TTC Drivers Reckless? - Update

This morning we heard that 2 more Pedestrians were hit by Buses this weekend, 1 of which was a TTC Bus.

(http://cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20100131/100131_pedestrian_injuries/20100131/?hub=CP24Home)

"A young man suffered cuts and bruises to his face and was taken to hospital to be checked out after he was hit by a TTC bus around 4:30 p.m. Saturday."

Leafs get Phaneuf and JS Giguere!!

-- Latest update --

"In the first trade, with the Calgary Flames, Toronto netted stud defenceman Dion Phaneuf. The Leafs also landed forward Fredrik Sjostrom and prospect defenceman Keith Aulie from Calgary in exchange for forwards Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Jamal Mayers and defenceman Ian White.

The second trade took longer to complete, but the Leafs sent Vesa Toskala and Jason Blake to Anaheim for Jean-Sebastien Giguere."
------------------------

Finally a move by Leaf's GM Brian Burke that makes sense!!

So, Weed is Performance Enhancing, you say?

Yeah, performance enhancing if you're trying to NOT move from the sofa!! ;)

This One is Classic!!

Do you remember a few days back when that PETA protester hit Fisheries and Oceans Minister Gail Shea in the face with a tofu pie?  Here's the story in case you missed it:

Anti-sealing PETA protester smacks Minister with tofu pie

Winnipeg Police Beating Caught on Tape!

Vid shows officers attack man not resisting: judge

(http://www.winnipegsun.com/news/2010/01/28/12655941.html#/news/2010/01/28/pf-12655941.html)

"Security tape of Winnipeg Police taking a suspect to the ground and beating him numerous times with punches to the head and kicks to his body."

"Police officers say Cody Bousquet was resisting arrest when they administered several punishing body blows to “lessen his resistance and gain compliance.”  A security video documenting the arrest paints a very different picture."

“Piece-of-shit Cops... We got too-many Piece-of-shit Cops”…

Yes yes, I seem to be going with a song theme in my latest post titles (this latest one taken from Adam Sandler’s “Piece-of shit Car”)… Don’t ask me why, I just write what comes to mind… And when I think of the former Toronto Police Officer who’s the topic of this entry, I guess “Piece of Shit” comes to mind…

I wonder how deep this ‘Good old boys’ virus has really infected our Political and Judicial systems here in Canada.. I mean, how heinous does a crime have to be, to not have the unspoken “2-Tier” system apply when it comes to Justice?

This latest story in my series about Toronto Police Corruption is a perfect example of how bad things truly are… And it shows that it’s not just happening at the Police level, but it goes up to the Crown Prosecutor and eventually to the Judges themselves. It’s almost scary to see things like this happening in our “Modern” society.

"Up in Smoke, That’s Where our Taxes Go"...

Can’t you picture it too?

Prime Minister Harper and Finance Minister Flaherty, smokin' away our Tax dollars like Cheech and Chong Smoked away that Monster Joint in Up in Smoke...

Did you hear this latest gem of a story?

Taxpayers funding 'ghost' commission

Finally, Progess!!

Police crack down on downtown jaywalkers

(http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/756558--police-crack-down-on-downtown-jaywalkers?bn=1)

For those who've been following my comments on the Toronto Star and the Toronto Sun, you know that this is exactly what I've been asking for.

Conan lands pilot deal with NBC

You know, I thought Conan seemed to be too nice to NBC when he left...

This is probably why:

Conan lands pilot deal with NBC

(http://www.torontosun.com/entertainment/tv/2010/01/27/12632391.html)

--jackandcokewithalime


(Image taken from:
http://www.torontosun.com/entertainment/tv/2010/01/27/conan248.jpg)

Lighten Up...

I know it's wrong, but the title is classic and I wanted to try and lighten things up around here.. So here's some off-taste humour for you. Enjoy.

Woman sues Starbucks over 'sex demands' from Tim Horton
WARNING: CLICKING THE LINK BELOW WILL RESULT IN SUDDEN LOSS OF HUMOUR
(http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/World/2010/01/25/12606741-qmi.html)

--jackandcokewithalime


(Image taken from:http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3654/3505253049_5edd9e9b99.jpg)

Dalton McGuinty is Burrying Ontario...

In debt..


Yes yes, it's that story or conversation that never fails to come up if you live in Toronto..

Nobody can understand how this guy is still in power, and how he somehow manipulated the Ontario population into electing him again.. I mean, if you ever need to brainwash someone, or start a cult, or recruit people for anything, Dalton could take care of it, no problem.

TTC Drivers Reckless?

You know, for Drivers who drive every day for a living professionally, does it not seem a bit odd the number of accidents that TTC and other transit drivers have been getting into lately??

Many of them with pedestrians..

Now, sure, many of them may not have been the fault of the TTC driver, but still, I would think that drivers should be able to anticipate some things coming based on their experience.

The Police are Out of Control!

Is it just me, or are the Police in this Country completely out of control?

I know I usually write about Corruption in the Toronto Police Force, but this latest example just had to be mentioned as well.

Man beaten by police in case of mistaken identity

Elderly Driver Charged..

So, the Elderly Driver who ran that red light and killed that young mother will be charged with Highway Traffic Offences: Failing to Stop at a Red Light and Careless Driving.

(http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2010/01/22/12581461.html#/news/torontoandgta/2010/01/22/pf-12581461.html)

And the price of that mother's life?? A nominal fine and demerit points...

More Sleeping TTC Workers...

Or as I like to call it, Too Easy.. Part 2!

Barely 24-hours after the first picture went public, it's happened again.
And can you believe the guts that Transit Union President Bob Kinnear had trying to politically-jargon his way out of the embarrassment the TTC has become.

Dirty Health Inspectors in Toronto...

You know, I take a lot of heat from people when I constantly show how Corruption and Uselessness has run rampant across the entire city of Toronto's Public Service Departments. From the Toronto Police, to the Mayor and his team, to even the various departments across the city.

People call me paranoid, saying that I'm the type of person who hides under the bed all day because I'm scared that everyone is against me.

Yet, here I am, showing you almost daily, the constant example after example after example.

If you ask me, it's not ME who's paranoid. It's the brainwashed "cattle" of Torontonians who are always denying reality, and sheltering themselves from accepting the truth by calling the truthtellers paranoid.

Anyway, I don't see that changing. Like the brainwashed religious fanatics who just can't accept that their reasoning makes no sense whatsoever, the cattle will always follow their shepherd and not ask questions.

You know, that's the problem. People don't want to ask questions. Intellect is built on the asking of questions, and therefore you'll find that it's the Intellectuals who are asking questions, while the brainwashed don't even want to know.

Wow, I don't know how I went off on that tangent...

Back to the reason for my post: City health inspector guilty of extortion in bar case


(http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/754430--city-health-inspector-guilty-of-extortion-in-bar-case?bn=1)

And we wonder how all of these restaurants can get away with customers finding ants in their food, or seeing mice in their pastry trays, all the while having GREEN passes from the Health Inspectors.

Well, Voila, now you know why.

"Yanhui Lu testified that Wong told her and her husband, Hong Hai Kang, that for $1,400 he had a friend downtown who could make $2,500 in food safety tickets he had issued them in July 2007 disappear from the system."

What a nightmare us Torontonians are living in... Corruption at it's finest.

--jackandcokewithalime

(Image taken from:
http://media.thestar.topscms.com/images/aa/7e/bb243b274652a913bd48ac6c78ae.jpeg)

The 32 Most Popular Passwords

Just thought this was interesting...

(http://www.thestar.com/news/sciencetech/article/753811--the-32-most-popular-passwords-no-wonder-so-many-of-us-get-hacked)

I can name at least 5 friends who use some of the passwords mentioned.. (Yes, you know who you are!)

The 32 Most Popular Passwords (Ordered by Popularity)

1. 123456
2. 12345
3. 123456789
4. password
5. iloveyou
6. princess
7. rockyou
8. 1234567
9. 12345678
10. abc123
11. nicole
12. daniel
13. babygirl
14. monkey
15. jessica
16. lovely
17. michael
18. ashley
19. 654321
20. qwerty
21. iloveu
22. michelle
23. 111111
24. 0
25. tigger
26. password1
27. sunshine
28. chocolate
29. anthony
30. angel
31. FRIENDS (yes, all caps)
32. soccer

Not only are these the most popular, they’re the most hacked!!

--jackandcokewithalime

(Image taken from:

http://www.cbc.ca/gfx/images/news/topstories/2010/01/21/password-photo1.jpg)

Dirty Toronto Cop - Update

An Update on my previous entry “Another article about Corrupt Toronto Police”..


First, the Bully Cop said that the guy got injured during the arrest as he was resisting and being violent. Now he admits that he broke his arm when he was in the interview room at the police station (supposedly because he made a smart-ass comment when asked for his birth date).

(http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2010/01/21/12564736.html)

These guys are out of control!

And to think he was first acquitted in 2005 by Justice Bruce Young in a case that was clouded in "legal errors".

Too bad for the Cop that Superior Court Justice Frank Caputo wasn’t "down with the program" as well.. Maybe his price was too high for the Toronto Police Force..

--jackandcokewithalime


(image taken from http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/toronto/archive/2010/01/11/379249.aspx)

Beware! Elderly Drivers on the road.. Part 2

Senior crashes car through man's bedroom

(http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2010/01/21/12565431.html)

"A 32-year-old man received a rude awakening when a car driven by an elderly woman rocketed through the wall of his home and came dangerously close to crushing him as he slept Thursday morning."

Again, too easy... (see my thoughts below in Part 1 if you're curious)

--jackandcokewithalime

(image taken from:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/39/710_image_10.png/230px-710_image_10.png)

Our Blessed TTC Unionized Workers..

Don Peat from the Sun titled the article perfect, "The Sleepy Way".

(http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2010/01/21/12562196.html)

Fuck it, this is just too easy... (the picture is worth a thousand words)

--jackandcokewithalime


(Image taken from:
http://www.torontosun.com/includes/homepage/tabs/2010/01/21/ttc_resized.jpg)

Giambrone couldn't Manage a baby girl's tea party...

The Guy has Mis-Managed the TTC into a black hole of incompetence, with the St. Clair Right of way budget sky-rocketing from $48 Million to $106 Million, the Union Station work jumping from $89 Million to $137 Million, and now with his latest moronic quest to "appoint a blue-ribbon panel of private-sector experts to help improve customer service" not to mention hiring expensive external consultants as "What is key is that you do need an outside, fresh perspective", and he wants to run for the Mayor of Toronto???!!!!

What a joke this city has become, when -in the most simplistic terms- an idiot sincerely believes that he can still win the Mayoral race after his track record of disaster after disaster after disaster.

I still can't understand how this guy is the Chairman of the TTC?? This guy couldn't Manage a baby girl's tea party, let alone a Transit System for the largest city in Canada, and now, actually pretend to be able to run the city??

No Fucking way!!

Let me see if I understand this latest quest of his correctly.. The TTC, fresh off of raising the fares, has now been receiving countless complaints, as no-one in their right mind would feel that a ride on the red rocket would be worth $3. I mean, we are creeping up on it being more expensive to take the bus to work and back home, than it is to just drive in and park downtown.. And these guys are wondering why the customers are so pissed off??

Idiots..

And instead of just addressing the complaints provided directly from the customers, this guy has decided to spend countless dollars putting together a blue ribbon panel, hiring consultants, all of this bullshit, when all he has to do is just go through the suggestions in the proverbial suggestion box.

You know what? He actually does sound like the true Government that Torontonians and Ontarians alike have had to deal with for the past number of years.. He would fit right in with that gaggle of loons.

At the end of the day, the only thing that comes to mind after all of this, is just, Fuck Adam Giambrone, the TTC and all of these useless parasites who are sucking the hard-earned blood, sweat and tear-soaked tax dollars out of me and every other Torontonian!

Giambrone for Mayor.. Yeah, just the thought makes me nauseous.

--jackandcokewithalime

(Image taken from:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3037/2831596052_3430d9cb5a.jpg?v=0)

Jack is Back!!!

Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep, Beep, Beebeebeebeebeebeebeebeebeebeebeebeebeebeebee....

Those sounds just send shivers of pure excitement and happiness down my back, as it means that my favorite TV show, 24, is about to begin.

I know I'm not the only one who was counting down the days until Sunday night's 24 Season 8 premier. And I can happily say that Sunday's night's ep along with Monday night's ep, both didn't disappoint.

In Sunday night's episode, there was just something about Jack bursting back into CTU after getting the ok from his daughter (Kim) to save the world, and barking orders at Chloe that just felt so exhilarating and somewhat comforting, that Jack was back on the job.

And it also almost felt "like home" when the new CTU Director (Hastings) automatically dismissed Jack's opinions and consultation on the current dire situation, and the viewer felt like, yet again, another idiot who will have to learn a lesson that Jack is always right. It's funny how his superiors always discount him (except the President of course), even though he saves the world everyday against almost everyone's wishes (who inevitably end up apologizing to him, if they're not dead).

Anyway, this Season burst right out of the gates in full force. Non-stop action! It was soooo awesome! Wow, how I've missed it. I won't go deep into the storyline, as that's not my intention here. But, I will discuss some of the things that happened in the show, and will probably do so whenever I feel the need after an episode.

In this episode, we saw Freddy Prince Jr. (I mean, are you serious???) filling the role of the CTU hero (formerly Jack's role), and I just don't know if I can accept him as that. Every time I see him, I think of him in those girl-movies like that "she's all that" crap and it's just so hard for me to take him seriously. We'll see if he can convince me as the season progresses.

Also, I found that Anil Kapoor was good as the President of that fictional Country that has yet to be named, but I'm sure it is the equivalent of Iran. My only issue with him was that the way that he spoke didn't sound perfect all the time. I mean, the words he said were correct, it's just the way that he said them, like the timing and pausing, was off. Maybe they did that on purpose as I guess English is suppose to be his 2nd language in the show, but hey, maybe I'm just a stickler for the details...

There were a couple of things that did stick out to me in the 2 premier episodes:

1. Last season ended with Jack bed-ridden and dying from an incurable Radiation Poisoning that he got while saving the world. There was a chance that Kim might be able to save him (via a bone-marrow transplant or something like that), but it would require a dangerous procedure for her, and also Jack was completely against it as he didn't want her to see him dying.

Then, this season begins with him being completely recovered, with 1 quote stating that he's finally completed his treatments, and that's about it??? Nothing about whether Kim helped him. Nothing about how the treatments worked. Nothing. Just, he's better now, and lets move on...

Personally, I hate it when these TV people do shit like that. I'm a person who needs that continuity for me to take a show seriously, especially a serialized one. Anyway, I'll let this go for now (since it is 24) and hope that it's touched on later in the season.

2. When Kim gave that speech to Jack telling him that it was ok for him to go and save the world, I found that to be very unlikely as well. After all of these years and all of these Seasons, Kim has never been understanding enough to allow for Jack to go and risk his life to save the world. Especially given that in the last season, he got that radiation poisoning and was most certainly going to die. And it must have been through some miracle that he survived, and now she's ready to send him in to risk the same thing happening again, all because she feels that -and I quote: "But if something terrible happens, and you could have done something to stop it, I don't think you'd be able to live with yourself."????

I don't believe that for a second. I mean, don't the terrorists always end up kidnapping Kim at some point in order to blackmail Jack?? (BTW, watch for that to happen around episode........hmm......I'll put my money on episode 14, lets say).

Anyway, since it is 24, I'm willing to accept these 2 things. It is the best show on Television after all.

Moving on, in last night's episode I found myself somewhat depressed as the episode went on. It wasn't the episode itself, or the story, they were both awesome. It was just the fact that we have to wait week after week to see the next episode. Those crazy cliff-hangers, they are just so evil...

I guess others may be use to this by now, but my girl and I watched the first 5 seasons via DVD, each episode one after the other after the other. There were times where we would watch more than 10 episodes in 1 day. And we never really felt the pain of having to wait until the following week for the next episode..

I guess this is why many of my friends are telling me that they are just going to wait until the end of the season and then watch it all over a 5 day period. Boy do I envy them... And even though I did similar things for both Entourage and Weeds this year, I just don't think that it's possible for me to do it for 24. I am just so addicted.

Anyway, now that Jack is back, I am sooo happy. This show is definitely the best show on television ever. Definitely my favorite.

Until the next episode, I'll end this entry with a quote from Jack:

"If you don't tell me what I want to know, then it'll just be a question of how much you want it to hurt."

Classic Jack!!

--jackandcokewithalime


(Image taken from:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/77/24_Season_8_Cast.jpg)

Beware! 'Yield to Bus' gone wild!

It was a sad sad day on January 2nd, 2004 when the Ontario Ministry of Transportation gave the TTC and all other Transit Operators in Ontario the "above the law" legislation, also know as "Yield to Bus", to basically do whatever they want on the roads, and to allow for them to never be blamed in any kind of traffic accident.

Over the past couple of days, we've heard at least 3 incidents involving a Public Transit Bus Driver (either TTC or other), who killed a Pedestrian. Many people will say that it was an accident, but in truth, as soon as this "Yield to Bus" legislation came into effect, these Bus Drivers have been reaking havoc on the roads and its just getting worse and worse everyday.

(http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/752089--woman-dead-after-being-hit-by-bus) -> Killed due to bad visibility eh?... She was wearing dark clothing and therefore she got hit by the bus. Yeah. You blame the 60 year old woman because of the clothes she was wearing, and not the Bus Driver who doesn't care about anyone else on the road due to the Yield to Bus legislation...

(http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2010/01/14/12462236.html) -> Gurleen Thabal was killed around 6:30 a.m. Thursday when she was struck and dragged by a McMurchy bus as it pulled into the transit company’s terminal at the Shopper’s World Mall. -Not only struck, but dragged until it parked in the company's terminal?!!!

I can't count the number of times that I've been driving along, I see a Bus pulled over dropping off and taking on Passengers, and as soon as I'm about to go past them, they pull out without a seconds thought or concern, and I have to slam on the brakes to allow them to proceed. If not, I will be hit with a $90 ticket in the least.

It's not just that. So many times I've been driving along, and all of a sudden I have a bus pull right in front of me and sit there while waiting to complete it's left turn. No concern for the fact that I should have the right of way, and that I'm currently moving and it would be dangerous to just pull out in front of me. No... This is not the concern.

The concerns is that, oh, the Bus Driver will not make his/her schedule, so all other cars on the road better watch out. The Bus Driver has the ultimate right of way, and if we are in the way of him/her making their schedule, then we better be ready to either get hit, or face a fine.

What kind of Bullshit is this?!!!!!

And I'm sure it's not just me who's noticed how Bus Drivers have just become more and more ignorant of others on the road. I'm sure if you were to investigate the number of TTC-involved traffic incidents ever since the introduction of this "yield to bus" legislation, I'm sure you'll see that they've sky-rocketed.

You see, even though the law makes sense in some ways, it has had an adverse effect on the quality of driving that these TTC drivers apply. When a person is considered above the law, it usually results in them breaking the law all the time. If there are no consequences, then in actuality, it is ok. Why do they need to concern themselves with others on the road, when others should be watching for them?

This is the problem.

Lately, I've seen Bus Drivers running red lights, not stopping for emergency vehicles, making all kinds of driving mistakes that truly shouldn't be happening.

Yet am I surprised by this? No. Because our lawmakers gave them this power, and why should they be blamed for abusing it?

All I can say at this point is, FUCK THESE BUS DRIVERS and the Government that allows them to rule the road!!!

Just don't come back and wonder why all of these Pedestrians are getting killed by Public Transit. The day you took away accountability and gave them free-reign on the road, was the day that you put a death sentence on anyone other than Public Transit Drivers on our city streets.

--jackandcokewithalime


(image taken from:
http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/faq/other.shtml#ytb6)

Damn Pedestrians!!

As a Driver, I have a huge beef with the new Crossing lights which feature the flashing hand with a countdown, and the way pedestrians are using these new signs.

It used to be that pedestrians would cross when the little man would appear, and would be able to start crossing as long as he was showing. But, as soon as the flashing hand would appear, pedestrians would no longer "start" to cross. Only those that were mid-cross would complete their crossing.

But now with these new Countdown Pedestrian Crossing Lights, there hasn't been any education for the public on how to use these lights. Therefore, all of the rules that use to apply to Pedestrians, are no longer being followed.

This is no more as true as in the downtown core. The light turns green, the little man appears, and the pedestrians start crossing. After 30 seconds, the flashing hand appears and the countdown begins. Yet, to pedestrians, this isn't a stop crossing hand, this is a "the race is on" hand to determine, ok, there are 20 seconds, or 10 seconds, or even 3 seconds left to make that cross, I can make it if I run, and here I go.

And who gets hurt by this? -If you're thinking the car who has been waiting for 15 lights to make a right turn, then you are correct! You see, this happens both ways. The pedestrians do this going from north to south or south to north for one light, crossing until the countdown has reached 0. And it also happens going from east to west or west to east until the countdown reaches 0.

Cars making right-hand turns have no chance whatsoever anymore to make that right turn.

Eventually, after waiting for 15 lights, no HUMAN BEING can withstand the urge to just say, "FUCK THIS", and make a move in between the j-walking pedestrians to get that right turn in (Lord knows I've done it). Then they are treated with bad looks, and sometimes pulled over by the police for careless/reckless driving.

Sure, the Drivers get all of the blame for this, even when they are simply just trying to drive in a city where the pedestrian controls the roads, breaks the laws, makes it impossible for drivers to drive safely, and the police do nothing.

Today there was an article in the Toronto Star about "Why 7 pedestrians have died in 7 days".

(http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/752506--why-7-pedestrians-have-died-in-7-days?bn=1)

If you take out the instances where the elderly were driving -and killed pedestrians because they can't drive, and you remove the instances where Transit Bus operators (TTC and Brampton Transit) killed people -because they are "above the law" and truly don't care about anyone else on the road ever since receiving the "ultimate right of way" where they essentially can do anything on the road and everyone else should be watching out for them (wow, what a mouthful! Watch for a future blog entry about this), then all you have left are pedestrians getting hit while j-walking (or in other words, breaking the law), and pedestrians getting hit by cars/trucks trying to make a right turn when it's their right-of-way.

At the end of the day, if you want to blame someone for these pedestrian road accidents/fatalities, you should look to the Government and the Police. The Government is accountable for ensuring that these pedestrians understand the laws of the road. And the Police are accountable for enforcing the laws.

You know, its funny how almost every single Toronto Police Officer is an allstar at Traffic Enforcement. Nailing speeders, and HOV lane drivers, and drivers without a front license plate, and yada yada countless useless traffic infraction enforcement. But when it comes to Pedestrians, where are they??

Fantino will go on and on about how there are dangerous drivers out there, and how dedicating the entire Provincial and Municipal Police forces to watching drivers is critical. Yet, here we are, seeing Pedestrian deaths at the highest it's been in years, and nobody is making sure that they follow the rules of the road.

To me, the answer to why 7 pedestrians have died in 7 days is very simple. They don't follow the rules, maybe because they don't know them (thank you Government), or because they don't care (thank you Police).

Yet, will anybody admit that this is the true issue? No. That's why Pedestrians will continue to suffer.

--jackandcokewithalime


(image taken from:
http://www.walkarlington.com/gfx/ped%20signal%20countdown%20hand%201.jpg)

Battered Voter Syndrome

Smitherman leads Toronto Mayoral Race????

(http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/torontomayoralrace/article/750562--smitherman-leads-mayoral-race)











Say it ain't so!!!! It's like that Nightmare on Elm Street movie, I think it was #3. That never ending nightmare that just keeps repeating itself over and over..

You know, it never ceases to amaze me... After years of getting raped over and over and over and over by Premier Dalton McGuinty (or Pinocchio McLongNose, or LongNose for short), are Torontonians truly so ignorant that they would vote in his right hand to lead Toronto next???

HE WAS THE DEPUTY PREMIER UNDER MCLONGNOSE!!!! He is eHealth!!

God.. WHY!!!!!

Now, Smitherman is not my only concern. We have the exact same thing happening as well with Pantalone.


HE IS DEPUTY MAYOR UNDER DAVID MILLER!!!! He is the Land Transfer Tax and Vehicle Ownership Tax!!!

Again, God.. WHY!!!!!


I just can't understand it..


I mean, we're finally closing in on getting rid of the worst Mayor Toronto has ever had, and these are the replacements that are getting the most serious consideration?? God, Freddy Kruger would do less damage...

I shutter to think what's going to happen when McGuinty's time comes up...

It's like Torontonians have Battered Voter Syndrome or something. We know they are wrong for us -dangerous even, and yet here we go again...

Here, lets look at the definition:

A reference to any person who, because of constant and severe abuse by a political leader, becomes depressed and unable to take any independent action that would allow him or her to escape the abuse. The condition explains why abused people often do not seek assistance from others, fight their abuser, or leave the abusive situation. Sufferers have low self-esteem, and often believe that the abuse is their fault. Such persons usually refuse to press criminal charges against their abuser, and refuse all offers of help, often becoming aggressive or abusive to others who attempt to offer assistance. Often sufferers will even seek out their very abuser for comfort shortly after an incident of abuse.

Tell me that doesn't sound like Torontonians, or Ontarians for that matter.

People of Toronto, for once, please, lets vote with intelligence this time. You can do it. I mean, if it takes a 12-step program or something to make it happen by the time of the election, please do it.

--jackandcokewithalime


(images taken from

http://www.moviesandlife.net/images/a-nightmare-on-elm-street3.jpg (Freddy)
http://haroldharrods.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/cn_tower_toronto1.jpg (CN Tower)
http://windconcernsontario.files.wordpress.com/2009/08/smitherman.jpg (MgGuinty and Smitherman)
http://www.ryerson.ca/news/news/images/green_to_award_400.jpg (Miller and Pantalone))

Beware! Elderly Drivers on the road...

I know I'm going to take a lot of heat for this one, but what can I do.. I live for this shit.

Did you ever see that episode of South Park called "Grey Dawn"? That was a classic! The episode focussed on Elderly Drivers who were constantly killing people on the road everytime they got behind the wheel. Everytime they were driving, we would hear the classic Jaws themed shark-approaching music: "duna. duna. duna. duna. duna. duna. duna. duna-duna-duna-duna-duna-duna-duna-duna-duna-duna-duna-duna-duna-duna-duna-duna. duna-na-na-naaa..".

And then all of a sudden, SMASH!!! They've crashed into someone's house (image to the left), or a group of people (image above), or etc.



As funny as it was, it's a true issue that is killing innocent people every day. And the reason nobody does anything about it, is that the politicians are scared of offending the Seniors, especially given that these days, only Senior Citizens can be depended on to always show up to vote.

Before I go into it, here's a short clip from the script of that episode:

<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< SOUTH PARK FARMER'S MARKET

[Day. A crowd is gathered under this banner
and listens to Father Maxi as he delivers a service.]

FATHER MAXI
Friends, we gather in this place to
mourn the victims of yesterday's tragedy:
nine good people who were run over in
the street by an elderly woman driver.

CARTMAN
Oh God, memorial services are sooo boring.

KYLE
You insensitive asshole, Cartman! Nine
people died!

CARTMAN
Yeah, but like, eight of them were hippies.
Mostly hippies go to farmer's markets.
Mostly

FATHER MAXI
It is sometimes hard, in times like
these, to understand God's way. Why
would he allow nine innocent people
to be run down in the prime of their
lives by a senior citizen who, perhaps,
shouldn't be driving? It is then that
we must understand, God's sense of humor
is very different from our own. He does
not laugh at the simple "man walks into
a bar" joke. No, God needs complex irony
and subtle farcical twists that seem
macabre to you and me. All that we can
hope for is that God got his good laugh
and a tragedy such as this will never
happen again.

MR. GARRISON
Look out!!

ELDERLY DRIVER
Huh? Was that a stop sign back there?
Ooooh, I think I hit a pot hole
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

So tell me, how many times have you been on the road, and you're wondering why everyone is moving soooo slow. Chances are, there is a Senior Citizen driving ahead of you (doing 20 km/h in a 50 km/h), barely staying in their lane and holding up traffic for miles.

I can't even count the number of times that I've seen people get so upset and frustrated, that they pull dangerous illegal maneuvers just to try and get around the person.

If you ask these Senior Citizen drivers why they drive sooo slow, they'll tell you that they're just trying to be careful. The truth is though, that they have to drive that slow, as they just can't handle the normal speeds of the road. It is just way too fast paced for them. Their instincts are just not that sharp at their age.

You ever wonder where that expression about "Sunday Drivers" came from? It came from those Senior Citizens who leave their homes once a week on Sundays (for Church), and are causing terror and mayhem on the roads due to their inability to stay alert and focussed due to their age.

Now, I don't blame the Seniors. Who are we to tell them to get off of the road when the Government allows them to drive? And as a Senior Citizen, if I'm allowed to drive by law, then I will definitely drive.

The problem is -as I mentioned above, the law-makers are too afraid to address this issue, as they are worried about the voting-backlash that will come as a result of their trying to make the roads safer for everyone.

Yesterday in Toronto, an 83 year old elderly woman was driving along and went right through a red light. Sure that happens all the time, but this time she hit a Mother and a baby in a stroller, and killed the mother. Luckily, the mother -at the last second- pushed the stroller out of the way, and the 18 day old baby survived.

(http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/2010/01/13/12446936.html)

Now, nobody wants to point out the obvious here, but I don't fucking care. There is no way in hell that this lady should have been driving!

Sure, the Senior's will say, "There are way too many accidents on our roads, many caused by 30 year old drivers, [and the odd] 40 year old and 50 year old driver. Do we need to re-assess their driving skills too? Are their victims somehow, less injured, less dead, etc?" (taken directly from comments on the Toronto Sun article noted above).

Well, I would expect this kind of ignorant comment from an offended Senior Citizen. You see, those 30 year old, 40 year old, and 50 year old drivers didn't fuck up due to physical medical age-related reasons.. They fucked up because they were driving carelessly.

Let me ask you this.. Those 30/40/50 year old drivers, if they killed that mother, they would definitely be charged with careless driving causing death, and would go to jail for it. Whereas, do you see this Senior Citizen getting charged with the same offense and going to jail for the rest of their lives?? No, most people would just ensure that her driving license was taken away. Something that should have been done regardless.

Anyway, in this article, Dalton McGuinty, the lying scum-sucking bullshit selling, piece-of-shit, Corrupt Premier of Ontario, who I justifiably refer to as Pinnochio McLongNose, very "pussily" suggested that, "There does come a point in time when it is no longer safe for you to drive a car and you have to be honest with yourself in that regard".

Instead of creating legislation that would remove drivers who are 80 years and older from the road, he suggests that they be "honest" with themselves in regards to whether they should be driving??... This is his solution?? Sounds to me like a very cowardly way of addressing the issue, but not offending the Seniors. Yes, yes, a very politically smart way of handling it.

At least he said something about it, which is more than I can say for 99% of politicians out there who are afraid of losing votes. With McGuinty, he has obviously shown that he doesn't care about how voters feel, as he shamelessly raises taxes everyday when not creating new ones.

Anyway, something has to be done about this issue, as these Seniors are -if not directly, then indirectly, causing all kinds of traffic-related deaths and injuries on the road.

I mean, its common knowledge that in Life, the mind goes full circle. You start off as a baby, slow to react and think, and slowly as you grow older, you get sharper and sharper, until you get to the point where now, you are slowly returning to where you were originally. I can safely say that once you hit 80 years old, you are now basically back to your lower teenage years and slowly getting younger (from a mental perspective). And the simple question here is, would you let your 8-12 year old drive on the road?

Yes yes, that was offensive... But it's the truth, no? If you don't believe me, go watch how 50-60 year olds deal with their Parents. You'll see them babying their parents, and treating them like children. Yet, you want to let these same people go out there on the roads and drive??

They may get offended, but at least there won't be anymore dead mothers as a result.

--jackandcokewithalime


(images taken from
http://www.comedycentral.com/press/series/southpark.jhtml?gallery=true (South Park Grey Dawn Screenshot 1)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/39/710_image_10.png/230px-710_image_10.png (South Park Grey Dawn Screenshot 2)

http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2010/01/12/12436701.html (Accident image))

Haitian Earthquake

My heart goes out to everyone affected by the Haitian earthquake. Our thoughts and prayers are with you...

(image taken from http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/750099--thousands-likely-dead-in-haitian-earthquake-un-says?bn=1)

You know what? Fuck Baseball!!

Yeah, I said it! Fuck Baseball!! (Just in case you didn’t hear it the first time)…

Where did this come from, you ask? Well, today Mark McGuire came out and admitted to using steroids during his record-breaking homerun season and during many other seasons in his career (we can only assume that he used them his entire career).

(http://www.thestar.com/sports/baseball/mlb/article/749451--griffin-sorry-mark-but-you-ll-never-get-my-vote)

Mark McGuire was my favorite ball player growing up, and this just breaks my heart -even though I stopped watching and following baseball a long time ago…

Thinking back to when I was a kid, I remember playing baseball (or our ghetto version of baseball, box-ball) everyday after school and on the weekends. We would be out there for hours, playing even when it was dark outside, when it was raining, and sometimes –just for fun, even when it was snowing. We loved the game back then, and use to eat-sleep-and-dream baseball all the time.

Though my buddies may not admit it, I remember being our homerun champ every year, hitting over 70 myself one season, 13 on one day once. Those were the good old days. I have many other stories of this time, but I’ll save them for my “stroll down memory lane” segments.

My favorite team was the Toronto Blue Jays, though those pesky Oakland Athletics were pretty awesome back then. Mark McGuire, Jose Canseco, Ricky Henderson and etc (I can’t remember all of them anymore), but I had a solid love-hate relationship with them, as every year they made sure the Blue Jays got screwed before or during the post season. Anyway, every time I would hit a homerun, I would do the fore-arm high-five (if you will) just like Mark McGuire and his Athletics did every time they hit homers.

Anyway, thinking back now, it just pisses me off to realize that the A’s entire team was on steroids, and had they not been, the Jays may have won the World Series much earlier than in ’92 and ’93.

You see, it’s the fair playing teams that always get screwed in baseball, I’m finally learning.

Now, when the Jays finally made it to the World Series, they didn’t disappoint. With the entire United States against the team (as it was their national past-time, and though they didn’t mind us when they beat us, as soon as we were contenders, we were hated by the entire US country), they overcame the obstacles and stole 2 World Series Championships! It was the greatest feeling ever being a Jays fan at the time. It’s like we were the proverbial David, taking down Goliath. The memories I have from those victories will say with me forever.






















I remember being at home with my entire family over watching the game. And when we won (especially that time when Joe Carter hit that World Series winning Homerun), we all went nuts! We all got in the car, and my Dad took us downtown to celebrate with the rest of the city of Toronto. It was amazing.

Anyway, my attitude towards baseball changed soon-after when the players went on strike in ’94. At the time I didn’t understand why it was happening -only that one of my favorite games was no longer going to be played due to the greedy players... They stayed on strike for the entire year, and by the end of it, I was so angry with them, that I -for the first time, said Fuck Baseball!! I still played box-ball, I just didn’t watch baseball anymore. Slowly thereafter, I stopped playing box-ball as well. I never forgave them for that.

Nowadays, with all of the steroid allegations and yada, the entire game is a sham. I could have been playing in the MLB if I was on steroids, so I why should I be impressed with these guys?? Fuck them. And I don’t blame just the players, the Management had to know that this was going on, but as long as nobody made it public, it was great having the fans come in to watch Jose Canseco blast baseballs out of the entire park. (They sure raked in enough dough turning that blind-eye).

And when I think that if Canseco hadn’t written that book that blew the whistle on it all, that these players would still be happily on steroids smashing every record in the book, it just disgusts me even further.

Lately, I haven’t been as upset about the steroids, as I am about the Team Payrolls. It’s fucking bullshit what’s going on. How can you have 2 teams in the same league in 2009, where one, the NY Yankees, has a payroll of $201,449,189, and the other, the Florida Marlins, has a payroll of $36,834,000????? I mean, are you fucking serious??? This is considered a REAL game with TRUE competition? Here’s the entire MLB Team Payrolls for 2009 (for your reference):

If you’re not in New York, Boston or Chicago, then what’s the point of even watching the sport?

I know, I know, "sure, they have the highest payrolls, but they don’t always win"… Yeah, but they always make it to the post-season, don’t they?. You see, like probabilities in cards, in the short-term anything can happen, but over time, you will see the teams with all of the allstars winning most of the time. Therefore, over a season of 162 games, the allstar teams (New York, Boston and etc.), will inevitably have the best records. But in a short term post-season, anything can happen.

My problem with this is that when your team is in the same division with the NY Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, then what’s the point?.. I mean, for the post season they take the top team from each division and have 1 wild card spot to complete the set. I wonder who takes those spots every time in the AL East?…

If you guessed the Yanks and the Red Sox, then you are right!

I don’t know how NY Yankee fans can even look themselves in the mirror and be proud that their team won the World Series. As much as they hate hearing it, they bought the World Series, and that’s the truth.

In a sport where the players have no honour and are pumping themselves with steroids, and where there is no equal competition between teams due to their team payrolls, almost every aspect of the game is tainted.

So, if you’re wondering why I say “Fuck Baseball”?? I hope you can now understand why.

--jackandcokewithalime

(images taken from http://www.thestar.com/sports/baseball/mlb/article/749451--griffin-sorry-mark-but-you-ll-never-get-my-vote (Mark McGuire image),

http://www3.allaroundphilly.com/blogs/delcotimes/ryanl/uploaded_images/CARTPHU016009~Joe-Carter-1993-World-Series-Home-Run-Celebration-Posters-705340.jpg (Joe Carter Celebration image)

http://baseball.about.com/od/newsrumors/a/09teamsalaries.htm (2009 MLB Team Payrolls))

Another article about Corrupt Toronto Police

And yet again, another example of Corrupt Toronto Police...

(http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2010/01/11/12426716.html)

I’m not going to go into this one, as I’ve already beat that dead horse to a pulp today.

But, I’ll leave you with these quotes from the article...

“Shuparski was transported to the downtown police station and was alone in an interview room with Higgins. The alleged 10-second-long attack occurred after Shuparski gave Higgins a snide, profane reply after the officer asked him for his birth date.”

“...Shuparski testified that after Higgins punched him and kicked him, he threatened to send him home in a “body bag” if he complained about his injuries.”

“...the now 39-year-old Higgins, who is alleged to have kicked the drug addict “like a football.””

“Higgins, a 20-year force veteran, was acquitted of the charge in 2005. Superior Court Justice Frank Caputo rescinded that acquittal in 2007, saying the first trial judge, Justice Bruce Young, made several “significant legal errors” and Caputo ordered a new trial.”

Jeez, aren’t these “legal errors” happening a lot when the Police are the one’s charged???

I’m just saying...


(image taken from http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/toronto/archive/2010/01/11/379249.aspx)

Please, join me for a stroll down DARK memory lane...

These Memories are in regards to the beloved Toronto Police force...

I remember way back in the early 90s, when it was a daily occurrence being searched by the Police on my way to-or-home from high school. Everyday, without fail, we could be innocently playing box-ball at one of the neighbourhood schools, or eating outside of the 7-11 across the street from the school, or playing ball hockey in a school parking lot, and these useless cops would come by, line us up against the wall, and search us.

Sure, some of the people I would be with would have cigarettes on them, or very rarely, some weed, but rest assured the officers in question would "confiscate" these items; And I can guarantee that these items never ended up at the police station (rather we would see them laughing while smoking the cigs as they drove away).

Wonderful memories...

Fast forward to when I was in University and I came back home for a weekend. I had just finished watching a movie at Fairview Mall, and while walking back to my piece-of-shit 88 Dodge Reliant, I get a phone call from my Mom telling me to come home immediately as something had happened. I rushed to the car, so worried and affected that I fell to the ground while trying to get in.

When I got home, I found my Dad bleeding from the head and my Mom crying. Apparently there had been a home invasion by 3 gang-bangers who pistol-whipped my Dad in the head (he still has headaches to this day), while another had a gun pointed at my Mom while she was lying on the ground with the scum's foot pressed against her neck. My parent's aren't rich or middle-class, in fact, they are barely scraping by, but my Mom did have her wedding jewellery -which they took, as well as a few other items. I'm sure these pussy-motherfuckers weren't happy with their "loot" from the mission, and hence took out their frustrations on my parents.

The Police came and asked a few questions. My parents tried their best to describe them, and then the Police left. The building beside my parents' home has cameras in it which look right at our house, so I was pretty hopeful that these guys would get caught.

Anyway, like 90% of all other criminal cases in Toronto, it went unsolved. I found out later (from the super of the building next door) that the Police didn't even look at the video tapes from the building. I don't even know if they investigated it...

It didn't happen in Rosedale or Bridlepath, so I'm not surprised.

That was the first of many "strolls down DARK memory lane". I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

--jackandcokewithalime


(image taken from http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3522/3973606674_041816d68c.jpg)

What, Toronto Police are Corrupt?

What, Toronto Police are Corrupt? You don't say...

Let me apologize up-front to the up-standing, legitimate hard-working Police Officers out there. I know there are still a few of you (please please... I truly hope so), and if there are, this post is not directed at you.

I swear, 2009 was just a swarm of Government Corruption this, Police Corruption that, and that obviously has now trickled into 2010 and doesn't seem to be going away.

It's a sad day when our Government and Police appear to be more Corrupt than their portrayers in The Sopranos... Aside from the actual Corruption, what really bothers me as well is that the population seem to just turn a blind-eye to it, like it's not happening (picture them sticking their fingers in their ears, and saying "la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la"). They just don't want to admit that it's happening, and I can't understand why...

I can remember countless times partaking in a comment-war on the Toronto Sun board, and in just making a smart-ass remark about the corruption, having countless people defensive as hell. "They're out there risking their lives!", "They're just doing their jobs!", "They don't make the laws, they just enforce them!". Listen, I'm not disputing that. I'd be the first one to shake their hands in thanks for the dedicated and honourable work that they do. It's just these countless News Articles, almost once every week (if you can believe that!) about Toronto Police Corruption that just disappoint and upset me to the point where, I can't even believe that there are any legitimate cops left..

How can I be the only person who is coming to this realization??!!!

What is this hold that 'people with power' have over the population? So much so that when provided with precedent after precedent, they still believe in the legitimate honourable police officer.

Well, it's now become my mission to show you and remind you that yes, that was an article about Police Corruption, and yes this is happening in your city. Yes, those Police Officers parked in a NO PARKING zone are just having lunch in that restaurant, and not doing police-work. I'll do it, over and over and over, until it finally clicks and you see what I'm talking about. Then, and only then, can we as a people make a difference (I don't know where that's from, but I thought I would just throw that in.. It seemed like the right thing to do).

In the news today, there was a great article in regards to these Corrupt Police scum who all got off of charges due to "excessive delays" in their case.

(http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorialopinion/article/748911--sewell-silence-on-police-corruption-cases)

I had read about this before, but when creating this blog, I decided that I would only comment on new articles in the news, and not go back (as that exercise could go on forever).

So, in this case, these Corrupt Toronto Cops were going around Extorting money from Drug Dealers for "Protection". To quote the article, "there had been a "crime spree" by "rogue officers," and recommended criminal charges against 12 officers.". 12 OFFICERS!!!! He then goes on to say that 4 months later, "four officers working the downtown club scene were alleged to be demanding and getting protection money from club owners. Rick McIntosh, president of the Toronto Police Association, and William McCormack, son of a former Toronto police chief, were among the four officers charged with influence peddling and accepting a benefit". THE PRESIDENT OF THE TORONTO POLICE ASSOCIATION and the SON OF THE FORMER TORONTO POLICE CHIEF!!!!!

Now maybe you get my comment about it being worse than The Sopranos?

Anyway, to make a long story short, for some reason, the Police investigate the Police (real genius work in that decision), and somehow, nothing was getting done (really!! I can't believe that). Then delay after delay after delay after delay (keep in mind this goes on for years), until now, they finally decided that allowing this to go on for so long was against these Criminal Cops' rights, and they dismissed the charges.

How this could happen, nobody knows... (Yeah!!)

To a person who's removed the blinders, this simply means that this Corruption goes all the way from the bottom of the Police Force to the tippy-top. There's no accountability, and one has to assume that far more than the 16 Cops mentioned were involved.

The Prosecution, Judges, Government Officials I'm sure had something to do with it, but you didn't hear that from me...

Anyway, I'll leave you with 1 more example that was in the news today:

(http://www.thestar.com/news/ontario/article/748717--julian-fantino-vows-pushback)

Ontario's Top Cop, Julian Fantino, charged with "one count of influencing or attempting to influence municipal officials". You see, not even the "Top Cop" is free from scandal in this great Police force of ours (yes, he's Ontario Police, but same shit at the end of the day)..

"Attempting to influence municipal officials" you say.. Again, reference The Sopranos season 1-3 (up until season 3 episode 10, that's the latest I've watched, and it's still awesome by the way!).

Let me end by saying this.. If this type of stuff happened once every 5 years, ok, I would accept that as well.. every organization has it's bad apples (to quote Fantino). But this is happening once every week at least.

I'm sorry, but I'm not brainwashed by these power-holding scoundrels. I call 'em like I see 'em.

--jackandcokewithalime

PS: Check out the link below where I went into a comment-war on the Toronto Sun board when the Police "asked" to search everyone's houses for that missing 18-year old girl.

(http://www.torontosun.com/news/torontoandgta/2009/11/09/11688436.html)

I was commenting under the persona of "PotSmoker", and gave many examples of Police Corruption to justify my fears of allowing any Police Officer to enter my home without a warrant. It wasn't about the girl, it was about the Police Officers. With so much Corruption going on, I wouldn't dare set a precedent where Police can enter my home anytime they feel like it without a warrant or probable cause or anything.

I used the persona "Potsmoker", as I wanted to have a harmless reason for why I wouldn't want the police to search my home, otherwise I would have been pummeled with comments asking me what I had to hide?? And I needed to get past that.

The reason I have asked in quotations (in case you were wondering) is that though they asked for the public's cooperation, when countered by the press about what they'll do if people don't want to have their rights infringed upon, they responded saying that those people will be noted on a "list" as people who said no -and if you ask me, were immediately considered suspects (if not for this, then for something else).

And there's nothing like a highly-visible political move like this to take the light off of the lack of progress in the case (like the infamous ALT-TAB we all do when the boss walks by), they make it appear as though the Police were doing everything they could possibly think of. I don't blame them, it actually was an allstar move if you ask me.. While at the same time as appearing to be looking for the girl (which inevitably ended up being a useless exercise unfortunately), it still allowed them freebie chances to note those folks who seemed suspicious (which could be used for political quick-wins at a later date -and given the current state, they need those as often as possible). So savvy these Police folks are, eh!

Anyway, check it out for other example articles of Toronto Police Corruption that I noted there. And for the shear entertainment value!..

(Yes yes... I'm a sick individual).


(image taken from http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/torontopolice/gfx/titlephoto.jpg)