Does anybody else find this offensive?

Air passengers face having credit card transactions and email messages inspected by the American authorities here:

Looking at "Gift Horses"

And what a gift horse we have just received in Northumberland County. Last week our local MPP raised himself to his full height of five foot nothing, beat his chest and proclaimed, "That I have never been prouder than today to announce that the Provincial government has awarded the local hospital $800,000 in annual operating funds to operate an MRI machine."

Whoa Nellie! just who is going to pay for the machine? That is the two and a half million dollar question. Perhaps the MPP is being premature as a NHH Board member told me, "We haven't even discussed this at the Board level yet." And even more insidious the concept is to hire a private company to operate this department. So much for the savings of public health.

The problem I have is that as municipal taxpayers we have been subjected to the guilt trip of not donating to such a worthy cause as hospital equipment already. Next year we will be donating (I call it being blackmailed into) the equivalent of a 3% tax increase to the hospital to fund a CT scanner. If the Provincial government wants us to have top of the line and necessary diagnostic equipment it must pony up, they are responsible for health funding after all.

the definition of a gift horse by the word detective:
"Of course, if the horse in question is presented as a gift, it would be rudeness in the extreme to pry the creature's mouth open to gape at its choppers, a bit of social etiquette summed up since the 16th century in the adage "Never look a gift horse in the mouth." " The word detective can be found here

Our phallic symbols

As one drives down Division South, from the 401, one can notice from the lights at Veronica St. three phallic symbols of the automobile industry. Each one bigger than the last one erected. First Vandermeer Toyota had a standard sign, then McKeen Motors has a new sign erected, a bit higher than Vandermeer's and now the Nissan guy has erected a bigger one than both the others. What next?

Shame, shame and more shame

Howcum I feel so badly for a bad guy (Saddam), perhaps its because our much vaunted society has reduced itself to a level of barbarism. Next time we hear pols and do-gooders rant on about the civilization of man shout back as hard as you can - Bollocks!

For a cellphone video of the event click here, now for a story about the investigation into the filming click here

The first story of the year and what a stinker!

If the rest of the year is going to be like this it will be a wacky world of oddball reading and commentary. Flatulence Allegedly Sparks Jail Fight

I've been away for a few days

As you can see I wasn't just on holiday there was a touch of work, I even got to interview this guy. He wouldn't answer any questions about the war but he did warn me not to go hunting with Dick!

Back to normal and I see that the Cobourg Council has divvied up the work, that is for everybody but Cllr. MacCaughey, I guess seniority does count for something.......less work. With only two committees to attend when everybody else is getting 8 - 10 he was telling the truth when he said that the job is not fulltime!

Chalk one up for the sceptics

More voting machine mysteries Vote Disparity Still a Mystery In Fla. Election For Congress

Naked man on crack rescued from alligator

Is this one of those "is it real?" stories Naked man on crack rescued from alligator

Who says you can't stop WalMart?

Hurray for San Diego! San Diego to ban Wal-Mart Supercenters

Lies that ring true

Want to get away and have nobody know what you are really up to - try these guys, they have it down pat! Lies that ring true