Mad as hell and not taking your shit!

So, like any good greedy government, ours has decided they are going to try to ban electronic cigarettes under the guise of saving the children.

The bill as submitted by the Liberal Minster of Health is here.

It went to second reading and was sent to the Law Amendments Committee for input from the general public and interested parties.

I and others spoke. In person, out loud. I know, I was completely traumatized. I can type a mean letter, but I shook like a leave when it came to reciting it. This was my submission.

Madam Chair, members of the committee:

My name is Eva Campbell and I am co-owner of the End Vapor Shop in New Glasgow and Truro.

I thank you for allowing me to speak today on the matter of amendments proposed to the smoke free places act. Bill #60

Electronic cigarettes must not be defined as a tobacco product because it, quite simply, is NOT a tobacco product and in fact is in direct competition with tobacco. That being said, I submit test results that indicates that the eliquid we and other vendors sell has no tobacco content.  As the bill is presently worded, it is clear that the honorable minister of health is not aware of the obvious distinction between tobacco flavors and flavored tobacco. 

Looking at the list of 4000+ chemicals and known carcinogens in traditional tobacco cigarettes and comparing them with the 4 ingredients in the eliquid (none of which are tobacco by the way)  I personally concluded (albeit, not scientifically) that you really don’t have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that this is  safer alternative. But you don’t have to take my word for that, in recent years, there have been an overabundance of scientific research that proves just that. And my business partner will supply you with that information. 

As vendors and a consumers, we welcome sensible regulation of the electronic cigarette industry separate from tobacco. In fact, we already self regulate, in that we refuse to sell to minors. We require proper labeling of the ejuice, child proof bottles, proper safety certifications on all our hardware  and independent lab testing of the liquid by a Health Canada accredited testing facility. I submit also our suggestions on regulating electronic cigarettes as a separate entity from tobacco.

What I and others object to is electronic cigarettes being labeled as a tobacco product. Aside from the fact there is no tobacco present in the liquid, we view traditional tobacco as a direct competitor to our industry. I personally object to the Honorable minister of health’s attempt to redefine tobacco to include something that is absolutely not a tobacco product.

This is like saying, we will be banning apples and by the way the definition of apples will now be extended to include... staplers. I am thinking Webster’s may take issue with that. 

I am perplexed as to why the Honorable Minister of Health thinks we need anything else besides age restrictions for entry to vape shops. That alone would obviously negate the concern that we would be marketing to children. Now, I am not a drinker so I was aghast to learn that this was not a requirement for the NSLC stores, which openly displays bubblegum flavored vodka and Caramilk cream liquor. (what’s more kid friendly than a chocolate bar?)

Flavored ejuice is just that...flavored. It consists of propylene glycol (flavorless), vegetable glycerine (flavorless), may or may not contain nicotine (also flavorless) and food grade flavoring. Even tobacco flavored ejuice is just that….tobacco flavored, not flavored tobacco. The distinction must be made and I think this is where the Honorable minister  of health is confused. Take away the flavoring and we are left with flavorless vapor. People don’t even drink flavorless water anymore.

Vapers may start off with a tobacco flavoring, but most quickly find  the flavor of tobacco objectionable. After all it was never the taste of a cigarette that got us hooked. The majority of our customers are over 40 and enjoy having a variety of flavors available to them. 

Clearly I am not a child. However, I enjoy vaping fruit and candy flavors. Tobacco ‘flavors’ (not to be confused with tobacco that is flavored) in no way appeals to me. Saying that flavors only appeal to children is ludicrous, unless you contend that all Canadians upon reaching the age of 19 exist on cream of wheat and water? I did not think so. 

Removing the flavorings from ejuice will effectively shut down the legitimate industry and send those consumers into either the black market or worse, back to smoking traditional tobacco. Today I can tell you I will never  smoke another tobacco cigarette, as long as this is an available alternative. 

Not letting the public see their choices in delivery systems (which incidentally look nothing like cigarettes) and prohibiting point of sale marketing would be crippling to our business. Again, this is not a cigarette where all you have to do is light the right end and go. People benefit from hands on demonstration of the product and instruction on care, use, proper handling of the device.

It is distressing to me that our honorable minister of health has brought forth this bill without the slightest understanding as to what this product is or how it works. Please, stop calling it tobacco. There is no more tobacco in this than there is in the coffee you drank this morning.

All I am asking is that before you jump on to this particular band wagon, you avail yourselves of the research that is available and make an informed decision about the inclusion of electronic cigarettes in Bill No. 60 and the proposed changes to the amendment. Please consider what this will do, not only to the dozen or so strictly vaping businesses in Nova Scotia that will inevitably be shut down, but also how this will affect the thousands of Nova Scotian tax payers that will lose this ability to continue on with this safer alternative to traditional tobacco.

This bill is old fashioned slight of hand designed to make it impossible for any MLA in the house (regardless of their affiliation) to vote against it. It’s battle cry? THINK OF THE CHILDREN AND GET RID OF FLAVORED TOBACCO ONCE AND FOR ALL. Then in the fine print it exempt the only flavored tobacco that anyone is even aware of. In reality it is a direct shot across the bow of anyone who tries to compete with big tobacco.

I am NOT a smoker, this is NOT tobacco and must not be lumped into the same category. I suggest that you remove mention of electronic cigarettes from this bill. If the Honorable minister of Health  would like to propose sensible regulation on electronic cigarettes as its own consumer product separate from tobacco, I am sure we would all be open to that.

The only thing this bill, as presently worded, will accomplish is the destruction of the most effective form of tobacco harm reduction to date and serves only to protect traditional tobacco from its only real competition.

Thank you for your time.

Until this legislation (Bill 60) was introduced, I and pretty much everyone I have spoken to was only aware of one flavor of tobacco and that would be menthol. Thanks to the liberal government I (and any kid that watches the news) am now aware of watermelon cigarillos. Sounds like the LIBERALS are the ones now marketing flavored tobacco to children. Great job!

So, after 49 people spoke (most against the bill as written, except of course the tobacco companies, they were all in.) what do you suppose they did? Removed all mention of flavors, including (yes, I said including) flavored tobacco.

Now the oposition is fighting to get the bill either thrown out entirely or to have menthol tobacco included in the ban. The Liberal majority government is digging in its heels.

What does this mean for our shop? We can't let anyone under 19 in the shop let alone sell to them. (not a problem, I hate kids) and we will no longer be able to 'vape' in public. Big deal.

We may not have won the entire war (that will come later) but we let the government know that we are not going to take their shit lying down.

Plan....what letter was I on?

So, last post I told you about the show I was doing on ElixirTV...I am still doing that, but with another co-host. Cindy was nice, but too nice. I think I need someone with a thicker skin. When she was having fun, I wasn't and vice-versa. So, we parted ways and now I am going to do a new show (same time) with Buffy. She is a fellow Canuck and I met her through her boyfriend who I work with. So, she knew better what she was getting into, not like Cindy.

The new show is "It's EvelHawt...eh?" (her nick is HawtAngel) should be fun.

I did sorta feel bad for Cindy, she really had no idea what she was getting into, but then again some might say she was just not paying attention. Had she visited this blog at any point she may have deduced that I was not the warm and fuzzy type. I pretty much say whatever the fuck comes into my head at any given time. I stew over nothing. My philosophy is...If you piss me off and I say nothing...then that is totally on me. However, when (not if)I tell you that you are pissing me off and continue, then we really have a problem. So, if at any point in time you are unsure if I am pissed off at you? Don't be. (well...unless you are The Sister..but that's another story)

Anyway, today I am finally outside in our new gazebo, enjoying the first really nice day of spring. Long story short...I was sure God hated me. I bought this nice gazebo so I could sit outside without the bugs. (I am NOT a bug person) Seemed like as soon as we got the stupid thing off the truck it snowed. After about a week, we finally got it setup and since then it has snowed twice more and when it was not snowing, it was raining.....sideways.

I may have slept though half of this beautiful day had it not been for my brother showing up at an ungodly hour this morning...but since it is such a beautiful day, he can live.

Is anyone surprised?

All this proves is that there are a lot of American's out there that get their cultural information from Saturday morning cartoons.

Causing uproar with his military mockery, Fox News host walks fine line with apology

American's also think that they are the only ones in the war. When in reality, they were just the ones to start it. The rest of us just got dragged into it.

And don't give me that crap that is was in retaliation for 9/11. The majority of the hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, none from Iraq. But lets not beat that dead horse.

There is a reason that show is on at three in the morning. No one watches it. Probably the first time anyone has ever heard of it was this week. I think it was a bad idea to even acknowledge it, but here I am.

Cuz its fun to laugh at stupid people.

Here is the offending video:

I was promised global warming.

Spring officially sprung four days ago.


Does this look like spring to you?


This is the reason Sammy pissed in the tub this morning. I threw him out and he disappeared. Had to pull him out by the tail.


I took pity and just opened the bathroom door for him.

I am sorta a cat person.

Canadians, too friendly for their own good.

The best job in the world.

Eleven Canadians make the short list for the Best Job In The World.

The Caretaker of the Islands ...report back to Tourism Queensland (and the world) and let us know what’s taking place on the Islands of the Great Barrier Reef.

Other duties may include (but are not limited to)

Feed the fish - There are over 1,500 species of fish living in the Great Barrier Reef. Don’t worry – you won’t need to feed them all.

Clean the pool - The pool has an automatic filter, but if you happen to see a stray leaf floating on the surface it’s a great excuse to dive in and enjoy a few laps.

Collect the mail – During your explorations, why not join the aerial postal service for a day? It’s a great opportunity to get a bird’s eye view of the reef and islands.

With a salary package of AUD$150,000. Not bad for 6 months of vacation.

My vote goes to this kid. I love his video.

Quite an eventful day.

My new fridge shows up just as I am about to start work, so I had to call in and say I would be late.

Out with the old.


And in with the new.


Then with an hour left in the shift I get a call from the principle at The Boy's school. There had been an 'altercation', can I come pick him up?

One of the 'friends' of the kid that hit The Boy with the pipe decided to pick a fight with The Boy. The Boy told him he didn't want to fight him in school but the kid insisted. So The Boy had to KICK HIS ASS!

That is what the principal told me. Well, he actually used different words. "He didn't throw the first punch but he got most of the licks in." (Edumacation makes it sound so purdy, donit?)

Anyway, I go get the boy and I am off to take Sammy to the vet. He is not happy with me at all. I get him into the carrier and he pretty much flips out. It was like I was carrying the Tazmanian Devil in a burlap sack. The vet just looked at me and asked if it was domesticated. I stick my finger in the cage and he calms down. That is enough for her.

Then she brings out the forms and runs down the 'extras' for me to decide on.

- Advantage treatment? "Uh its February, he doesn't have fleas." NO
- Post surgery take home treatment? "He routinely comes home looking like he has been through the Bore War, he has proven he has no problem with pain." NO
- They will cut his nails while he is sleeping. "Dude, he comes back looking like he was in that war and lost, are you kidding me?" NO
- Shots and vaccinations? NO
- Pre-surgery blood work? What? "Is that optional? Really?" Then NO

We do agree that he needs to be cleaned up. She tells me that they will bath him if he doesn't wake up too soon after the surgery. "Huh?"

"Well we only bath them while they are asleep." She explains that they throw him in a bucket of soapy water. I kid you not, those were her exact words. So, I agree to that.

So now I have some time. I decide to take the video card that I bought yesterday back to Staples. Couldn't find any drivers on the planet that would make it work and on my way back I decide to buy a kitchen table that I saw the other day at Canadian Tire. (We have already established my Canadian Red-neck'ed'ness.)

I purchase the thing before I ever wonder how I will transport it. So in the store it stays for now. I go home and regroup. While doing that I toss my old table and rickety chairs out for the landlord to take to the dump.

(Wow, I have had a long day.)

So I remember that Sister has a truck, sort of. An SUV. I call her up and off we go to pick up the table. She brings her friend with her. I don't know yet how I worked this out, but I managed to be the only person in this little trio to not handle the table as it is schlepped through the snow and up the stairs.

But there she is...a Debbie Travis Walnut Parsons table.


Let's just take a moment, shall we?

Now that it is together, I realize it is too big and I have no chairs. But I am too tired, it is just going to have to stay.

And how was your day?

Forced to watch crap.

I never agreed with the whole 'Canadian Content' thing. And now they are trying to impose this idiotic rule on the internet.


For years our airwaves have been clogged with crap no one wants to watch but because it's Canadian it gets put on the air. There is a law

"With no regulation on the Internet, there's a big fear that all Canadian content will be buried by foreign content," Mochrie said.

Here's a radical concept. Make content that doesn't suck ass and people will watch/listen to it. Even people in the states. Imagine that.

BRRRRR!

All week it has been very cold here. Last night it was -26C (that's -14F) when I had to venture out to drive The Boy home from his girlfriends. The car was not at all happy that I was trying to make it do anything in this weather. I was concerned at one point it would just refuse to take me any farther.

I sat for quite a while just to be able to see out the windshield. Even then I had to scrape the 'inside' just to see out. The clutch was sluggish and I felt like I was arm wrestling for the gears. Not to mention all the lights on the dash were going crazy. The open door indicator, even when the door was closed, and the fasten seat belt light when (you guessed it) I had my seat belt on.

The weather is not fit for humans or machinery. And that goes for pipes to. This is the second morning I have woken up to frozen pipes.

The first night of the really cold weather, the landlord calls and asks me to open up the hot water tap a trickle to keep it from freezing. That night I had nightmares of the drain getting clogged and me having a flood. All kinds of fun'ness. I once (once) lived in an apartment building but it was a nightmare. Before I went to bed, I would make sure nothing was turned on (ie:stove, iron, etc)and would double check my ashtrays to make sure there was nothing smoldering. Ok, so I am slightly OCD. Even after 10 minutes of checking and rechecking, I got no sleep at all worrying about who was checking all the other guys smoldering ashtrays. I had to move out. I just couldn't take the sleep deprivation.

So now I am in a house with just one other apartment, less worry. Or so I thought, except for the nightmare about being swept away at sea.

I wake up in the morning and there was no flood and the water was still running. So, I figure I can turn it off, right? Three hours later, no hot water. Frozen pipes. Three hours, that is all it took.

So, the landlord comes and borrows my little portable heater and heads to the basement. An hour or so later, the water is flowing again. What I am 'assuming' is that he has fixed the problem. I hate that word, assume. It never ends well. Sure enough, I wake up this morning to no hot water again.

The landlord just left, he is starting to make me nervous, suggesting that we leave an electric heater going in the crawlspace to keep the pipes warm.

Uh, and possibly burn the house down? There has got to be a better, more copacetic way to keep your pipes from freezing. One that doesn't involve me having nightmares.

That's Five, Canada!

Canada wins its fifth straight gold medal in the World Junior Hockey Championship.

We take hockey very seriously in Canada. Even if you don't follow it, as a Canadian, you just know about the Loonie in center ice at the Olympics. You just know.

And where else does the leader of the country get his pic taken with a guy painted gold, just cuz he asked? (Wish I could find the pic, but I saw him do it during the game.)

It was an exciting game.



What Canada is all about. Canada/Russian game. Canada ties it up with 5.4 seconds remaining.



Goes to a shootout. Canada wins and goes on to the gold medal game against Sweden.

You might be a 'Canadian' redneck.

Was down at The Sister's and we were outside saying our good bye's. I was looking over the nephews Hummer (He actually let me drive it a few feet in the yard) and we notice that the spot where The Sister's truck had been parked had clear signs of some fluid leakage.

"Mom, your truck is leaking something."

My nephew and I take a closer look. "What do you think it is?" Says The Sister.

Both my nephew and I pick up a piece of snow with this liquid on it and smell it. No odor.

Then The Sister about loses her mind. In complete unison the nephew and I both lick the snow...yes, I said lick the snow, and say "Antifreeze!"

Blizzard. Jan 1, 2009

It started to snow on New Years Eve, and didn't stop til January 2nd.

Some photos. Some mine, some from friends.

Watching my car get buried.






I am not the only one with a buried car.

Kim


Nadine


Anna


Digging out.



Some video of the action.







UPDATE: I'm free!

Canadian, eh?

I had to post this. I found it over at Rad's place and laughed through the whole thing. Okay, maybe act two is a bit dry, but the rest is worth listening to.

One woman was completely traumatized to learn that William Shatner was Canadian. Another is up in arms, saying that there should be a law against Peter Jennings, a Canadian, hosting a network news program.

You just have to listen to it, it is hilarious.

Americans are so self absorbed, they think anything good must be American.

All you Yanks can check out this website to crush your sense of superiority.

Americans think that you should be able to spot a Canadian a mile away. It's just geography guys.

And so it begins.

The first snow of the season.




Followed by a bit of hail.

You can't un-shoot that gun.

Long story short. Chick writes a bit of music in 1968 while working at an ad firm. Its for Hockey Night in Canada. The CBC liked it so much they kept it. Making this chick a lot of money. Part of the 'agreement' was that they can play it only in Canada. (She could sell the rights to other 3rd parties at will.)

For those of you (Yanks) who don't know it.



Apparently the CBC broadcast a game in the UK and 'allowed' the theme to be played. Now this chick got her knickers in an uproar and she sues the CBC.

Well the chick totally shot the golden goose on this one. Her gripe was that she was the only one that could make money off it outside of Canada. Well, since the CBC won't be using it any longer, no one else is going to want it either. It sort of goes hand in hand. People want the anthem of Hockey Night in Canada, and now it's not.

She jumped into the same boat as the 'Happy Birthday' Lady. Pretty soon, no one will remember that little ditty either.

So basically the CBC said, "Fuck you!" and decided to just change the theme. And now we have this. The Hockey Anthem Challenge. A competition to come up with a new anthem.

"Now Canada will decide which anthem will open CBC's Hockey Night in Canada during the 2008 / 2009 season (and perhaps beyond)."

This submission is composed by a friend of mine, Scott DeCoste. Please sign in and vote.



It will be weird not to hear that song on the show, it has been like a second national anthem here in Canada for so long.

But I am proud of the CBC for not getting butt-fucked by that money grubbing bitch who has probably been living off that one composition for forty years.

Good luck with your retirement, Lady.

A penny for your thoughts.

What's a penny really worth to you?

There has been talk about abolishing the penny. And, of course, much opposition.

How much of the tax payers hard earned pennies are you willing to waste to fight someone for your right to accumulate them? And as far as the Canadian Mint is concerned, the penny is the one coin that does not 'circulate'. People just don't spend them anymore. Aside from charitable

Personally, the only thing i use them for is to unplug the shop vac hose. When it stops sucking, I throw a handful of pennies down and it usually breaks up the blockage.

So, if they abolish the penny, what do I do (other than unblock the vacuum) with all those accumulated pennies?

Consider the copper content. If I were to melt down the pennies and take them to an exchange yard, what could I get for them?

Canadian pennies from 1996 and earlier – and U.S. ones from 1981 and earlier – are 98 per cent copper, veritable gold mines at today's prices. But you'd have to have quite a few to make this work.

A penny weighs 2.5 g. That means you would need 408,163 pre-1997 pennies to end up with a tonne of copper. As legal tender, this stash would be worth $4,081.63 but as a potential truckload of copper destined for China this would bring in US$7,230 just now on the LME futures market.

However, as long as they are legal tender, it is illegal to melt them.

Something to think about.

Too good to be true? I'll let you know.

A friend alerted me to this offer. The Royal Bank of Canada, giving away computers.

Are you kidding? I have to get me some of that. But what is the catch?

Back in the day you would get a new toaster for opening up an account, but a computer?

Appears so.

So I call. Ten minutes later, I have switched my account (2 bucks more than I am paying now with overdraft protection I never had before) and I am on my way to getting a new computer.

One little hiccup in the mix. I was on bankbook so I have to switch to paper statements, wait till I actually get a paper statement and switch to electronic statements.

So, a couple of hoops to jump through, but a small price.

I will let you know if I, or my friend, ever actually get one of these cute little things.

Money well spent.

Apparently my home town ranked 151 out of 154 of the best places to live in Canada.

So, there are only three worse places I could live.

Thank god I pay taxes to be told I live in a crap hole. Otherwise I might never know.

They are cute...but they are food.

They are just food. Food that, some people believe, if left to multiply like rabbits, would wipe out other food sources. Whether that is true or not, they are just food, and of course pelts. A "significant" source of income in many remote, coastal communities.

The seal hunt is not just a sadistic slaughter its a managed annual cull. Did I mention people eat them? I don't see you having a telethon for the cod fish, Paul. Oh, that's right, they aren't cute. (Oh and he doesn't pose with the seals that are actually part of the hunt, just these cute baby ones, who haven't been hunted since 1987, he almost got arrested for being this close one.)

So Paul McCartney thinks the seals are cute. Well, so is Bambi, but you aren't trekking through the woods of Tennessee and getting between Bubba and his ten point buck. No. Cuz Bubba would pop a cap in your ass. Whereas Canadians just ask you politely to step aside.

Tragedies have marked the seal hunt this year. More than usual and I can't help but wonder if they are truly accidents.

The Sea Shepherd Society seems to be more aggressive this year compared to other years, (most likely because of Paul) going so far as attempting to water hose sealers as they are walking the ice flows. This is not some cast-a-net-and-haul-it-in operation, you have to get off the boat and walk on the ice flows. Very dangerous work.

Then the idiot captain of the Sea Shepherd, Paul Watson, makes some bone-headed comment after four sealers lose their lives when their boat capsizes.

"the deaths of four sealers is a tragedy," but added "the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of seal pups is an even greater tragedy."

"They are vicious killers who are now pleading for sympathy because some of their own died while engaged in a viciously brutal activity."

I kid you not!

Oh, but they are surprised by the reception they get when they try to dock at Saint-Pierre and Miquelon. Sailors were quick to make them aware that they were not welcome and cut their lines to set them adrift.

I know the face of the seal hunt protest is a cute little, furry, white baby seal. What they don't tell you is that baby seal hunting was banned in 1987. (BTW, the seals' white coats disappear after four weeks, while those animals killed in the hunt are eight weeks or older) People really need to get the facts before they just jump on Paul McCartney's band wagon. But I guess if they did, Paul Watson would have to get a real job.

FACT: A seal can eat 2-3 kilos of fish a day. The population is estimated at 5.5 million seal. The quota for the cull this year is (I believe) 270,000 seal. For some sealers, the seal hunt represents up to one-third of their annual income.

It is not just done, willy nilly, its called management of the fisheries, Paul, go fuck off somewhere!

First day of spring.

Welcome.

I wake up to drive The Boy to school, he is in the shower.

I open up messenger and see all the moms have similar tag lines.

"seriously NO school"

"Yay!! School's canceled... even longer weekend for the kids!!" I think that one has just a touch of sarcasm attached to it.

I hate this sort of thing, you look out the window and its a perfectly normal day. No rain, no snow. No sun either, but hey, its Nova Scotia in March we don't expect much.

Back in the day we never got a day off of school on the off chance there could possibly be bad weather later on in the day. We only got dismissed from school when the snow was getting close to knee level (That's the bus drivers knees, not the kids) or the boiler stops working. That was it.

Back in the day the weather man didn't have the luxury of saying "...there is a 50% chance of rain...". He had to nail it down. Probability of precipitation, give me a break.

I remember getting off the bus and trudging through snow up to my hips to get into the house.

It makes no sense. We have better snow clearing equipment now then we did then. We have generators and snow blowers

How is it that we have gotten so soft?