Kingston Police to Drop Bombshell in Drowning Case

Watch for a news conference to be held later this afternoon by Kingston police, it'll be a doosey.

They'll announce the arrest of family members in the murder of the four Montreal Afghani women who drowned when their car plunged into a canal in Kingston, Ontario last month.

Turns out that the 'aunt', Rona Amir Mohammed, who died alongside the three girls, is no aunt at all.

She is the father's first wife, who was rejected because she couldn't bear children. She continued to live with the husband and his new wife and acted as a guardian to the new wife's children. The 'old couple' never divorced.

Recently she felt her life in danger, reports a sister in Paris who sent an email to police which sent the investigation in the direction it has now taken.

Police in Montreal spent hours yesterday interviewing the Shafia family and when the police left, the family made a break for the airport. They were intercepted and arrested by police.

An honour killing seems to be the likeliest answer to this puzzle.

Montreal Police Unveil New Weapon

Montreal Police have unveiled a new tool in their never-ending quest to give out more tickets.

This stealth mobile is the latest high tech gadget. The car has a special paint job that is virtually invisible during the daytime as you can see in the top photo.

At night the lettering reacts to artificial light and the car is a bit more revealing.
The flashing lights are mounted within the car.

So now we have to be on the lookout for all white cars...

aaaaaaaarrgggghhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!

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Earl Jones' Family also Feels the Heat

Cartoon credit Chapleau- La Presse

It seems that the public is in no mood to listen to the phony and slick apology crafted by media consultant Jonathan Goldbloom, that was published by the family of master thief Earl Jones, 10 days after his disappearance was first exposed.

"We are devastated by what has happened to all who put their trust in Earl Jones as a financial adviser but also as a friend, neighbour and community leader. We want to express our profound regret for the pain and suffering that he has caused and state our own sense of deception.

Over the past days since becoming aware of the situation we too have experienced a wide range of emotions, from anger to despair and disillusionment.

The Earl Jones we knew was a loving husband, a devoted father and grandfather, and a respected member of the community. The Earl Jones who has been revealed in recent days is a man we can scarcely believe exists.

Earl's daughter and her husband are also financially exposed and now fear that they will never recover their funds. The family was in the dark about his business activities but will of course co-operate fully with the authorities. We are anxious for Earl to come forward and provide an explanation.

Once again, we wish to express our heartfelt regret to those who have been hurt by Earl Jones. At the same time we hope that you will recognize the sense of shock, grief, shame and outrage that we are experiencing, and we plead that our family's privacy be respected in this very difficult."

Those who knew the Jones' family intimately can attest to how dishonest a portrayal the above statement is. For one thing, Earl was far from being a loving husband. He was was a philanderer extraordinaire, boasting of his many conquests. He had been booted out of the matrimonial home by Maxime on at least one occasion, using his prodigious charm to win her back.

The hired media consultant let it slip that he was engaged by a law firm retained by the family.

Those hurt by the scam artist are not impressed and are demanding answers from Maxime, Earl's wife.

"Despite claims from Earl Jones’s family members that they were “in the dark about his business activities,” Jones’s wife, Maxine, recorded a phone message to his clients saying: “The company is not in a position to remit your funds at this time. You will hear from them within 30 days. In the meantime, phone calls and mail cannot be answered.” Montreal Gazette

Many of the victims believe that the family knows where Jones is hiding.

It hasn't been widely reported that Earl Jones' tentacles spread far across the Quebec border and investors outside the province are asking questions.

"Jerry Coughlan, a Boston banker whose mother, Mary, had entrusted her retirement money to Mr. Jones, said he carefully examined the family's short statement and wonders whether they know where Mr. Jones is hiding.

“I've considered it and the family was silent on the issue of whether they know where he is,” Mr. Coughlan said. “They've got a moral obligation to plead with him in much stronger terms to come forward and co-operate.” Link

"A Halifax man who fears he has been swindled out of thousands of dollars he invested with a Montreal businessman says it is likely that Earl Jones had other clients in Nova Scotia. Dave Hayden says Mr. Jones flew to Halifax several times to meet with him about financial matters." Link

Forget Carmen Sandiego. Where in the world is Earl Jones? "I keep asking myself, why, why, why don't they have a warrant out?" said Mary Jane Taylor of Ingleside, Ont., near Cornwall. "I don't understand why he's a free man." Taylor, 62, and her 69-year-old common-law husband, Kent Hill, who has known Jones since childhood, say they invested $450,000 with him and are now in financial dire straits. Link

Here are some of my favorite comments left by readers related to the various related articles ;

Family is probably in on it. Once the dust settles, they'll all join up and have a heck of a good time on some Island somewhere (tax free of course). Or he took off with a young bimbo and is having a whale of a time.

Seize their assets, and put the family in a shelter. Right they didn't know. Do not let them fool you. - Gino Grimaldi

To all you fools out there claiming the wife had nothing to do with this as well I hope you are able to READ. Drag them from their luxury house(s) and put them in the street. They're nothing but dogs anyways to me.

"If Jones is the pathological liar that he appears to be, then it stands to reason that he lived his whole life lying to everyone he met, regardless of his relationship with them. You don't just turn a personality disorder, of criminal proportions, off and on - its a way of being."

"get Dog the bounty hunter on the case!" - Doug

"I wish these weasels would come up with Fonzy schemes instead. Nobody gets hurt, bunch of leather jackets get stolen, maybe you get a date or 2 with the Tuscadero sisters. "

"Unlike the US...this guy will get away with it b/c of the Canadian Justice system...that's what infuriates the Canadian people as much as what has been done..."

"The government of Quebec isn't doing anything about Earl Jones and his victims is because its anglophone money and the french establishment doesn't care about anglophones being ripped off."


and to sum it up all.......

"There will be no good ending to this story, ever. What fate Earl Jones will suffer will not compensate for all the hurt he has caused."

AMEN....



LATE BREAKING NEWS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

According to reports Earl Jones is still in Canada. He is in touch with his lawyer who claims that he is contact with police.

There's a lot not being said.... PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW!!!!!!

For God's sake reveal what you know and get the bastard into custody!!

Anglo Press Silent on Theater Controversy

Perhaps the story isn't deemed as newsworthy as it is in the French press or maybe editorialists are taking their time before crafting a position on Eric Amber's vulgar response to a demand by a recipient of an English-only mass email. The complainer demanded that he be addressed in the French language or be removed from the mailing list.

The story certainly has legs in the French media and I wrote about it yesterday. On Sunday the radical French rights group Jeunes Patriotes du Québec ( an organization described in the Montreal Gazette as a sovereignist 'goon squad') picketed the theater in a demonstration that consisted of less than thirty people and again today the story continues to create ink.

In defending Mr. Amber I knew that there wouldn't be anyone in the mainstream English media that would dare to offer him support and I assumed that the same would certainly hold true in the French media.

How wrong I was on the second assumption.

A post by Mathieu Turbide on mechant blogue entitled "The other, less pretty side of the coin' complained that the reaction to the insult was way out of proportion.

Mais menacer quelqu'un physiquement parce qu'il a été con et qu'il a manqué de respect par courriel à deux personnes? Je ne sais pas pour vous, mais j'ai l'impression que certains dépassent les bornes.

But to threaten someone physically because he was an idiot and that he showed disprespect in an email to two people. I don't know about you, but it gives me the impression that they went too far.

Today in La Press in an article written by Marc Cassivi, he wasn't afraid to offer an alternate view, one that largely agrees with what I said yesterday.

"Il y avait dans le temps un joueur des Bruins et des Flyers, Ken Linseman, que l'on appelait le rat. Il faisait rager ses adversaires, par de petits coups vicieux, jusqu'à ce qu'il y en ait un qui lui sacre un coup de poing au visage. Évidemment, l'arbitre punissait la réplique bien plus souvent que la provocation. M'est avis que Les Sages fous sont moins sages qu'on le pense. Et qu'il y a dans leur courriel «innocent» une pointe de Ken Linseman, un soupçon de Marco Materazzi. Ils l'ont un peu cherché, ce coup de boule."

"There was a time when the Boston Bruins had a player, Ken Linesman, who was nicknamed the 'rat'. He enraged his adversaries with little vicious shots, up to the point where they clocked him in the face. As you can imagine, more often than not the referee punished the responder." Undestand that the 'Sages Fou" are less sage than then we think. And in the 'innocent' email there's a bit of Ken Linseman, a touch of Mario Materazzi (the Italian soccer player who goaded France's Zinedine Zidane's into a costly head-butt in the World cup finals.) They were looking to provoke.

Next

"Un théâtre anglo fait par courriel de la promo en anglais pour des spectacles en anglais destinés à un public anglo. Il en a parfaitement le droit, même si, stratégiquement, il se coupe d'un public potentiel."

"When an Anglo theater sends a promotional email in English for an English show destined for an English audience, they have the perfect right to do so, even if it strategically cuts down the potential audience."

The only editorial opinion offered by the Montreal Gazette was that of a reader, in a weak-assed letter to the editor;

"As an anglo-Quebec theatre artist, I was deeply offended by Théatre Ste. Catherine founder Eric Amber's derogatory comments toward francophone artists and his view that "francophone Quebec society in general" is racist and intolerant toward "minorities and non-francophone cultures."As someone who works in the theatre in both languages, I can attest that this is simply not true." Donovan King

.....argh!!!

Anglo Theater Director Enrages French Language Nationalists

A nasty story appeared in the news last week concerning Theatre St. Catherine in Montreal.
The theater sent out a mass email promoting several English language theater presentations and as you can guess, many people took exception that the email was in English only.

Usually the offending party would cave, falling over themselves to correct the language slight, but that's not what happened this time. Fed up with so many complaints, some very nasty, Eric Amber, the theater director told one complainant to bugger off - in no uncertain terms.
Here's the exchange, starting with the original email.

Just For Laughs / ZooFest wrote:

             Just For Laughs / ZooFest Presents:

             *_5 Shows for $25. @ Theatre Ste-Catherine!_*

             *The Improvised Shakespeare Company* - July 16 to 25 @ 8:30pm
             (No show July 23)

             Based on one audience suggestion, The Improvised Shakespeare
             Co. creates a fully improvised play in the Elizabethan style,
             language and themes of William Shakespeare.


             "Staggeringly Brilliant" - Time Out (Chicago)
             “Mind-blowing… one of the funniest, most amazing things I’ve
             ever seen.” -The Charleston
(The rest of this long post goes on to describe the presentations and is redacted)

             *TICKETS AND INFO available at: (514) 845 2322 or
             www.zoofest.ca 
         
On Wed, Jul 15, 2009 at 9:35 AM, Les Sages Fous
      
      >> wrote:
         Bonjour,
         Merci de nous envoyer vos messages en français ou de nous retirer
         de votre liste d'envois.

         Les Sages Fous

 Theatre Ste Catherine wrote:

The shows listed were in english and therefore so is the message.
You obviously can't read in english because you are an
uneducated bigot.

estce que vous comprenez l'expression anglophone: Go Fuck Yourself?


Hello,

  Your answer is is unacceptable.

  We asked to receive your messages in french or simply to take us off
  your mailing list.

  Your response is an incredibly inappropriate, ugly and aggressive
  message.
  We have filed a complaint. We have sent your message to all of the
  main newspapers and the artistic community of Quebec. Your boss will
  be informed as well before the day is out.

  It seems that it is you the bigot. We, at Les Sages Fous all speak
  at least three languages, have travelled the world and are obviously
  more educated and open minded than you. http://www.sagesfous.com/

  I myself am one of the few anglophones who proudly speaks french in
  a continent that insists on being monolingual. I heard your voice on
  the phone. Your french is not too good for someone that calls people
  uneducated bigots for not being able to read english.

  Are you having fun playing the persecuted anglophone? Or are you
  just a Speak White brute?

  Ever thought of moving to Georgia? Back woods Texas? They like
  people like you down there.

  Be careful. You are obviously to stupid to know the difference
  between right and wrong.

  South Miller

just delete the message and move on with your life.
ps
fuck you

After this exchange of emails, it was inevitable that the incident would escalate. It was reported in the press and the incident raised a firestorm of negative reaction amongst French language militants. Mr. Amber received some of hate mail which included personal threats. At first he declined to publish these messages claiming that he didn't want to add to the controversy, but relented and did pass on some very disturbing messages to the Journal de Montreal.
One included a death threat.

Aussi longtemps que nous aurons des individus de votre espèce chez nous, je vous haïrai, les anglophones de Montréal», poursuit-il. Franchement, je ne sais pas pourquoi nous attendons à vous botter le cul... et ne parlez surtout pas de racisme, vous qui n'êtes même pas capable de respecter la culture française, chez nous, au Québec.... Qu'attendez-vous donc pour aller brailler avec vos amis ontariens? Qu'on vous tire dessus?»

"As long as we have individuals like you here, I will hate you, the anglophones of Montreal. Frankly, I don't know why we are waiting to kick your ass... and don't talk about racism, you who are incapable of respecting French culture, here in Quebec. What are you waiting for to go cry with your friends in Ontario. That we shoot at you?"

The radical group RRQ has called for a protest demonstration in front of the theater doors.
My, my!

In disgust Mr. Amber decided he's had enough and announced his intention to close his theater later this year.

The slew of posts and articles in the French milieu all had the recurring theme of righteous indignation and were universally quick to make the point that Mr. Amber was a radical francophobe who needed to show respect to the francophone majority.

My question is "Why?" Why on Earth do anglophones 'owe' Francophones respect?

This 'respect' idea permeates throughout nationalist circles, the idea that the anglophone community owes the francophone majority respect if for no other reason than the fact that francophones represent the majority.

Do those making this assertion accept that by logical extension, francophones 'owe' respect to the anglophone majority of Canada?
Ha! I think you'd be hard pressed to find anyone among them that would agree.

Respect, they should be reminded, is something to be earned, not demanded.

There's an appropriate French saying- "Deux poids, deux measures" which aptly describes how different standards are applied, depending on who is being measured.

I salute Mr. Amber for his spunk, because he had the guts to challenge the basic tenet of the language issue, the one that says discrimination against English is not only fine, but honourable and that anglophones are required to show deference to the French majority.

Josée Legault makes an interesting point in an article 'Excuse my French'

Cette attitude où parler français à ses concitoyens, dans les commerces, en art, dans les affaires, lorsque le «produit» vendu ou présenté est de langue anglaise, redevient lentement superflu.

This attitude, where to speak French to co-citizens in stores, the arts, business, when the product is in English, is slowly becoming superfluous.

According to Ms. Legault, when English people communicate amonsgt themselves in public, they must include French, in order to show respect.

So for example, an English school which sends a messages home to parents should be required to include a French version. Bah!!!

Back to the email exchange.

Don't be fooled by the polite tenor of the complaint made by the "les Sages Fou'. As Mr. Amber pointed out, they could have just deleted the email and added the sender to the spam list.
But they chose to respond by sending a very political message, one that reminds anglophones of their place, one that Mr. Amber obviously disagreed with.

In a later interview, Mr Amber was reminded that his website was illegal because it was an English only affair. Mr Amber was unflappable and remarked that homosexuality was illegal once too.

Great fun!!