infrastructure” seems to include only more and more rate increases, threats, and equipment failures / excuses.

Rates have risen by roughly 60% over the past 5 years, and Toronto Hydro is still running around fixing equipment failures that they continue to claim they can’t fix because they don’t have enough money. And because they’re a monopoly being propped up by political ignorance and corruption, your only choice is to refuse to pay this criminal tax.

Thank goodness Rob Ford is on the case!

I don’t mean to make light of threats, and if this whole thing turns out to be genuine I certainly hope that Mammoliti gets assistance tout suite. I make no light of my dislike for the man’s political flaccidness,  but even if I think he’s bordering on criminality, I always hearken to what we’ve all been told is “proper procedure”. In other words, police (doing their job properly), a court of law (applying the law equally), etc. Or is this Utopian idealism now?

But don’t you find it odd that, if this is actually true, Mammoliti’s assertion that Executek International is holding on to some possibly dangerous (for him), evidence seems kind of the wrong way to go?

Perhaps Executek is dispatching shadowy goons to neutralize the source of the attack  — computer and phone tampering, as well as a “threatening letter” — but you’d think you’d double up and get local PD on it too, no? Seemed okay for the mayor.

Executek says cops will be contacted “when appropriate.”

Private police force. Neat.