Tragedy always seems to strike Hollywood in threes.  A couple of days ago, Ed McMahon passed away at the age of 86.  Ed McMahon was the long time sidekick to Johnny Carson on The Tonight Show, as well as hosting Star Search and being the pitchman for Publishers Clearing House.

Farrah Fawcett was one of the true original Hollywood sex symbols.  As one of the stars of Charlie’s Angels, her down-home look melted the hearts of men around the world.  The first time I saw Farrah Fawcett was watching the movie “Cannonball Run.”  Notwithstanding the fact that Cannonball Run is a great movie, Ms. Fawcett was stunning in it.  Today, she passed away at the age of 62 from anal cancer.

I don’t think much needs to be said about The King of Pop.  Michael Jackson has a muscial legacy that will live on forever.  He went into cardiac arrest today and died at the age of 50.  With his history of health problems, one had to wonder how long he was for this world.  Of the many ways to die, I would not have picked cardiac arrest.  There were rumors abound that he had stomach or skin cancer, but that is all they were.  I suppose that we will have to wait for the autopsy.

Unfortunately, his image shall be forever tarnished by the allegations of child abuse and molestation.  I do not believe that he ever touched any child in a sexual manner.  As eccentric as he may have been, he was not one who fondled children.

Days like this are depressing.  I do find it interesting however, that celebrity deaths, or divorces such as that of Jon and Kate, get more press than the violence in Iran.  The world is sometimes a sad place to be in.

We can all rejoice.  The LCBO employees will not be going on strike.  Too bad that they will not have much to do, with shelves empty due to worried customers spending up to $700.00 and over two hours in line.  Somebody came to their senses…I would not be so pompous to suggest that maybe they read my previous post?

Coincidentally, the LCBO posted record sales on Tuesday, to the tune of over sixty million dollars.  Now that the stores are empty, the staff will have their hands full stocking the shelves.

No need to repeat myself from yesterday on how I feel about unions striking in times like these…however, now the Liquor Control Board of Ontario’s employees want to strike.  They want the usual…better hours, more full time positions…better wages…blah blah blah blah.

Newsflash!  We all want that!  Rarely will you find someone who is truly content with their job or position.  It is human nature to want to improve ourselves.  However, as discontent as you may be, look at the bigger picture.  Look at how many people are unemployed who would love to have the jobs that you currently occupy.

The union has been attacking the Ontario Government over the E-Health scandals in the hope that it will draw the government back to the bargaining table.  Where I come from, this is the wrong tactic.  The E-Health scandal is something I will write about in the future, but the mistakes stemming from that fiasco do not justify striking in the middle of a contracting economy.

On the flipside, the threat of a strike has motivated Ontarians to stockpile their booze, emptying shelves throughout Ontario.  Personally, if I needed booze, and the LCBO employees were on strike, I would just take a trip to Buffalo.  It’s cheaper there anyways.  As it stands, it doesn’t really bother me in the least because I do not drink.

Let me see if I understand things correctly.  In the middle of a recession, when unemployment and welfare are at its highest in years, 24,000 city workers decide to strike because they do not like the contract offer from the City of Toronto.  Anybody who has a job working for the city, whether they would have you believe it or not, has it pretty damn good.  Just like the auto workers did for so long (and look at the state of the auto industry today).

I have never been a big fan of unions.  Unions, at one time, had their place.  For the most part now, however, they are dinosaurs.  They exist so a few fat cats can become rich by siphoning a few dollars weekly off of each of their members.  In the coal mines, where worker safety is paramount, a union is necessary to ensure that employees are not taken advantage of by unscrupulous corporations.  A city worker who cleans a pool, or empties trash, does not have to deal with the comparative safety concerns of a coal miner.

Perhaps I do not understand unions?  Perhaps I am somewhat naive.  I’m nobody special, just an average guy reading the news, so what do I know?  I can only sit back and see the major concessions that the auto workers had to make to ensure that their members remained (for the most part) gainfully employed.  I look at the unemployment rate for May 2009 sitting at 9.3% and wonder what the union would do if all their workers were suddenly fired from their jobs.  I would wager anyone a thick, juicy steak that there would be a lineup two miles long when the City of Toronto went to fulfill those positions.  I would also go double or nothing that they could probably offer less money and less benefits, and that lineup would be just as long.

I live in Oakville, which is in Southern Ontario.  I am near Toronto, and a number of other touristy-type destinations, yet I have yet to find the time, energy or company to visit anything in the area.  This summer I hope to change all of that.

So…on my list of places to visit this summer are:

Casa Loma
Royal Ontario Museum
Toronto Zoo
CN Tower
Ontario Science Center

Admission to all of these sites is available for the super cheap rate of $55.00 if you purchase a CityPass (google it, its online).  Thats a great deal and by my count you have at least four full days of entertainment.  The caveat to the CityPass is that you have nine days to use it, or you lose it.  Well…that’s not too much of a problem I think. 

I have never been to Casa Loma, and I am quite looking forward to the experience.  I know, it is just an old home, but I am fond of the history of these old large homes.  I find it interesting…as an aside, I would not mind visiting Hearst Castle in California one day.  It has been many years since I have visited the Royal Ontario Museum.  The last time I visited I was in Grade 11.  That was almost twenty years ago, and I’m sure (despite the fact that it is a museum preserving artifacts that are centuries old) that some stuff has changed.

The same goes for the CN Tower and the Toronto Zoo.  The last time I was at the CN Tower was some twenty-six years ago.  Despite my fear of heights, I’m looking forward to standing on the glass floor taking photos of the city below (and afar).  The Toronto Zoo should be a fun time too.  Hopefully the weather co-operates for that one.  I have not been to the zoo since I went with my school class back in either Grade 2, 3, or 4.  I’m not sure exactly, but it has been far too many years between visits.

I was at the Science Center twice a few years ago and I was not terribly impressed.  The first time I really did not see too much, because we were there for the BodyWorlds exhibit.  That was a most interesting experience.  I have never seen anything like that before, or since.  In so saying that, I just found out that BodyWorlds will be in Buffalo from July 9th for a few months, and I fully intend to see it again.  This time, we will not go at 5:00 in the morning (that hurt, but it was the only time that we could get tickets).  The second time I went it seemed like a lot of the exhibits were under renovation or closed.  It did not feel like I had the complete experience, so I’m hoping that things are better this time around.

Wasaga Beach – I think that I was up there when I was a kid, but to be honest I am not sure.  My parents do not remember either.  However, spend a day or two up there, relax, get my whale-sized belly tanned up…sounds like a great time to me.

Marineland – I was 10 the last time I visited Marineland.  That was two decades and a half ago.  Damn – my oh my does time fly.  Marineland has gone through a great many changes since I was there last.  It would not surprise me, however, if some of the whales and dolphins are still there from my last visit.  It has evolved more into a fun park as well, with rides and coasters for kids.

There are other places…and as I track them down I will post a follow up.  However, the above places should keep me busy for a bit.

I recently read an article that referenced some examples of lateral thinking.  Did you know that the United States military once considered developing a non-lethal gay bomb to drop on the enemy?  It would be in the form of a gas, that when inhaled would make the soldiers uncontrollably horny.

As I read this I had tears in my eyes just imagining the thought of a bunch of soldiers, willing to die for their country, gung-ho and adrenalized for the forthcoming battle, suddenly shedding their gear and uniforms and passionately sucking on each others meat-stick.  As amusing as this may sound, now imaging the advancing American army encountering this orgy in progress.  If the gas was lingering, would they join in?  Imagine what this would do for the peace process afterwards.  If the gas was dispersed, would the infected army chase them hoping to get some desert?  Furthermore, if the new horny army advances, naked and weaponless, do the Americans cut them down or do they retreat?

Thankfully this never got beyond any sort of conceptualization.  It is doubtful that the Americans have that type of technology in any event.  However…if they did…would it not be interesting to host a meeting between Israeli and Palestinian leaders and pump the gas through?  Or maybe the Russians and the Chechens?  It brings a new meaning to the term “Make Love Not War.”

Truly another strange ideal was brought forth by the British in 1957.  Code named “Blue Peacock,” a seven tonne nuclear landmine was conceived to be buried in Germany in case the Russians decided to advance.  However, the problem with nukes are that they tend not to work terribly well in the cold, and Germany’s winters are not exactly warm.

As a result, a proposal was put forth to fill the casing of the nuke with chickens, as their body heat would keep the nuke relatively warm during the cold winter months (I wonder why they didn’t use peacocks, or call their little toy Blue Chicken?).  Needless to say, this plan never came to fruition.  The army decided that the fallout from detonating one of these devices would have been rather unacceptable (the device had an explosive yield of around ten kilotons, which was about half the size of the bomb the United States dropped on Nagasaki in 1945).

Did you know that under Ontario’s Civil Remedies Act, the police can confiscate anything in your possession if they suspect that you are committing a crime?  Most sane people would not have a problem with this…except for one mitigating factor.  They do not have to actually charge you.

This law was recently challenged as unconstitutional and the law was held up by the Supreme Court of Canada.  I understand the reasons as to why, but the application of the law must be handled with great care.  This law was designed with the intention to allow the authorities to dismantle criminal organizations.  However, given the way the law is written, if the perception exists that you are acting in an unlawful manner, the police can sieze your property and you have absolutely no recourse to get it back.

Six other provinces have enacted legislation similar to that in Ontario.  In British Columbia, within two years of being operational, the Civil Forfeiture Office was self funding.  This office is funded by the sale of confiscated goods.

It is frightening to think that the government has put this kind of power into the hands of the police.  Uncle Ben (from Spider-man) once said to Peter Parker, “With great power comes great responsibility.”  We can only be hopeful that the authorities do not abuse this power, as they do in the United States, where it is not uncommon to see law enforcement officials driving around in confiscated cars.

To read a copy of the law, click here.

Ok…normally I’m not a fan of arts and crafts – I just don’t have the talent.  Thankfully, there are people out there who make these things both fun and easy for folks like me.  The talented people at CubeeCraft make paper art known as Cubee’s.  They are awesomely designed and laid out – all you have to do is print, cut, and fold.

I’ve made a few of these so far – they take me awhile – about an hour per figurine.  However, it’s a great way to pass the time, and kids love them.