Monthly Archive: June 2007

The attack on Glasgow Airport in Scotland today was foiled in large part by bollards. Ever see a bollard in action? No? Then you've never seen a speeding transport truck ripped apart like so much tissue paper. It's quite the sight to see.

The good news is that the counterfeit Colgate toothpaste I found in an "Everything for a Dollar" store in Guelph, the tube that became national news, did not register for diethylene glycol.

The bad news is that it contains high levels of dangerous bacteria.

I have a report from Shell Chemical detailing a shocking problem discovered in Holland. Chinese-made piping for a major chemical plant was discovered to have been deliberately reworked to hide serious flaws that engineers believe could have resulted in disastrous consequences.

I keep reminding myself that the most important thing is the Canadians are now learning that they might have dangerously defective tires on their minivans and SUVs. That's what matters. But as an aside, I have to say I feel a bit cheated that the work I did to reveal that this might be the case has not been credited.

I shouldn't be this thin-skinned, but then all bloggers are cheated when this happens, so it's not just about me.

Even as an official recall of tires made by the Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Company is about to begin in the United States, here in Canada we are learning that potentially a large quantity of these suspect tires have been distributed across Canada. There are no plans for a recall, and the importer insists that the tires are "fine".

A friend at the Toronto Police Service put my attention to this particularly nasty business. At Bloor and Dufferin, there is a mural dedicated to the victims of gun violence in Toronto. Well, guess what? Vandals have already defaced it, tagging it with their signatures and symbols, including obliterating the portion of the painting that listed the names of the young people in this city who have been killed. Victims like Jane Creba who were utterly innocent bystanders. To these people, Jane was like this mural, just something that got in the way of whatever pointless thing they decided to do at that moment.

A can of spray paint or a gun -- the same attitude drives these people to ignore everyone around them, regardless of the pain and misery that their behaviours might cause. I don't know if that attitude is because of organic damage to the brain, or because of poor upbringing by parents who probably aren't much better examples of humanity, but the result sure seems like a form of mental retardation in people who are old enough to know better.

Heck, maybe it's the rap and hip-hop that dulls their wits to the point that they operate at a level only slightly better than famyard animals.

In any case, the perpetrators of this particular crime have sullied a neighbourhood and the memories of the victims to which the painting was dedicated. Watch the video, and if by some wild chance you recognize anything that could help police track down those responsible, call 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), locally at 416-222-TIPS (8477), or leave information at www.222tips.com.

If you want to see what the mural looked like before it was obliterated, you can see photos and read the explanation of the panels at www.notogangs.org.

Word from the Globe and Mail today that Transport Canada has been looking at Chinese tire problem since Monday. But until the manufacturer tells Transport Canada that there is a problem, there is little Transport Canada can do, even as in the US, they are preparing to recall nearly half-a-million tires with a potentially deadly defect.

The American importer of allegedly defective Chinese-made tires will initiate an official recall in the United States on Monday. The company expects that they will be able to replace 10% of the tires before being forced to declare bankruptcy. In the mean time, we'll wait to see if Canadians are driving on the same tires, and whether corrective action will be taken.

The NHTSA is telling American consumers who have bought tires manufactured by the Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber company of China, and sold in the US under the brand names Westlake, Telluride, YKS and Compass, to remove the tires immediately. I don't get that sense of urgency in Canada.

Two deaths are already being attributed to faulty Chinese tires. American authorities think over 450,000 faulty tires have been imported and might be on the road right now. Meanwhile, I had no problem finding a Canadian distributor of the suspect brands.

One expatriate Newfoundlander is taking Prime Minister Stephen Harper to task in the budget fight Ottawa is having with Premier Danny Williams. This Newfoundlander living in Switzerland makes a point about how Newfoundland out to work towards becoming the self-sufficient nation it was prior to joining Canada, after which things went downhill.

The problem is, things went downhill long before Newfoundland joined Confederation, and what many people might not realize is that at the time Newfoundland joined Confederation, Newfoundland had long since stopped being self-sufficient, and could hardly be called a nation as it was directly governed by an unappointed foreigner.

Foreign law enforcement officials will find it easier to bring their weapons into Canada in the pursuit of their duties. Of course, the same goes for Canadian law enforcement pursuing criminals in other jurisdictions. Apparently this is a threat to Canada's sovereignty, or so says Liberal MP Dan McTeague, who brings up an incident in which unarmed Canadian border officials abandoned their posts in the face of armed American criminals and the US law enforcement giving chase. That's an odd example to bring up, because the truth is that until the Conservative government started arming our border guards, Canadian border officials depended on US law enforcement to use their weapons on our side of the border.

The Anglican Church in Canada has voted not to perform blessings on same-sex marriages. The rage from atheists who have already succeeded at changing the civil definition of marriage is very revealing. Look beneath the anger and viciousness, and you see people who are desperate to belong to an institution they label as "irrelevant".

It's rather sad, really.

Should Canadians be embarrassed because the Conservative Party has decided to advertise by sponsoring a NASCAR team? Despite the foam-flecked rantings of Canada's left, NASCAR seems to be a sport that demands good character of its participants.

I don't subscribe to the theory that Canada's media as a whole cannot be trusted to report the news in an even-handed and fair manner. But I'm not so naive as to believe either that there a not pockets within the media that do use the media as a way to promote a partisan agenda under the guise of news.

With the Conservatives sponsoring Pierre Bourque's NASCAR efforts, I wonder if NASCAR will become the target of media trickery in order to embarrass the Conservatives. It has happened before.

The only-beauty-matters artistic element at Disney has won a major battle over the bottom-line-is-king business faction with the announcement that direct-to-DVD sequels of animated theatrical releases will no longer be produced. I'm curious to see if Disney can find a way to make both sides happy.

A reporter for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle wonders if the Colgate website listed on the counterfeit toothpaste boxes is itself legitimate. It might not be a great website, but the registration information seems legitimate. And I can't see how the aliasing could have been faked.

A diverting bit of news of humans being attacked by dolphins.

Health Canada has released an expanded statement with regards to toothpaste safety in this country. It is interesting. For one thing, Chinese toothpaste is out!

The Liberals and the NDP are taking turns criticizing the Conservatives for sponsoring Pierre Bourque's NASCAR efforts, and then laughing at the Conservatives for targeting this small demographic.

Maybe people laughed at Google once. Not anymore.

Health Canada has stated that the counterfeit Colgate toothpaste found in Canada is not the same as the product found in the United States. Health Canada has not said how it is different, though. While we wait, I can describe one interesting detail in the toothpaste in my possession that might explain just what is going on here.

It looks like FHT Enterprises, the company that allegedly imported to the counterfeit toothpaste that is now the centre of a Health Canada probe, specializes in importing cables and DVDs and video games.

First the Globe and Mail, then several radio interviews, and now two TV spots for CTV and CBC (Radio Canada). I suppose it's fair to say that the story of the counterfeit Colgate toothpaste I bought in Guelph has been noticed.

The fake Colgate toothpaste has turned up in Ontario and Florida and Kentucky.

I don't necessarily buy into this theory, but it does explain why the counterfeit toothpaste is in tubes that look completely correct, but why the cardboard outer packaging is littered with errors.

If this theory is true, however, it strongly suggests that the Colgate toothpaste tube I have contains diethylene glycol. It also suggests that it did not start out as a counterfeit.

Within a day of my call to Colgate Canada about the tube of toothpaste I picked up at the local dollar store, all the tubes have disappeared.

After I wrote about the strage constellation of websites registered by A Bojali, I was contacted by Bojali, who was getting heat from hosting companies over the suspicious registration information.

I offered some advice, and it looks like it was taken.

A massive theft of funds from the Liberal Party riding association in London has prompted a criminal investigation. But there is a serious political side to this as well, with allegations of an offer from the Director of Finance of the Liberal Party of Canada (Ontario), David Pretlove, to cut a cheque to cover the shortfall with the promise not to take this to the police.

I just got off the phone with a very helpful customer service representative at Colgate Canada, and she confirms that this product is not theirs.

Update #1: Colgate Canada says this isn't their product and wants to get their hands on the tube.

Update #2: It looks like Colgate Canada is quietly picking up the faux toothpaste.

Update #3: The story has been picked up by the main stream media and is spreading quickly across Canada.

Colgate insists that it does not import toothpaste into the United States from South Africa. Any such products are counterfeits, and might contain diethylene glycol, a component of antifreeze known to be toxic to humans.

So I have to ask myself, why is it that Colgate imports South African toothpaste into Canada? Or is the toothpaste I am holding in my hand also a counterfeit? And is it poisonous?

Over a week ago I warned people to be suspicious of all toothpaste. The recall by the FDA covered only Chinese-made products, but I found an interview with a Chinese official in which he insisted that Colgate toothpaste was made in China. Colgate had said that this was untrue.

So was I wrong to be concerned?

It looks like I was ahead of the news by a week. A report today that contaminated Colgate toothpaste is being hunted down by American authorities. But as it turns out, it is counterfeit toothpaste. Authorities haven't determined the point of origin yet. Any guesses?

No, I mean, literally, you read below. Move your eyes down just a bit. The scam is right there.

This is Adewale Bolaji. She is trying to sell you bogus AdWords advice via my blog. For that I apologize. She might also be the face of Nigerian 419 scams. It makes for an interesting trip through the internet.

A study suggests that the death penalty deters crime. In fact, the study predicts exactly how many murders are prevented with each execution. The study raises a number of questions, especially in those cases where people have been wrongfully convicted of murder.

I've been using the new Safari browser for Windows, and I have to say I'm impressed.

How will the Harry Potter saga end? I can reveal at least one important ending that we will see soon enough.

A catch-up post about Andrew Stronach's babes-and-betting SheTips gambling site. I think it's out of commission, having never gone live, and yet I can't be certain.

I've discovered I'm in a distinct minority when it comes to Paris Hilton. I just don't like what I see in the larger picture. A lot of people I've spoken to seem all too happy to watch Paris Hilton being jerked to and fro by the various elements of the justice system. I find that attitude odd. What did Paris Hilton ever do to them? I, for one, don't enjoy this at all. Not only do I think we can feel for Paris Hilton, I think the way her case is being handled suggests the machinery of justice is definitely out of kilter.

Garth Turner tells an audience that it was the decision to tax income trusts that led to his ejection from the Conservative Party caucus. The problem is that this is not consistent with Garth Turner's statements at the time, the decisions he took after he was thrown out of caucus, and with the timing of events.

I've given environmentalists a hard time on this blog. David Suzuki in particular. I've also made it clear that I find the whole theory that global warming is (a) actually happening and (b) the result of human activity and (c) subject to modification by humans if it is really happening very suspicious. I've also made it clear that I am in no position to absorb huge cost of living increases driven by a theory that a lot of respected scientists think is completely bogus.

You might think I gleefully emit greenhouse gases in copious amounts while dumping toxic chemicals into the local water table, or something equally evil.

I don't. In fact, we focus a lot on reducing the waste created by our large family, while at the same time helping out those who need help. Let me tell you about Freecycle.

Why has torture porn become such a dominant film style? Warren Kinsella shares his thoughts on the matter. I think the problem goes back decades, and can be traced to the acceptance of the politically correct notion that right and wrong are relative concepts, and that passing moral judgment is itself the worst, and perhaps the only, immoral act.

After pleading for hundreds of millions of additional taxpayer dollars in order to put on their two-week show, you would think the people running the Vancouver Olympics would be a bit more humble. But when Canadian coin dealers wanted to help support and promote the Olympics by selling Royal Canadian Mint Olympic coins online, the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC) not only told them that their help was not welcome, it threatened to have the RCM cut the dealers off.

Since when did the Royal Canadian Mint take orders from insolvent debtors like the VANOC?

Just who do these Olympic people think they are?

There is a booze-up at Michael Ignatieff's residence exclusively for Young Liberals! Pay $25 at the door, and you can enjoy the open bar.

Sounds like fun. The problem is that I'm not at all certain this is legal.

Elizabeth May and Stephane Dion want Canadians to be gas poor. Pay more and more for gas until they can't afford much else. Maybe this is not what they really want to happen, but it will be the consequence of raising taxes on gas. Gas consumption is pretty much inelastic unless you are wealthy and have a lot of disposable income. Trying to choke off that disposable income used for driving by affluent Canadians will result in choking the rest of us...literally.

Breaking: Ersatz Colgate toothpaste in the United States might contain DEG. And I just bought a suspicious tube of toothpaste in my local dollar store in Canada.

The latest outrage from China is the export of toothpaste using a poisonous component of antifreeze, diethylene glycol, as a thickener. The FDA has blocked all imports of Chinese-made toothpaste into the United States.

The FDA also recommended that consumers with tubes of Chinese-made toothpaste dispose of the products immediately.

I use Colgate toothpaste, and I checked the label. Made in Mexico. Sounds fine, except for the fact that in this interview, an extremely senior Chinese Communist Party official, Cheng Siwei, brags about how Colgate toothpaste used by Americans is made in China.

Curious. And disturbing.

Just some thoughts about entropy and energy usage and how it links to population and the environment.

Despite the dogged efforts of the organizers, the hotdog eating world record event has been dogged by controversy. The feeling that one contestant was unfairly penalized is so thick that you could stab it with a fork and cut it with a knife.

David Suzuki says Canadians are willing to pay, nay, are demanding that they be forced to pay, carbon taxes. An Angus Reid poll suggests exactly the opposite.

Law enforcement officials in the US have foiled a plot to ignited the fuel supply to John F Kennedy Airport in New York. But I have to say that I'm confused by just what the alleged terrorists thought they could accomplish.

When Chinese toothpaste was discovered to be thickened with radiator coolant, authorities around the globe went on alert. The FDA has now discovered this poisonous toothpaste in the USA.

Environmentalists moan and groan that Canada is not doing it's share when it comes green issues. The fact is that Canada has plenty of green credit to spend.

A father allegedly tried to run down his daughter and her boyfriend in Toronto. Looking deeper into the story, you find out that there is a major division within the Tamil community in Toronto. I wonder if the attack was motivated in part by this division.

The Public Accounts Committee continues to investigate the RCMP Pension Scandal. During this remarkable exchange, we get to the heart of the matter. Just why would anyone have tried so hard to get around the bidding process?