wiki scanner

there's a fun new tool that has been getting a lot of buzz and ruffling a few feathers as it lists all the organizations (by ip address) that have edited wikipedia pages, along with their edits. i've had some fun checking out a few that i thought might be illuminating - molson... labatt... stuff like that. but i found a pretty good one today... benny hinn ministries.

benny is a crook and liar and easily one of the sleaziest people around. he hosts a show wherein he claims to heal people - then he jet sets away on his luxury jet and lives it up in $10,000 a night hotels and the like. his suits cost more than i make in a year. the cbc did a little expose on him recently that was fun but only scratched the surface.

the wikiscanner page on benny hinn is a veritable feast of funny, albeit in a geeky cyber way.

and... it would appear that someone within the ministries is not a big fan of benny and his work... adding the following to a rather innocuous post about how he gives sermons in cities 'in which he take a lot of money from the lame and doesn't do anything which heals them but pretends that they can be healed. Hell awaits him.'

and to drive that home the next line was added...

"This man will surely spend eternity with his father the Devil."

a more puzzling edit was for the page for Don Garlits, the 'father of drag racing' where a criticism that he has professed anti-homophobic opinion was cleansed...

tribulations of apartment searches

ok, we've been meaning to mention a bit of the funny and frustrating that has occurred during our recent (ongoing) search for an apartment for september. i will write a bit about some of the more interesting places and people we've met but just had to include one response to an email about an ad i received this evening...

to begin, here's the ad that i responded to...

Available Now FREE HEAT, HYDRO, PKNG 1 bdrm apt + den & balcony

Available Immediately

One bedroom apt + den/office & balcony on very quiet street in Centertown.
$1100 per month (FREE HEAT, HYDRO and PARKING)

Suitable for single professional.
Second level, private entrance.
Free Parking available at the door, bus routes close by and very close to all amenities.
20 minute walk (Less than 2 km) to Parliament Hill
Please email

Motorpart02@yahoo.com

Thanks.

sounds pretty normal eh? that's what i thought too... so my email to 'Motorpart' was the following...

Hi there,

We saw the ad on kijiji and had a couple questions about the apartment.

Where exactly is the apartment located?
Is laundry on site?

Perhaps you could also let us know when you would be available to show
the apartment.

Thanks,

Christine and Dave.

then comes the funny... here's what awaited me when i checked my mail tonight. yes it's addressed to holly...

Dear Holly,
Thanks for the email and also Pastor James owned the house and also it is situated at the Simcoe Street , in the Ottawa and also want you to know that it was due to me i am transfer that makes me to leave the house and also want to give it out for rent and looking for a resposible person that can take very good care of it as we are not after the money for the rent but want it to be clean at the time and the person that will rent it to take it as if it were its own.So for now,Am here in the United Kingdom our new house and also with the keys of the house,we try to look for an agent that we can give this document before we left but could not see and we are as well as dont want our house to be used any how in our present that is why we took it along to us here and as you know that, i am here in United Kingdom for a mission of God,so i hope you will promise us to take very good care of the house.So get back to me on how you could take care of our house or perhaps experience you have in rention home.Hope you are okay with the price of $1100ysd with the utilities.

i look forward to hearing from you ASAP so that i can forward you an application to fill out and discuss on how to get the house for rent,also are you ready to rent it now or when?
Thanks,

Await your reply.
Pastor James.

litter lady

ok so i bought a new bike the other day... not really a new one but a new one to me. it's probably 15 years old... the woman i bought it from had had it for 12 years and treated it quite well... the pic gives a good idea of what it looks like...

anyway, we pimped it out a bit (the bike cost $50 and i put an extra $63 in toe clips, grips and handles as well as a lock) and then took it out for a ride today to break it in. after checking the maps out we decided to head out for mooney's bay for a day at the beach. once we arrived i got a bit antsy and wanted something to read so ventured out on foot to see what i could find in the way of a newspaper vendor. after a couple blocks i found a mini-mall and freshmart where i picked up a globe. anyway, on the way out of the parking lot i heard a car nearby idling... not a huge deal but annoying, especially as today was far from the stifling level of hot that's it's been lately in the capital. so i look over to see the car where the noise is coming from and see an older woman piloting a stocky blue chevy (or such). she's got the window rolled down about two inches and looks like she's set to go so i don't really think much of it. then, just as i notice that she's got a handicapped sticker on her car her hand sticks out the open window and drops the plastic wrap from a pack of cigarettes.

um, hello?

so i had many options in that split second and didn't really know what to do. i wanted to say/do something - call her out, throw the plastic through the window, something along those lines. but, i didn't. what i did do was walk up to the car, stop, pick up the plastic and walk off hitting the back bumper of her car with the folded newspaper as i left. she looked a little startled as i approached and i assume that she was a tad bewildered when i stopped beside the car but i didn't bother looking over at her.

as i walked back to the beach i thought of all the things i wish i had said at the time. the one that kept creeping back into my head was something along the lines of 'hey - skinbag - it's bad enough that you smoke and pollute my air but you don't have to litter and compute the problem. i'm glad smoking shortens lives and here's hoping that it does away with you before you can do more damage to the planet.'

too harsh? not harsh enough?

i thought of that guy on youtube that stuffed the ashtray remnants on the lap of the motorist in montreal who had dumped them on the ground. while it turns out the incident was faked it got me wishing i had had a camera with me.

colorado twin strikes for the third time

i received a missive today, a missive... it looks to be a back and forth between my namesake and this other student/colorado person of interest, one tiffany wiley. nothing on interest on her part i think... a website says she's part of the colorado leadership but the link that's posted is an ad site. another person involved is alex aronson, a smarty-pants who has a free ride at the university just cause she chose to stay in colorado... she also may have some lesbian leanings as she loves tiff and means it.

here's the latest transcript... (i've removed the email addresses...)

Subject: AG WEEKEND

Quick question: Am I still supposed to contact Lauren Evans, or are you guys going to do that? I’m happy to do it but don’t want to step on anyone’s toes.

Have we decided to change Ag to Sat/Sun?

Dave


On 8/7/07 9:39 AM, "Dave Dorey" wrote:

Sure thing Tiff. Here is the contact info for their office executive assistance, Jenifer Gurr.

"Gurr, Jenifer"

Let me know if you need anything else. I’m out of the office on a road trip for work today to Trinidad (wahoo), but you can call my cell.

Dave


On 8/7/07 9:10 AM, "Tiffany A Wiley" wrote:

Alex:

Great! Let's talk today about the weekend we feel would be easiest to reschedule. (either Ag or Neutral). Dave, since Alex is taking the lead on both of these will you shoot over the contact info. for Sheldon Jones and Jim Miller. I have a good start to some ideas for that weekend....

:)
On Aug 6, 2007, at 5:29 PM, Alexandra Jean Aronson wrote:

I am totally okay with changing some of the Friday/Saturdays to SAturday/nSundays. Totally fine. So, we can chat about it tomorrow Tiff.

Love you, mean it.

---- Original message ----
>Date: Mon, 6 Aug 2007 14:04:38 -0600
From: Tiffany A Wiley
Subject: Re: AG. WEEKEND
To: Alexandra Jean Aronson
Cc: David Dorey

What do you two HONESTLY think? Your weekend success depends on the students attending so I want your opinions.
What do you think?
Tiff

On Aug 6, 2007, at 1:21 PM, Alexandra Jean Aronson wrote:

Hey Tiff,
sorry didn't check emial till just now. I set the Natural for Friday and Saturday. I can change it, however, if might be more difficult to meet people at businesses on Saturday and Sunday.
Let me know.

---- Original message ----
Date: Mon, 6 Aug 2007 11:59:57 -0600
From: Tiffany A Wiley
Subject: Re: AG. WEEKEND
To: Dave Dorey
Cc: Alexandra Aronson

Sundays. Totally fine. So, we can chat about it tomorrow Tiff.
Love you, mean it.
Alex

---- Original message ----

Date: Mon, 6 Aug 2007 14:04:38 -0600
From: Tiffany A Wiley
Subject: Re: AG. WEEKEND
To: Alexandra Jean Aronson
Cc: David Dorey

What do you two HONESTLY think? Your weekend
success depends on the students attending so I want
your opinions. What do you think?
Tiff

On Aug 6, 2007, at 1:21 PM, Alexandra Jean Aronson wrote:

Hey Tiff,
sorry didn't check emial till just now. I set
the Natural for Friday and Saturday. I
can change it, however, if might be more difficult
to meet people at businesses
on Saturday and Sunday. Let me know.


---- Original message ----

Date: Mon, 6 Aug 2007 11:59:57 -0600
From: Tiffany A Wiley
Subject: Re: AG. WEEKEND
To: Dave Dorey
Cc: Alexandra Aronson

What do you think Ms. Alex? Is Nat. colorado set for Friday/Sat? And do you think only one Sat/Sun would work?

Tiff

On Aug 6, 2007, at 11:55 AM, Dave Dorey wrote:

I do see the problems with that possibility...if we can decide ASAP if we are moving it, I can get back talking with them. However, we do have a good deal of spots on each weekend, so we can be fairly accommodating on tourism weekend to those that can’t miss Fridays.

And yes, I’d rather have the proactivity problems than the other way.

~Dave

Tiffany Wiley
Program Director
Presidents Leadership Class

What do you think Ms. Alex? Is Nat.
colorado set
for Friday/Sat? And do you think only one
Sat/Sun
would work?
Tiff


On Aug 6, 2007, at 11:55 AM, Dave Dorey wrote:
I do see the problems with that
possibility...if
we can decide ASAP if we are moving it, I
can get
back talking with them. However, we do
have a
good deal of spots on each weekend, so we
can be
fairly accommodating on tourism weekend to
those
that can’t miss Fridays.
And yes, I’d rather have the proactivity
problems than the other way.
~Dave