More Winnipeg Tidbits

This city is very cold, so there's an extensive underground much like the big cities have. (I know, I know, Winnipeg is a big city. Mostly. But still.)

The phone in my hotel room has buttons for Front Desk, Wake-Up Calls, Housekeeping, Reservations, Taxi, Pizza Delivery, Chinese Food Delivery, Chicken Delivery, Weather Information, Tourist Information.

The radio in my hotel room has buttons for radio stations labelled Soft Rock, Rock, Country, Pop, Jazz. They have tiny pictures above each label, picturing a mountain stream with various rocks, a large tunnel through a mountain, some serious-looking cows, bottles of pop, and a train zipping past a crossing, respectively.

On the way to the hotel, I passed a business of some sort. The sign said, and I quote:
Laundromat Pizza Convenience Store Chicken Car Wash EXIT

Yum

As I was walking to the office this morning, a hot guy walked past me. Then another. Then a group of four. Then another. Then just a few steps later, another six. All ranging from pretty attractive to freakin' hot.

Then I recognized one of them: Sidney Crosby, the 17-year-old hockey star from Cape Breton. Which made me realize a few things:

• The Canadian Junior Men's Team training camp is in town.
• These hot guys were all 19 or younger.
• I'm a dirty old man.

Amazing Race

OK, Jonathan is an ASSHOLE and deserves to be arrested. He actually hit his wife. I wish there had been a German police officer nearby.

Calling All Canadians for One Minute!

One Minute To Helping Equal Marriage

Hey Canadians! Visit the page below, enter your postal code, and you can send an email to every single Member of Parliament about your thoughts on equal marriage! Remember that equal marriage is not a done deal, there are still four provinces and two territories where same-sex couples are not considered equal under the law. Also, current vote counts suggest that equality would only win by 20-odd votes, meaning that homophobic religious leaders and voters in histrionics could beat this vote by just convincing a few skittish politicians to abstain or vote against equality.

What could happen?

If the bill fails, 15% of Canadians would remain in unequal jurisdictions, forced to spend their own time and money in court. Conservatives and homophobic religious leaders could crow about their victory. People might start to push for constitutional amendment. The Alberta government would continue to mutter, and appeal, dragging out equality for years until finally the Supreme Court weighed in on the final appeal.

So what can I do? I don't know much about this stuff.

Visit http://equal-marriage.ca/election.php right now. Type in your postal code, and the website will create an email that you can send either to your MP or all 308 MPs (even the crazy ones). You don't have to type anything other than your name and address, then hit send. It takes one minute, and then you will be a part of reminding MPs that their job is to protect all Canadians, not just the majority.

Do it now!

Letter to Justice Minister

Oooo, I'm in a snit tonight.

Dear Minister Cotler:

I read in the Toronto Star that you will be allowing civic officials the option of refusing to provide equal services to same-sex couples in the area of marriage, despite your claim that the government sees this as an equality and human rights issue. Can you please explain for me the difference between refusing to marry same-sex couples, and refusing to marry interracial couples? Why is one acceptable to your government and not the other?

I await your reply.

Sincerely
Cameron MacLeod