hamilton

From www.bloomberg.com:

July 2 (Bloomberg) -- A freighter owned by CSL International, a sister company of Canada Steamship Lines Inc. that Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin was forced to hand over to his sons last year, had $10 million worth of cocaine on board when it docked in Nova Scotia, the National Post reported.

The 83 kilograms of drugs was found on board The Sheila Ann, named after the prime minister's wife, in two duffel bags hidden in an underwater compartment, the Post said. Police said neither the prime minister's children, nor any CSL employees, are suspected of having links to the drug trade.

Authorities believe organized criminals planted the drugs when the vessel stopped in Venezuela earlier this week, the Post said.

Martin gained control of Canada Steamship Lines in 1988, after buying out a partner's stake, the newspaper said. When he became finance minister in the early 1990s, Martin placed the company in a blind trust, meaning he was no longer involved in day-to-day operations although he remained the owner. Martin relinquished control in August 2003, signing over his shares to sons Paul, James and David.

The Prime Minister's office wouldn't comment on the drug bust yesterday, calling it ``a point of recusal,'' the Post said.

From The Star:

LOS ANGELES - Marlon Brando, who revolutionized American acting with his Method performances in Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront and went on to create the iconic characterization of Don Vito Corleone in The Godfather, has died. He was 80.

Brando died at an undisclosed Los Angeles hospital yesterday, lawyer David J. Seeley said today. The cause of death was being withheld, Seeley said, noting the actor "was a very private man."

Brando, whose unpredictable behaviour made him equally fascinating off the screen, was acclaimed the greatest actor of his generation, a two-time winner of the Academy Award who influenced some of the best actors of the generation that followed, among them Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Jack Nicholson.

He was the unforgettable embodiment of the brutish Stanley Kowalski of A Streetcar Named Desire, the mixed up Terry Malloy of On the Waterfront (which won him his first Oscar) and the wily Corleone of The Godfather.

But his private life may best be defined by a line from The Wild One, in which Brando, playing a motorcycle gang leader, is asked what he's rebelling against.

"Whattaya got?" was his famous reply.

His image was a studio's nightmare. Millions of words were written about his weight, his many romances and three marriages, his tireless - and, for some, tiresome - support of the American Indian and other causes, his battles with film producers and directors, his refuge on a Tahitian isle.

His most famous act of rebellion was his refusal in 1973 to accept the best actor Oscar for The Godfather. Instead, he sent a woman who called herself Sasheen Littlefeather to read a diatribe about Hollywood's treatment of Native Americans.

It was roundly booed.

Brando's private life turned tragic years later with his son's conviction for killing the boyfriend of his half sister, Cheyenne Brando, in 1990. Five years later, Cheyenne committed suicide, still depressed over the killing.

Still, the undying spotlight never made him conform.

"I am myself," he once declared, "and if I have to hit my head against a brick wall to remain true to myself, I will do it."

See yuz there!!!

Happy birthday, dude - have a great one!

Apparently, Stephen Harper is considering resigning his position as Conservative Party of Canada leader because he didn't win the election - heard this on two different radio stations tonight. He said he's going to think about it over the summer and make a decision before Parliament meets again in the fall.

(If prorogue means to dissolve Parliament, what is the verb for when Parliament returns to business? Rerogue? Or maybe just rogue?)

I am so, so, so, so there!!!

Can't wait - seen 'em twice before, and loved both experiences. How can you argue with a band that throws fried chicken at the audience?

I hope to... I keep missing Los Lobos, every time they come around here. The Harbourfront is a nice place to see bands, too!

Anyone heard the new album? Any opinions? I'm a little skeptical of the preponderance of guest artists... makes me think of Santana's Supernatural. Please, tell me I'm wrong...

I picked it up the day that it came out, and can't stop listening to it. "Spiders" is a great song. ::

Me!!!

Hey Kevin - Happy Birthday!!

Looked like you were havin' a goooood time last night!

Have a great birthday, KevO!!

It's a good excuse to think about the Beatles though, non?

Of course, everything is a good excuse to think about the Beatles, in my opinion.

You're a beautiful freak, Tim! Thanks for the company at so many shows, and for being that sober guy who has driven me around so often... and for making me look like a "casual" music fan by comparison!

Happy 30th birthday!

Maybe...

The lyrics are pretty obscure, though - I'm not sure that the entire song is a tribute to the bar. I think I remember reading somewhere that they included the line "A picture of Nectar" in the song just because it rhymed, and they could pay tribute to Nectar's that way.

It's a better show than 5/8 too!

Yeah, I agree. I also think that 5.9.77 is better than 5.8, too - not that there's anything wrong with 5.8, of course. Actually, there's nothing wrong with May 77 at all.

Born June 18, 1942.

Thanks for the music, Paul!!

"Hello, I'm Paul. I play the bass!"

When the chase began, I was at a surprise party for some dude I barely knew in Mississauga... but I also ended up in Hess Village, too - and I'm sure that I went to the Gown & Gavel for at least one pint. I remember, because we somehow managed to drink one pint in every pub in the village that night - and drinking hours had been extended to 2AM that week for some reason - I think there was some kind of big international basketball thing in southern Ontario that week.

I was very hungover the next day...

(Fer all you young'uns, it wasn't that long ago that all the bars in Ontario stopped serving at 1AM)

Do we live in the same apartment? I thought I saw someone skulking around near the aquarium... and there seems to be fewer beers in my refrigerator than I think there should be...

::

... for one day, and what do I do? I go to stupid work and do... well, stupid work. When I could have been home getting stooopid and listening to the new Jerry Garcia Band live album. It spent the whole day all a-lonely, cooped up in my mailbox... but is currently cranked in my living room, and sounding, on its first visit to my stereo, very fucking nice. ::

Very fucking nice. ::

Stupid work. ::

"Bucket" is a funny word. So is "umbrella". And "penumbra".

Mmmm... Fridays off work are very, very nice. ::

If Larry King were on this board, we could have called this thread "Alternative Memories of Brian Mulroney". Did anyone else see the CNN interview earlier this week when he interviewed Mulroney on the subject of Reagan, and referred to him as, "Brian Mulroney, former prime minister of Great Britain"? Classic.

I thought you were moving to Hamilton for the summer? ::

i've been wanting to get the "God, Love, Murder" set, but i dont really know anything about it... but i got a good feeling... anyone have it? or have heard it?

Yeah, I've got that!! It's a triple-CD thematic retrospecive of Cash's career up until about the release of American Recordings; the three themes being love, murder and god (who'duh thunk it?). Lots of great material, hand-picked by the Man himself. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who thinks that they might be interested in Johnny Cash. You can also buy the three discs individually - start with either Love or Murder. ::