Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Monday, June 27, 2011

Just because you have a majority, does not mean you can do whatever the Hell you want.


Brian Gable, The Globe and Mail

"Canadians aren't used to parliamentary government, in large part because we aren't used to federal politics built around real differences between our major parties over real issues. Instead, we are used to two conservative parties squabbling over mutual (often accurate) accusations of corruption, and over symbolic issues – most with little meaning to the daily lives of citizens.
Canadians have therefore long tuned out federal politics between elections. But that all changed on May 2nd.
We now have some real choices on offer in federal politics, and real debate over real issues. Like, for example, whether or not people have the right to withhold their labour if they don't like the pay they're being offered by their bosses.
The Conservative government is clear on where it stands. Faced with the situation at Canada Post (negotiations over pay and benefits broke down; the employer made a final offer which was not accepted; employees began to pressure the employer; and the employer then locked the employees out of work), the government has intervened with a bill that would order the employees, by law, to accept a worse deal than Canada Post proposed in its final offer.
Consider how that would play out in your own daily life. You're at work and renegotiating your salary. Your employer offers you, say, $50,000 a year. You don't accept this proposal – you feel you're worth $52,000. So your employer kicks you out of the office and tells you you'll stay out until you accept $50,000. And then Stephen Harper steps in and threatens you with fines or jail if you don't agree to return to work for, say, $48,000 – less than your boss offered you.
That's what's happening at Canada Post. Before May 2, there would have been relatively little debate on Mr. Harper's intervention, since the Conservatives found a like-minded partner in the former Liberal opposition.
But there's a new sheriff in town – a new, more numerous and more determined New Democrat Official Opposition with some important tools available to it to shine on light on issues like this. A majority government is in place, and it can ultimately get what it wants. But a real opposition, fighting on a real issue, can make things go very slowly indeed – so that Canadians can judge the issues, and see what Mr. Harper's government is doing in the bright light of day.
In short, we finally have an Official Opposition capable of, and willing to, do its job.
In a panel discussion about this matter a couple of days ago, a Conservative friend suggested that the current debate in Parliament shows the New Democrats have some “growing up to do.” In fact it is the Conservatives who have some growing up to do. They need to learn that having power is not a license to abuse it. And that the people of Canada elected 308 MPs, including a muscular Official Opposition that will work, within the rules of our democracy and long into the night, to shine a light on misjudgments and misgovernment." - Briann Topp, The Globe and Mail.

The afore-mentioned Post Canada Strike incident just shows just how low our democracy is about to sink now that Harper finally got the majority he has always wanted. There is more to come over the next four years. Brace yourself, Canada. Good luck to you all.

Funny captions > Sea Borg


Photo credit: National Geographic

Photo editing credit: C. F. Pelletier

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Monday, June 20, 2011

Casey Anthony Trial Info (Click here)


Above: Casey Anthony and her daughter, found dead 3 years ago in the family pool. Initially thought to be an accident, duct tape was found on the girl's skull seems to possibly indicate that Anthony may have killed her daughter then tried to make it look like an accident by throwing her in the pool.

Casey Anthony is currently in court for 1st degree murder of her daughter.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Vancouver's riot 07/18/2011





Last night in Vancouver after the Canucks v. Bruins Game, a riot quickly broke out, initially thought as a reaction to the hometown team's loss.

Several cars were destroyed and/or  set on fire, many fights broke out, and people were injured. One man is left in critical condition after falling. Conflicting reports say either the man was a Bruins fan who was pushed, or he was trying to jump like others but failed to reach the desired target.

The VPD is saying anarchists were the ones to start the criminal mischiefs, and that the Canucks fans were just there watching and encouraging their behaviour.

The police managed to disperse the riot after 3 hours, much more quickly then the 1994 post-Canucks game riot.

Many in the media are asking questions that I think are a bit irrelevant and/or pointless. E.g.: "Why didn't the fire inspectors stop the people from outside the live zones to get in?" Erm... Have you ever tried standing in front of a crowd of people running towards you? Generally, unless you're very menacing, they'll just roll right over you. 

Hindsight is 20/20, and I don't think we should critique police officers for dispersing a crowd like this as quickly and relatively violence-free on their behalf.

Also, I love the question: "Was the VPD aware of the anarchists? Why didn't you arrest them before this happened?" What, you don't believe in freedom of speech? Just because someone believes in something controversial doesn't give you the right to arrest them until they have done something illegal, like flipping cars over and jumping on them before setting them on fire. You know, that kind of stuff.

C. F. Pelletier

----





Photo credit: Ottawa Metro June 17-19 2011

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Monday, June 13, 2011

New Louis Vutton add featuring Angelina Jolie


Photo credit: E! online

A shoeless, make-up - less Jolie is featured in this photo by powerhouse photograph Anne Leibowitz (whom you might recall took those artistic but controversial Miley Cyrus pictures that the Cyrus family then tried to pin the blame on Leibowitz, claiming that she had taken advantage of the 'poor' teen starlet. Who's watching that movie?).

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Lonely girl... (Do NOT copy)

What is the greatest gift one can give a lonely girl?

To give her the gift of love,
To find someone who is into her,
Who will be kind to her,
Who will come up to her and say:
"You look beautiful".

What is the greatest gift one can give a lonely girl?

To take her out, no matter what her protests,
To show that someone cares about her existence,
Who loves her even just as a friend,
Who understands who she is,
To make her feel beautiful.

What is the greatest gift one can give a lonely girl?

Is a makeover too much to ask?
She obviously can't make her personality shine on her own.
To help her get over her shyness,
Even if under protest,
To show everyone in the world that she is beautiful.


Give a lonely girl the gift of love, whether of friendship or romantic,
And maybe,
Just maybe,
She will no longer be lonely, but as beautiful
On the outside as you know she is on the inside.



Catherine Francine Pelletier © 2011
All rights reserved.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Possible Film Futures Contest - Click (here) and check it out!

Check out my first entry here.

My second entry can be seen here.

Thanks for checking out my videos and voting from June 28th - on.

xoxo Cafrapell

Catherine's Encyclopedia - Over 4000 pageviews in 2 months! Wow!

"30 Rock"'s Tracy Morgan's controversial remarks (here).

Meet Montreal's most eligible men! (Click here)



François Arnaud, age 25
A scheming, murderous direct-from-Montreal dreamboat! (But can he save the papacy?!) Turning heads and causing chatter these days is this fake-son of Jeremy Irons on The Borgias, the Machiavellian costume-fest currently showing on Showtime/Bravo! Dude recently took up horseback riding. Dream dinner guests The Beatles? Or maybe the Borgias, but I’d make sure I’m in charge of the wine and that no one would touch my glass and we would all have plastic utensils. Words to live by Behave, then you don’t have to apologize. Dream Vacation Wonderland. I mean Alice’s, not some sort of theme park where the snow-cones give you a brain-freeze. The trait you most value in others Intelligence. And kindness. Combined, they’re pretty much the s–t. The quality you most value in yourself Curiosity. A person living or dead you most admire Patti Smith. Your most treasured possession Can I say my friends? I know people aren’t supposed to belong to other people but really that’s all I want. And food and wine.

See a trailer for "Cowboys and Aliens" (Here)

Bizarro concept, but looks good!

Shortest man alive! (Click here)

Funny captions > Stoked Possum


Photo credit: National Geographic

Photo editing credit: C. F. Pelletier

Friday, June 10, 2011

Check out this video! (Click here)


Check out another video here.



Anti-Tory protest happening in Ottawa today! (Click here)


Photo credit: Kimothy Walker


Photo and photo editing credit: C. F. Pelletier


 (Kimothy Walker):
"Hundreds of protesters about to start moving through the downtown core to Convention Centre to protest Harper." (5:15 PM, local time)

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

DiLively hit Disneyland on a date! (Click here)


Photo credit: E! online


Photo editing credit: C. F. Pelletier

5-yr-old's murderer pleaded guilty (Click here)

Canada no longer most polite country in the world (Click here)

"The number of hate crimes reported to Canadian police rose 42 per cent in 2009 on top of a 35 per cent increase the previous year, Statistics Canada reported Tuesday.
Fifty-four per cent were motivated by race or ethnicity, 29 per cent by religion, and 13 per cent by sexual orientation.
The largest increase was in hate crimes motivated by religion, which increased 55 per cent, the agency said, and seven in 10 of those involved hate crimes directed against Jews, who were the target of 283 reported hate crimes" - CBC.ca












Thumbnail from "Say 'NO!' to Racism".

Inspiring interview on last night's "Daily Show" (Click here)

Top 5 tweet fails... Appart from Weiner's weiner 'joke', that is... (Click here)

Fox blunders... AGAIN. (Click here)

"The conservative-leaning cable news channel ended up with egg on its face while covering Sarah Palin's heavily hyped One Nation bus tour when it aired a picture of 30 Rock star Tina Fey impersonating the half-term governor instead of the real thing.

Read more: 
http://ca.eonline.com/uberblog/b245853_whoops_fox_news_latest_gaffe_identifies.html#ixzz1ObfElLnC" - E! Online.

Check out another FOX blunder here.

Arizona fires gain to 40,000 acres (Click here)

National Geographic goes artsie-fartsie! (Click here)

Monday, June 6, 2011

Info about "21 Jumpstreet" movie (here)!

Alert the Vatican, "Angels & Demons" might still happen! (Click here)

CERN creates and traps antimatter in groundbreaking experiment

Another tornado spotted in the U.S. (Click here)

World's fastest bird (Click here)

Ash cloud over Chili lights up! (Click here)



Photo credit: National Geographic




This is simply awe-inspiring...


...and scary.



Weiner: says he 'sexted' or had phone sex with about 6 women. He does not intend to resign. (Click here)



This is the lewd photo in question: Rep. Weiner's erect... well, weiner.

Photo credit: Anthony Weiner

Check out a funny take on the story here.


Check out an interview with the woman to whom the lewd tweet was sent here. Says the single mother: "I don't think he's a bad guy. I think he's got issues just like everybody else".

However, Weiner's porn pal comes forth. Click here.