Phishing
Do cheap spam campaign such as this one I just received ever trick a single person ? I can't imagine. The one's trying to be Paypal are even more pathetic.

Dear Western Union Member,

While doing a routine check, we noticed that your westernunion profile does not match the profile your bank has on file.

We understand that you may have changed your billing address, phone number or credit card information. However, we need you to update your westernunion profile in order to be eligible for using our services.

Please go to http://wumt.westernunion.com/myaccount
To complete the verification process you must fill in all the required fields.

Please Note: If your account information is not updated within the next 24 hours, your account will become inactive. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Thank you for using Western Union

Best regards,
Western Union Customer Service.

Western Union treats your personal information with the highest standards of safety to protect you and your information.
  posted by John : 7:41 AM

 
Cool = anything below body temperature
The Statesman reports on the lovely weather we're missing in Texas. Sounded odd to me now to read that a low of 67 is extreme, but that's the way summers are.

"It's been unusually cool," Murray said. "The average high for this time of year is 95. And the warmest it's been this summer has only been 94. Temperatures continue below average."

Thermometers dipped to 67 degrees about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday at Austin-Berg- strom International Airport, breaking the day's record low of 69 degrees, set in 2000, according to the National Weather Service.

  posted by John : 6:58 AM

 
Lookalikes II
I added a third image to first two, of Dan Sanders, aka The Soughdough Cowboy. Once at the Kerrville Folk Festival I was told I had a remarkable resemblance to this guy. That week I saw him onstage doing a show for kids of all ages (he had a memorable way of saying row-dee-ohhh!). We really did look alike at the time, though he had 20 years on me.

Do you have a lookalike ?

My lovely wife is seeking hers. Send in your suggestions!...



  posted by John : 4:00 AM

 
Lookalikes
    

Venezuelans like watching CSI Miami. So I've often heard that I look like David Caruso (first picture). We do have the same shirt. Second photo is someone who I actually resemble: the guy from TSN sportsnet. That's my new image for Yahoo Messenger. Actually met him at a party after I was first mistaken for him by a guy who insisted we had played golf together the previous summer. Gerry didn't seem to appreciate his non-uniqueness being called out, but it is an uncanny resemblance.

  posted by John : 1:42 PM

 
Toronto to the Tropics
The only not-so-great thing about being in Toronto this time around is that I won't really be here all that much. Now I'm at the airport to catch a flight to Caracas for a two week stint, which will be a regular deal. Flying from here is a big improvement though, as there's an Air Canada flight that makes one stop in Trinidad on the way down, then flies direct on the return flight. Now I get to leave in the afternoon (waiting for the plane now) and I'll arrive in Toronto at 5am on Saturday - more than an hour before the earliest time that I used to leave back to Texas. So that's like getting back two days that I used to spend traveling without pay.

This week's entertainment will be watching the semi-final and final matches of the Copa America series that's finishing up this week in Venezuela. So far Uruguay and Brazil are confirmed to be opponents in the semi final match on Tuesday, and the other may well be Mexico vs Argentina on Wednesday (they're playing Paraguay and Peru, respectively, today). All signs point to Argentina win it all, as they've brought all their top players to the tournament.

Best wishes to Melissa+Mike and Stephanie+Alex for their imminent baby birthing!!
  posted by John : 11:04 AM

 
Fuel for more BSL
Tragic accident in Ontario this weekend (Toronto Star article). The last paragraph is indicative of the ban-the-breed thinking that goes on after these incidents.

  posted by John : 5:16 AM

 
State of Toronto's Indie Cinemas
Now that we're here in the big city, I'm looking out for what's going on entertainment-wise. As far as cinema, we have the Fox down the street, but not a whole lot of interest is playing there. Here's a comprehensive what's on list from eye.net

I got curious as to what's going on with all the other theatres that used to be part of the Festival chain before it died last year. Here's what I came up with ...

Bloor Cinema (506 Bloor Street West): alive and well

Fox Theatre (2236 Queen Street East): alive and well, for now

Kingsway Theatre (3030 Bloor Street West): This one is done for. Does anyone recall the name of the theatre that was upstairs and showed classic films from 1950 and earlier ?

Paradise Theatre (1006 Bloor Street West): done for

Revue Cinema (400 Roncesvalles Avenue): said to reopen the end of August. Pics of the marquee being scrapped: before / after

Royal Cinema (608 College Street West): still in operation according to eye.net listings, but not weekends ? Theatre-D owns it

Brighton Theatre (127 Roncesvales Avenue): long gone, now a grocery store

Regent Theatre (555 Mount Pleasant Road) (used to be the Crest Theatre): Theatre-D -- still in operation according to eye.net listings and Cinemaclock. Along with the Regent this is apparently owned and operated by the Ontario Theatre Group. How is it that they manage to have two independent theatres running just down the street from each other?

Mt Pleasant (675 Mt Pleasant Rd): open - never was part of the Festival chain, but now apparently screening second runs and operated by Ontario Theatre Group

Roxy Theatre (1215 Danforth Avenue): up for sale

Music Hall (147 Danforth Avenue): now only for music concerts

Capitol Theatre (2492 Yonge Street): now a rental hall, I can't remember if I ever went to this one when it was part of the Festival chain

Ritz: can't find any mention of this theatre on the web, but I distinctly remember going there to see Marx brothers movies in the early 1980s. Anyone else remember this, or know where it was ?

Reg Hartt's Cineforum (463 Bathurst Street): always independent, still alive and ... well?

  posted by John : 4:48 AM