Lowdark

First news article that pooped up on my computer today was how to avoid a Trump rescission. There's a reason economists were terrified of him getting in. While I truly believe the world needs to bace itself for some very tough economic times, what I'm truly upset about it that this will wipe out all the social progress the U.S has made the last eight years. It will be as though Barrack Obama was never in office.

This feels like the behaviour of a troll trying to provoke people in an effort to validate himself. As someone who has routinely danced with this tribe in other forums, I can tell you there is little to no effort trying to use facts as they will be ignored or "discredited." The troll's next step will be to start calling people names and, if he can get away with it, harassing and subsequently threatening people. In he end, when he's spent, the troll will try to claim the higher moral ground and depart, saying he's no longer interested in arguing and wants cooler heads to prevail. This way he will get to surrender without looking like he's a coward.

I had the privilege of sharing an afternoon with Isabella today, starting with a light brunch just before noon and then moving on to more . . . pleasant activities for the next few hours. I've met Isabella before but forgot how beautiful and graceful she is and how she can make you feel like a million bucks. Stylish as well as a great conversationalist (you may even learn some Spanish out of the deal) any man would feel lucky to meet her. Thanks again Isabella!

Happy Birthday! Hope its Great!

In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.

Sorry to hear that. I agree that's it a treat watching kids light up at Christmas; the world kind of stamps out their belief in magic too early so seeing them genuinely smile at Christmas is a little bit of a miracle. Plus not too many people realize that the Christmas season represents anywhere from 40-50 percent of many retailers annual income. No Christmas bonanza equals a lot fewer jobs.

Lok at this from another perspective; stores and businesses have one sole purpose and that's to make money. Plain and simple. Every decision is based on the profit margin. If they didn't make money from putting Christmas decorations and product up in October, they wouldn't do it. There are Christmas stores that thrive all year round. And I saw a Wal-Mart or two that had back to school stuff up in the middle of June when most kids were still in school. But I didn't hear too many parents complain about that ;)

Happy Birthday to a woman with an enormous heart. Spoil yourself today Isabella!

Do I believe in ghosts? No. And yes. While I don't believe in the conventional definition of ghosts (why do ghosts supposedly appear wearing the clothes they died in? do they're clothes have spirits that pass with them? wouldn't hospitals be the most haunted places in the world?), but I've had a few experiences that lead me to believe that there is more in Heaven and Earth than what we can currently sense or logically explain. I don't believe anyone really knows for certain and that, given time, we can eventually understand the pasts of nature where such phenomenon reside. But until then, ghost stories around the campfire are always fun.

It feels like there's a little less joy in the world right now. It wasn't just his comedic brilliance or his understated skill as a performer, but the manic joy he exuded. When he spoke it was impossible not to smile. You just know his kids were always laughing. If it was indeed suicide, then may he be at peace and rest where they can't find them.

Yes, they do. I'm pretty sure that's the law in Ontario. In fact, places that participate in the Scanning Cod of Practice will offer either an additional 10% off the sale price or, if the item is low enough in price, free (though there are plenty of criteria hat have to be met for that with tonnes of political double speak). When/if the manager calls you, let them know that you ave the pic of the said item and the price to backup your claim, and perhaps insinuate that it may wind up on social media.

Well said. I suspect this is why many men use resources like Cerb. It isn't always about the sex, but finding someone you can share a special connection and bond with, an emotional intimacy and even friendship.

Most of the Big Box retailers invest as little money as possible in their staff, from the number of employees (that's the reason why there's only one or two cashiers open with a thousand people in line) to doing as little training as possible. In most of these places, people are hired then pretty much put into the sales environment with an immediate demand to sell as much as possible. I know a guy who used to work at BB and when he complained to one of his superiors about trying to manage his department with such little staff he was told by his boss to help customers less. They also apparently got yelled at when shoplifting happened even though they only had a handful of people in the whole store to "prevent" it. Personally I don't shop at Future Shop or the Source because they're big time commission (had a few friends who worked there and hated it) or Best Buy, because they drive their staff like they are, despite all their non-pressure advertising. I shop at Walmart as little as possible because they treat their workers poorly. Even Amazon has gotten into a bit of trouble lately, trying to leverage some big suppliers into lower prices (Warner Bros. among them), and they're employee satisfaction has fallen through the floor. The OPS may disagree with me, but I love shopping at Chapters (I'm a big book fanatic) and they've increased their product selection lately, including electronics without the extended warranty pressure. I like to shop at the Canadian owned HMV for movies that I can't stream through NetFlix, and Costco has an excellent reputation for how they teat their employees (which is why they have such little turnover).

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there. Hope you get spoiled!

Happy Mother's Day to moms everywhere!

No doubt, but to dismiss and subsequently insult an entire group based on your affection for the good of one era is foolish. The poster who claimed that contemporary dancers looked as poor as sex workers compared to dancers from his cherished early 90's insulted both current dancers and SPs. You know, the whole reason he's probably on this board.

I feel religion also plays a large in the stigmatization as well. I'm not saying that we're all religious people in Canada or making sweeping generalizations that individuals who consider themselves people of faith are all bigots or are prejudice, but the major religions have all played huge parts in the founding of modern civilizations, and all three of those faiths have, for most of their histories, had less then stellar perceptions of sex and particularly women in general. In countries where laws are still skewered against women, many of they'll use religion as a basis for their legalized sexism, and even in countries like Canada and the United States, how often do we see opponents of marriage equality (among other social and education issues) use the Bible to justify their perspective? It isn't even uncommon to see politicians and celebrities say unbelievable things (like "a wife should always submit to their husband") out loud, often using faith as a cover. Religion isn't the only smoking gun-let's be honest folks, we live in a culture where women are often depicted and programmed that they are objects and that sex is their only real value, though if they use or enjoy it they're somehow worth even less (think of how many guys rush out to snatch up the annual SI Swimsuit edition but if one of the models they adore so much has an opinion that makes the news, they write her off as only being swimsuit model)-but I think it plays a pretty big role.

I have yet to start the second season myself, but as an amateur history buff, I enjoyed the first one. It inspired me to go back an read a lot more about the earliest known days of the Vikings. The show takes some liberties, but is entertaining. I hope it doesn't abandon it's current tone for cheap shock value or soap opera-ish story arcs.

In case you hadn't heard, we lost an incredible talent in Phillip Seymour Hoffman today, who was found dead this morning in his New York apartment as a result of an apparent overdose. There aren't words to do his body of work justice, so I thought I'd invite movie fans (because if you were a movie fan, you were a Hoffman fan) to share some of your favourite roles or scenes. Here's one of many that I have. It's the thumbs up at the end I love most.

Happy Belated Birthday!

If he had killed someone, I would be the first one in line demanding he spend the rest of his life in a cage. I am one hundred percent in agreement that he should be punished for his recent stupidity as well as the fact that his fame and fortune will probably protect him and he'll only get a slap on the wrist as a result (which will embolden him further). But while I can't speak for others, the tragedy as I see it is that Bieber, like so many other child stars, has been treated as an object by the people who should have been responsible for raising him. Who knows, he could have been just as screwed up if his parents had actually done their job and protected and nurtured him, but he (and many other child stars) was never given that chance. The rest of us have parents that would have kicked our posteriors when we did something stupid; he has enablers who approve of everything he does while they wait to cash the next cheque he brings in. This is hardly a new story and we all know how it ends. Like I said in my previous post, I'm not absolving him of any responsibility-in the end he is his own man-but despite all the fame and wealth he has enjoyed, he never had the advantage of a well adjusted childhood that many of the rest of us did.

Most times, whenever a child becomes a star, they stop being a child in the eyes of their parents and become a golden goose instead; a revenue stream to be managed. Most adults aren't capable of handling that kind of fame and celebrity, let alone a teenager, and when his parents decided he was a cash cow and no longer their son, his story was destined for a tragic ending (which I don't think we'll see quite yet). I'm not absolving him of responsibility, but his negligent, greedy parents are just as guilty.

Here are my armchair GM picks. I'll be interested to see who of my picks make it as well as the status of Steve Stamkos' broken leg. The last thing they should do is put pressure on him to return for this tournament, no matter how great an asset he could be. i understand you want to be healthy for this once in a lifetime experience, I just wouldn't want to see hi re-injure himself and jeopardize his career. James Neal-Sidney Crosby-Steven Stamkos (if healthy) Matt Duchesne-Johnathan Toews-Rick Nash Taylor Hall-John Tavares-Claude Giroux Patrice Bergeron-Ryan Getzlaf-Corey Perry Jeff Carter-Martin St.-Louis Duncan Keith-Shea Weber Brent Seabrook-Kris Letang P.K. Subban-Drew Doughty Alex Petriangelo-Jay Boumeester Roberto Luongo Corey Crawford Carey Price/Mike Smith

Seriously? Inexcusable and unacceptable. I'd like to think they'd be ignored (but know better). Just once I' like ignorance and bigotry to know one bound or two.

It all boils down to choice. I wear the Red as a tribute to those who fell and a sombre celebration of their sacrifice. I choose not to wear the White, not because I disagree with its message, but because I feel it's the wrong day. But I have nothing against anyone who does. I feel the White's campaign is well intentioned, but misguided; a child who means well but hasn't earned the necessary wisdom yet. I don't think the organizers behind intend to show any disrespect to veterans, but I do agree they should consider spreading their message on a different day. I read a quote from one veteran who summed it up perfectly-he may have disagreed with the message, but he respected their right to express it because he fought to make sure they could.