Sid Zork

If you didn't know...

2007-06-24T00:26:00.000-06:00

...why Sir Salman Rushdie is so despised in the Islamic world, you will after hearing this passage from "The Satanic Verses":

Long live Sir Rushdie!

History lesson

2007-06-22T22:49:00.000-06:00

Click

Breaking News: "Fuel crisis" poll not dumbest poll...

2007-05-23T20:21:00.000-06:00

...This one is. (From CTV.ca)

"Canadians still think it's a good idea to negotiate with Afghanistan's Taliban insurgents as a way to end the violence there, a poll finds.

In The Strategic Counsel poll conducted for CTV and The Globe and Mail, there was almost two-to-one support for the notion"

Of course, the Taliban have been active with their "insurgent" activities. Maybe they can't fit negotiating into their busy schedules. A small sampling from Jihadwatch and Dhimmiwatch:

Jihadist video shows boy beheading man

Rights group: Taliban targets civilians

Jihadists cut off Afghans' noses, ears

Bombings destroy music store, barbershops in Pakistani border area

Taliban beheads US "spy," carves message into his forehead

Taliban flee battle using children as shields: NATO

Taliban to spend $1 million to open "jihad schools" in Afghanistan

Refugee school torched in eastern Afghanistan

Taliban commander vows bloody 2007 in Afghanistan

Taliban rules: A warning, a beating, then death for teachers

Afghan jihadists gun down five, including two female teachers

NATO says Taliban using civilians as shields

Afghan women's affairs chief dead

Suicide bomber kills 16 in Afghanistan

"We have the Islamic right to kill these journalists and media"

"It is a part of our noble responsibility to spoil the Western society with drugs"

Indian Hostage Beheaded in Afghanistan

Taliban condemns release of Christian convert, calls for jihad

Suicide Car Bombing Kills 4 in Kabul

Axe-attacked Canadian soldier opens his eyes

Suicide bomber targets Kandahar cops

Afghanistan: teacher beheaded

Afghani principal, district chief shot

Taliban Say Cut Throat of Afghan Christian

Taliban ban music in N. Waziristan

Taliban execute teacher in front of his pupils for educating girls

Woman poet ‘slain for her verse’

Taliban fining people for listening to music in their cars

Taliban warns male doctors: no ultrasound tests on female patients

Gunmen burn coed Afghan school

Use your vote and you'll die, Taliban tell Afghan women

Taliban 'poisoned schoolgirls'

Huh???

2007-05-21T11:57:00.000-06:00

According to CTV.ca there's a fuel crisis. A fuel crisis?? Did I miss some important piece of news? Dumbest poll ever.

In the interim, perhaps a career in used car sales beckons.

2007-05-14T20:36:00.002-06:00

From the Ottawa Sun:

Raising the spectre of airline terrorism, a judge has banned a Moroccan-Canadian from working in the airline industry for seven years.

But the man wasn't accused of being a terrorist, just faking a log book of his work so he could finish his airplane mechanic's apprenticeship -- a violation of Canada's Aeronautics Act...

...Ertel told court his client had been an apprentice aircraft mechanic at First Air, but got fired after a dispute with his employer. As a result, El Mahdi had only performed about 50% of the required tasks to get his licence. He then falsified a logbook.
Meloche told court the false entries came to the attention of a Transport Canada inspector who realized some of the tasks listed in the log couldn't have been performed because the aircraft listed didn't have the parts for the stated jobs.

Some background. The logbook referred to is the apprentice's personal AME task log. Assuming that he's only working fixed-wing, that gives us 50 ATA chapters of tasks in his book. Now if we assume an average of 5 tasks per chapter, at 50% complete, that leaves about 125 representative tasks. My point is this. Not only did this guy have to fake 125 tasks in his book, he also needed to forge an AME's signature that many times.
Not the kind of person you'd want maintaining your aircraft eh?

"Fashion" police harpy gets a whuppin'

2007-05-11T10:22:00.000-06:00

While in this country the useful idiots of the left continue to pander to the Islamists, somewhere in Iran there's a brave young lady who's decided she ain't gonna wear that medieval sackcloth:

An inconvenient web poll (from CTV.ca)

2007-04-22T21:35:00.000-06:00

Er, sorry Dr. Suzuki.

Happy Earth Day!

2007-04-22T19:36:00.000-06:00

"The IPCC has used models to predict the future that cannot explain the past. They have ignored evidence that conclusively refutes their hypothesis. And, though the community of scientists in the field of climatology has largely abandoned the global warming paradigm, the IPCC has not."

From Schlueterica, an essay about the IPCC's methods. Still valid today.

Another evil Zionist plot no doubt

2007-04-15T11:35:00.000-06:00

Widespread panic over mobile phone death threat.

Scratch a Greenie, find a Truther

2007-04-13T10:25:00.000-06:00

While the Conservatives move further toward the centre, the others have decided to start occupying the lunatic fringe. From todays National Post:

A federal Green party candidate in Vancouver-Kingsway is standing behind a controversial editorial he wrote more than four years ago in which he describes the falling of the World Trade Center twin towers as "beautiful."
The editorial, entitled, A Revolting Confession, was first published on Nov. 28, 2002 in an alternative newspaper, The Republic of East Vancouver, which Kevin Potvin founded.
"When I saw the first tower cascade down into that enormous plume of dust and paper, there was a little voice inside me that said, 'Yeah!' When the second tower came down the same way, that little voice said, 'Beautiful!' When the visage of the Pentagon appeared on the TV with a gaping and smoking hole in its side, that little voice had nearly taken me over, and I felt an urge to pump my fist in the air," Mr. Potvin wrote in the editorial...
...He continued: "I know lots of people were killed. But then again, I see lots of people getting killed whenever I turn the TV news on, and frankly, it doesn't really get to me any more....

Perhaps the jihadis should start attacking trees, THAT would get Mr. Potvin's attention! Here comes the Truther part.

Mr. Potvin said in a telephone interview last night that he is now skeptical that the events of 9/11 were entirely the work of terrorists.
"I have no idea what happened on that day, but it's certainly not the story that Washington propagates."

So, let's see if I can understand this... Mr. Potvin is gleeful that the terrorists attacked the USA, but hey, you know, the terrorists didn't really attack the USA. But wait! Shouldn't Mr. Potvin now be upset that Bushco's dastardly plan to attack the USA went off without a hitch??

My head hurts

Whatever happened to this story?: monkeys surrendered to their fate target genitals of cheese eating surrender monkeys.

2007-03-24T14:52:00.000-06:00

How did this story eventually play itself out? Just wondering.

If that happens, ultimate fighting would pale in comparison. Says Bomsel: "These monkeys are very aggressive, and being stronger than humans, will inflict serious injury by biting and clawing." The damage may be especially excruciating for males of the human species. "Mature male magots consider men rivals, and will target sexual organs during attacks. That could be bad — very messy."

Indeed.

Goremania!

2007-02-25T22:16:00.000-07:00

Faithful members of Al Gore's flock weigh in on the great prophet of doom (via Mark Steyn at NRO):

Almer Gortree [Mark Steyn]
The Reverend Al wowed the faithful in Toronto according to this report “Eco-pilgrims Gather To ‘Heed The Goracle’”:
"From my perspective, it is a form of religion," said Bruce Crofts, 69, as he held a banner aloft for the East Toronto Climate Action Group amid a lively pre-lecture crowd outside the old hall. "The religion for this group is doing something for the environment."
While he no longer espouses traditional religion, Mr. Crofts recalled how, as a Sunday school teacher decades ago, he included Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi and Robert Kennedy as well as Jesus Christ in his lessons, as examples of great leaders who stepped forward when called upon by circumstance. In that sense, he feels Mr. Gore fits the bill.

Almen, brother! Preach the Gorspel! Yet, spiritual leadership-wise, the Reverend Al is perhaps closest to Mohammed in that, like the founder of the Islamic faith, Mohammed al-Gore is both a great prophet and a political leader:

"He's the prime minister we need in Canada," said Reid MacWilliam, who has been re-examining his entire life to make it more environmentally responsible.

At last, an American hegemon the Canadian people are prepared to live under the jackboot of. And Al’s boot leaves quite a footprint. Evangelical Outpost has some interesting statistics on Reverend Al’s forthcoming Gore Aid concert:

* The concert will produce more CO2 in one day than Zimbabwe produced in any month in 2003.
* The concert will produce more CO2 in one day than the total daily fossil fuel emissions for Austria, Chile, Finland, Greece, Iraq, Kuwait, New Zealand, Philippines, Portugal, Sweden, the Virgin Islands, and a dozen other countries combined.
* The concert will produce more CO2 in one day than the entire nation of Afghanistan produces in a year.

We are all pygmies in the awesome depression of his Carbon Footprint! (via Tim Bla ir)
02/25 10:26 AM
Update:
From Libertas, the best Al Gore related comment I've seen:
Matt Helm Says:
February 26th, 2007 at 4:02 pm
I didn’t see An Inconvenient Truth. I don’t like movies with a lot of Gore in them.

Learjet liberals

2007-02-21T18:07:00.000-07:00

Al Gore's star is rising. He's attained near rock star status. I wonder if he rode a recumbent bike to T.O.? I'm guessing not.

I'm sure I parked my car here an hour ago.

2007-02-13T08:19:00.000-07:00

Where's global warming when you need it?

Income splitting

2007-02-11T23:24:00.000-07:00

This is just one reason why smilin' Jack and his crew will never hold the keys to 24 Sussex Dr. From CTV's Question Period broadcast today, NDP finance critic Judy Wasylycia-Leis discusses income splitting:

"It's a very costly proposal that very much benefits wealthier families...it's a huge bonus for high income earning families that have one person at home full time and one person in the workforce I think the interesting question here is, how will the Liberals respond to this negative regressive policy...a most regressive policy and contrary to the notion of full equality for women."

Yeah Judy, it's so regressive a tax policy that 13 OECD countries have adopted it. They are: Belgium, France, Greece, Luxembourg, Portugal, Switzerland, the United States, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Norway, Poland and Spain.

These Dippers have always fancied themselves as champions of the working man. How they can be against a tax instrument that will reduce the burden on single income families is beyond me.

Poll question needs a third option

2007-01-21T10:48:00.000-07:00

From CTV.ca

Too bad there's no third option.

Just sayin'... OK?

Babble moderator feels "icky"

2007-01-13T23:37:00.000-07:00

The Left has a problem. This nasty freedom of speech thingy keeps popping up. Some of them, (see my post about el presidente below) have the power and resources at their fingertips to crush alternative viewpoints. Others, like Michelle over at Babble, don't have to shoulder that much responsibility. Not entire South American countries anyway. Just the odd right-wing troglodyte like yours truly. They say that we'll all garner our 15 minutes of fame, but my time as a Babbler was almost as fleeting. I remember it like it was only yesterday (sigh): from registration to banning took about 90 minutes. My crime? Using Jihadwatch.org as a source. If you haven't already guessed, I'm "Ripstop".

I'm used to tossing people from babble but it sucks. I hate doing it because it makes me feel like there has to be a better way...

Oh there is a better way Ms. Moderator. It's called considering opinions that differ from your own. It's called debating the issues in a reasonable and logical manner. Free speech? Not at Babble.ca. Not now. Not ever. It's no wonder a certain moderator feels icky.

The wonders of socialism

2007-01-12T18:17:00.000-07:00

Hugo's taking his country further down the road to socialist utopia. This from Publius Pundit:

Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez has signalled his true intentions with more clarity than ever today, announcing that he would expropriate:

1. All the phone lines
2. All the electricity

As this happened, a provincial governor from Bolivar state down south let it all hang out, simply saying he wanted to confiscate the entire media, forcing it all under state control. Just ‘nationalization’ don’t you know...

This clearly is an effort to Cubanize the nation, turning its free media into a state monopoly to disempower the opposition, and end all free inquiry or accountability. It’s something that is a mighty curious step for Chavez to take, given his claims he won the December election by an overwhelming majority. Something already doesn’t sound right.

This isn’t all the thug is up to, by the way. He’s also stealing the entire central bank, by ending autonomy for it. He’s turning that into an instrument for money-printing, now that he’s badly mismanaged the entire oil bonanza, wrecked the oil fields, fired all of the talent who could clean up this situation, and wasted hundreds of billions of dollars of oil earnings on stealing, corruption and socialist mismanagement.

In short, Chavez is turning Venezuela into the wasteland of nothingness that is communist Cuba.

We've all seen this dreary movie before, and we all know how it's gonna end. Colby Cosh knew as much back in December of '05:

One may be certain that other essential institutions--disguised paddywagons, vast windowless buildings of unstated function, great fenced and guarded areas in inaccessible rural regions--will eventually appear as needed.

None Deeper

2007-01-08T23:26:00.002-07:00

If I ever get down to the Smithsonian, the Trieste will be the first item on my list. In 1960, it dove to over 35,000 feet, the world' s deepest dive in the Mariana Trench, near Guam. In over 40 years this feat has never been repeated.

Most significant of these was "PROJECT NEKTON" in which TRIESTE conducted a series of seven dives including three deep dives, climaxing on January 23, 1960 in a 35,800 foot descent into the "Challenger Deep". This abyss, the deepest known spot in the earth's oceans, had never been penetrated by a manned vehicle. The record set that day stands alone today. For this series of dives, TRIESTE was fitted with a new pressure sphere, manufactured by the "Krupp Werke (works)" of Germany and designed for operation to 36,000 feet. That dive gained, not only a record which cannot be exceeded but, world wide recognition of the TRIESTE and its occupants on that dive, Jacques Piccard, son of Auguste Piccard and Navy lieutenant Don Walsh...

Also check out this multimedia presentation at PBS.org.
Zork out.

World's most annoying turboprop.

2007-01-06T13:29:00.000-07:00

At least that's what my ears tell me. A noisy high pitched rasp comes outta this thing as it sails overhead. I've been told it's because the prop blades are chopping the exhaust into pieces (this aircraft being a pusher design). Probably otherwise a nice airplane. Zork out.

Hinterland spiders

2007-01-05T23:49:00.000-07:00

8-legged addicts.