December 29, 2005:

Subject:  Sirius Radio Canada

I had it all planned out, I was going to get Alwyn, my partner, a Sirius Satellite Radio receiver for Christmas so we could finally hear the Howard Stern radio show again.  Well, so glad I didn't make that purchase!  You see, Sirius Canada have decided not to carry the most popular Radio jock in the history of Radio!  When I called them, I was told they're reviewing it.  Well, review till your hearts content, but you've lost my business!  Who in the hell do these assholes think they are, this is a subscriber service, it's not governed by the CRTC or any other governmental agencies.  The subscriber pays a fee to hear what they want to hear.  SO...this is a clear case of censorship!  

You see, Sirius Radio Canada is run by CBC/Radio Canada, and Standard Radio Inc.  Standard is the largest privately owned Radio network in Canada.  So what do they have to gain from running this service.  If everyone buys satellite radio, then all of those standard Radio stations would lose money and listeners; we can't have that can we!  If you offer programs like Stern, one of the stations Sirius USA is banking on, will anyone listen to regular radio stations again?  Possibly not.  So is it in Standard Radio and the CBC's best interest  to offer programs that may detract from their money making ventures in terrestrial radio?  Of course not...imagine greed in the media business!!!  If you're going to offer a service, offer the entire service.  There is nothing to review!  Stern is on satellite now, he can't be fined or censored, unless the corporate pigs decide they want it to be successful...but not so successful that they lose money in their already existing ventures.  To me, this is censorship, let me choose what I want to spend my money on thanks!  

I sincerely hope that Sirius Radio Canada is a major flop and all the suits in the boardroom, that really don't have the first clue what people want to hear, see their earnings sink...greedy bastards!

June 19, 2005:

Subject:  Leave the Kids at Home!!!

At the risk of sounding insensitive...right!  Twice in one month..TWICE we've gone to the movies, and twice there was a young couple with copious amounts of young children with them!  I'm not going to go on about how inappropriate it is for parents to bring 5 yr olds to Star Wars and Batman (Both have much violence and some very adult and dark scenes...especially Batman!) it is inappropriate!  What I want to talk about is the sheer selfishness of these idiots that do this.  Ok, you're like so many of us...you want to see Star Wars and Batman, great...and they're incredibly fun movies...when you can hear them!  But leave the brats at home...they're 5, they have no attention span, and scream and cry during the entire film.  So instead of not going to the films, or hiring a babysitter, you decided to ruin every paying customer's experience at the movies!  Now if I was sitting in Madagascar or a Kids film...I wouldn't rant, it's a given...cartoon = small, loud, annoying children....I just don't partake out of respect for that....but come on...Batman, at 5!!!!  To be honest, there were scenes in that movie that would've given me nightmares as a child.  And in a way, I hope these kids go through that, like we all do, and wake their bastard parents up every night at 330am because Batman and the Scarecrow are coming to get em....sleep tight parents!!!!

April 01, 2005:

Subject:  The Passion of Terri Schaivo

I've been a Health Care Aide for over 4 yrs now, and a nursing student for the past two years.  I've worked on an acute care cancer unit, and palliative care.  Death always brings out the very best, and very worst in families.  Unfortunately this poor woman in Florida, through no fault of her own, has sparked one of the nastiest family feuds in recent history.  I have absolutely no problem with the issues they're dealing with. I have my own opinion on the feeding tube issue, but it isn't my place to judge the wishes of this woman, her husband, or her family.   My problem is with the media, the Christian right to life asswipes, and America as a whole!

Where were the protests from these church people when their fearless leader ordered the annihilation of thousands of innocent Iraqi's and the destruction of their homes and businesses?  Apparently taking a feeding tube out of a severely brain damaged woman in Florida is more of a moral issue than the needless murder of innocents who were in the wrong place at the wrong time.  Can America become anymore insular?  Now I realize not all Americans are like that...and thank goodness for that.  However, these loud right wing Christians are just getting way out of hand!  I'm not religious, I'm pretty much agnostic and believe religion and money bring out the very worst in many human beings, this I can tell you from personal experience!!!  However, I'm pretty sure one of the first things written in the bible is Judge not less ye will be judged...or something like that.  Isn't it ironic that all these wonderful, god fearing, and self proclaimed GOOD Christian folk are the most judgmental people on the planet.

I vowed never to write anything on here about same sex marriage, but I feel it's an appropriate topic in this rant.  I'm neither for same sex marriage nor against it; I'm for happiness.  If getting married makes two guys or two women happy...I'm all for it.  If they're getting married for political reasons, because they can...then I'm totally against it.  But who are these church folk to judge them.  They'll throw around this propaganda about God and Jesus thinking that us gay folk are abominations, even though nothing remotely like that is written in the bible.  Hell even the story of Jesus was written a century after the events occurred...are we that sure that it all happened the way they say it did.  Of course, when we live in a culture of fear, it's easy to just blindly follow those who have loud voices...like Jerry Falwell, Fred Phelps and other douche bags like America's very own president.  As Rush sang "I Will Choose Freewill".  If going to church, praying, and having a strong faith is important to you....Great!!!  Amazing! it's what makes you happy!  But please...keep it to yourself and your little group.  Not everyone believes the same things.  Straight marriages are not going to be demeaned or threatened by two gay men or women marrying.  It's time that church folk put their judgments aside, and preach love and happiness again.  Why can't we just mind our own business anymore!!!

Terri Schaivo....Rest in Peace darling, none of this bullshit was your fault!!!!!

November 10, 2004:

Subject:  It's the end of the world as we know it, and I feel fine!  (OK not really!)

NUFF SAID!

June 01, 2004:

Subject:  Supersize This!!!

Let me start this by saying, most of the time I try to add humor to my life and rants.  This may get pretty heavy; no pun intended…you’ll get it in a bit. 

Just saw the documentary “Supersize Me”.  Was well done, funny, but entirely too scary for me.  For those of you who are unaware, the premise of the documentary is:  This guy decides to eat nothing but homesteadonald’s food for 30 days.  His health deteriorates, and he gains an astounding 25lbs in just the 30 days.  This film hit me HARD!!! Not because I eat at homesteadonald's (I rarely do), but because I’m an overweight man, at one point I weighed 426lbs.  When I went into grade 9, I was 6’2”, 290lbs.  We moved a lot when I was a child and I was never given the opportunity to set any roots up and establish any lasting friendships.  This and the ongoing identity crisis of being a closeted gay teen led to me becoming a loner, spending most of my time in my basement bedroom surrounded by my passions and best friends:  Movies, Music, Comics, and the bestest friend anyone could have, junk food.  OK…enough excuses, on to the point.

Eating is a bad addiction; overweight people everywhere can attest to that!  Unfortunately our society makes it far to easy to maintain unhealthy lifestyles.  It’s up to us to change the way we live and eat.  I will make no excuses for my weight gain…I know how it happened.  I know what needs to be done to control it.  Easier said than done!  There are a few things about society, and gay life, which makes this an interesting and heated topic at the same time.  Of course, we all know the pressure society places on people, especially younger people, to look thin and beautiful.  This is magnified in the gay community to the point where when you walk into a gay bar like Woody’s in Toronto, it’s like walking into a room of Stepford Fags!!!!  Everyone looks the same, smells the same (perfume and cigarettes…what a combo!), and has the same glazed over expression on their face, that is until the fat guy walks by.  I used to work as a doorman at one of the bars here in Toronto.  On the weekends, one of us would be sent to the other bars to do a head count and see how business was.  So I walked into this bar…Woody’s, and it was like I was Moses parting the sea of sweater boys.  The looks on some of their faces were priceless…that Oh look at her, she’s fat (No that’s not an exaggeration!!!) look.  So I came to the conclusion very early in my time here in Toronto:  The gay community IS NOT this happy little family where you can be yourself (as advertised in small rural towns) it’s maybe the most shallow and contrived community there is! 

As with most communities, the gay community is broken down into sub cultures.  The one I suppose I identify most with is the Bear Community.  The Bear movement began in the 80’s by big, hairy, masculine men who were shunned and unaccepted in the gay world.  It became a huge community and has helped many men realize that there were others just like them, and it’s ok to be you!  Unfortunately, over time, the bear community became like all other facets of gay life….we’ve become exclusive and intolerant of others, I know some will argue this with me…but look around you before you throw that stone, how accepting is the bear community of twinks?  The other dangerous aspect of this bear phenomenon:  it’s ok to be fat, it’s ok to eat lots….well guess what folks, it’s not!!!!  For those very same shallow reasons that the muscleboys workout for 4 hrs a day, we eat!  In this community, we have men who call themselves gainers; men who purposely gain weight to become in their mind more attractive.  Hey whatever floats your boat right, just no complaints when you acquire Coronary Artery Disease and your skinny feeder (Men who get off on feeding gainers) take off because of your medical problems.

This film was a wake up call.  Losing weight is not easy, I can certainly attest to that.  Its like any other addiction…it’s a life long battle.  As for the bear group thing, instead of going to Dim sum or an all you can eat buffet for a get together, maybe we need to get a small group together and go to weight watchers.  Not for the aesthetics…please, I love the look of a hairy man with a beer gut like the next bear, but for the health we so dearly need to preserve.  I would suggest anybody feeling that they need to lose weight and stop eating so poorly see this film, it’s not just about homesteadonalds, it’s about life and about our society. 

May 13, 2004:

Subject:  Diseny vs. Michael Moore

        This summer will see the release of Michael Moore's highly anticipated follow up to Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11.  This movie is so timely, since it's an election year in the States, and the subject matter is highly critical of the buffoon in the oval office currently.  I will refrain from commenting on any of the atrocities occurring right now in Iraq....on both sides!!!  This movie apparently is SO critical of George W., that the wonderful, family oriented people at Walt Disney have told their subsidiary Miramax films that they will not back this film, and it's not to be released under the Disney umbrella.  

        If anything, this will make people want to see this movie more!!!  And apparently the Weinstein Bros., the heads of Miramax films, are in the process of buying the film's rights back from Disney so it can be released to the public this summer.  Well at least someone has balls left in the art world.  There are many reasons, I'm sure, why Disney did this....much of it has to do with it's ties with Jeb Bush in Florida and the ongoing Family Values bullshit that they stand for.....as do the Bushes!  All I know is that I can't wait to see Moore talking about the Bush's long time ongoing relationship with the Bin Laden family.  This film will scare the hell out of some folks...and hopefully, along with other media, finally Americans will wake up and realize how much Howdy Doody W. has sunk your great nation into a big hole of oil and greed.  I bet that most people that actually read this portion of my site will agree with that...most Gay people hate George W.  Please correct me if I'm wrong.  Also, I know with Michael Moore, you either love him, or hate him...and yes, he does put his twist on things, however it's hard to argue with simple, and hard facts.  I hope everyone sees this film, and I hope in November...Americans will wake up.  Michael Moore has so many good comments on his site regarding Disney...check it out for yourself sometime!  We should be so lucky to have someone like Moore here in Canada, to exploit some of the numbskulls running our country.  Of course, we have an election this year too....unfortunately the outcome of our Federal election will only affect Canadians.  Isn't it funny that the American Presidential election has become as globally intriguing as the Miss Universe pageant or the Olympics.

March 16, 2004:

Subject:  The Passion of Mel.

        Ok, this film, the Passion of the Christ is still #1 at the box office, I have yet to see it, and I'm questioning whether or not I want to see a dramatic re telling of Jesus getting the shit kicked out of him many times, then carrying his cross, which he then gets nailed too....and is left to die.  It IS the single worst act of violence in our history...my apologies to those Americans that believe 9/11 was the world's greatest tragedy...I'm sure it's in the top twenty, but the nod has to go to Jesus here.  Ok let's first qualify this, my religious beliefs are very personal, and nowhere near the same as Mel Gibson's, but damn is he smart to put this film out.  Only a month ago, the head of the FCC in the states called Janet Jackson's breast attack the single worst thing shown on television.  So how else to cleanse ourselves...well let's watch Jesus die for our sins again.

        I work with some very right wing Christian Jamaican women...you don't want to fuck with these ladies of God!!!!  They're opinionated, assertive, and sometimes just plain nasty.  But there is one woman I work with, very staunch in her beliefs, but doesn't flaunt it as much.  She saw the ad for this film and said she MUST see it!  So me, being me, questioned why she MUST see it.  She really couldn't answer the question well, but made it clear that it is her duty as a Christian to go see this.  Here's where Mel's brain comes in....Let's look at the box office as the biggest fuckin' collection plate you've ever seen!  Here is a woman, who never spends a cent at the movies...but is willing to lay down the $12.50 just to watch the same story she's heard a million times, every christmas, every Easter...why?  Because it's her duty.  I respect her faith, and her belief in her faith....but don't let Mel Gibson and his preaching sway you, he made this film for one reason....$$$$$.

        However, does it surprise us that a religious film is so popular?  Look stateside and you see this growing trend of cleansing (Jackson's breast, Howard Stern under fire, etc...)  You only have to look at the top, at the dumbass running the show, and listen to his beliefs.  George W. believes that gay people are still abominations, and gay marriage is an attack on the church....now George W. is one man that's never been accused of attacking anyone, has he!  I fear for America, I fear that if they don't get their heads out of their butts and get that cowboy jackass out of office, that there will be some major homeland issues that will boil over soon.  Religion is a very personal thing, let's keep it that way...not everyone believes in the same things, not everyone is willing to believe everything their told.  It's time we gave our free will and thoughts a chance....think for ourselves, you never know what we may find, or is that the scary part!  Just my opinion, feel free to send me hatemail.....but I live in an apartment building, the other tenants may not appreciate a burning cross on the front lawn.

Sidenote:  Was watching the Beatles Anthology last night....John Lennon, you inspire us all!

February 15, 2004:

Subject:  Political Correctness.

        I respect and understand the need for some people to be 100% politically correct;  we live in such a diverse world now that in can't be helped.  However, there is a point where we must step back and be able to laugh at ourselves.  If we can't laugh at ourselves, and get over the little things....we will not survive!  Recent events have happened, and just when you thought it was safe to use off colour commentary....the PC Police come knocking to slap your face.  The whole Janet Jackson thing is truly silly; both sides of it...she's a publicity whore, and the people complaining have nothing better to do with their lives!  Should the US Government really be spending time and tax payers money on investigating whether or not a Jackson would do something for publicity?  

        Issue #2:  Don Cherry...a Canadian Icon in the world of Hockey.  For those of you who don't know Mr. Cherry, has been a commentator on Hockey Night in Canada since the early 80's.  He IS our Archie Bunker; always has nice things to say about European hockey players (not!!!).  He recently said something offensive about the use of face shields in hockey and how only European and French guys wear them.  Well now, didn't he just insult the world there.  Infact the stats prove he's right...for the most part, but heaven forbid you say something off colour, especially a Canadian saying something about a French hockey player...Just laugh, it's only Don Cherry, no crosses will be burned on any francophone lawns over this...why are we making him into such a nasty bigot....folks get over it.  

        Issue #3, speaking of French slander...Conan O'Brien took a huge chance, maybe he didn't realize how touchy the French English thing can get in Canada, but man he nailed the French in one of his bits last week.  And he got nailed in the press for it.  If you saw the bit, yes it was offensive, it was supposed to be.  I personally thought it was hilarious...but I'm a smart ass!  I love French people, and I'm sure some of the people that were in the skit thought it was funny too!  Conan sent Triumph the INSULT dog to Quebec city to INSULT french people and their way of life.  First of all they're American, second of all it's all about insults!!!!  Conan O'Brien is a comedian...not a politician.  His influence is very small, just laugh and get the joke.....why are we so thin skinned these days???  

        Final issue, and maybe the silliest...The Grammies!  OutKast performed to close the show, and Andre 3000 and his dancers came out in feathers from a large teepee from outer space!  Apparently Native American groups were offended.  IT WAS A TEEPEE FROM MARS......My god GET OVER IT!!!!!!  This is what's totally wrong with the world right now, we forgot to laugh, we're just too Goddamn serious now.  And I thank the highest power for Don Cherry, Conan O'Brien, & OutKast for doing their duties as humans...and trying to make us laugh.  You can keep your political correctness, it has it's place, however...it's being misused!  (Just My Opinion!)

February 02, 2004:

Subject:  Superbowl Sunday vs. Janet Jackson’s breasts!

Correct me if I’m wrong, but is it not a tad bit insane that the biggest news of the day is the fact that Justin Timberlake ripped Janet Jackson’s top off, exposing one of her breasts on live television during the half time show at the Superbowl?

The New England patriots actually won the game by the way!  Everyone is coming out with comments about how offensive it was.  The FCC is trying to pursue Janet Jackson for this.  It was even said that it was awful because the Superbowl is a family show, and children are watching…..HELLO!!!!!!  These are the same twits that idolize Britney Spears and other Uber Sluts that top the pop charts. 

Also, now this gets political, so look away now if you’re sensitive to politics.  The President of The USA went against the UN a year ago and irresponsibly annihilated thousands of innocent Iraqi people, not to mention the American service men and women who are paying for that decision now, some with their lives.  This was all broadcast live on television, and nobody said shit!  Janet Jackson whips out a tit, and the fabric of America’s youth has been torn to shreds.  Really folks….what is the big deal, let it go, move on…and get the fuck out of IRAQ!  By the way, her last name is Jackson, I can’t believe that anything a Jackson does has the potential to be shocking!