Vivienne Westwood blasts government's stance on terrorism suspects

By Joelle Diderich, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PARIS - Rebel British designer Vivienne Westwood on Monday used her catwalk show in Paris as a platform to protest a British government push to extend the number of days that terrorist suspects can be detained without charges.

Westwood sent models down the catwalk wrapped in T-shirts and silk blankets printed with "56" - the maximum number of days the government reportedly wants to hold terror suspects, doubling the current limit.

After the display, she launched a stinging attack on Prime Minister Gordon Brown, amid growing speculation that he will call an early election.

"I'll be voting against him, definitely. Anything to get him out," said Westwood, who is best known as one of the founders of the punk movement in the 1970s.

Britain's Home Office said that, while a 56-day limit on such detentions has been widely reported, no formal proposal was ever made and that officials are still trying to determine how much longer they would like to hold terror suspects.

Brown, whose second full day in office was marked by a failed terror attack in London, set out plans in July for tough new anti-terrorism laws, saying police need greater powers to hold and question suspects in increasingly complex and global plots.
Currently, suspects need to be charged or released within 28 days.
Westwood accused the British leader of behaving like a "tyrant" and said the measures would not help to protect British citizens against terrorism.
"We need people (in court) in front of the law - this will protect me," she said.

The designer has a history of mixing politics and fashion. For several years, she has been calling for the release of Leonard Peltier, an American Indian Movement activist convicted of killing two FBI agents in a shootout on a South Dakota reservation in 1975.

Lola the explorer!

We went up to the Crowe's nest Friday & Saturday for Dave's dad Wayne's birthday....and boy did we have a nice relaxing time!

Great weather and S'mores too!

Lola, Dave and I went around the lake in the canoe...saw a few turtles and frogs!

Lee and I also picked some wild raspberries!

We are back in the city now (as I was supposed to work today but now am not!) hope to make some french toast and go for a nice stroll down to the market to look at some wedding invitations! (yes we are still planning along over here!)

haud muto factum

– nothing happens by being mute.

Stylist and fashion guru Isabella Blow, a vibrant and often outrageous presence on the British fashion scene, has tragically died aged 48.

Thanks to Vogue being written about 3 or so months prior to actually being published/released I read about the loss of Isabella Blow just last week. I could not believe the sad news of the world losing such an icon.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/femail/article.html?in_article_id=453384&in_page_id=1879

She had an unfailing eye for beauty, and "discovered" Stella Tennant, Honor Fraser and most famously Sophie Dahl, whom she first encountered weeping on the street after an argument with her mother. Undeterred by Dahl's then-voluptuous size, she whisked her off to Storm model agency and cast her in a Vogue fashion shoot.

But it was her passion for fashion, and her ardent support of British designers, which will be her most enduring legacy. She was an early supporter of Alexander McQueen, Hussein Chalayan and milliner Philip Treacy, using her own body as a billboard to advertise their skills by wearing them at every opportunity.

At the sort of event where most fashion editors would wear workaday black garb, Isabella could always be relied upon to turn up in full fashion regalia - even if it was nine o'clock in the morning. No event was too early - or too casual - not to warrant outrageous clothes, towering heels and a slash of crimson lipstick, all topped off with a jaunty Treacy hat, which she was never without.

There was never a dull moment when Isabella Blow was around. To her many friends and admirers, she was the quintessence of British fashion: a passionate supporter of new talent and an outspoken champion of the avant garde.

She began her career in 1981 as an assistant to Anna Wintour, now editor-in-chief of American Vogue. Returning to London in 1986, Blow worked for British Vogue, The Sunday Times Style magazine and most recently Tatler, as their fashion director. She had a penchant for plucking rich young society girls from relative obscurity in the shires and taking them under her wing before championing them as models.

For her passion and her character, she will be sorely missed. The world is a far duller place without her.

Mystery today surrounded the death of Isabella Blow, one of the British fashion industry's most eccentric characters, amid claims that she may have poisoned herself.

The 48-year-old fashion director of Tatler magazine, a self-confessed depressive, was found collapsed in her Gloucestershire home on Sunday and pronounced dead in hospital yesterday morning.

Her art dealer husband, Detmar Blow, said she had been very ill after fighting ovarian cancer but declined to say whether she took her own life.

7-7-7

We always talked about this date years and years ago.
Long before it ever crossed the minds of the masses.
We laughed and joked and teased each other about this magical date as this was to be our day to get married as nothing on the calendar would be as lucky for a pair of goofy friends like us who talked and talked on the phone.

Instead we are happily settled into our new home in Ottawa down in the market.
I can hear the peace tower bells ringing in the distance too.

Everything is as lucky as can be.

We arent married yet, but that is on the horizon not to worry.

Off to Otown

Well I've heard a few requests for more pblog "updates".

So here is one for you. Even though this was meant to be a place for my friends and families that are living

in more distant places such as Edmonton etc. Not for my friends that actually SEE me in the flesh.

Those are the luckier of the sort.

I have also heard that the pblog is to some, a sort of morning ritual.

So thank you for this. I was also told that if I were to post more the readership would return.

Yet I believe that everyone is busy with their facebook accounts and fail to find the time to read blogs anymore.

A Blog, that's so 2004.

I've lived in a quite a few cities to date. Now its time to get moving into the next.
So what if I am taking a break from the dust and cat & dog fur that's flying all over the house as we speak.


I think I have developed some mild dust allergies.
I guess because its my 30th birthday next month its already bringing me lots of good fruitful age-related surprises.



Thanks for that.


I am happy packing up stuff and getting rid of all the garbage that seems to follow us around house-to-house.
Its good to cleanse the house. Get rid of far too many greeting card collections. Odds-N-ends regarding my closet.

Such as my VANS.
Yes I am going to donate that little bit of what was once such a big part of my exterior coolness in the past.

I couldn't donate my collection of concert t-shirts though. Its a real struggle to part with it. I stacked it up to be as high as my knee, then the rest just had to go. I really "edited" it down.
I know that I never wear any of them anymore, not even to bed.

I do not however own the above: "Jails Hot!".
Sorry folks.

As per Ottawa, Dave and I found a nice old 1900's Victorian "row house" as they call it.
My mom says that "row house" sounds very ghetto and I am not supposed to use the term.
I will miss hearing the roars of children 9 floors down below at the school across the dirt path of which, is soon to be a grand new road. And I will miss that fresh ooze of fresh greasy hot tar when it hits +40 some time soon.....Mmmm. Gotta love Mississauga.
I will not miss the 403, or Hurontario traffic.
I will miss the Mississauga city hall fountain that Lola and I walked to.
I will also miss our sister city Kariya Park, and the ducks and its own zen garden with little pebbles raked daily. That's about it.
Oh, and I will also try to forget why it was that we moved here in the first place.


Down below in the open field, no one ever came to clean up the Tim Horton's garbage that I complained about either earlier this year.

There's no reward with complaint. In 2007, no one cares about anything or anyone, or even the state of the environment. I really feel upset about all of this. But what am I to do? put my head back into the sand and keep consuming.

So I had enough of my boycott and went to buy us lunch as I wanted to see who was working there and what this ignorance looked like. I arrived bitter as ever for my sudden hunger.
A bunch of students frantic as ever were microwaving bacon and spilling coffee on the floor was what I saw.
A young woman with a khaki colored hiijab then asked me for my order, and I felt guilty as I asked for a traditional summer Turkey-BLT. She snickered at my reply. I felt bad for not being a vegetarian like I said I would this year. I then went on to purchase soup and coffee. And as my bonus to the combo, I even got a choice of doughnut. How filthy of me.

"Vanilla dip, please"



Ok, off to Ottawa it is. I promise to start-up my creative writing again.
Time to get back to my packing up.


M-GOOD news,
For those that didnt know already, Matt Good is streaming his new cd that comes out July 31st.
iTunes has it streaming, its fantastic.
It will just be hard not to be connected to the internet while we move to hear it this week.
Trust me it will be a fast PC hook-up!


Cheers to you and yours, and Happy Canada Day!

"Abusive Actions" PART: 2

Hi Patti,

We appreciate your suggestion.

You can make this request from the 'Suggestions' tab on the Help page.

Let me know if you have any further questions. Also, your account was disabled because you took repeated actions that could be construed as spam. For instance, it is a violation of Facebook's Terms of Use to repeatedly send the same message or to make the same post. Facebook prides itself in protecting users from spam, and we take this standard very seriously.

However, after reviewing your situation, we have reconfirmed your account and you should now be able to access it again. Please do not send or post any more form messages. Further violations of our Terms will result in the termination of your account.

Finally, please be aware that when a warning message appears on your homepage, it will generally be displayed for 24 hours. It can be displayed for longer, however, if you continue performing these abusive actions. We appreciate your cooperation going forward.

Thanks for contacting Facebook,

Justin
Customer Support Representative Facebook

How I got suspended from FACEBOOK for animal rights issues, PART: 1

MY LETTER TO FACEBOOK:

Dear Classifieds Manager/Editor of FACEBOOK,

I am writing with regard to the "free to a good home" advertisements that appear in the classifieds section of the MARKETPLACE.As you may be aware, animals given away for free can, and unfortunately often do, meet gruesome fates.

They can end up in the hands of animal abusers like Barry Herbeck, a Wisconsin man who was convicted of torturing and killing animals he obtained through "free to a good home" ads.

He confessed to taking his kids with him when responding to the ads so that people would be comfortable turning animals over to him.

People known as "bunchers," who obtain animals illegally from random sources to sell to research facilities for profit, often acquire animals by answering "free to a good home" ads.

Small animals advertised as "free to a good home" are sometimes acquired by individuals who intend to use them as bait in training other animals to fight. Gerbils, hamsters, and young kittens are often acquired to be used as snake food.

Animal protection organizations all over the United States and Canada work diligently to educate people about the proper procedure for placing animals and frequently assist people in finding good homes for their animals. I have contacted individuals who placed "free to a good home" advertisements on FACEBOOK to alert them to the potential perils for their animals and have in the past received appreciative calls/e-mails from people who say they never knew that these dangers existed.

FACEBOOK could do its readers and the animals a great service, while setting a very progressive example, by printing a brief warning at the top of the pets section about giving animals away for free.

Readers should contact their local Humane Society for further help with surrendering their pets.

For example,
The Toronto Humane Society supports members of the community who can no longer care for their pets and must surrender them. However, they ask the public to help manage their admissions by giving as much lead time as possible.
If you need to surrender a pet (within Toronto) call 416-392-2273 ext. 2146 to make an appointment.

www.helpinganimals.com

MY REPLY FROM FACEBOOK:

Hi,
Action has been taken on your account, and Facebook Customer Support has received your inquiry. We will review your situation and get back to you as soon as possible.

Thanks for contacting Facebook.

-Facebook Customer Support

Welcome to Ottawa. Please enjoy your stay...

For those of you that have no clue what we are up to....I will post it here to make things easier.

Dave is currently in Ottawa with our dog Lola and is starting his NEW job tomorrow with the Govt!

Lets hope that ALL goes well for him and it isn't something like SHLLP was for him.

We hope we will have a great fresh start and all should be peachy...or rosey...or something like that!

They are home of the Sens right? how could we go wrong with that?

I have remained behind in Mississauga so that I can tidy up the condo and prep all the stuff for moving!

I am also now going to Edmonton to visit my family on Thursday night until the 22nd.

I haven't been home for over a year and a half.

Yes, I haven't seen my brother and Dad for that long...as well as ALL the rest of you!!!

I told Dave that we should have him come online as a "guest blogger"

so that we can both share our Ottawa and Edmonton stories

while we are apart this month.

Lola doesn't know how to type, but perhaps Dave can add a few comments where necessary.

I cant wait to get home to visit with my family!

We are planning on doing lots and lots of hardcore wedding shopping!!!

Its totally a girls vacation....!

I haven't been to the giant mall in ages.

Waterpark anyone? rollercoaster too?

We will get to go to the giant wedding section/wing of west Edmonton mall all for me!

I am SO excited! it will be a great time!
I always dreamed about going there when I was little girl to try on dresses!

I also hope to go to Whyte ave to have a few pints with all the people I have reunited with on facebook

and all of my cousins that are now "of age" to drink. We have to find a way to sneak in my sister.

She will be 18 on the 27th, sadly I will not be there to take her to the strippers....

wait, gross!

My cousin Chris SO owes me drinks because of the good time we gave him here in March.

Sadly, Dinosaur Jr will be playing on the 26th, so I will totally miss that...oh well.

My brother will have his hands full with running his kids-day-home so I will be over there visiting and

playing with all of Jalen & Kennedy's super cool toys.

I cant wait to play with their kraft dinner colored playdough!

And of course Jalen and I will have a lightsaber fight.

My friend Kelly and her husband told me they were driving to Banff to go ski for the long weekend,

and that I should join them for Spring Skiing in the mountains...

oh! SO tough to say no!

I hope to take Dave to ski/snowboard one day...he will then understand why I hate living out east

We were thinking of going to try out the Swiss Alps for our honeymoon....sound good?

Time to start our honeymoon registry I think!

Anyway,

hope to write more and make more use of the blog from E-town.

And dave, from O-town.

Enjoy.

Love P&D

Facebook Flaw

Yes I have taken some much needed creative

time off from my pblog writings.

Sorry fans.

I know that you are just as busy with facebook as I am.

Its amazing how many old friends I have found on that

crazy new tool of wasting our little spare bit of time.

Its all about curiosity isn't it?

Its all about messing with fate.

I almost don't like it.

Life unfolds a certain way and we are all just supposed

to roll with it.

None of this, "hey lets be friends again

because I never bothered to be yours way back when in

the first place, sorry!"

baloney.

There was a reason why I stopped being your friend

it happened for a reason.

Just because I can use this

new cyber tool doesn't mean

that its right to do so.

Like in that old movie Flatliners

where Kevin Bacon goes back to find that

girl he once teased so much that he ruined her life

and she ended up living in the ghetto.

He went back and fixed things.

Luckily I don't live anywhere near

Jane&Finch,

but my life has turned out alright.

Sure I threw banana's into the crowd in Gr.9 during a talent show

(don't ask),

not because it was funny,

but because my best friend and I didn't like

the "popular" girls that were sitting in the front row

and always insulted us and called us

alternative weirdos.

Sad isn't it, the mind of a 14 year old.

We also wore black dresses to our grad when everyone wore bad

1990's floral prints.

I sent the pics over to my friend last week for a laugh at how cool we were.

Such rebels.

And noticed that I even

wore classic pearls.

Imagine!

I was teased for the way I dressed.

But now I am "friends" with these people? years and years later.

Is the popular girl now me, because I have lots of virtual friends?

no.

I think Kevin Bacon will add me soon enough.

And my life will right itself entirely.

My friend "Taz" in jr. high locked my friend and I

in the basement in the dark of our school once

by accident?

and we never forgave him.

I even smacked him in the face.

And life moved on to grade 10.

Fresh start, new school, new people.

He found me on facebook and we laughed about the incident

yet I am afraid of the dark and small spaces to this day.

Was I supposed to find him again?

Are the creators of facebook indeed playing with fate?

What do you think?

The photo was from Taz, its a "Keytar t-shirt".

I thought it was funny.

He is a Dj in Kelowna now and married.

I suppose we all grow up at some point?

Others just keep wearing bad t-shirts like him.

Sorry if this doesn't make any sense, its been awhile.

WSPA -Anti-Bullfighting Action

There are less than 2 weeks left until the deadline for Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to sign the Written Declaration calling for an EU-wide ban on bullfighting. If you live in the EU please help by emailing your local MEPs, urging them to support the Declaration

“Not only would the Declaration complement the EU’s high standards of animal welfare, but it would also send a strong message to member state countries that support bullfighting that there is no excuse for such cruelty in the twenty-first century.” Leah Garcés, WSPA Director of Campaigns

http://www.wspa-international.org/news.asp?newsID=405&type=0

The anti-bullfight Catalonia campaign continues to grow from strength to strength and continues to draw support from animal welfare enthusiasts and supporters from across the globe.
Support the Anti-Bullfighting Campaign ‘Culture without Cruelty‘ and help WSPA to end the cruel sport of bullfighting.

Bullfighting is a cruel sport that pits a bull against men who wield a variety of lethal weapons.
WSPA is working with Spanish member society, ADDA, to end this cruel ‘sport’ in the region of Catalonia, northern Spain.

Get involved with WSPA. Sign their petition and help end bullfighting now.

Why are bullfights cruel?
Most bullfights last for about 15 minutes, with a series of deliberately vicious stages. The bull is taunted and stabbed with a variety of spears, barbed spikes and daggers. These weapons are designed to inflict intense pain and cause blood loss to weaken the animal.

After this period of suffering, the Matador finally kills the exhausted and dying bull. Many bulls die drowning in their own blood because the Matador’s inaccuracy often pierces their lungs instead of the heart.

Following this, a short dagger, or ‘puntilla’, is used to sever its spinal cord at the neck before the bull is dragged out of the arena, sometimes still alive.

Achievements to date
Barcelona City Council declares its ‘anti-bullfight’ stance in April 2004
Over 500,000 petitions collected in support of a ban on bullfighting in Catalonia
Bill to ban bullfighting proposed in Catalan Parliament in April 2005

The future for bullfights in Catalonia
The next and crucial stage of this campaign is securing a ban on bullfighting in the entire region of Catalonia. Such a ban would be a landmark victory for the entire anti-bullfight movement and would relegate this cruel ‘sport’ to the past once and for all.


Sign their petition and help end bullfighting now...

http://www.wspa-international.org/pet_bullfighting_eprotest.asp

bridal boutique #1, Location: Queen Street garment district

My aunt and I thought I should just get all girly and go try on some
frilly glitzy cupcake dresses in the tacky bridal section on Queen street.

We got in a lot of trouble for snapping this photo!
We were pretty much kicked out of the store before I tried on anything!

But instead to try to make a sale, the girl handed me 2 cupcake Cinderella's

and hovered over me like a mosquito while I was just in my undies!

Also, I cannot believe how difficult it was to get on the pumpkin dress,

I had to "jump" into the dress --believe me it was tough to do even with my long legs!

The bridal assistant was terrified that I had another camera hiding

with me inside the change room!

"no photos, no photos please!"

Like we were headin for the hills with these rare made in china designs!

The flourescent tube lighting was TOTALLY flattering as well!

Anyway it was a success to see what silhouettes I look good in at least...

That was my mission.

And it was amazing to find out that for $1900 you can get a big pile of crap!
I think it will take me a long time to find

"the one"

Seen anything on EBAY? let me know.

king kong arrives at the CN Tower

Thought we were being funny or something.

I haven't been to the tower in over ten years and at that time it was a whopping $12!

This time it was $27!

Plus $9 to go to the sky-pod.

I couldn't believe all of the security checks we went through to get up there.

Thanks 911!

We then thought about the airport being somewhat inadequate for not having the same nifty machine that blew air on us checking for bombs etc but they do have a designated swab lady.

They also casually took our photo prior to entering against a green screen

--yet it was totally for security purposes.

They then turned our candid mug shot over to a photoshop expert

who puts in a slick CN Tower background

for a cool $25 upon exit.

At least the sidewalk sausages don't cost $27!

Did you know that there is enough cement used in the CN Tower to build a sidewalk stretching from Toronto to Kingston?

Man is quite stupid in my books.

But not as stupid as the guy that holds a world record for hauling misc appliances

up the stairs!

Or the stunt man that threw himself down the stairs

"on purpose"

got cbc?

I had a great time hanging out and taking my Aunt Kelly and my handsome cousin Chris around Toronto this past week.

We saw most of the great sights that Toronto has to offer including the CBC of course!
Chris was sure he was going to find someone famous within the buildings interior courtyard.

He left Kelly and I at the CBC gift shop and took off to buy a bottle of pop.

I looked high and low for my beloved Evan Solomon, but nothing.

All I got were some giant sized photos of my fav hosts outside.

And there were far too many coronation street items.

I have posted some pictures on Flickr already, but will post some more photos here on the blog too as some require a giant description vs others

such as this one.

What the Quiznos fan said...

Don Cherry On The Offensive With Stephen Colbert

by Ryan Porter msn.ca 21/03/2007 8:54:00

Don Cherry was in a fighting mood as the guest speaker on Stephen Colbert Day in Oshawa, Ontario, on Tuesday, March 20.

"I didn't know if he was left wing, but somebody told me this afternoon he's a left-wing pinko, and you'd expect a left-wing pinko not to show up and face the music after starting something," the Quiznos fan said of The Colbert Report host.

As if that wasn't insulting enough, Don spit out, "He wears a visor too, I think." We don't know what that means, but it sounds pretty humiliating.

Stephen was given his own day after the OHL team, the Oshawa Generals, lost a bet to the Saginaw Spirit, whose mascot, Steagle Colbeagle the Eagle, had caught Stephen's attention.

If they'd won, Stephen would have worn an Oshawa Generals jersey on-air. But that didn't happen, so instead the mayor's birthday was declared Stephen Colbert Day.

Three thousand people attended the party at the General Motors Centre. In a taped message, Stephen continued to taunt the city. "Bold, innovative, vibrant: none of these words have been applied to the city of Oshawa," he said. "But how about these words: beaver pelt."

Ouch! You know Don Cherry is going to be lurking on a dark side street with a broken bottle of Molson Canadian with Stephen's name on it after that.

Oshawa's 'Stephen Colbert Day'

TORONTO (CP) - Ever since his satirical news program took to the airwaves in late 2005, American comic Stephen Colbert has revelled in taunting Canada.

He welcomed Canadian viewers to "The Colbert Report" - pronounced "ra-PORE" - when it launched on The Comedy Network in November '05 by telling them: "I am Stephen Colbert. I have balls. If you're lucky, they might just rub off on you."
When the Conservatives booted the Liberals out of power in last year's federal election, Colbert was quick to take credit, crowing: "I fixed Canada in 77 days!"
Now Canada, it appears, is ready to thank Colbert for his repair work by holding a "Stephen Colbert Day" celebration, featuring none other than Don Cherry himself, the type of no-nonsense straight-shooter who would be well and truly adored by Colbert's faux right-wing pundit.

A night of festivities, including a Colbert lookalike contest, is being held Tuesday in Oshawa, an industrial city east of Toronto better-known for its GM plant than its tendency to whoop it up.
"The only cool thing that has ever happened to Oshawa," commented one blogger on her blog It's Gonna Be a Blue Moon Rising.

Shannon McFadyen, a spokeswoman for the city of Oshawa, said Sunday that Colbert himself is not appearing at the event, but added "The Colbert Report" may send a field producer for a future segment on the show.
Nonetheless, more than 1,500 people are expected to turn out at the General Motors Centre, a gleaming new venue in downtown Oshawa that opened in November and seats 6,000, McFadyen said.

"We're getting a really interesting mix of people who are coming," McFadyen said. "There are hockey fans, Don Cherry fans and then sort of younger university students who are really into the Colbert show. We have a group of kids coming up from New York University, for example, and some interest from Newfoundland. It's a real blend of people because the themes are hockey and comedy."

It all started when about two million Colbert fans inundated an online contest to name the mascot of the Saginaw Spirit, a Michigan OHL team. Steagle Colbeagle the Eagle was born as a tribute to the comedian.
Colbert soon threw his support behind the squad and began trash-talking its OHL rivals, especially the Oshawa Generals.

After a public volley of taunts and counter-taunts, Oshawa Mayor John Gray issued a challenge to Colbert on the eve of a recent showdown between the two teams: if the Generals won, Colbert would have had to wear a Generals jersey for an entire show. If the Spirit won, Gray had to declare Colbert's birthday "Stephen Colbert Day" in Oshawa.
Colbert, whose pundit was inspired by Fox News's belligerent Bill O'Reilly, accepted the challenge but had a more humiliating suggestion: he wanted "Stephen Colbert Day" to be declared not on his own birthday, but on Gray's - March 20. And so it was.
"How old are you going to be?" Colbert asked Gray in a recent interview on his show. "Old enough to know better than to take on Stephen Colbert?"
"Hopefully, in the future, yes," Gray, who turns 48 on Tuesday, admitted sheepishly.

One of the highlights of the night's festivities promises to be the selection of the winning Colbert lookalike.
Five semi-finalists have been chosen from across Canada and the winner will be determined by the competitor who gets the loudest cheers from the audience on Tuesday night. The victor wins a trip to New York City, where he'll attend a taping of the "The Colbert Report," a spawn of Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show."

There will also be a hockey challenge featuring a showdown between the team's mascots: the Generals' Shooter and the Spirit's aforementioned Steagle Colbeagle the Eagle.
For the $5 cost of admission, there will also be free cake and Dr. Pepper - Colbert's favourite soft drink.
For McFadyen, the entire Stephen Colbert event signifies that the city of Oshawa, which has long lived in Toronto's shadow, has a sense of fun all its own.
"It's just one of the things we are doing to say Oshawa has a lot to offer. It's an exciting place to be."

the butcher the baker AND the candlestick maker?

Decided to let those in Ottawa know that we will be up for Easter

to chase the Easter bunny, color some eggs and go to church of course!

(don't worry the cathedral is booked!)

We have to go check out some wedding reception sites (again).

Its hard to find the *perfect* place for our winter wedding day.

We have a few more places in mind

(all of which are now top secret)

Also, we found and reserved our creative gang of wild photographers

and found a fantastic florist!

Now I gotta track down a cake maker unless I try to construct

our giant

foam

tower

of

decorated

fondant

myself???

At least I designed it.

Hmm, *tiny little ants* ate my

Bonnie Gordon blue fake-cake by the way!

I am hesitant to construct another at home for fun.

Its also pretty difficult to roll fondant onto foam

in a tiny condo

with

3 furry pets!

sounds appetizing huh?

Otherwise, all else is on track...

well except for our lotto 649 ticket that is...

Get your Easter baskets out, the bunny's coming soon!
We stumbled across Mister Munchy, he is no longer the plain 1980's-esque

old fluorescent pink boxed up

Mister Munchy,

he got a whole new look! go see for yourself!

--its about time ya think?

Also my Aunt Kelly and her hockey obsessed son Chris

will be here this Saturday for a week

from good old Edmonton!

Wish we didn't have such a crappy hockey team

Umm...lets see who is left to cheer for...

with some glimmer of hope...

Go habs Go!

Happy Saint Patti's by the way...

We had a super Saturday full of laughs, super good hair, guinness and green beer.
We met at JC Salons in bloor west village at high noon

and then headed off to the Swan & Firkin
for suds, cheer, glittery green derbys and loads of nachos!
We sure missed those that couldn't join us, but they were there in spirit(s)

International Women’s Day

Beginning on March 8, as part of International Women’s Day, Amnesty International supporters are calling on various governments, including Afghanistan, Nigeria and Belarus, to ensure that the police and security forces, and other actors in the criminal justice system receive specific training on how to protect women and properly investigate reports of violence against women.

Violence against women is prevalent in every society in the world and cuts across boundaries of wealth, race and culture. The experience or threat of violence inhibits women everywhere from fully exercising and enjoying their human rights. For that reason, Amnesty International is joining women throughout the world to expose and counter violence against women.

TAKE THE QUIZ NOW!

http://www.amnesty.ca/quiz/seeithearit/seeithearit.htm

TAKE 20 SECONDS TO SEND AN E-CARD TO FOREIGN MINISTER PETER MACKAY!

http://www.amnesty.ca/quiz/seeithearit/afghanistanaction.htm

old vineyard

It would be amazing if Vincent painted somethng more wintery

I wonder how he would paint a blizzard in oil

and how he would represent the colors outside my window today.

And I am sure that this woman would be wearing snowpants as well!

snowglobe glitter

I am stuck in a snowglobe right now!

Time to welcome March with a blast of snow!

Its a weird view from up in our tower right now

you can't see anything

just racing white stuff.

And the trees down below look chilly too.

Nothing like a blast of snow to get me in the right mood

for planning our winter wedding next year though!

Its a "good thing" too that I have saved every

Martha Stewart magazine too

including her winter issues...

look at all that Christmas shortbread...

a wreath made out of gumdrops how elegant

and peppermint hot fudge sundaes...wow

its a good time to be inside after all!

Apple strudel and fruitcake and montebianco oh my.

Now if only we had a fireplace to cozy up to!

and god created...Lola

Lola took over our computer today and made this post

She told me that she wanted her thoughts written our here in full text:

This post is dedicated to my pet-parents,

thank you for loving me as much as you would a less-furry child.

And for finally becoming engaged.

You will be my *official* pet-parents
very soon.

love always Lola xoxoxoxo

PS, there's poop in the hallway ;)

Sneaky lass!

Those are such kind words, aww...

such great thought rages through her mind

must have been her Siamese brother and sister

that put her up to this!

(they are all paws and cant type a single word)

despite her being a furry little creature of the highlands

she has some good things to say

big dog small package, that's her motto.

one scott two scott three scott i'm hott

Urban Scotties

Even in the radical Mary Quant stylized '60's a scottie dog

was the perfect dog to have

heck why not wear matching outfits?

and who does not want 1, or 2

but 3!

Our cats wouldn't stand for it, but they are Siamese

what do they know besides being chock full of trouble!

Lola Havana the Uber sex pot

Found these old sketches on ebay for sale a while back...

thought they were pretty sexy for the time they were made

question is though in 2007, are all girls that own scotties

pretty as a pin-up?

Hell ya!

weddingbells website

We thought we should get another website...

only this will be all about our wedding!

Please see the link below!

http://www.weddingbells.ca/wedsite/403013/

I have added a link to the sidebar for future reference!
Enjoy!

& please sign the guestbook!

the password is:

pd2008

if you get logged out

***engaged at last***

Its official...

There is a gorgeous ring!

I woke up Saturday morning and Dave said

"pack your bags because I am taking you to

Niagara Falls this weekend!"

I quickly answered with "really...wow...ok!?!"

We made it there for the afternoon and checked-in

then caught a hotel shuttle bus

to see the horseshoe falls

It was so beautiful to be there in the winter!

Totally amazing.

The photos we took were incredible

(and I will post them on our Flikr account, not here)

we were so cold but wanted to keep snapping pictures!

The mist from the falls also makes it insanely chilly!

"Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!"

Everything was covered in thick crystal clear ice

and it was so unreal to see

it was like an ice storm hit x 1000!

(oh the poor trees must be hurtin inside!)

We then caught the hotel shuttle back to our room

and I had a tiny snooze under the ultra warm blankets

while Dave left the room and secretly called my Dad!

and also made all of the special arrangements

for the special night.

The falls actually had the colored spotlights shining

on them, which we thought they only did during the summer

so it was even more stunning to see the falls this way.

We went to dinner and there was

Moet champagne waiting for us when we got there on ice.

We always wanted to have dinner beside the falls!!!

Apparently the entire place knew what was going on and left

us quietly alone yet were secretly watching David's every move...

As for the rest of the story...you will just have to ask us

at our winter wedding

02-16-08

:) (:

flickr pro!

As a xmas/birthday/engagement gift from our friend Steve in Vancouver,

we now have flickr "PRO"

which will give us a giant-unlimited-posting-capability-upgrade

for our flickr photo account!

Please check it out when you get the chance!

There has always been a link to it on this blog by the way,

and for the record, blogs are for writing,

not just for photo posting!

(I will try to write more in the future)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/peppermintlab/

Pigs on Factory Farms

Finally some good news today!

Just days after Smithfield Foods, the largest pig-flesh producer in the world, announced that it was phasing out the use of cruel gestation crates, Canada’s largest pig-flesh company announced that it will make the same move. Maple Leaf Foods has pledged to phase out these tiny metal-and-cement cages:

http://www.goveg.com/factoryFarming_pigs_farms.asp

which mother pigs are confined to for their entire lives.

The cages are too small even for the pigs to turn around.

Smithfield Foods credited McDonald’s with pushing it to make the changes that are now having a wonderful ripple effect—changes that PETA first started pressuring the company to make 10 years ago and has never let up on.

PETA’s efforts are now really paying off for pigs.

Go here http://blog.peta2.com/2007/01/_msnbc_had_to_saypork.html

for all the details on this monumental step forward for the hundreds of millions of pigs killed for food each year.

Thank you for helping us make this exciting victory for animals a reality!

Sincerely,

Marta Holmberg

Senior Street Team Coordinator

mailto:CoordinatorMartaH@peta2.com

P.S. Adopting a vegan diet is the most compassionate thing anyone can do for animals. If you haven't already, click the below to take the Veg Pledge today.

http://getactive.peta.org/campaign/p2vegpledge

The luckiest!

I love you David xoxox

Vasco Warhol

Awesome!

Vasco the little danish boy wonder

It sure was great to talk to Robb & Bibi in Denmark this weekend!
Vasco sure is growing up to be such a handsome little boy!
Here is his latest photo!
Enjoy!

donkey for sale

After nobody wrote in to give me some *new* suggestions for the pblog,
I thought...

how about odd things for sale on ebay?

For starters, today I came across this "DONKEY" pin for sale on ebay.

Yet he kind of looks like a horse to me. Or Joe Camel.
Really there is pretty much whatever you can think of for sale on ebay...

Including lots N lots of JEM dolls!!!

Ok ok, back to the donkey/horse, we have to give him SOME press.

But who would wear him? and to what type of event?
He is made of real gold and real diamonds.
I bet you want him now don't you?

Or,

What about his little brother down below?

"Get ready for the elections now by starting to buy an unusual symbol of the Democratic party. Fun!!"

find the answers for yourself

What is going on with blogger.com?
I have posted all week and so far there has not been a full recovery of
my usual template. This frustrates me again today.
For your reference, the past few "muppet" photos were sent a while back from my brother Mike
-the Uber dad and Uber photog.

blogger.com now shows up in the NEW and the OLD versions during login, yet fails to recognize my passwords on a regular basis as well. Not sure why, but blogger.com is stubborn and is supposed to help me not anger me.

Quick heads-up:
a) Its been snowing all day over here (finally)
b) Lola's ear is quite sore again and to make matters worse, a dog munched it while jumping up all over her while trying to meet her -making her cry for the first time. It was the saddest thing to hear her yelp and howl, she is the toughest dog I have ever had and I have NEVER heard her cry before. She is moping around the house now. I told her that sometimes it hurts to be super friendly.
c) I applied for more interesting positions
d) I baked banana-chocolate chip-peanut butter-muffins from scratch (wicked)
e) I rearranged the upstairs furniture to make it more spacious...and to better organize my magazines in the office!
f) I made Sheppard's pie -in the microwave (took the easy route as at least I baked today!)
g) enjoyed my footbath "bucket" that Santa gave me this year -"totally relaxing bucket"
h) tried to call Dave's parents but they were out at the theatre --maybe tomorrow we can catch them!?!?
i) the list could go on forever regarding countless other random things,
besides what are you curious about?

a) Toronto
b) pblog ramblings
c) fashion
d) photos
e) animal welfare
f) Internet oddities

???

pblog has faith in you.

Its always amusing to post here at the pblog and see how blogger.com messes with the formatting when it feels like it should. Sorry for the amusing layout problems.

All I do is post fantastic text and then blogger posts and formats it all for me in under a minute!

On the other hand it is still me who adds all of those great movies, slideshows, oddball links and such. AND I do end up deciding their pretty little order on the blogger "template" AND I even use some of that Uber cool "html" and or "coding" when necessary to ensure that it is ALL in order. So yes in fact its true, I have even figured out how to be an Uber chic geek after all this time.

blogger.com, shame on you for causing such anger.

pblog has been up and running for three (3) straight years now.

(Beat that all of you online journalists)

And so what if Leah Mclaren "disses" bloggers,

I read that the newspaper will be obsolete in fifty (50) years anyway.

blogger.com, its almost like sitting back and wondering if the ghost of Saddam is going to show up floating at my window, or if that first taste of haggis really is THAT wonderful...

or does the constant wave of "post-glitches" as we should call them confuse you as well?

Blogger, have mercy R: Blogger, have mercy

pblog, have mercy R: pblog, have mercy

Blogger, have mercy R: Blogger, have mercy

Or is looking at the pblog daily like viewing one of those 1990's 3D posters

that either come right out and smack-you-in-the-face

or leave you puzzled-for-hours.

Again, sorry for the inconvenience caused.

Another thing I have been wondering about after three (3) years is:

who on this big bad earth is actually reading the pblog?

so the pblog web ninjas were sent out to check-things-out for me and they have come back with their hands full=the UK, Myanmar, USA, Canada, Germany, France?

please leave a comment, as I would love to know what you are doing here. Thanks.

For the rest of you loyal fans, you have made the bond of the pblog a holy mystery.

And may your lives always bear witness to the reality of this love.

Enjoy.

pblog has faith in you.

Shouldn't your parents be as fashionable as you are?

Making a stunning appearance to the pblog this month=my parents.

My sister Kelsie sent this photo over to me last week to show me my moms snazzy ~up-d0~
that she styled for the xmas party

Very lovely indeed!

The Adoption Option

Small children mean large dogs: The world of dog fanciers is divided between purebred purists (those who insist on buying a pet with a pedigree, meaning it is one of the 153 breeds recognized by the American Kennel Club) and mutt mavens (those who prefer adopting from animal shelters). Rarely do these camps see eye to eye, yet leaders of both agree that small dogs are not ideal for families with very young children, who tend to be rough on pets, and that good family dogs are usually thirty pounds or more and willing to roll with the punches. Mutt mavens believe that the more mixed a dog is, the more adaptable he will be to modern family life; the reasoning is that such dogs, being randomly bred, don't display the intense instincts (hunting, ratting and so forth) that make purebreds sometimes hard to live with.

Taking the shelter route: Whether you have children or not, when starting to look for a dog, a smart move is to bypass pet shops and visit your local animal shelter, where adoption counselors will be happy to introduce good old-fashioned mutts that have passed stringent temperament tests. Little Shelter, in Huntington, New York (littleshelter.com), quaintly calls this process matchmaking. To find the animal shelters nearest you, visit the nationwide directory at petfinder.com.

Rescue heroes: Numerous rescue groups specialize in small dogs and may be found online by searching for small dog rescue or little dog rescue. If you absolutely must have a pampered purebred, simply type in the name of the breed and the word rescue — Westie rescue, for example — and you'll be able to find rescue groups near you that will be happy to discuss meeting your needs (one of my favorites is Peke A Tzu Rescue, at pekeatzurescue. com, which is devoted to all small breeds and minimixes). The AKC's Web site (akc.org) also lists breed-rescue groups across the country.

Age before beauty: Retired? In the market for companionship? Consider an age-appropriate adoption: a senior dog. Such animals are frequently overlooked, yet small or large, elder statesdogs prefer leisurely walks to aerobic exercise and prove ideal pets for people who have slowed down as well.

Taken from: "Too Cute" BY JULIA SZABO

http://magazines.ivillage.com/townandcountry/style/feat/articles/0,,292424_705863-1,00.html

bullfrog power!

www.bullfrogpower.com

What is Bullfrog Power?
Ontario's first 100% green electricity retailer
Clean, reliable electricity from 100% EcoLogoM-certified energy sources
A new way for Ontarians to support renewable electricity rather than coal and nuclear
A 100% Canadian company dedicated to increasing the supply of renewable electricity in Ontario
Why go green?
An easy way to take real action to help improve our air quality and protect our environment
A meaningful way to invest in a better world for our children, our communities and future generations
A practical way to ensure your electricity dollars are supporting green power production instead of coal and nuclear
How does Bullfrog Power work?
You continue to draw your power from Ontario's electricity grid in the same way that you always have
We make sure that the amount of electricity you buy is delivered to Ontario's grid
You don't need any special equipment, setup or wiring
Your electricity supply is just as reliable as ever
Simply sign up and go!

cuba --si?

Now that winter has FINALLY hit Toronto,

its about time to go someplace warm on the pblog...

enjoy the flight!

Yes, things are heating up, *new* environment minister says

Our new hero?

Canada's new environment minister, John Baird, isn't saying what he'll try to do about global warming, but he suggested in a CBC interview that weird weather has eliminated any doubts that temperatures are rising.

"I mean, I grew up here in Ottawa, lived here my entire life, and I can't remember a winter where I didn't have to use my boots," he told Heather Hiscox of CBC Newsworld. "I left the house without even a winter coat this morning. So that's obviously a huge concern."

John Baird has replaced Rona Ambrose as environment minister.
Baird, who stressed that he was just 20 hours into the job and still needs to be "briefed up," replaced Rona Ambrose, who had struggled to defend the government's have-it-both-ways stand on the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.

"Canadians … are pretty skeptical when it comes to climate change because they saw the previous government for 13 long years increase greenhouse gas emission by 30 per cent, at the same time wearing a cloak of green. So Canadians want to see some real action and one that will have results and not just rhetoric."

Canadians want a minister who's going to be concerned," he said.
"I think [Liberal Leader] Stéphane Dion has clearly said he's very concerned about the issue, but people aren't going to look at what you say. They're going to look at what you do, and the Liberals' record on this is pretty bad."

Dion, in a separate Newsworld interview, said his own emphasis on environmental policy may have helped to push Harper to change his tone on global warming.

The prime minister "received a wakeup call, maybe from me, but from all Canadians," but it remains to be seen how serious he is about it, the Liberal leader said.
"It will not be difficult to do more than he did last year. Last year, he cut 90 per cent of the programs for environment and climate change. Last year, he embarrassed the country with his approach regarding Kyoto on the international stage.

"So I hope we will see some improvement, even though it will stay far from what we really need to do … and if he is willing to improve even a bit what he did last year, this will be very positive."

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2007/01/05/baird-interview.html?ref=rss#skip300x250

Global warming of the natural sort

Here is a great photo to warm up your soul on a January day...
Global warming of the natural sort.
As the west of Canada gets hit by a giant blizzard
(drive carefully everyone including you Rona!)
I sit here and see rain outside my window...
where's the snow?
Global warming? sure.
I miss making giant snowmen with carrot noses and burberry plaid scarves.
Maybe we should ask Rona to make things happen before the 2010 Olympics.
www.ronaambrose.com
You can try to find info on the environment on her website (that is her job right?)
Never mind I found some of it for you=
http://www.ronaambrose.com/news.asp?menuID=105

How Rona can help you=
a) Navigate their way through federal government services
b) Obtain Canadian flags and pins for travel abroad
c) Receive Congratulatory Certificates from the Prime Minister, Governor-General and Her Majesty the Queen
d) Deal with immigration applications
e) A wide range of other services..........what types of services? where are the strategies for helping the environment?

Or

possibly on the websites "Make a Difference" section we can find some solutions on how to help the environment as an individual....nope.
Aw Come on Rona!

Even CBC's Gill Deacon has a book out with helpful tips on how to go GREEN!

Well, maybe Rona and Steven should pick up a few books here:
http://www.grassrootsstore.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=278&sm=sub13


At least Tim Horton's wrote me a fine letter regarding their "action plan" and how they were going to make Canada a cleaner happier place to guzzle coffee in. Their mission seemed more believable.
Yet I still see piles of garbage beside my house that they refuse to clean up.

I hate Mississauga. I need to write to the mayor tomorrow.


"Tim Hortons will continue to focus its environmental efforts in four key areas: litter awareness, recycling,composting and packaging."
-THE TDL GROUP CORP.,
Bridget Miller
Operations Services Manager

I could post the full letter for you to read, but it stated:
The information contained in this message is confidential and may be legally privileged.
Anyway, thanks to Bridget for giving me a giant letter candy-sprinkled with
good Tim-strategies.

Its more that Rona could do on her personal website!

December 29th 2006 DMC's bday bash at bp's!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DMC!

We had a fantastic time over at Boston Pizza

eating our favorite tasty boston brutes and guzzling down giant schooners

and misc girlie drinks (for the girls of course)

And lets not forget Brandt and his coors light ensemble which included a hat that he won during the hockey game to match his tasty frosty pint of brew

We sure missed having Brent & Beth aka: SHAFT playing trivia along with

BORT & CORN...(hopefully next year???)

Anyway it was a nice chance to get everyone out having fun!