I am was not a fan of his band... nor did I even know the chap as a "media personality"... in fact, I wouldn't have recognised the fellow if he'd leapt up and bit me in the shin...

I am not gay... nor do I have many gay friends... nor is any of my family, extended or otherwise gay that I know of... but this is not the point.

NO ONE deserves this treatment (especially in death) by a journalist simply because they found his lifestyle not to their personal taste...

See http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1220756/A-strange-lonely-troubling-death--.html for what I'm talking about.

A nice summary is available here.

If you're a Brit... or simply concerned and found it as offensive as I did... please consider making your feelings known and registering a complaint at the Press Complaints Commission: http://www.pcc.org.uk

Thanks...

Shorter Bad Science Forum (what an accurate name in this case!)...

IN THE NAME OF MY BELIEF SYSTEM! HALLELUJAH!!! I did foresake normal societal realms and did forth become a vandal to a poster!

Because I spoketh my truth for all to see, I shall mask my words by insinuating it was a wee piece of paper, not a paid advertising poster on a wall...

...and whereby my belief system, being infallible, must be perfect, I shall become a super-deluxe martyr by showing that I was NOT arrested for vandalism or destruction of property, but because MY TRUTH must win all!

After all, am I not simply helping the meek to understand that MY TRUTH will bring them everlasting contentment and save them from evil.

ALL PRAISE ME!

I will then, upon my martyrdom, provide a reference to a police notebook and arrest sheet and hence ye shall be told it is the same for a police officer to mark his notebook as it was for me to vandalize... er, SHOWETH THE TRUTH!

...or, to sum up...

A yuckle defaces a paid poster advertising, regardless of it's message and intent, then cries foul when he's nicked for it, then screams that his marking of a poster is no better or worse than someone making a note in a police notebook. He also decides that he was NOT nabbed for vandalism or destruction, which is what those LIARS the police say, but because he told the truth. (Granted, he does try to insinuate the police said he WAS arrested for telling the truth... but I really do NOT believe that.)

This freak is the Orly Taitz of the Humanist/Athiest movement in Britain... and not doing them ANY favours.

Anyway, I agreed more heartily with one poster in the comments...

The options on the poster should not have said, "Yes" - "No" - "Probably"... but "Yes" - "No" - "Maybe"... heck, for me, I'd prefer "Yes" - "No" - "Possibly, But I Am Holding Out For Empirical Evidence One Way Or Another".

Either way, it's a REAL case of a nitwit evangelical humanist/atheist becoming ABSOLUTELY no better then what they say they're against...

Oh, and as stated, now this person's putting themself in the role of "martyr for the cause" to boot.

Friggin' moron.

I could have also titled this post, The best laid plans......

FIRST OFF... If you're a "commercial" or "corporate" commenter or poster, PLEASE scroll down this message to the note about "spammers"... it's hard to miss.

...that said...

It's been a few weeks since I could comfortably(?) sit down and whack out a blog post... mostly because of being insanely busy with one big family tragedy (the passing of Sue's mom,) and several other smaller items that needed attention as well as several good and happy things that drew my time away. (No, no bus... that would be too amazing... but like all dreams, it REALLY has to take a back seat to the items on hand.)

So, I had to think...

I don't want to give up on blogging... not at all... but I am still needed "elsewhere".

So, what to do?

I don't post enough, and people start wondering "What gives?"

I close down the blog, and I end up cutting off a favoured nose to spite my face.

So, I've come to a sad conclusion...

Until further notice, blog posts here will be spotty at best.

Yes, in some ways, it's a cheat... because I don't want to "close down and start over"... but it's better than CONSTANTLY doing blog posts saying, Can't blog today. Sorry.

So, basically, until further notice, I'm on a blogging hiatus.

I SHALL RETURN... but for now, especially during the Fall for me... I've got to really budget time... especially online.

So, I apologise regular readers... and those who need more fibre in their diet... I'm taking an extended leave from blogging...

When will I be back?

Now and again... but realistically, I think I'll need to get through the second week of November of 2009 to make any realistic commitment to doing regular posts.

I'll "E" you soonly... all of you... and of course, if that darned old "Bus Dream" does come true... or even close... I'll be a posting fool here.

Remember: If you really, Really, REALLY need to keep up with me, right now, FaceBook is the best way to do so. Click here for my info.

OH, AND SPAMMERS... Think twice before posting... "Away from blogging" doesn't mean "NOT ONLINE"... and I do get notifications of posts and responses... and when I see a "commercial post/response", I not only delete them, but put the link into the "spam folder" which *IS* read by all the people that use the same software as me... meaning your precious whatever-cents per dumbbutt comment you make with THAT company's link or URL is barred not only from THIS blog, but literally hundreds of thousands of others... and I do tend to get to these things within 24 hours... usually under twelve hours... So you're doing yourself AND your company a disservice AND costing them possible other hits... so again, THINK TWICE...

Sorry folks, I have to take a leave of blogging again... After a short but fierce battle with pancreatic cancer, Sue's mother passed away this weekend...

I'm taking a hiatus from personal blogging until after the planned memorial service which means my next post will be a "Wordless Wednesday" on August 26th.

If you wish to express condolences or support, please pass them on to Sue at "My Life in the Urban Zoo"... (Click Here)

Thank you for your understanding... and I'll "e" everyone in a little over a week's time.

Thanks again...

I hate letting everyone down again... but duty calls. Basically, I have to take a week and change away from The Blogsphere to put out a LOT of fires... meaning no new posts between today, July 24th... and August 5th when I SHALL RETURN with a Wordless Wednesday.

Nothing to be overly concerned with... and nothing horrible really... just many things to do, set up, work on, and nail together.

So, until August 5th... I must bid you all adieu...

UPDATED!!!!!!!! (See below...)

Okay, aside from hearing Glen Beck lose his marbles (an unusual thing, no?) I absolutely CANNOT STAND the LIES that are being spread...

No. There is no lottery. Sorry. That is a lie.

I can pick which doctor I see... in fact, I can see multiple doctors. (...and yes, we do have a family doctor.) I can select my own doctor(s) from seeing their office sign on the street or finding them in the phone book... it doesn't matter... and it's all my decision who I see, how many I see, when I see them, and the total expense out of pocket for this to me is zero.

The longest I've ever waited for a blood test was half an hour... the second longest was about fifteen minutes. Most times, I'm in and "doing" tests within five minutes.

The longest I've waited for an emergency x-ray is about fifteen minutes... the longest I've waited for an ultra-sound was an hour... and that was non-emergency.

As my own research showed, indeed, your chances of dying from flu in a US hospital are several times greater than in a Canadian hospital... the latter of which is free. We live longer and are generally healthier as a nation than our neighbours to the South.

The one case the commercials "down South" are tossing up with a woman who, according to the commercial, would have possibly died from brain cancer without American hospital intervening because of her "wait time" was a lie... she had a benign tumour that was not life threatening... and just didn't want to wait for a Canadian specialist who would have done the procedure for free. (It was documented NOT on a blog or in the "MSM"... but on the Mayo Clinic's website... although as of July 22nd, the page was removed... but NEVER FEAR, Sadly No! to the rescue with a nice cached copy! Click here to see it!)

Added July 22nd: Even more disturbing... the benign condition was being treated and was being looked into... but the patient, who was in no danger, didn't want to wait until others in front of her... you know, REAL brain cancer victims... were treated. Charming.

Oh, and when shown things like this (click here)... which shows a full 82% of Canadians like our health care system, I've heard it's because we don't know the GLORIES of the American health care system... which is a lie... because, like most Canadians, I do live within 100 miles of the border and have seen/visited American hospitals and doctors on vacations... and have many, Many, MANY American friends and relatives... and oddly enough, I find care absolutely comparable in both nations.

I posted this a while back too...

Listen carefully to the numbers quoted by Dennis Kucinich... they aren't lies.

Read Sue's post... or even this old post of mine...

Oh, and another myth... that Canada's socialized health care system decimates needed funds for research and development... really? So these things don't exist? (I could do far more links, but why brag too much...)

Need more? Snopes has you covered.

My American friends... you are CONSISTENTLY being lied to by a huge and wealthy lobby group putting pressure on politicians... and in this case, people are dying and going bankrupt because of those lies... and they are the people in your own neighbourhood.

Our health care system isn't perfect... who's is? Certainly not the U.S. health care system... but even our present Conservative government knows it would be toppled in an instant if it did away with our universal health care system...

Why is this bothering me so much?

Three big reasons...

#1: I have several friends and acquaintances in the US going through bankruptcy (and near bankruptcy) because of medical bills.

#2: I can't stand liars. Period.

#3: In the United States of America, my family would be probably both bankrupt and horribly ill... Sue with her thyroid... me with bad kidneys and blood pressure/heart issues.

Overall, the lies and stupidity are just WAY too much to take.

Look, I'm not telling my American readers what to think or do... just REALLY take the time to ensure when they hear a "fact" from a lobby group... or Glen Beck... or any of the other talking heads who MIGHT just have an interest above and beyond your best interest, DO SOME RESEARCH from multiple sources.

Your own life... your own family... might be at stake.

...and yes, you're being lied to.

Uppy-Datesies! - July 22nd/09

Check these links about the poor, poor woman who had a non-fatal cyst in her noggin who's now claiming on American television commercials et al that the HORRIBLE Canadian Health Care System would have LET HER DIE (despite it being non-fatal...)

Like I said folks, you ARE being lied to... even by paid-up Canucks!

H/T for the above to CC...

YET ANOTHER ADDITION (from RT): So much for doing a REAL test... Nitwit.

Super-y Bonus-y Stuff: Why the {blank} Do I Care???

Simple.

Imagine, American friends o' mine, that North Korea loses it's "Dear Leaders"... and is on the verge of setting up an American style of democracy, charter of rights, and constitution... and they put it to a public vote.

You, being "tuned in" all of a sudden thanks to who knows what (Remember: Canada is a neighbour and we get ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox, Fox News, MSNBC, ad nauseum too,) you're privy to some commercials and debate... mostly coming from a very wealthy (despite the majority of the normal North Korean people starving,) group that's mostly made up of the "Old Guard" followers of the "Dear Leaders".

Their ads consist of telling people how America is NOT free. Elections are completely fixed. People are beaten at the polling stations and forced to vote whoever the cabal of the Kennedy/Clinton/Bush regime wants in. The freedoms in movies, songs, and books Americans enjoy are fiction. The reality is slave labour camps and premature death which is all covered up by lies and propaganda.

OF COURSE, as you know, they CAN and WILL find "real Americans" to make their case in these commercials... after all, weren't you pummelled going into the voting booth where an armed guard forced YOU to vote Democrat? See the commercial? It MUST be true!

Now, how would you feel?

Yeah, I thought so.

Now you know how I and many others feel on this side of the fence.

July 23rd - And the towel snaps continue...

...so she would lose her sight, not her life... which would be bad and completely unreversable meaning that her trip WAS absolutely necessary and the Canadian Health Care System would have "effed" up her life! Right?

Well... no.

H/T to Bouquets of Gray and commenter "Jack" on Canadian Cynic.

See? I'm fair and balanced... I did hear from a friend named Maria that her brother DID have to wait what I would consider a VERY long time in Hamilton (a major Canadian city,) for an endiscopy examination... 7 months... which is unconscionable... and flies in the face of our (Sue's and my own,) experience of about three weeks for a specialist (never a wait for a GP,) and tests at the outside for non-life threatening situations. Of note, however, Sue's mom had an MRI done in within twelve hours of a possible diagnosis of a stomach ailment...

...oh, and the cost for all these things? Zip. Nada. Nothing. It's covered under our provincial health care... and none of the above was denied care.

To my American readers...

Oh, and please read this...

Moving on...

...and if you read this or saw commercials from anti-health care reform group, "Patients United" with the above poor, poor woman who's "brain cancer" was a-gonna kill her because Canada's health care system iz teh suxzors, then please note that Ms. Holmes (above) had suffered from "Rathke’s cleft cyst" which is a “benign cystic lesion that affects the mainly the pituitary gland" and may cause “visual disturbances” (and possibly other symptoms). "Relief of symptoms is common with operative management with resolution of symptoms in 78% of cases…" according to The Mayo Clinic where she had the work done... so, almost dying? Nope... so just a bit of a fib there! (Also this is the reason she was "put off" being operated on in Canada... she wasn't critical or terminal... but she couldn't wait so off to the states to have the work done!)

Evidence: http://www.mayoclinic.org/patientstories/story-339.html

H/T: RT

See? I still cover the busly stuff! Regent Low Height #41 (we're not sure about which one, but this is the most likely,) is up for sale via eBay...

http://cgi.ebay.ca/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140331233613

...so if there's any wealthy patrons out there... or well-off friends or relatives wondering what you get a fella like me, y'know, who has nothin... er, everything, for a gift...

*Sigh*... well, a man can dream...

I now return you to your normally scheduled blog posts.

It has been a very long time since we at the ye olde green bus blog did a "helping hands" blog entry. Usually helping hands entries were done on Thursdays, but because that is the day for the TT meme I have decided to do one today. Helping hands is exactly what it sounds like, it is all about blogging about products, services, or anything else that may be of interest to readers of this blog.

Do you shop for cheap clothes online? What I mean by the word cheap is good bargains not quality, or style. How about great deals or cheap womens clothes? Do you ever shop online for clothing?

I prefer the convenience of shopping for most products online, and I like the ability to compare products, and prices from the privacy of my living-room home computer by using the shopping guides found at ShopWiki. If you have not checked it out before, ShopWiki is very similar to Wiki only it is designed for people who want to learn more about specific products, and comparison shop. And it is easy!

Say you want to see who has the best prices on Jimmy Choo summer sandals easy just use the search function on ShopWiki, and you'll find out. ShopWiki is not about paid for ads so you get the info based on all available sources. Try it out! Do a search on a cheap Michael Stars tee as an example, and you'll see how easy it is to use the website.

With summer here there are some great deals to be found on cheap womens winter coats, and great deals on Fall jackets. Get all the info you need through the website to save yourself some big bux on the clothing you want.

Enjoy!

Be Back on April 8th... and I'll "E" you then! (See the "Important" note below...)

IMPORTANT(?) NOTICE: I'm gearing up (after Sunday, March 29th, 2009,) to be away from teh blog o' tubes for a great big seven days... well, it's gonna end up being eleven days (as I only regularly post Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday,)... while I concentrate on a few other online matters... and a couple of offline ones too! So, if you return here, I'll be vapour from March 29th through April 8th... but be back with a GOOD (I'll try!) Wordless Wednesday on that day! Have a great week and don't forget April Fool's Day while I'm away!

Doctor Four reading about Doctor Ten... Doctor Ten reading about Doctor Four...

Granted, I don't think THIS ever happened to Tom Baker while he was in the role...

...but I could be wrong.

For a list of other Wordless Wednesday participants, please click here.

IMPORTANT(?) NOTICE: I'm gearing up (after Sunday this week,) to be away from teh blog o' tubes for a great big seven days... well, it's gonna end up being eleven days (as I only regularly post Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday,)... while I concentrate on a few other online matters... and a couple of offline ones too! So, if you return here, I'll be vapour from March 29th through April 8th... but be back with a GOOD (I'll try!) Wordless Wednesday on that day! Have a great week and don't forget April Fool's Day while I'm away!