City in the sky

From www.canoe.ca

The world's largest passenger plane, the Airbus A380, completed a maiden flight Wednesday in France.

The huge, double-decked plane landed successfully after a flight of nearly four hours. About 30,000 spectators watched the white plane with blue tail take off and touch down.

The plane carried a crew of six and 20,000 kilograms of on-board test instruments. It can carry as many as 840 passengers on commercial flights, although the usual configuration is for 555.

All crew members took no chances and donned parachutes for the first flight. A handrail inside the test plane leads from the cockpit to an escape door that could have been jettisoned had the pilots lost control.

The flight capped 11 years of preparation and the equivalent of $13 billion US in spending. The A380, with a catalogue price of $282 million US, weighed 421 tonnes on takeoff, including its bulky test equipment, fittings and fuel, Airbus said. That is about 75 per cent of its maximum authorized takeoff weight for commercial flights.

Maple Leaf Square

From Rogers Yahoo News

Maple Leaf Square, a major hotel, shopping and entertainment development, will be built adjacent to the home of the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Raptors at a cost of $350 million.

The joint venture between sports team owner Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, real estate firm Cadillac Fairview Corp. Ltd. and developer Lanterra Developments, is scheduled for completion in 2009.

It will include "a fine dining and high-tech sports-themed restaurant," a sports-and entertainment-themed boutique hotel, two condominium towers, a music club, office space, a high-definition broadcast studio and a 170,000-square-foot retail space anchored by a Leafs, Raptors and Toronto Marlies store.

"Maple Leaf Square will be a vibrant and unique landmark that has a tasteful sports and entertainment theme reflective of the Leafs, Raptors and Air Canada Centre," Maple Leaf CEO Richard Peddie said in a release.

"Our development creates a larger significant stage that will attract major sports and world events to Toronto and at the same time support tourism and economic growth."

The development is expected to create more than 1,700 construction jobs and about 500 full and part-time positions when complete.

How Nike generates profits

When I heard the grumblings of Nike sweatshops in Asia a few years ago, I stopped buying anything from them. Now the proof is out. Nike has admitted to a series of abuses at its Asian factories, including forced overtime and limited access to water. Nike has published an 108-page report which acknowledges some allegations long hurled at it by human rights groups. Its report admits widespread problems in Asian factories and has been praised as "an important step forward" by observers.

Nike founder and chairman Philip Knight said: "We've been fairly quiet for the past three years in corporate responsibility... So we're using this report to play a little catch-up and draw a more complete picture." Gee, thanks Phil.

The Oregon-based firm lists 124 factories in China, 73 in Thailand, 35 in South Korea, 34 in Vietnam and others in Asia, the continent home to most accusations of sweatshop operations.

The survey found that in more than half of Nike's factories, employees worked more than 60 hours a week, in up to a quarter staff refusing to do overtime were punished. And wages were below the legal minimum in up to 25% of factories.

I wonder if Nike-sponsored Tiger Woods will say anything since he is half Asian. Probably not...he can't see anything over his walls of money.

Ode to a head cold

Oh lovely congestion, mucousy and green,
Filling my nose for a week, like a stream.
Nose and tissue, constantly as one,
Skin rubbed raw, can you imagine the fun?
Ringing in plugged ears, a pleasant surprise,
Congestion wont leave me, morning, noon or nigh.
A kaleidoscope of colours from the pain in my head,
Headaches attack whilst I lie in my bed.
Seven days of hell, taking pills in vain,
When, oh when, will my sinuses drain.
Head cold, you are a bane on my existence!

Canada the laughingstock!

If you're in the Liberal party, the Pope's death couldn't have come at a better time. It's distracted the Canadian people, for the time being, from the deceit of the Liberal government. I admit, I haven't followed much of what's happening with the Gomery Commission only because the more I'd learn, the more I'd want to vomit.

I am surprised that more people aren't in an uproar over this! This is our government being caught with their pants down; our government being corrupt in ways no other in Canadian history has been. The world is seeing this and our image is being tarnished...yet again.

I understand all governments lie and cheat their way to votes and support but to have it happen in your own backyard makes it all the more painful to learn about.

The proud feeling one had of being Canadian...of being loved around the world...of other countries wanting to be like us...is a distant memory. In the past few years, it seems like everything is crumbling around this country and we're falling apart at the seams. We don't even have hockey to make us feel better.

What is happening to us?

Jays Home Opener

The wife and I wanted to go to the Jays home opener on Friday but it's sold out. Too bad because I really wanted to see Slash play the anthems. Isn't it odd that the first game of the season attracts 50,000 fans but the remaining 80 dates have 20,000 in attendence? That's the fickle Toronto sports fans.

Spa Day

Yesterday, my lovely wife treated me to "Spa Day." This included a bath, massage and complete relaxation for about an hour and a half. She even made me a delicious dinner. Thanks girl, it was perfect!