The Sydney Morning Herald has a piece claiming whack-job, Florida pastor and would-be Koran burner Terry Jones has been using his parishoners as slave labour in his furniture business:A former worshipper said he worked 72 hours a week without pay for Terry Jones, who insists he will go ahead with the Koran burning to mark the ninth anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the US.Mr Jones, pastor of the Dove World Church in Gainesville, Florida, runs a used furniture business with his wife, Sylvia.While the pastor moves between two homes - a house in Slidell, Louisiana, and a holiday apartment in Tampa, Florida - his unpaid workers, motivated by their Christian beliefs, live in low-rent accommodation he owns.Shane Butcher, who was expelled from the church for disobedience, told the Gainesville Sun he worked for the pastor's TS and Company for up 72 hours a week without pay, and meals were provided from a ''food bank''....Emma Jones, the pastor's daughter from his…

Like the invasion of Iraq by George Bush, the Burn a Koran Day rally is sure to embolden terrorists and cause more hatred for the US across the Muslim world. That's not me saying that. Interpol has rushed into action, warning its members of the possibility of terrorist actions across the globe as a result of Terry Jone's burning crusade.Interpol today warned its 188 member countries that there may be a higher threat of terrorism if a Florida fringe pastor burns Korans on Saturday as planned."One of INTERPOL's primary functions is to prevent crime, and given that we have been made aware of a significant threat to public safety - an assessment which we share - it is our duty to ensure that we pass this information on to law enforcement agencies around the globe so that they can take appropriate measures," Interpol Secretary General Ronald K. Noble said in apress release."Although there are currently no specific details as to what forms of terror attacks would follow,…

From The World Economic Forum http://www.weforum.org/en/initiatives/gcp/Global%20Competitiveness%20Rep...

According to King 5 News, Milo Myers and his wife are out at least US$12,000 for a planned cruise on the Spirit of Oceanus from St. Pierre to Halifax that won’t happen.    Seattle-based Cruise West is currently restructuring.  The company sold Spirit of Oceanus and the cruise ended abruptly in St. John’s on September 8. The couple flew to St. John’s in advance of boarding, spent a couple of days in the capital city and planned a short flight to St. Pierre to meet the ship there.  Instead, the Myers, who both live in New New Mexico, will also be out the cost of new airline flights home and a hotel stop in Seattle. According to the news report, the company hasn’t returned Myers’ calls. While news media like USAToday  can’t get any information on Cruise West, St. John’s mayor Dennis “Doc” O’Keefe seems to have turned into a spokesperson for the cruise line.  O’Keefe even seems to be dismissing any concerns about the fate…

I’m not sure that cutting it to 6 minutes saves the prequel trilogy to Star Wars, but setting it to Bohemian Rhapsody certainly helps. Also at YouTube. Alltop is a big JarJar fan.

So, at Fox News North Mark Bonokowski has been given the permanent task of shovelling boob bait to the bubbas--writing their national editorials, in other words.But the folks at the Sun Family don't think this is a voluntary career move:...with all of the bullshit going on in Sun Media these days, we are not at all convinced Bono is 100% behind abandoning his popular columns for anonymous editorials. Take a read of today's announcement.Do quotes attributed to Bono sound like Bono, or more like same old, same old Quebecor rhetoric? [...]The loss of Mark Bonokoski columns is yet another case of paying more for less and it is becoming increasingly difficult to justify paying for the Toronto Sun. You see why these guys are having trouble recruiting? I wonder if, after nearly three months, they've sprung for David Akin's black-berry?

The bill giving same-sex couples the right to adopt in New South Wales, Australia, cleared it's final hurdle Thursday, after the Upper House voted in support of a last-minute amendment to the legislation, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.New South Wales is now the third Australian state or territory to allow same-sex adoption, after the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and Western Australia. Congrats, prospective Mamas and Papas.

Image courtesy of Mark at Slap Upside The Head. All rights reserved.Mark at Slap Upside the Head has started a campaign to deny registered charitable status to Exodus Global Alliance in Canada. This came about after he heard the news of Exodus (rightfully) being denied charitable status in New Zealand. Exodus is, or claims to be a religious organization, which asserts "change in homosexuality is possible through the power of Jesus Christ". They used to take a much more hard line approach -- claiming that homosexuality can be cured altogether -- but over the years they've been forced to tone down the rhetoric due to pressure from outside interests, not to mention the fact there is no evidence whatsoever that they have ever actually "cured" anyone of Homosexuality. They now claim to help bring "healing" and "freedom" to people struggling with homosexual behaviour.Let me make this clear, though Exodus claims to be a religious organization, it is really nothing more than an extreme…

Just a little follow up on yesterday’s Nanos poll: While the Conservatives obviously are getting nailed in the polls over the cumulative affects of their various actions, the poll sends a warning to the NDP that they too are suffering the affects of a bad decision – namely, Jack Layton’s decision not to whip [...]

Canadians haven't given a lot of thought to what we should do with migrants crossing the oceans to show up on our shores in boats.It is something we had better start thinking about because we could be seeing far more of it in the next decade or two.The Vietnamese boat people fled Communist persecution.   The Tamil boat people fled apparent Sri Lankan persecution.   The coming waves of boat people might not be political refugees at all but, instead, climate migrants fleeing homelands that have become uninhabitable.The Americans are coming to realize that it's not just their common border with Mexico that needs to be watched, it's their coastlines too all along the south.   So, what does that hold in store for those countries considered best-positioned to endure the throes of climate change, in particular Canada?  In 20 years from now Canada might be viewed as paradise to those in many parts of the world who can muster up the money…

LORINC: There goes the middle « Spacing TorontoJohn Lorinc sums things up about this mayoral race in that we have a bunch of right-wing candidates, no one in the centre and Joe Pantalone on the left.Most journalists and bloggers agree that Pantalone does not seem to be very aggressive. Meanwhile, Rob Ford comes across very aggressive. And people often equate aggressiveness with strength. So, many people think Rob Ford would be a good strong leader.But, which would you prefer - a soft-spoken leader with good ideas and policies and a firm grasp of reality and Toronto municipal politics, or, a hot-headed aggressive leader with poor ideas and policies and an obvious lack of understanding of reality and Toronto municipal politics? Do you want a steady hand at the wheel, or, someone who will drive you off the road over a cliff?Although Joe Pantalone is soft-spoken, his ideas and policies are realistic and financially responsible. He has the most experience in municipal politics in…

Toronto mayoral candidate Rob Ford has unveiled his transit plans for the city he hopes to lead.Ford is a lover of cars and a hater of cyclists. He plans to relegate two wheeled vehicles to the ravines of the city where they can spend time with four legged creatures. He’d like to send trade unionists and public employees to the ravines, as well.As for streetcars, with or without dedicated lanes

I love it when queers get together and decide to have a family. Its wonderful and I just wish they would all last. But alas gay or queer families fall apart just like straight families. The case I am pointing to is in North Carolina. A State Senator and her partner, another woman, decided to have a baby and that baby was brought on by artificial insemination. They were blessed with a baby

In"the Nam," U.S. soldiers were known for sometimes collecting the ears from their dead enemies as souveniers.Now, according to The Guardian, a trial is underway of a U.S. "kill team" from Afghanistan accused of killing Afghans for sport and collecting fingers as war trophies:"Twelve American soldiers face charges over a secret "kill team" that allegedly blew up and shot Afghan civilians at random and collected their fingers as trophies.Five of the soldiers are charged with murdering three Afghan men who were allegedly killed for sport in separate attacks this year. Seven others are accused of covering up the killings and assaulting a recruit who exposed the murders when he reported other abuses, including members of the unit smoking hashish stolen from civilians....According to investigators and legal documents, discussion of killing Afghan civilians began after the arrival of Staff Sergeant Calvin Gibbs at forward operating base Ramrod last November. Other soldiers told the…

ACCORDING TO MACLEAN'S, things are not well in the Timmy's empire. The article, "Tim Hortons’ extra-large trouble trouble" highlights how, in the chase for the maximum profit squeeze, quality is perceived to be in decline. It all started when the honchos decided to get rid of in-store baking, in favour of "par-baked" 'nuts delivered from a giant mega-factory. Now, the honchos have sold their interest in the mega-factory, and after 2016, where the product will come from, is anybody's guess. Were I a franchise holder, I would be nervous . . . and some of 'em are starting to freak — and lawyer-up. Another company ruined by greedy MBA system-weasels.Tim’s regulars may have a hard time swallowing the news that their maple dip is no longer produced under the Maple Leaf. As national symbols go, a Hortons donut is second only to a Hortons coffee. But Timmy’s selling baked goods from a freezer? That’s standard operating procedure, and has been for quite some time.Yes, it was…

Chicago Bears retired player Dan Hampton calls the Dallas Cowboys 'Brokeback'. "I think they are Clint Eastwood; they're more of the Brokeback variety if you know what I'm talking about."The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation was all over this and got results.This on GLAAD's blog: "Hampton publicly apologized for the Katrina gaffe, but has not yet addressed the Brokeback comment. Pro

Stephen Harper's 'Action Plan' is little more than a marketing plan in disguise. It's time for Canadians to be appalled at the waste for for a full inquiry into how the money was spend and how many jobs were actually created in the process.

The gun registry vote is coming up soon.  There remain at least ten New Democrats that look to be supporting the end of the registry.  It won't hurt if you could take some time to write them individually.  They are getting a lot of emails.  If you want yours to stand out, don't go off the deep end.  Send a short to the point email asking them to support the gun registry.  I suggest you be polite

Taken together, a pair of stories in this morning's news demonstrate a pretty nifty piece of bookkeeping. A story in the Toronto Star reminds us that the enhancements to the Employment Insurance program that were implemented last year will expire this Saturday. People who lose their jobs next week will no longer qualify for the extra five weeks of EI benefits that were designed to mitigate the effects of the recession. That's if they qualify for EI at all which is a controversy of long standing. The story reports that only thirty per cent of the unemployed in Ontario are even entitled to benefits. But the story also reminds us of another long standing controversy — when Finance Minister Paul Martin tightened the eligibility rules for EI it created a significant difference between the premiums coming in and the benefits going out. This report places the accumulated surplus in the program at $57 billion, which is in line with other reports over the years. (Google…

The first part of the video talks about Quran burning and its ramification; then there is a moving story of Christian/Muslim brotherhood in Memphis. It is this kind of brotherhood which can bring peace in the world instead of guns and hatred. Now this is a story which should get maximum publicity but unfortunately the moron Terry Jones will get all the publicity. Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy