Friday, October 31, 2008

A truly Scary Social Commentary,...

Happy Halloween,..yet goodbye to the social fabric of a once great province. Ever since 'the Quiet Revolution' Quebec has been in a downward cultural spiral which can only compare to advanced cancer. In the 1950's Quebec had the distinction of being North America's jewel for the Catholic Church. Faith occupied everyone's daily life and Mass attendance was around 95%. Now fast forward 50plus years later and we have Mass attendance at 5% of all French Speaking Roman Catholics. Indifference slowly gives way to secularism and throw in the 'sexual revolution' we end up with a western culture attempting to contracept themselves out of existance. Why so moody, and pessimistic, you ask? Well, the answer is simple. I did not go to work today, cause I needed to get some shopping done for my friends' Halloween party. Upon arriving at the store, (this morning,..so clearly everyone else had the same idea..)picking up my supplies, (pinky ring, teeth grill,..etc) I got in a line to pay at the cash. The woman in front of me was with her daughter, about 13years old (no I don't know why she wasn't in school...)and buying a KIDS SIZE playboy bunny costume.
Does anyone else see what is wrong with this picture? We are in deep trouble...All I know, is that I can assure you, that if I ever have a daughter, there is probably more of a chance that I would grow wings and fly, before I would ever buy her a playboy bunny costume,..let alone KIDS version!

Habs over Minnesota 2-1 (thanks to Carey Price)

Happy Halloween. (BTW, no I'm not going as a pimp, I am going as Bob 'Elvis' Gratton...)

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Falardeau follies,..a few days late

I wanted to touch on this earlier in the week, but was distracted by other more important things. Nevertheless, Quebec's answer to Don Cherry popped up in the news this week, when he called David Suzuki,"un Japanouille..." Pierre Falardeau, a Canadian filmmaker(yes, that is what it says on his passport, CANADIAN) and cultural curiosity is somewhat of an iconic figure among die-hard separatists. Now, I'm not talking about a family member or friend with nationalist leanings that you could have a legitamite debate with,..I'm talking about a full-fledged kook who is pissed off about the Battle on the plains of Abraham, and is still looking for a rematch. Sadly, the separatist movement harbours these nutjobs and gives them active membership in the Parti Quebecois. It is sad really, 'cause most separatists I know, really don't dislike Canada, they just see Quebec Independance as a way to affirm their cultural identity( I of course disagree, an independant Quebec after inflation with no trade partners might as well be named Quebexico) ....As for David Suzuki, he was upset that the Tories took as many seats as they did in Quebec despite the cuts to arts, and of course Harper's less than apparent environmental disposition.

Every one has a right to their point of view. I, or for that matter any other person might disagree, but we have to respect a person's opinion. What I don't respect is a clown using federal funding to subsidize separatist propaganda then complaining when the Feds won't give him money.(15 Fevrier 1839) Yes, Mr Falardeau is entitled to his opinion, but next time watch as how many left-leaning 'tolerant' students attend his lectures at various cegeps. I would love to see him meet the Phelps family from Westboro Baptist.

Till tomorrow,

Onward Jehovah Witness Soldiers,...

A brisk Saturday morning brings about the sights and smells of many things. Freshly cut lawns are perpetuating the aroma of nature throughout the neighborhood as the dew settles and lone birds chirp the beginning of the weekend. Then from the distance I can see movement,..They are too far away, yet closing in on my house. Their faces are sullen, almost melancholly as they get turned away more times than a vacuum salesman. They've arrived. Ready to deliver their message which is usually apocalyptic in nature, brasing themselves for another rejection....Wait! I am listening and they look at each other as if I'd just passed gas in a museum. I invite them in, they see my office, my library if you will. Their energy starts to drain as I pull out a Greek Concordance, my own copy of their Bible as well as a standard one and begin to ask questions...Now I control the conversation, and begin to pepper them with concerns. (One can almost see the sparks as their active intellect begins to process what for the first time is a rebuttal.) Now they are on the defensive, and within five minutes of me exposing their incoherrent logic, they create an excuse to leave. The seed however has been planted. I will later pray a 'Hail Mary.'...They usually don't go to the next house, and the fresh cup of coffee that I brewed will go to waste...

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Venting,...thru Verbal diarrhea...

Last night, I began to reflect upon modern psychology and its grip, if you will on Western culture. It would seem that every action that a human being undertakes in today's world is the direct result of some emotional traumatic event buried deep within someone's subconscious. That being said, throw in a little subjective philosophical thinking and out come enough pundits of 'political correctness' to start a terrorist group. There is no doubt in my mind that humanity is losing its marbles, especially in the 'Christian West.'

The result is that we are flipping everything upside down! Children are starving in the world yet we parade our dogs in little jackets. (somehow being to ignorant to the idea that nature has equiped man's best friend with fur!) Criminals, whose rational appetite has freely led them to commit various atrocities are excused because some PHD (in psychology by the way...)has deemed them to be really the victim. So what do people do? They start seeing a 'shrink' who tells them exactly what they want hear, I mean it isn't really their fault, they were marked by their childhood. Whatever distracts the individual from putting the blame upon themselves, has turned out to be big business worth lots of money. My question is simple. WHERE HAS OBJECTIVE TRUTH GONE? Ohhh, its out there, just not politically correct to say so. Perhaps one day, our mindset will be soooo open minded, that our brain may fall out. That is the ultimate goal of liberalism.

On a lighter note,...HABS win! (3-2 shootout over the 'Canes)

Peace

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

The Charest Rumormill, and why Ultra Magnus WAS an effective leader,..

Newsreels are buzzing with the probable call for a provincial election next week. It would seem that this past weekend which saw both opposition parties hold conventions, the falling Canadian dollar, and the statement from our premier that the National Assembly is not functioning are all part of a greater cosmic plan to induce us Quebecers to go to the polls. I think Charest's intentions are good, his approval rating is high and we will need a majority government to handle whatever financial crisis already brewing in embryonic form.

The Action Democratique defections, will ultimately have to stand up to their voters' reactions and see how well this plays out. Mr. Dumont's values seem to reflect the social conservatism of Stephen Harper at the federal level, but this can be a good thing in Quebec's regions, where people are very Nationalistic yet not outright separatist.

The Parti Quebecois (greying heads and all...) with Pauline Marois will attempt to seduce us with their xenophobic, close minded separatism that form the backbone of their 'raison-d'etre.' (Imagine, a looming economic crisis, and these people want to talk separation!!! We should be asking ourselves, what alternate dimension do these people come from?)

A final note on this point, although I share many social values with Mr. Dumont, I believe the Liberals are much better positioned to govern, and take action should anything come up. Time and again, Mr. Charest has shown himself not the pawn of Ottawa as the separatists charge, but a proud Quebecois, open to decentralized federalism. On a side note, Mr. Dumont's 'autonomist' vision makes me think of Vatican City, I mean c'mon, it is cute!

Now on to something totally different...(my girlfriend at this point, will point out my ADD...)

Growing up, and still now, the Transformers (G1 series)were etched into my very 'being' from an early age. Optimus Prime(in many respects a Christ-like character like Aslan the lion)battled for truth, justice and peace in the universe. Fast-forward to 1986. The first Transformers movie (animated) is released and my father brings me to see my hero. Welllllll,..talk about dealing with a death in the family, Prime's death marked my childhood, even when they brought him back (cause parents were complaining...)it still didn't change the fact that he died,...in battle,..heroically,..through Megatron's scheming,..you get my point? DEAD. Prime, on his death bed passes the Matrix of Leadership to Ultra Magnus, who fumbles it like a football resulting in a younger autobot touching it first thereby imprinting him.(Rodimus Prime..)

A little bit of history on Ultra Magnus. Magnus started off as Dion, a friend of Orion Pax (Optimus Prime)and was rebuilt shortly after Prime. Both autobots were the prototypes for new defenders, or soldiers. Both were meant to lead. Magnus took over the autobot forces on Cybertron until he found Prime on Earth, shortly thereafter, he rejoined Prime and constructed what is known as Autobot city. Ultra Magnus in short was an autobot general, kinda like Colin Powell. Soooooo, now Magnus has the big chair, and is trying to rebuild after an all night attack resulting in several prominant autobot casualties,(Iron Hide, Ratchet, Prowl, Braun, Wheeljack and Windcharger to name a few.) Meanwhile, Megatron now mortally wounded and discarded into deep space by Starscream receives an upgrade from Unicron. People, if ya don't know,..rent the freakin' movie! Magnus saves the remaining autobots from an attack on his shuttle by splitting up the shuttle and then sacrifices himself on the planet of Junk. (Magnus is later rebuilt by the Junkions...)

The verdict is Ultra Magnus is resolute, and very willing to sacrifice himself to save his troops. In season three, Magnus acts as 'consigliere' to Rodimus, and commands most of the military operations. If I ever have twin boys, I will name them Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus! How 'bout them apples?! Yeah,..! Had enough? Time for me to transform and roll out...

Monday, October 27, 2008

China Exists,..despite the fact that I've never been there...

In my first post weekend blog, I would have loved to start off with something lite, Cyber Synday, for instance saw the return of the Honky Tonk Man to face the this generation's Chris Jericho in the form of Santino Marella. I must confess, however that due to unforseen circumstances, I missed the show.

I was sent an email from Father Joseph Lee FSSP regarding a recent 'Theology on Tap' presentation he had done, specifically on the existence and activity of the Angels. Sitting at a Tim Horton's was myself, my girlfriend and a seminarian friend of mine. This of course, became our focal conversation which lasted well over an hour much to my girlfriend's contained enthusiasm!!(Sarcasm...) It would seem that our sophisticated world of 'Descartian' bullsh...er nonsense has given way to ridiculous conclusions. Bill Maher for example in hollywood only furthers his own ignorance by equating rationalism with atheism. Perhaps his feeble intellect concludes that chaos can bring about order, I mean I believed that once, but soon realized my room wasn't about to clean itself!

Back to angels,..and specifically the question, do angels exist? To that I resoundly say YES! But how do we know? Well by two ways, induction and deduction.(shout out to St. Thomas Aquinas!) Ooouuhhh, I can almost hear the groans through the internet. So let me simplify, St Thomas in the 'Summa' looks at the universe and concludes from 'Absolute Being'(God) all the way to 'rocks' there are gradual degrees. For example, a rock is inanimate matter, it just sits there, plants are animate and they grow...beasts (animals) grow and sense, man will grow sense and reason therefore is both body and spirit,....and then there is a big jump to God or Absolute Being. We can know that a piece of this puzzle is missing, therefore conclude that there must be pure spirits who are created possessing perfect knowledge. That being said, if we throw a little 'Revelation' on top of that, St Paul states that our battle is not against 'flesh and blood' but against 'powers and principalities'(two of the nine choirs of Angels).

Faith aside, why even in some liberal circles of the Church are the existence of Angels openly questioned? I would argue that because we live in a sensual world, that is if we don't see it or experience it, it isn't there. The Church would not sanction prayers to St. Michael if he were just a literary device as some 'progressive theologians' put it. All in all, I'm glad for the existence of angels, too often I've screwed up, thank God I have a guardian looking out for me.

So there you have it, the 'unforseen' circumstances,..angelic talk over coffee. In future posts, I will speak on the intelligence of angels as well as the demonic.
Annnd that's the bottom line,..cause MARCO said so! (glass breaks..lol!!!)

Friday, October 24, 2008

Not exactly the Monday Night Wars,....

Scott Hall suddenly shows up on Nitro in May of 1996, this of course led to a series of events catapulting the NWO into the forefront of the prowrestling industry. Yesterday, Jean Charest's Liberals raided the Action Democratique du Quebec and came away with a few new faces. Wow, if only politics were like wrestling,..well in retrospect they kinda are. Now I know what your thinking, (how cute,..Marco didn't take his meds today..umm)but upon closer inspection can we not draw upon the analogy?

The history of the main parties in Quebec for the last 40yrs is very comparable to the NWA(WCW) vs WWF(E) wars of the last 15yrs ending in 2001. (Please don't email me saying that TNA is a serious threat to Vince,..it is nothing more than a carnival-esque side attraction which should fizzle out in a few injuries,..err,.I mean years.) The Parti Quebecois represents NWA. Mismanaged, poorly organized, a collection of political ideologies across the spectrum from the center-right approach of Bernard Landry and Jacques Parizeau to the socialist leftist views of Pauline Marois. Of course this reflected their governing style as the PQ's last government had three(3!!!) ministers of health. The point being is that this what we would call more of a coalition than a party. Everyone was assembled based on article 1 of the PQ platform, to achieve Quebec Independance. (On a side note, is that even the PQ is divided on the issue of separation, some favour an economic and political partnership with English Canada we could easily call open federalism, while others favour outright Independance.)

The Quebec Liberal Party is like WWE. A tight ship with clear objectives, namely good governance. Claude Ryan, (Vince McMahon Sr.) and Robert Bourassa (Vince Jr)are two people associated with this party. Although 'Liberal,' it is actually more center-right especially under the leadership of Jean Charest. Staunchly federalist yet nationalist at the same time, and trying to attract foreign investment for the province.

The Action Democratique represents WCW. Although in reality the ADQ sprung out of the Quebec Liberal youth wing, in 1995 it sided with the 'Yes' option. Mario Dumont (Eric Bischoff) represented a right wing approach to the Quebec question. He favours big business and Harper-style social conservatism. Mr Dumont furthers his own schizophrenia by labeling his party 'autonomous' in regards to the Quebec question. The last provincial election saw the ADQ come in as the official opposition in a minority liberal government.

Okay,....now that I've prefessed that long piece of nonsense, (thereby cementing my readers' aforementioned conclusion that 'yes',..I do have ADD...)I can get to the meat of this week. To start, the speaker of the House resigned (Michel Bissonet). It is customary that a speaker be chosen, usually from the sitting government to replace him. The PQ got together with the ADQ to support Francois Gendron without the government's consent. (Remember this is a minority government...) To retaliate, the Liberals raid two ADQ members, Pierre Michel Auger and Andre Riedl. What 's next stay tuned!...

To conclude, if you think politics are boring just imagine Jim Ross and Jerry 'the King' Lawler on commentary! It's much more interesting than you think!!!

(oh yeah,..Lucian Bouchard is akin to Jeff Jarrett, an opportunist willing to jump ship whenever he can!!!...)

See ya.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

'Roid' rage and 'Supplement'-tal anger...

Being in a gym environment, one can easily begin to categorize the type of people looking for change, both positively and negetively. A weekly exercise rootine followed by a healthy diet and lifestyle will no doubt have a lasting impression on one's state of 'being' as well as disciplinary development (goal setting). The results are always mixed dependant of course on the personality types. Every January there is an influx of eager beginners looking to shed a few pounds and begin a new lifestyle. By March, about one third of these'newbies'stick it out and by summer, they've gone the way of the dinosaur leaving the gym altogether, only to return next January after Christmas season(I will NOT refer to it as holliday season!)

Throughout the year of course there are a few negative examples of people wanting too much too fast. I refer of course to the 17-21 year old male demographic. These kids are easily recognizable.(disclaimer: I am not referring to all 17-21 yr old males, just certain arch-types...) Upon arriving at the gym they never go into a locker room, preferring to train and leave. Their workout consists mainly of 1-2 sets of bench press followed by ten minutes of looking in the mirror. Next, this breed of person will walk to the next exercise (usually something completely opposite like hamstring curls thereby showing their innocense)with his chest puffed out as if he weighed 250lbs when he's about 120lbs (with a brick in each pocket!) Hopefully this visual will make you laugh, cause what typically follows is sad.

When they leave the gym, reality kicks in. They weren't the biggest dogs in the yard. So the emotional epiphany will usually give way to the ego, and they become prone to clever marketing strategies with supplements, or worse, dillusions of grandeur with steroids.

I have no problem with supplements. For the most part they are a necessary means to muscle recovery. I have taken protein shakes, L- glutamine and betagen. My workout demands nutrition, and instead of going home and eating two whole chickens, I find this way to be much more cost effective. I have never taken steroids. I have no desire to take them, nor do I desire the effects of them. Too often, our token example (male 17-21yr old)will find himself prey to his own stupidity. A friend of mine once remarked, that you don't get the body, you only rent it. So our little buddy begins his first cycle of 'juice' and within three months is now weighing about 165 and looking shredded. Well, that three month cycle has seen your body produce and acquire enourmous amounts of testosterone, that eventually it stopped producing its own. (uh oh...) In six months our friend has become a very angry young man governed by emotional instablity and uncontrollable acne.(yup, another side effect...). Now his cycles are over and he must take an anti-estrogen to 'settle down.'

A month later, he weighs 150 and is not as strong as he once was while on the 'juice.' Two months later, he's in a freefall, either he does another cycle or he's losing everything,..well maybe not everything, in some cases some dudes get a lovely set of man-boobs! (take a look at Vince McMahon without a shirt!) You get my point. The moral of this story is that nothing is for free, work hard and results will build, no sacrifice, no victory and every other cliche...Saint Josemaria Escriva(No! not more Catholic undertones...lol!!) once said 'Blessed be pain, praised be pain...'Oh well, Me, I gotta do some Chest, kay, not for nutting but!'

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

To be the Man,.....Whoooo!

Okay, got your attention? Now there is nothing like a Ric Flair type promo to grab someone's interest and keep it. Irregardless of the content, an individual's curiosity factor will be peeked thereby allowing the salesman time for his/her own pitch to the masses. As this blog takes shape, it is becoming painfully obvious that I wear my faith on my sleeve. Now this does not mean that I am a saint, I struggle everyday with issues of morality and belief. So what you ask? Is this becoming a Catholic blog? Well not quite however I will be putting up links of interest that I enjoy...but first coming soon,...

MASTROPOLOGETICS: Very simply this is apologetics for the Catholic Faith done without the timidity of holding back Truth! Imagine a dude wearing a KISS t-shirt, with 16"(me!...hehe) arms speaking about such issues as Islam, the rising secular tide, how to dialogue with a Jehovah's Witness. It'll be witty, fun, hopefully inspiring (God willing!)and thought provoking.

Saint Michael's Brigade: A men's group for Catholic men, dealing with men's issues. Our mission is clear; Pornography must be destroyed, and we (men) need the necessary training to do it! It will include prayer,diet, weight training and honesty.

These are just two things that will be coming soon!,.BTW, expect a clothing line for both endeavours! be back in a bit...

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Saint Augustin;..'Lord, grant me chastity, just not right now..."

Its been a while since I last posted, and in the meantime, my Spiritual battle has intensified. I have said that I will post my conversion story, yet I'm trying to find a new word that better describes my condition. Conversion as it is, is a lifelong ongoing process, a relationship with the Lord whereby Grace is freely given and we(the recipients of that Grace) must freely choose to co-operate with Him.

I grew up in a Catholic home. My background is of Italian/and Scottish/Irish descent, so the chances of me not being Catholic were slim to none. My maternal grandmother lived with us and from my earliest memories would retire to her rocking chair to mumble stuff. (As a five year old, little did I know my grandmother would meditate upon the salvific mysteries of the Rosary, the second most powerful prayer right after the Mass itself!) Sunday Mass was always the norm, yet once into my teens, my parents never forced me to go, thus began my flirtation with secularism which would eventually mushroom into a full-blown relationship. What is interesting was at this time, I was attending a private boys school(Catholic) and my friends and I already were beginning to notice that different priests held different notions. The idea of objective truth was far from their radar screen, so most of the time we were taught to be socially conscious while not being afraid to question our identity. Don't get me wrong, as I think back there were some good and holy priests including one that I reconnected with at a good friend's wedding.

Upon graduation, I believed myself to be a good person, well as good as one can get without grace. I led a healthy balance between sports, education, friends and girls and began contemplating a career. It was at this time that my involvement in prowrestling began. My areas of study in university were political science and religious studies. (BTW, a sure way to lose the faith is to take these courses from professors who have a very subjective viewpoint.)I began to work in the municipal elections campaign which led to my departure from the wrestling scene(it had signed on with a porn company as a backer)because I would not risk my candidate's chances. University hit me with a double blow which led to a series of very unusual events. Political Science gave me an interest in philosophy(unfornately Descartes)and religous studies gave me a huge interest in Jesus of Nazareth, and so began my quest for the historical Jesus. (sorry Albert Shweitzer...)

My library at home consisted of numerous works on philosophy, (Spinoza, Descartes, Rousseau..etc) and my thirst for religious studies was nourrished by the likes of Hans Kung, Marcus Borg, John Dominic Crossan...etc. To me, my authorities on Catholicism included Fr Kung, but also Fr Richard McBrien to name a few, not exactly known for their fidelity to the Magisterium, little did I know. I still considered myself a Catholic, it was a nice place to be, but we need to implement the changes of Vatican II (the Spirit of Vatican II) ...ohh yeah, almost forgot, I haden't even read Vatican II!!!!

Fast forward, one day I'm perusing a local Christian bookstore, in my familiar section lined up with dissidents and liberal thinkers. I notice a priest (a young dude!) looking at books. Questions filled my mind, for instance, ..is this guy brainwashed? Why is he a priest? he's too young and looks normal. Doesn't he know that Paul is the real founder of this pseudo-Christianity? I should tell him....

To preface what happened, I should let you know that I'm just under 5'9 and about 200lbs of muscle, I have done a lot of martial arts, wrestling, hockey etc...yet what this priest did was let me plead my case, then in rebuttal deliver to me the biggest intellectual ass-kicking of my life. That day God taught me some humility,..and after it was over, I felt more battered and bruised then ever before. The priest took down my number, and to this day still keeps in contact. Religous studies were coming to an end and I found myself looking at other giants of the so-called historical-critical movement, people such as Claude Tremontant who proposed the Matthian first principal. I also learned of a new philosopher, yes I knew Aristotle, but never knew his metaphysics,...know I was about to read St. Thomas Aquinas! May God have mercy on my soul....

Now I know you're probably wondering why I titled this entry with a quote from St. Augustin, well, like most newbies, grasping the faith intellectually was easy, living the faith requires sacrifice, and for myself struggling with issues regarding the Churches teaching on contraception, sex outside of marriage and masturbation have been hard. I am a sinner. I need Christ.

Friday, October 17, 2008

....Just wonderin....

Again, I will be delaying my conversion story, however I was thinking about another crucial issue that the American and to a lesser extent the Canadian media has not picked up on. Now it goes without saying that everyone is swept up with Barrack Obama, the democratic candidate for president of the US, but I honestly believe that we are forgetting a few details,...shall we say. Before I begin, I would like to point out that I was against the US-led invasion of Iraq. As a Canadian, we cannot afford not to follow International Law because we are too small. I do however, strongly support the mission in Afghanistan, the bitter fruit of 9/11.

The last few weeks we were inundated with coverage regarding the possible financial collapse of the market. Pundits everywhere are talking about a potential recession and putting the blame squarely on the shoulders of George W Bush. Is that really fair? The collapse of the market is being attributed to the mortgage crisis which has hit the US. Was it not Bill Clinton, who in 1996 deregulated the banks to pave the way for a plethora of lending institutions? Did he not make easy for an economically disadvantaged person to purchase a house they couldn't afford? Remember the negatively amortized mortgage ads polluting Yahoo and Google? Hmmm, is this really the fault of the Republicans, or did the Democrats push this snowball down the hill?...I'm just sayin...

Thursday, October 16, 2008

TNA; Professional Wrestlings' closest thing to an Abortion.

Now I know that I might anger a lot of so-called wrestling fans out in cyberspace, but I feel the time has come for me to make a comment about this cra...err,..show.
I have been a wrestling fan since as long as I can remember going back to the NWA, AWA, and WWF. International Wrestling was a staple in our house Saturday afternoons and eventually that gave way to WWF Mapleleaf Wrestling. For myself, the NWA was wrestling. Ric Flair, the Four Horsemen, Magnum TA, Dusty Rhodes, and the Road Warriors(LOD) all had a place in my heart. By the time 1986 came around, NWA was hard to catch in Canada, so all we had was WWF, what a show!!!(but it just wasn't wrestling..sigh..) Alas, I succumbed to peer pressure and became a Hulkamaniac. This was right around the time of Wrestlemania 2.

By the time, I got to Cegep(junior college), I started getting involved in some of the local independant wrestling companies, (the inception of IWS, CWE...)I have always been a fan and will always be. Fast forward to 2001, Vince McMahon buys WCW(thank God!) and finally puts it out of its misery thereby contributing less to cable TV pollution. In 2002, Jeff and Jerry(his Dad)Jarrett,(that's J,A,haha,double R,E,haha,double T) opened up Total Non-Stop Action wrestling. Originally, the company was part of the NWA(National Wrestling Alliance)and had exclusive rights to the heavyweight title. The Title goes back to the days of Frank Gotch. The idea is a good one, to showcase wrestlers who might not make WWE(WWF)and help break them into the business. What they created instead was a separate division, the 'X' division and are attempting to totally discredit the industry. Wrestlers in the X division perform ludicrous high spots when the match hasn't even told a story yet from a psychological point of view,...Example, the bell rings, and the heel(bad guy) gets a kick to the gut. This gives enough time for the face(good guy) to set up a barbed wire flaming table, and deliver a corkscrew piledriver from the top rope through said table. What's the problem you asked? Well the guy who sells the move will kick out at TWO!!!Repeat this nonsense for twenty minutes, different high spots 32times over and then have the face(or heel) set up his finisher, probably a bodyslam and get the pin! Where the @#$% is the psychology?!? Why would you pay money to lead up to a big match if every match is gimmicked?

The Heavyweight division is for the WWE throwaways,..er.. alumni, Kurt Angle, Christian, and now Mick Foley!(who hasn't wrestled a full schedule since 2000...)
Since splitting from the NWA, they also are 'revolutionizng' the industry back having a six sided ring. C'mon all you smart marks, it looks horrible! To all the TNA fans, get real!!! WWE is wrestling and will continue to dominate. Hopefully Christian will regain his common sense and go back to Vince. TNA can only be compared to WCW at best, and should grateful to be allowed to exist on the same continent as WWE.

Later

Random Thoughts and Apologizing for Apologetics...

First off, the Habs! What can I say?..We beat the Bruins 4-3 by shootout in a game which the first period we looked the Red Army. Needless to say the second and third periods were competitive. With 48 seconds left in the third period Carey Price was beaten by a crazy bounce off the backboard to tie it all up. Honestly I thought that the Montreal Forum ghosts of Saint Catherine and Atwater were playing tricks on us,..but alas, all ended well, and so the gods/Francophone media were appeased...

Nowww,..on to something totally different. I(Marco) am a Christian. Not only that, I am a Catholic Christian. Believe it or not, a Catholic Christian of the Roman rite! Therefore a Roman Catholic Christian! (no, I'm not mimicking Elvis Gratton's airplane scene from 'King des Kings,' I'm just stating my Theologial identity.) In my spare time when not working, I also engage in Catholic Apologetics,.or defending the Faith with humility and pastoral sensitivity especially while living in a multi-faith society. The last two, I sometimes need to work on especially in light that I possess Italian temperment. I am a sinner, I need Christ. I need Christ's Redemptive sacrifice on the cross,.I need grace. Later on, I will preface this story,(my story) and if anyone can draw parallels, I would invite them to communicate with me through email.

Until later, its been a treat, but I gots to jet!

Ciao!

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Update,..this just in...

Soooo, now that everything is settling in, the actual results are 50 seats for the Bloc and 76 for the Liberals....Okay now the Quebec analysis. For any American readers, Quebec presents itself as a complex riddle when it comes to Federal politics. First off, the nationalist flavour of 'La belle Province' can be a little bit hard to read. The island of Montreal which generates Quebec's economy is usually pretty safe territory for the Liberal Party and last night proved no exception. Justin Trudeau, the son of Pierre Elliot (former P.M.) captured the riding of Papineau and starting rolling his political snowball career into motion. Quebec City regions held on to their Tory incumbents with the notable exception of Luc Harvey who lost the riding of Louis-Hebert. Other notables were the defeat of Micheal Fortier in Vaudreuil-Solanges who was expected to win at the start of the campaign, but saw his lead evaporate when Harper annouced cuts to the 'Culture' sector. Thomas Mulcair won his first federal general election for the NDP in the riding of Outremont which can be seen as a breakthrough that can be built upon.

As a Quebecer, what does this all mean? Well, suffice to say that it was a great day for Federalism, as even the seats the Bloc won were by and large the result of vote splitting. The Federalist camp is spread across the board while the Separatists(notice I don't call them sovereignists!) have only one protest party. For Canadians across the board, this election cost 300million dollars and we end up with pretty much the same result.

In other news, tonight, the Habs face the Bruins at the Bell Center and another McCain/Obama debate,..talk about must see TV!

The Results Are In!!!

Wellllll,...once again Canadian politics prooves that watching paint dry is not the most boring activity. To sum it all up,. The Conservatives win another minority government. Before I do the breakdown of Quebec, the House of Commons as of 1:30am this morning looked like this;

Conservatives: 143 seats
Liberals: 78 seats
Bloc: 48 seats
NDP: 37 seats
Independant: 2 seats

To quote more than one political pundit, this seems to be a "groundhog day" style election, mirroring the last one. Elizabeth May of the Green Party became the only national leader not to win her riding, losing to Peter McKay, a conservative and heavy favorite. Next post will be the Quebec breakdown!!! Oooohhh Yeahhh!

Peace!

Marco

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Election Day

My first post will probably be a little dry,..today is Election Day!Yess!.....in Canada, (groan...) Okay so our politics aren't the most exiting, still I live in Quebec, where it is at least a little bit entertaining. For the most part, I would consider myself a Conservative in a Liberal fortress. The chances of any party beating the Liberals are very slim. (BTW I live in Montreal),..Outside Montreal it is a different story, DA BLOC! I will post the results, cause I know the world hangs in the balance anticipating the results of a Canadian federal election!