Juno's

As many of you know I was privaliged to be both at the Juno's and at the after Party.

Props to Ravaged and Men without Shame for steller shows. At the afterparty they truly brought down the house!

As for the Juno's I was sorely dissapointed by the lack of star power and class during the presentations. For the fact that only 7 awards were presented at the show and adding that Nelly Furtado collected 3 of those onstage was quite disgusting. Now I am NOT saying that she didn't deserve those awards BUT since they had already told us that there would be some awards presented at the show and some merely announced, why could they not find a more even mix instead of honoring the same person over and over again. Nelly and Billy Talent, although superb talent, were not the only stars in the building and should not be treated as such.

But the afterparty rocked!

Pet Food Recall

I am sure that I am not the only person that is upset and angry over the pet food recall. We not only feel betrayed by companies and a goverment that we are supposed to trust but as consumers we have been jerked around and fed suger coated reports for so long that it is difficult to seperate the facts from the rumours. Here is what we know.

16 dogs and cats have died due to the affected pet food. This number is expected to climb.

The Menu food company has admitted to finding aminopterin, an ingredient used in rat poison and and melamine which is used in making plastics was found alledgedly in wheat gluten coming from China.

The Menu Company has denied foul play and and promised to reemburse families if they can prove that the illness was caused SOLELY by the tainted food

They denied negligence

They have now been pulling dry food off the shelves despite earlier statements that the dry food had not been affected and that only "cuts and sauce" type food was affected.

They allegedly knew about the tainted food 10 days before the first animal deaths but neglected to make a recall for at least 10 days before the animals began to die.

Well those are the facts Heres what I think.

First of all I think that Menu foods should be very very worried for they are in grave danger of going under as a company. After all a company is judged by how they handle a crisis and in any case, be it they were negligent or not, they handled the situation extremely poorly and gave consumers no reason to have the slightest shred of trust in them. It has been weeks and weeks and they are no closer to finding a solution then before.
However the goverment is also partially to blame. With no regulations on pet food, basically anyone can make a pet food and sell it. There is no rules or laws concerning the safely of the food. Now you may say that this is animal food but I would like to remind you the reader that there are several diseases that are completely transmittable to humans. Not to mention that we are trusting tese companies with our beloved pets! When I see brand names like Iams, Hills and Eukanuba involved in the recall, some of these foods sold at vet offices, I wonder at the safety of any of thses foods. This is the first major recall of pet food but it is also a wake up call. I predict that when this dies down the goverment will be taking a hard look at revising the screening tequniques and regulations regarding pet food. But who knows. You can read about the name brand vs the cheaper brands at this link -----> http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20070323/generic_pet_food_070323/20070323/

My big question is why was there raw aminopterin in the plant to begin with. Many people are saying this was a malisious act even though the company is feverantly denying this.

Will we as consumers ever be able to truly trust the pet food makers again? What precations should be taken to prevent this from happening again? Are the lawsuits justified and how far should the company go with compensation. And do you trust the pet food companies after all this? Would you buy food from Menu again?

I'm not sure I would.

Who would have thought it?

Your Personality is Very Rare (INTP)

Your personality type is goofy, imaginative, relaxed, and brilliant. Only about 4% of all people have your personality, including 2% of all women and 6% of all men You are Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, and Perceiving.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

nopayoff@work.com

This is my official announcement. I am no longer a Coop employee and I can therefore live again. A hasty choice? I think not because life is too short to waste at a job you despise and loathe. So I quit and I feel great about it with no regrets.

So I want to know what you think. When does it become "okay" for YOU to say saronarra to YOUR job. What would it take? Some people will put up with anything but statisticallt 80% of Canadians would quit their job for one they enjoyed....even if it meant a pay cut. Are you in the majority...Or do you actually like your job.

Also work-place violence is on the rise due to mounting pressure and tensions in the workplace. 18% of it is caused by another coworker or the boss. Do you feel safe at work?

Finally I read in the SP that a woman at a hair salon was reaching for a bottle of shampoo (she worked there) and then the phone rang. It was her boss. "You should be more careful. I have a zoom lens on this thing." He then proceeded to tell her that he could see right down her shirt with his security camera. Now I know that in a growing dishonest work enviroment employers MUST take this precaution but there is in my eyes a fine line. When does security cross into harrasment?

After all would you want YOUR boss looking down your shirt ladies?

1985 by Bowling for Soup

"Where's the mini-skirt made of snakeskin? And who's the other guy that's singing in Van Halen? When did reality become T.V.? What ever happened to sitcoms, game shows?" You took the bitter with the sweet in 2004 - and kept laughing.

What 2004 Hit Song Are You?

Mwah ha ha ha!!!!!!!

Star Wars Horoscope for Aries

Like many aries, you have demonstrated your penchant for inflicting pain. You feel you are at the center of the universe and that you must be in control. You enjoy being a leader... and you find that your aggression and quick temper serve you well. Star wars character you are most like: The Emperor

What Is Your Star Wars Horoscope?

What do YOU think???????

Well I am going to write a post about me because this is MY blog and because I can. If any of you don't like it....well tough turnips!!!!

I currently work at the Coop and it is a horrid job. I would not wish it on my worst enemy and certainly not on myself but alas there are tough trials ahead and someday I will look back on this and laugh. A long long long time from now that is.....

But enough about me.

As many people will know.... Ilike to get opinions on current events. For those that read the newspapers will be aware of two things A) The custody battle and B) The Hospital closure

Subject A) The Custody battle

As many of you willl have heard a biological father was fighting for custody of his son after his ex girlfriend gave the child up for adoption without his consent. The trial was a circus and the child was awarded to the adoptive couple seemingly for thier status and wealth. Do you think that this was a just decision or are fathers seeking custody treated unfairly in the judicial system?

B) Hospital closure

As many of you know the hospitals were closed for several days due to the Norwalk Virus and already health officials are warning that this may not be an isolated ocurance and that this may be a new trend of the 21 century. How do you feel about that? Do you think that this is a justified step or do you think that the hospital is overstepping its boudries.

Bonus C) Airplane Child

ORLANDO, Fla. — Flight attendants often deal with obnoxious passengers who won't listen to instructions by kicking them off the plane. But a Massachusetts couple think AirTran Airways went overboard by treating their crying 3-year-old daughter in much the same way.
Julie and Gerry Kulesza and daughter Elly were removed from the flight when the girl refused to take her seat before takeoff, airline officials said Tuesday.
But her parents said they just needed a little more time to calm her down.
The Kuleszas, of Worcester, planned to fly to Boston on Jan. 14 from Fort Myers after a four-day visit with the girl's paternal grandparents. She was removed because "she was climbing under the seat and hitting the parents and wouldn't get in her seat" during boarding, AirTran spokeswoman Judy Graham-Weaver said.
AirTran officials say they were only following Federal Aviation Administration rules that children age 2 and above must have their own seat and be wearing a seatbelt upon takeoff.
"The flight was already delayed 15 minutes and in fairness to the other 112 passengers on the plane, the crew made an operational decision to remove the family," Graham-Weaver said.
But Julie Kulesza said: "We weren't giving an opportunity to hold her, console her or anything."
"Elly was sitting in front of our seat crying," she said in a phone interview. "The attendant motioned to a seat and asked if we purchased it for her. "They had paid for the seat. Gerry Kulesza said another attendant then approached the family and told him: "You need to get her in control and in her seat."
The couple told the attendants they were trying. Julie Kulesza said she asked the attendants if Elly could sit on her lap, but they said no.
The family flew home the next day. The Orlando-based carrier reimbursed the family $595.80, the cost of the three tickets, and offered them three roundtrip tickets anywhere the airline flies, Graham-Weaver said. But that's too little, too late for the Kuleszas. The father said they would never fly AirTran again.

What do you think? Were the flight attendants in the right to ask the family to get off when they couldn’t get the child in her seat and buckled up? As a parent, do you side with the family’s dilemma? Have you been on a flight or in a restaurant with children who were misbehaving? Would you say anything to the family? The airline also refunded the family’s tickets and gave them three free tickets to fly anywhere AirTran flies. What do you think of that?




Well that is that I look forward to reading your comments!

Hmmmm

Your Life Is Worth...

$1,174,000

How Much Is Your Life Worth?

Oh dear.......

Your Inner Blood Type is Type A

You seem cool and collected, though a bit shy. You are highly driven and a perfectionist, but that's a side you keep to yourself. Creative and artistic, you are a very unique person who doesn't quite fit in. People accept you more than you realize, seeing you as trustworthy and loyal. You are most compatible with: A and AB Famous Type A's: Britney Spears and Hilter

What's Your Inner Blood Type?

Mmmmm Hot Chocolate!!!!

Is Expensive Really better???

Choco and coffee holics out there. This post is for you!
A thought came to me when I was at Tim Hortons one day. I had a friend once who would refuse to eat "domestic" chocolate. Said it was waxy and if I tried some of the specialty Laura Secord Bernard whatever morsels I would never go back. Okay I'll try anything once. Never mind that the few chocolates cost more then a full bag. But again...whatever.
It tasted like chocolate.

So whats the big deal? It could be my unsophisticated palate...after all I don't belong to any chocolate club (Is there such a thing as a chocolate club? Or even better...a coffee counisuier club!)

And yet every day people go out and buy chocolate that is more expensive then an entire week of groceries.

This is wierd to me.

So you say "Come on Melissa. It's chocolate. People don't do it every day. It's a treat. Blah blah blah."

This is when I place my trump card on the table. Coffee.

Every day thousands of normal canadians line up to get thier fix. And it doesn't stop with the famed "double double" either

There is the Vanilla Cappichinio

The Expresso

The Half Fat, decaf Latte with a dash of nutmeg

I could go on for DAYS!

People will spend an amazing 7$ on a cup of fancy coffee. My question is why?

It's coffee for god sakes! How different can one store be from another?

Now before you barrage me with emails I recongnize there is a distinctive difference between blends beans grinds roasts etc etc etc. But when you take a cup from Tims (about 2$) and a equal amount from Starbucks (About 6$) Really. Is this like having a fancy car? Ooooo Look at me and my fancy Starbucks cup. I'm ciche. I'm into it. I read the National and write poetry that no one understands. Seriously?

People that can afford it drink it.

People that CAN'T afford it drink it.

Sometimes the cheaper coffee is just as good

Sometimes (Rarely but sometimes) the cheaper coffee is better

Is this a wine thing?

?????????????????????????????

Now I will give you my personal opinion on coffee.

Tims - The best The only thing not going for it is that it is not fairtrade.

McDonalds - It tastes like Safeway No Name brand (Not a compliment for anyone concerned)

Robins - Mud

Roseanne - (Make at home stuff) Tastes like Starbucks

Second Cup - Decent

A and W -Burnt

Maxwell - Good for camping

Nabob - The best 'store' coffee you will find


Cheers!

Well I'm off!!!!!!

Well I am leaving for the good city of Saskatoon in a matter of minutes! This has been an awesome expearience! Will write more and tell you all in person when I get home. Got to go haul my suitcases down the stairs. Take care! See you in 12 hours. :P

It is HERE!!!!

The countdown is here! See y`all in eight days! Peace!