Paul Shirley

I just read former NBA player Paul Shirley's letter on Haiti and I am completely flabbergasted.

This is the main part everyone's focusing on but check the link for the full article.

Dear Haitians –
First of all, kudos on developing the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Your commitment to human rights, infrastructure, and birth control should be applauded.

As we prepare to assist you in this difficult time, a polite request: If it’s possible, could you not re-build your island home in the image of its predecessor? Could you not resort to the creation of flimsy shanty- and shack-towns? And could some of you maybe use a condom once in a while?

Sincerely,

The Rest of the World

Wow! You mean somebody actually thought this and were ignorant enough to not only voice it but take the time to sit down and write it? You mean someone actually believes this? And people say you Mr Shirley are an educated man, went to College, got a degree, was writing columns for ESPN (they fired him yesterday after this came out).

Seriously were you just trying to get the heat off Pat Robertson for his statements the other week cause I mean you cant be this callous and heartless can you?

I mean this week I was arguing over who was the bigger jackass as an NBA player, what with Greg Oden's nude photos that he sent on his cell phone and Gilbert Arenas getting suspended the entire season for gun play and losing $20+ Mil in pay but you Mr Shirley have seriously upped the ante, beat the pre-race favorites and threaten to run away with the entire eediat contest. Hell you could possibly be the biggest eediat who played any professional sport in North America (and yes that includes such classic eediats as Plaxico, Vick and O.J)

But look let me school you here star. It was an earthquake. Its not like the Haitians were playing with guns or bombs and something accidentally went off. No it was an act of God, a natural disaster, it could have happened to anyone so seriously how can you blame the victim for the disaster?

And how distasteful that you telling people wear condoms and bout birth control. Star ya mudda neva teach ya nuh rass manners? Ya aint got no broughtupsy or what? Ya uncouth and out of line, rude and out of order. In basketball terms that means ya flagrant category 2, now shut up and get ya tail out the game.

And to think I read a few of your ESPN columns over the course of the years when you were struggling playing in the minor leagues and telling people what it was like to be striving to get back in the NBA and such and thought he's a nice guy, he trying real hard I hope he makes it back.

No instead now I see you as worse than the pampered current lot of NBA players cause you sir cant even have a little compassion for your fellow man that down on his luck.

I mean nuhbody aint saying you have to donate no money but at least realize that this is a tragedy any which way you look at it and that while yes things could have been better in Haiti we not sharing no blame to innocent people and if we were to be sharing blame realize that a whole heap would have to go to you and your country so hush up.

Imagine you comparing giving these people money to giving it to homeless street people that going waste it and comparing the people themselves to cavemen building unfit to live in abodes. Eh eh, rudebwoy ya really really going too far with this thing.

Compassion, Empathy, love for your fellow man star. And thank God that you were born where you were and had the ability to play a game for a living and make more money in a few years than a whole heap of these Haitian people pooling their resources could ever see in their lifetimes.

Clearly you know nothing about Haiti, clearly you are just chatting for chatting sake so please go away. David Zirin at the Nation magazine said it best though Dear Paul Shirley, I only wish your father had taken your own advice and worn a condom. Go to hell.

Whats even worse is you should see the comments on the original article agreeing with him. wow, says alot about some of the human race.

Terror in the Pie

Throwing a pie in the face of Canada's fisheries minister to protest the seal hunt should earn animal rights group PETA a "terrorist" label, a Canadian lawmaker said Tuesday.

A seal hunt protester hit Fisheries Minister Gail Shea with a cream pie on Monday as she gave a speech in Burlington, Ontario.

The animal rights group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, later claimed responsibility for the incident.

Me and the wife was talking bout this tonight. The story is this. Some 37 year old American woman, on behalf of PETA (People for Ethical Treatment of Animals), left home in New York to come all the way to Ontario, Canada, to throw a pie at a Canadian Government minister to protest Canada's seal hunt. PETA claims responsibility for the incident.

Now on the face of it, the Canadian government opposition member who made the comments about seeing if PETA fits the terrorist bill can just be laughed off cause we think of terrorists as bombers and shooters, jihadists, killers of infidels, fundamentalist religious types with an axe to grind not pie wielding American white female types. I mean nuhbody never get kill by a pie in the face right? Well I guess its possible but still a bit improbable.

But on the other hand think about it. An organization with a fundamentalist agenda based in another country sends an operative past the Canadian border into the country to assault a Canadian government minister. Sounds alot like terrorism when I say that right?

Now lets for arguments sake say what if. What if say the other country in which the organization who sent the assaulter was based oh lets say somewhere in the Middle East and the government official was oh lets say American. Would not people be screaming blue murder about terrorists and harboring of criminals that aint true?

Why even a Canadian fella once tried to go across the border to the US to bomb something or the other and since then we ben hearing about what a bastion of terrorism lovers we have over here and how porous our borders are. That aint true?

Plus this act was an assault by a fringe organization (PETA) in an attempt to make a foreign (Canadian) government change their policies. To intimidate and to endanger and to make a point. Isn't that what terrorist do? I dont know what the official definition of terrorism is and I really wouldn't want to stick my neck out here and claim the pie thrower is a terrorist but yea you really have to think about this one carefully dont you.

Now yes it seems a tad frivolous on the surface cause we have bigger fish to fry right but today a pie tomorrow what will they throw? Who knows.

Now we all will say yes the act was wrong but how wrong was it? Has PETA overstepped its boundaries? I mean in my opinion, sending operatives to assault government ministers cause you dont like their policies seems to be going too far in my opinion. And then claiming responsibility for the incident. I mean whenever I hear about groups claiming resposibility for insidents I think Al Quada and Hezbollah and the IRA and those sorts of groups that happy happy that they do something to injure folks. Hmmm think about it!

Three things I think here though and they might not makee alot of seense but bear with m

One if this was olden times an a cat from another country come and assault someone in your country that would have been grounds for war. I lie? Not that we gine get we two row boat navy and a battalion of Eskimos to attack the US but still.

Two in these modern times, post 9/11, if the assault was on an American the American government would get on dixie, do bad and the attack would seen as grounds for the American government to ask for the extradition to face charges of the ringleaders of the organization that plan the attack or if the other government wasnt willing to send them they might just invade or attack them just so inside their country (Again not that we gine do nuttin so but I making a comparison).

And three if the person who assaulted the Canadian minister was Muslim or black or Indian or some sort of minority then people would be kicking up nuff fuss and looking to ban and put embargoes and other restrictions on the country of origin of that person, asking what kind of country they running that they are a haven for such deviant characters and putting all sorts of extra scrutiny at the airport on people who were the same minority as the pie thrower. Can we now assume that 37 year old American women will be put to additional scrutiny at the Canadian borders cause they might fit a profile of a PETA pie throwing operative?

Yea you know the answer to that as good as me but still think bout it. And like I said I'm not saying PETA are terrorists but hey the Canadian opposition fella statement aint as stupid as people would make ya believe at first. Think bout it.

with this post I've probably gotten onto the PETA watchlist. nuhbody better doan come throwing nuh pie at me doah cause Isa bajan an I duz throw back big rocks.

sleeping on the job

Ok so this photo has apparently been the talk of the net lately. It shows a sleeping TTC, our local transit providers, employee at the MCCowan RT station some night this week at around 10PM catching some zzzzs. Got it over here at Torontoist who got it from some dude's twitter page.

Ok people getting real upset over this photo and although I cant blame them on the one hand I'm a bit like but it was McCowan station at 10PM. Its not exactly a hotbed of activity at the best of times and at night well yea it can be a bit lonely. Dude's probably cold too so hey he caught some sleep. Whatever!

But of course I get why this is upsetting and thinking about it some more yea it get me vex too. First off ya really shouldnt be sleeping on your job. Secondly its a safety thing, third TTC just raised their damn fares while decreasing the quality of their service so we vex, vex still and fourth we all know that TTC employees including some of their ticket booth folk get paid a ridiculous amount of money. And by ridiculous I mean more than most professionals. Some of these cats with overtime have been able to push near 100Gs. Yea I aint even joking about that. Thank their extremely strong union. Yea so why did we go to school to come out and get a 40-50G job (if we're lucky) when we could count tokens and make 80G plus. Makes you think about the value of education right.

Anyways the uproar got the TTC saying oh we going look into this matter. What they going do? Nuhbody aint going get fired, the union too strong so why waste time when this aint going nowhere.

Suicide

Anytime you a pedestrian think you can tek on a moto car think again.

Pedestrians gettin lik down in Toronto at an alarming rate since the year start. Something like 10 in the last 8 or 9 days. Lawd avest mercy!

It doesnt seem to be a case where you can say well is solely the pedestrian fault or solely the drivers it just seems to be that perfect confluence where sadly crap happens with the fault being shared equally.

Ya gotta be careful my fellow walkers cause wunnah realize that when a car hit ya it doan feel nuttin right? Still yesterday I thought I was going to be privy to another pedestrian accident and this time it would have been the pedestrian squarely and solely at fault.

I was standing in a packed 8 o'clock bus on the way to Kennedy station yesterday. The bus was so full that the driver was bypassing some of the stops cause he aint had nuh room for more people. A few stops before the station somebody ring the bell but seeing as um mighta been one body getting off and bout 10 people was at the bus stop the driver decide to drive pass the stop and let off the passenger or passengers a bit further down the road. Now who tell he to do dat!

Disgruntled and I can only describe with no exaggeration as pure eediat woman standing at the bus stop sees that the bus driver isnt slowing down to stop and steps boldly, willfully and stupidly off the sidewalk into the road into the path of the oncoming bus. Myself and other passengers could only gasp and utter a wha de while my eyes compelled me to look thinking I'd soon hear a thud cause no way could the driver avoid this lady. However somehow mashing the brakes and swerving and no doubt with the help of God he barely managed to avoid her and stopped soon after.

Thankfully somehow she get way wid trying to stand up to a big however much tonne bus. But ya think the woman would be happy she cheat death? No she get on the bus and start pissparading bout she late fa work and a bus already pass she already! Absolutely incredible!

total Eediat!!

Cuhdear Haiti

I feel for those folks in Haiti. And getting ready to write this post I know that real early on in this blog's life (when only Kami used to read) I had written a lil thing after a big hurricane strike down Haiti back in 04.

Cuhdear poor Haiti.

And that aint the last hurricane dem had eidda ya kno!

And yes it does seem like that entire country is afflicted with more burdens than they should have and that they can possibly bear with hurricanes and floods and earthquakes and all types of natural and man-made disasters just lashing those poor people year after year to the point that they cant ketch a break but really is it that they are cursed or is it just the happenstance of being in a location where natural disasters seem to strike more often than most?

Well I dont know, I think its just luck or bad luck of the draw that their side of Hispaniola just happen to be near fault lines and frequent hurricane tracks. De people aint mek demselves and ya dun know that their ancestors didnt well say amm "slavemaster boss can you drop me off at Haiti" so why people like Pat Robertson blaming de people for their predicament so. Cuhdear.

I mean when de man cud get on a Christian tv show and willingly say that the people in Haiti ketching hell cause their ancestors mek a pact wid de devil well then all I can do is shake my head cause to me that is well outta order.

Cause to me when I read that I get the feeling that he juss vex that the people was able to gain their freedom and should have just been content in bondage and slavery back then. Or that them was so inferior an half igrant an starve out an ting so that the only way they could beat the superior French and get free was to get mystical and supernatural forces to join up wid dem. Or maybe they should have just done like other slaves and wait for a liberator to arise from amongst their colonial oppressors. Yes that is what I feel he mean. Musse went an watch Avatar before he talk dat talk ya kno.

But yea I mean yes some de fellas down deyso like dem voodoo and thing an I aint fa all dat sorta ting but let we not try to mek it seem like dem any wickeder than anybody else on this God given earth. If ya looking fa a Sodom and Gomorra den I feel ya wud find one or two right deyso in the US backyard and dem aint get lash wid nuh pestilence or locusts and plagues or natural disasters for being sinful yet so why you would feel that the reason for Haiti's ills is something so?

Why when rich countries (read first world) have a disaster is just because stuff happens but poor (non-white) countries it got to be something with their ideology or religion or something so that cause this disaster to happen. Allya remember the chat a few years back when the Tsumani hit cross the odda side a de world right? How come it just cant be fate like fa the rest?

Fraud

One of the all-time greats of Major League Baseball, Mark McGwire, has finally confirmed one of the most persistent rumours in the game. In a tell-all interview on cable TV in the US, McGwire admitted to steroid use throughout much of the 1990s, casting a cloud of doubt over the numerous records he set throughout a dazzling career at the St Louis Cardinals.

Forgive the bit of a rant here but you Mark Mcgwire are a fraud!

All all these years, you walk bout wid ya arms looking bigger than Popeye in de cartoons and talk bout oh you only taking Andro (Androstenedione) and you aint tekkin no steroids and denying the allegations and ting so and now you now got the nerve to come clean. Chupse!

I mean not that I surprised. Just by looking at you wid dat top heavy body and dem big lumberjack arms an ting so anybody that really wanted to know knew you was tekkin sumting ya aint had nuh right tekkin.

And now ya play ya copying A-Rod and coming clean begging forgiveness fa ya transgressions, like ya din know ya was doing wrong then or somebody lead you astray, looking all sad faced and remoresful an feeling the public gine gi ya a bligh.

Nuh uh! Doan mind he wid ded big tricks ya hear muh. Looka de man only doing that cause he feel we gine gi he a pass an he gine get in the Baseball Hall a Fame. Doan gi he nuh pass though.

He is a liard liar. Doan fall fa that remorse act.

And he got me vex too cause how come everybody jump down Barry Bonds throat bout steroids and gi Mcgwire a pass when we did know he was using something? Um is cause Bonds caustic and din nuh press favorite an nuhbody outside he mudda and the people a San Franciso cann tek he at all? Is that the reason? All de press can quote this an that and show images saying Bonds head get big like a ripe watermelon in recent years showing he was on the steroids but nuhbody never do nuttin so and say looka how much like a cartoon character Mcgwire look when he was breaking records compared to how normal he looked back in the day. Nuhbody aint do nuttin so ya kno!

Yea the race ting duz play into um too cause McGwire was the All-American hero here to save boring baseball with he long ball homeruns and brek records and put people in the seats and eyes on the tv. He was a icon! So dem look past he fatal flaws.

And that is why I say since he did such an icon an held so highly in regard that we shouldnt give he no pass cause everything he do when de, held he in high esteem was tainted and he was a fraud. He fall further than Bonds ever reach so hold he to at least the same standard and crucify he fa the steroids too.

Blagojevich

It always takes a while to get back into the swing of this blogging thing when I take a break. Not sure why but lemma see if I can get back on this blogging horse today.

So I gine start simple.

First off this poppit former governor Blogojevich, the same fella dat did a former governor of Illinois til he get impeach mek sum stupid statement about how he blacker than President Obama.

"I'm blacker than Barack Obama. I shined shoes. I grew up in a five-room apartment. My father had a little laundromat in a black community not far from where we lived. I saw it all growing up."

So wait because you father had a laundromat in the black community that mek you black or because you see the black community growing up that mek you black? Chupse!

This is a man dat was a governor of a big able U.S state ya kno! Ya wud feel he shud be able to put two words together widout sounding like a nincompoop but then again since he leff government he doing reality shows pun tv so I guess that about sums up wha typa clown he really is.

Lets put your blackness to the test Mr Blagovech. We'll show your photo and Mr Obama's to some klan members and see which one riles them up more. How about we put you out on the street of any large city and see who the cab stops for first.

On another note, I read this article this morning that say during the 2008 elections Hillary Clinton's people found out that Bill had a girlfriend at that time. Well well well. What can ya say about Bill. The man does get around. Yet somehow he still maintains his dignity and likeability (wait that is a real word) and still mekkin oodles a money. Tiger boy ya need Bill to show ya dem ropes.

Does begs the question though. Are we holding our politicians to a lower standard than our sportsmen?