For all the guys at the book signing this week who did their very best to look at me above the shoulders.

more cat pictures

Got loads of emails over the past few days, all of which are pretty important. So here’s a quick roundup of them.

Jane at Armies of Liberation needs help in trying to save the life of a Yemeni reporter sentenced to death for insulting the president. Click, edit and sign, please. As a Canadian constantly complaining about the lack of freedom of speech here, I realize how spoiled I really am. At least they won’t kill me for my words.

And speaking of Muslims stifling speech, Howard Rotberg has a fatwa on his latest book, because Islamists don’t like it. Probably because it has all kinds of words in it.

Well, what I see is that, in a country like Canada, without a strong national ethos, “multiculturalism and “tolerance” seem to have become predominant aspects of identity and culture, especially amongst left-liberals who are influential in our universities, our media, and other elites. I see myself as a casualty of the assault on freedoms which Islamists can so easily effect in this cultural milieu.

My favorite Angel, Holly Aho, is going on a mission in Peru. Holly introduced me to the Soldier’s Angels program a few years ago, and it has changed the way I view the world in so many ways. Holly is a deeply spiritual person, and when I read of this, I was touched. She has a huge family (like, a zillion kids or so), and yet she wants to help others less fortunate by giving of her time and her faith. If you can help, please do so. (indicate that your donation is for “missions”)

The hats, the hats, the Infidel hats!! Yes, you’re all clamoring for one of your own, aren’t you? They were made by a Toronto printer, as a gift for Kathy, Steyn and myself. I believe that at Kathy’s request, he’s now costing them out for you. Patience is a virtue.

Another reminder that LTC Kevin Upson is running the Marine Marathon in October on behalf of the USO. Donations can be made here. We’ve almost reached our goal!

(click for larger - something’s wrong with my photo uploads these days)

That’s right folks - another $100 donation for the USO. How cool is that??

If you want to donate, here’s the link.

It was a very large crowd that met Mark Steyn at the flagship Indigo store at the corner of Bay & Bloor here in Toronto. I arrived at 6pm - an hour early, expecting to meet my friends at the Starbucks and slowly meander to the presentation area. That was not meant to be, as it turned out there was already a sizable crowd waiting while the chairs were being set up. Knowing it’s every man for himself at these types of events, I took a chair and knew I’d catch up with my pals later.

At 7pm, Heather Reisman and Mark Steyn took the stage. Heather, oh Heather. Many people in the audience were actually growing angry with her liberal ineptitude, but I figured “Hey, we knew what we were signing up for where Heather is concerned, so don’t act so shocked.” Though at one point, when she was explaining how Indigo didn’t carry America Alone when it first hit the NYT best seller list because her buyer misjudged the popularity and didn’t buy enough copies, I actually yelled “And this person still has a job?” Whatever.

As usual, Steyn was charming and witty. This seemed to really rip Heather’s knitting, and irritate her whenever the crowd laughed at his jokes. You could tell she really hated having to smile for conservatives for a full hour. Finally she went away and let the book signing begin. He had already signed my hardcover copy in DC at CPAC, but I had a paperback with me that I’m sending to a friend. I was absolutely blown away when he recognized me from the four seconds of meeting me in Washington.

(the hats were from a printer we met at the pro-Israel rally two years ago - Kathy got one, too - click for larger)

When I mentioned that it was Kathy’s birthday, he asked us to stick around. And so we did, for what seemed like an eternity. There was a little pack of us - myself, Kathy, Winston, Paul Tuns, Rick McGinnis and a few others. After the line finally ended, he came over to talk with us, take a few pics, exchange cards and witticisms… this went on till the Indigo staff threw us out at closing, and continued on the street corner outside. He asked me how the “fund raising” was going, and I told him he was welcome to top up the pot for a shot of his very own. I must say, I barely missed a beat at him referring to my boobie-blogging, but just prayed he wouldn’t bring this up.

We stood on that street corner laughing and talking for some time, before he had to call it a night. He has a busy day of harassing Barbara Hall for shits and giggles tomorrow.

Service Agreements Are Not Always Worth The Money

Many new and some refurbished appliances come with optional service agreements. The prices and terms of the service agreements vary. Some are for one year terms and others are for two or three year terms. They range in price from under one hundred dollars for some small appliances such as microwaves to several hundred dollars for top of the line large appliances such as refrigerators or washing machines.

Service agreements are meant to be a form of insurance for you. You spend a lot of money on a new appliance that is critical to your household and you are given the option to purchase insurance on that appliance so that you will not have to spend a lot of money if you have an appliance repair that needs to be done. However, like any form of insurance the insurer is in business to make money and counts on the fact that more people than not, will never make claims on their service agreement. So, how do you know if a service agreement is right for you? Here are some things to consider:

The Price of the Agreement and What it Covers

Not only do you want to find the agreement that is the lowest in price but you also want to find the most inclusive agreement possible. You do not want to spend a lot of money on a service agreement that only covers a few isolated types of repairs.

The Cost of Potential Repairs

There are two factors to consider when determining the cost of potential repairs. The first is the cost of replacement appliance parts and the other is whether you will be doing the work yourself or paying a technician to perform the work. If you can do the work yourself and the cost of the appliance parts is low then a service agreement is unlikely to benefit you.

Appliance Reviews

It is worth doing a little research into the appliance that you are purchasing to find out how it has been performing for other users. For example, if you purchase a Whirlpool appliance with authentic Whirlpool parts and it has a good reputation for reliability then a service agreement might not be an expense that is worth your while.

Deciding whether or not to purchase a service agreement is a personal choice. You need to consider the value of the appliance, the cost of the agreement, what it covers and the potential cost of the repairs and then you can decide whether or not to proceed with purchasing a service agreement for your recently purchased appliance.

Kinsella writes:

I’ll debate you.

I’ve got the forum, too. In Ottawa, in June. Proceeds split and going to the litigants on our respective sides.

Let’s go, tough guy.

Warren honey, I’ve got some bad news for you… the moment Martin pushed Chretien out of office, you ceased to exist. No one knows nor cares who you are anymore. It would be like Donny Whalberg offering to debate Steyn. Steyn wanted to debate the Sock Puppets, and Elmasry, because they are plaintiffs in a case that affects not only him, but all of Canada. Now you want in on the action?

Who are you again?

Just in time for Kathy’s birthday and Steyn’s Toronto book signing (which I think was also timed to coincide with Kathy’s birthday).

While we have no interest in negotiating with the CIC for the withdrawal of its complaints, we remain committed to fostering free and open discussion of important public issues. Maclean’s would be pleased to host a public debate at a neutral venue between Mr. Steyn and Mohamed Elmasry, head of the CIC and the complainant in both the B.C. and federal investigations. The debate would cover issues raised by Mr. Steyn’s original article as well as the CIC’s decision to resort to human rights commissions. We are sure that such an event would be interesting and informative, and we would publish a transcript of the debate either in the magazine or on our website.

See all you conservative Torontonians (all six of you) at the Bay/Bloor Indigo for the book Steyn-ing tonight.

An Islamic convert facing terrorism charges was re-arrested after trying to walk out of his own trial Tuesday – saying simply that “I’m outta here” – after telling the court he wouldn’t recognize Canadian law.

The 20-year-old, who can’t be identified because he was underage at the time of his arrest two years ago, had been released on bail. But he spent last night in jail, and his legal future is unclear.

I have a question here. We have bent and invented a lot of rules for the sake of catching and holding terrorists. Security certificates ensure they can be held for amazingly long periods of time without charge, etc, yet, we still can’t name a 17 year old suspect? Don’t you think the public has a right to know?

A Toronto Muslim preacher told The Globe that the suspect had been coming to Friday prayers, saying that he’d rather return to jail than live in a non-Islamic household.

“He said ‘In jail, I can at least pray,’” Aly Hindy, imam of the Salahuddin Islamic Centre in Scarborough, said in an interview.

“I said ‘Don’t do this!’” Mr. Hindy said. He added that he counselled the young man to pray in secret, but tensions between the suspect and his father had reached a boiling point.

The family did not comment.

Mr. Hindy added that the young man is “confused” and that “lots of young people, they need guidance.” The young man had lately been expressing an interest in circumcising himself, the imam said, consistent with his understanding of what the Prophet Abraham had done.

A self-described Islamic fundamentalist, Mr. Hindy has appeared as a proposed bail surete for a variety of individuals facing national-security-related proceedings. The imam said that nothing in Islam calls for Muslims to disregard the Canadian criminal-justice system.

Another question… How come we haven’t arrested Hindy, if he’s a fundamentalist? And more importantly, why the hell is he allowed to be a surete for other terrorists?

So just what is he mouthing?

Yes, I am.

So says the (inevitably male) mouthpiece of the Osgoode 3 who is “debating” Mark Steyn on TVO.

You know, I was at last week’s press conference, and I noticed something about this boy, Khurrum Awan: He talks to himself. In public. When cameras are on him. He bobs his head around, and mouths words. Is he praying? Is he strapped with C-4, just waiting to be pushed over the edge, so he can jump up, give a roaring Allahu Akbar, and pull the detonation pin? He is a lawyer-to-be. Will he behave like this in court? Because I think the cast of Boston Legal already has the rights to such a quirky character.

After the show, you’ll be able to get the podcast here.

And we all know what that means…

You may seem some strange things around here over the next few days. Things that might make you ask “What the hell is RG smokin’??” Just roll with it, ok?

I am no stranger to the risqué text message, the lascivious email, and even the occasional naughty photo. But I pray that I never have anything read out on television by a news anchorman. Not only because it would be embarrassing (naturally), but because it would sound so incredibly bad.

Ha ha.

Smells like freedom!

Get your own mug here. Proceeds go to the Canuck-6 legal fund.

Media companies in the Middle East say a controversial charter adopted by many countries in the region needs to be rewritten because it has become another tool of censorship by authoritarian governments.

At a conference of the Arab Broadcast Forum in Abu Dhabi, several broadcasters complained about the charter, adopted by 22 Arab League countries in February. Only Qatar and Lebanon refused to sign.

The charter was created to govern satellite television, with the most controversial clause stating that broadcasters should “not offend leaders or national and religious symbols in the Arab world.”

Ahmed Sheikh, the managing editor of Al-Jazeera, says the clause has already been used for censorship. Al-Jazeera is the region’s main English-language network.

“It’s clear it’s just to shut mouths and hides the truth,” said Sheikh.

So, for anyone who questioned the Canadian Islamic Congress’s use of Canada’s Human Rights Commission to censor anything that raises the issue of Islam taking over, now you can clearly see where it comes from. They even do it to themselves.

Boris Johnson has won the race to become the next mayor of London - ending Ken Livingstone’s eight-year reign at City Hall.

The Conservative candidate won with 1,168,738 first and second preference votes, compared with Mr Livingstone’s 1,028,966.

Mr Johnson thanked his family, party activists for their help in a “marathon election”.

Are Britons finally wearying of pandering to terror in the name of votes?

Ok, so it’s a week old, but I just found it. A simple explanation, with pictures.

Hilarious!

I happened to click over to Dr. Dawg’s Blog, which I do a couple of times a week. As lefties go, he’s pretty reasonable most of the time, and writes well. But I think the Dawg may have inadvertently rolled in something this morning.

Readers will remember that some time ago I posted a picture I found at the Nizkor anti-revisionist site that was supposedly of speech-warrior poster child Marc Lemire. Mark Steyn published the picture too. Turns out it wasn’t Lemire. I apologized. Steyn apologized two days later. Case closed, one might think. But somehow Steyn’s apology has been interpreted in some dimmer quarters as a scolding of yours truly. I dealt with that here.

Be careful, Dawg. Shaidle and Kay both apologized for not having their facts checked regarding the Warman/Cools post. In fact, the National Post offered not one but two apologies on the matter. And yet… they’re still being sued, along with Shaidle and MacMillan. In your post, you refer to Kathy as being on the “losing end of a lawsuit”.

Unless I’m missing a nuance somewhere, you and Shaidle committed exactly the same pseudo-crime, and apologized for it. If I were you, I would be a little less gleeful at her legal troubles, lest Lamire decide you might be a good target for the exact same lawsuit.

An action-man style doll of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler has gone on sale in the Ukraine, with saleswomen comparing the doll to Barbie.

Supermarkets in the capital Kiev are stocking the 40 centimetre high figure of the fuhrer, complete with jackboots, leather trench-coat and swastika armband.

The £100 figure has a spare head “with a kind expression on it,” glasses and several changes of clothes.