Photo's show the darker side of Dubai

Tonight I stumbled upon this Photo Essay of photo's of the poorest workers in Dubai. Those who often are stuck in the UAE and can never go home and who live in appalling conditions.

DJ Kitty scratching post

If this item was available in Montreal I'd get it for my kitties! This has to be one of the cooler cat items I've seen in a long while :)

Congrats to La Roche Saskatchewan

They've just proven that people in some parts of Canada can riot without any hockey game in sight! I can't help but wonder why 50-70 people caused a riot - though alcohol can always be a factor.

Curious about Canada's top 10 riots, click here. Of course it comes to no surprise that a percentage of them are hockey related! In the top 10, 4 are hockey related, and 6 happened in Montreal - and 7 in the province of Quebec, 2 at the University I attended, Concordia at the St George Williams Campus downtown!  Here's another place that talks about Montreal riots. 

Blogger to Buzz bug

I just noticed that when I embed a Youtube video in my blog posts, they don't get linked on google Buzz.  Have not yet bothered to research if it's a bug or a feature :) 

But it does look stupid when I say something like "What a great video BBC did" and there's no link or nothing to it! 

The other thing I find is missing going between Google blogger and buzz is that the comments on Blogger don't get passed on to buzz and vice versa, comments on buzz don't get ported to blogger. So the same post will have two separate sets of comments. 

Night vigil tomorrow night For Zainab and other news

It's become a weekly event to have night vigils on Friday nights and this week  is no exception.  I hope I feel better tomorrow and I will be able to attend. This one will be to honour Zainab Al Hosni. 

Zainab aka The Flower of Syria

There's an awesome documentary on what sparked the Syrian revolution that aired on the BBC earlier this week. It's well worth the watch.

There was an article in the globe & Mail today about the rape of Syrian women.

Two-faced cat?

Oldest living 2 faced cat in Massachusetts.  I think it's pretty cool. Then again I tend to like offbeat cats. All the cats living with me currently are poly-dactyls.

Love my dentist

I blogged a few days ago about taking my gf to see my dentist. It was an interesting experience. I'm not sure if my gf would say the same thing - seeing that she's afraid of dentists. I know she's doing OK because she's willing to see him for appointment #2, but she would probably not call it an interesting experience, probably more a frightening experience.

My dentist is 71 years old and I first saw him at 15. I was referred to him by an MD, who felt that my jaw issues were teeth related. This was a young MD who had my dentist as a professor at McGill. I can never thank that MD enough for starting one of the longest  and happiest relationship I've had with any professional. 

Every dentist I'd seen before him was a certified quack. Before I started seeing him I would end up with teeth issues that would give me fevers and my mouth would swell and I'd look like a chipmunk. Since my first visit at 15, I have NEVER had a tooth related fever again.  As well, with other dentists after they would work on me, I'd feel the freezing injection site for days and often would feel pain around the tooth they worked on.  With my dentist, once I thaw out, it's over. No pain, no discomfort, just fixed teeth. 

Don't get me wrong, I don't have a beautiful mouth. Its full of fillings however every single tooth in my mouth and my gums are healthy. I still have all the teeth I had at 20, after all the baby teeth were pulled out and I had orthodontic work. 

All this to say I LOVE my dentist.  But I saw a side of him I'd never seen when I brought my gf. I had never realized how much of a clown he could be. I was in stitches most of the appointment, laughing over his silly remarks. He told her, he took some tranquilizer cause he was nervous over her appointment! Noticed she was tattooed and said it was a tattoo parlour, asked her what her next tattoo would be! Told her that a good dentist is like a therapist.  Also told her that he believes in patients first and teeth second.  

He also told us about his biggest challenge as a dentist - fixing the mouth of an adult autistic lady who was afraid of dentists. Said it took him 3 times the time it would have taken a normal patient, that he'd book afternoons just for her. But he managed to give this woman a beautiful mouth by working with her to make her feel comfortable. He said some appointments he did little dental work but made her feel at ease.

I know he accepted my gf as a new patient because of the challenge. He certainly doesn't need new patients in fact he probably refuses some on a regular basis. The most positive is that he told her that her teeth could have been much worse after 30 years not seeing a dentist but that he could fix many of her teeth and give her a nice mouth again. I'm sure after a couple more appointments she'll like him too. I don't ever expect her to like going to the dentist or like dentists but she'll like him for his amazing dentistry skills and wonderful "bedside manner." Not sure how else to call it.

Prayers for a friend in Surgery

A friend of mine, that I've known since childhood, is undergoing surgery to remove a large stone from his gall bladder.  He was really worried about the surgery, when I talked to him earlier in the week. I know this surgery has been in the works for the past 5 months, it took them that long to schedule.  He's also worried that he has pain on the other side and wonders if it's related to the current problem, that is trying to avoid pain in his gall bladder, he is now causing himself pain on the other side.

He'll be in my thoughts this morning so that the surgery goes as best as possible and he recovers well from it.

Accompanying friend to Dentist

I've been seeing my dentist since I was 15 years old. This means I've been seeing him for more then 30 years. He's the best dentist I've ever had. I've referred to him as the Cadillac of dentists. He's in his early 70's and still kicking. 

One of my gf's is terrified of dentists. In the twenty years I've known her I've never known her to see a dentist. It makes sense, you see quacks that hurt you, and you really don't want to submit yourself back to this type of abuse. If you were young when it happened, it leaves you traumatized. I was lucky I ended up with my AWESOME dentist at 15 so I've learned to no longer be afraid. 

Between fear, budget concerns and in the past 10 years, concerns over her heart's well-being has prevented her from seeing a dentist.  However she recently read that there are local anaesthetics that exist now that would not be counter-indicated with the medications she takes to monitor her heart rate and we have dental insurance at work. 

I called and reminded the receptionist that when I was 16 I took my grandpa to see the dentist and I had to hold his hand the entire time since he was also terrified. I asked if my dentist could see my friend, that she really needs someone who is exceptional at his job to get through her dental needs.  She had a cancellation today so I'm accompanying my friend to the dentist today at 3pm.  I'm hoping after the first appointment where he checks out the work that needs to be done, that she will feel comfortable with him. I'm sure dentists will never be her favourite, but with his good care I hope she'll at least be OK with him.

Assad's Syrian Electronic Army Hack Harvard?!?!?!

Personally if I was a hacker in Assad's SyRian EleCtroNic ArmY Harvard University would not be my first or main or only target for  hacking!!!! I suspect it was in response to about seven official Syrian sites that were hacked Sunday or Monday. However these were sites of various cities or areas in Syria. The hacked sites told protesters how to surf safely so Assad's goons can't monitor you, they gave info about Zainab and other things that happened since the beginning of the uprising.

Personally I think they hacked the Harvard site because they couldn't  hack anything else in the US or the UK. I bet Assad's SyRian ElecTronic ArMy is no where nearly as competent as those in Anonymous. 

Go ANONYMOUS!!!! Many Syrians were thrilled with your Syrian Site modifications and would love to see a site that won't be taken down that contains all the content that was on the sites over the week-end.

Anonymous hits Official Syrian Sites - and the view from a Christian Syrian

The Homs site I linked yesterday was one of the sites that was targeted by the group Anonymous.  I thank them for their initiative. 

They turned several Syrian Government websites into informative protester websites. The Homs site had the number of dead as a map and articles pertaining to Zainab al Hosni and organ harvesting.  Other sites had links for Syrian protesters to protect themselves while online.

The sites have since been reset however it was still nice while it lasted :)

Still related to Syria:  This was a very touching testament written by a Christian recently:

'Because I am a Christian, I support The Syrian Revolution
As a Christian person, I keep hearing strange things about why we should support Assad ,,, and why he is the “protector” of our existence in Syria. Well after lots of thinking here are my conclusions:
- The Catholic Church in Europe lost a lot of support and respect in the past, because they thought that the glory of the Church was linked to the brutal kings of medieval Europe
- The Church in Iraq was “ok “ with what Saddam used to do to non-Christians and that is what lead to reactions from the extremists in Iraq after Saddam
- In Syria: back in the early days of the Syrian republic, we were 25% of the population and in 40 years of Assad control of the Country we have shrunk to around 5 to 6%. The majority of Christians emigrated to the EU or the US, running away from the brutality of Assads. “both the father and the son”
- In Lebanon, every Lebanese from “Zahleh to Jonyeh” knows exactly what happened when Assad Army entered Lebanon and the massacres that happened for the Lebanese Christians.
After all that...I know why I’m supporting the Syrian Revolution. I understand that our Lord didn’t want us to support the Dictator. I understand that the true Christian will always be with the People, especially if these people have been aggrieved for 40 years

For these reasons and many more ...I am a Christian and I Support the Syrian Revolution'

Victim sues the Police feels betrayed.

I believe I wrote about her before, but there was another article in the news.   I hope she wins her lawsuit. I hope her rapist, the disgraced former base commander of CFB Trenton, rots in jail forever.

The Adventures of the G-Nome

G-Nome with Dubai Marina buildings in the background

If you're on Facebook, check out the adventures of our travelling gnome.

Syria - More about Zainab Al Hosni and crimes against humanity.

Zainab Al Hosni - with nephew in Homs.

Homs site - showing the world what has happened. Includes the story of Zainab and also about organ harvesting from protesters!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

This is a Facebook group to honour Zainab Al Hosni. The group is an Arabic group and though I cannot read Arabic I joined to show my support. It is despicable that they can dismember a young woman because her brother was a protester. This is a crime against humanity. You can find several video's that shows her mutilated body. I chose to honour her with a pretty photo of her not what is left of her body.

This is a petition to bring those who mutilated and tortured Zainab Al Hosni to justice.  This is an article in CNN that shows the world's outrage at Zainab's death.

Saudi women get the right to vote!!!!!

Sadly our Saudi sisters will not have the right to vote in current elections that will be held soon but they will get the right to vote next elections in 4 years. It might not seem like much but this is a huge step forward for Saudi women!!! 

Here's hoping that giving them the right not only to vote but also present themselves as candidates in the consultative assembly in the future also eventually gives them the right to drive :)

Here's hoping that this is not just an announcement that will be rescinded later!

The Story of Zainab Al Hosni

A week ago I blogged about how this poor girl was treated at the hands of Bashar Al-Assad's thugs. They made a video of her story which I am sharing for the world to see.

EDIT oct 5th: Zainab is alive according to live Syrian tv footage - but who is the dead girl?

Dead Modem

I went to Ottawa Thursday morning and I would have blogged Friday and this morning, but sadly my friend's Bell Modem/Router died!  They said it was the transformer - basically the power supply.  We went to The Source and got one of them multi-voltage ones. but modem still didn't work.

So I had no internet on the laptop. I've been watching NIP/TUCK. Watching it from the beginning, the Show is hilarious. I had seen episodes here and there, but never gotten into it. 

Inspirational photo's and poems

My husband's uncle, Robert Der Alexanian,  is an amazing photographer who lives in France. In collaboration with a friend, his photo's have been paired with poetry and is available here for sale.


Feel free to check it out :)

Killing and Torturing in Babs Amer Homs Syria

According to the LCCSyria website, it's become really bad in Babs Amer Homs - situation critical.

Same press release but on their Facebook page. 

Finally - Don't ask don't tell is over.

As of yesterday the US army "don't ask don't tell" policy is over.

Finally. About time for them not to care about someone's sexuality!