11:00pm
Thu May20, 2004 |
Just
about impossible to listen to the news on the radio, let
alone the additional impact of images on television...
As most everyone in Ontario knows, if not across Canada,
39-year-old Const. Chris Garrett, an 18-year veteran officer
serving in Cobourg, Ontario, was laid to rest this afternoon;
the images are emotional and the story tragic. There
were over three thousand officers in the procession which
I would call a silent moving wall of blue, they came from
all over North America. Garrett's 12-year-old Son
gave a eulogy
that would make your heart sink, asking the officers to
remember him, "My dad was not just a hero to this
town, he was also my hero and always will be...".
The entire town essentially shut-down today at 1:00pm
so most could attend. Even the Blues Brothers (Canadian
Dan Aykroyd and his American Blues Brothers' sidekick
Jim Belushi) are upset
over the slaying. Premier Dalton McGuinty was present
and told the service, "In an age when we are fascinated
by celebrity, when we mistake our celebrities and sports
stars for heroes, Chris Garrett was a hero," (full
story)
Then
Mr. McGuinty proceeded to pretend he did not anally violate
every working sole in Ontario; what a full day he's had,
huh? I get great pleasure listening to the crew
of CFRB1010
(listen)
push buttons and issues as Bill Carroll gave out Dalton's
phone number this morning every 1.7 minutes, flooding
his office like a denial of service attack; "We want
a referendum!" being yelled... Paul and Carrol
Mott at noon took the torrent of calls from pissed Ontarians;
Paul didn't suggest you cheat the Tax Man, but the Abattoir
now accepts cash (...Oops! Did I type that out loud?..)
Along comes John Moore and more calls... (this was
not a commercial) There are some real pissed people roaming
the streets this day; I think we need a little more American
Knee Jerk here, didn't they have a party or something...
Served tea I think. Ontario's budget will not stop
BTM44, I'll sign a document saying that! (...apparently
signatures don't mean too much now-a-days...)
There
are few things that tick-me-off... Liars (Our own
elected Fiberal Premier's image flashes), Killers (Troy
Davey, 18, charged with first-degree murder in Garrett's
death), and management without moral (enter Cedar SPAM
Springs). Wonder why they've not returned my emails?
I thought I was rather civil (...at first...) but I guess
they just don't want to take responsibility in an appropriate
fashion for their own actions by paying my requested .10¢
and sending a letter of apology for their distasteful
choice in marketing after they sent SPAM to my personal
cell phone (...forgive the run-on sentence, but I'm salivating
right now...) Perhaps email isn't their bag, let's
give the fax machine a shot! Two faxes have been
fired to their office now a day apart, you can read all
about it on the Abattoir.BBs - As of noon today, we've
"unlocked" the Abattoir.BBs so you can now get
in and read all the great crap without having to register.
Be warned, this is a public bulletin board filled with...
'um, "Public" -- Abattoir.Net takes no responsibility
if you get all bent out of shape reading the stupidity;
you're the people writing it, you just happen to be dumping
it on our server. There is foul language, nudity,
animal testing and political incorrectness; so do not
enter if you are a person who may be offended by words
like piston, rocket, egg, flap-jack or Dalton.
Tomorrow's Friday, it's also a long weekend,
the weather's also going to be crap in southern Ontario,
thus we're heading to cottage country (...like the weather's
a factor...) BTM44 continues to fill, and we want
you to be part of it! Sign-up and dress nice, wear
your best, brush your teeth because we're filming our
promo... Since we'll be gone and "off-line"
for the weekend, don't get upset if your name does not
appear on the Reservations Page after you grab a spot...
If you're coming to the Abattoir to deliver .10¢
and a soul rejuvenating and cleansing letter of regret,
our sole spa is here for you, friend - an olive branch
of praise in your moment of self-awareness... please leave
it under the front mat, or ring the bell and take 'yer
chances. Do not drink and drive, you'll miss BTM44
in a way that will only get you added to a sad statistic
log. Peace. (...we hope to have Game news
when we come back...)
|
02:45pm
Tue May18, 2004 |
The
Abattoir's LLAMA Tent is now back up and ready for BTM44,
the grill has been cleaned, propane is chock full...
We are go for BBQ! Don't miss out, get your reservation
in now for our Summer opener before it fills, we're going
to have all kinds of fun at this BTM, including a game
of Spin the Cedar SPAM Springs Bottle, loser has to drink
their water to wash down a BBQ fried SPAM sandwich (...the
aftermath of which will be used in our next billboard
ad...). It's looking like Battlefield Vietnam and
Unreal Tournament 2004 are going to be our games of choice
for the BTM Tournament, but there's still time to vote
and make your voice heard! Take the poll (link removed
for archive) on the Abattoir.BBs and help shape BTM44.
Apparently
Cedar
Springs either does not want to talk to me, does not
have a clue how to answer me, or can't find a lawyer fast
enough -- either way, they have still not responded to
my request for compensation after their brilliant marketing
department decided to test the waters of the cell phone
carrying public with a large helping of steaming SPAM
directing you to visit orderbottledwater.com, a site who's
ambiguous master has been made public here and now we're
steaming mad; so my 5th letter has been fired down the
fibre to their mail server (...this time we're tracking,
and we know their server got it - I can see you through
your TV, Cedar Springs!..) The full story in its
entire length continues
to grow on the Abattoir.BBs and we invite you to send
a letter to our friends at Cedar SPAM Springs, tell
them what you think! Next step, we show with a High
Definition video team at their doorstep -- I suggest you
answer me now, you'll have a hard time ignoring me while
my Hi-Def f1.8 lens is up your ass.
From:
MeatMan
Sent: Tue 5/18/2004 11:12 AM
To: info@springh2o.com
Cc: MeatMan; Steve DeRyck; Marijana K. Milton; editor@abattoir.net
Subject: I was wondering where my .10¢ was,
Cedar Springs? |
This
letter is a follow up...
I have now sent a total of 4 emails; I have yet
to receive an answer from Cedar Springs directly.
On your web site you proudly state that "Our
mission is to provide the best quality, service
and attention..." I trust this is not an example
of what you would refer to as "service".
The emails I refer to are from Tuesday, April 13
(03:22pm), Thursday April 15 (11:15am), Friday May
07 (09:51am) and Tuesday May 05 (09:24am) (full
transcripts are available on Abattoir.Net). I am
asking a very simple question, so I'll type REAL
slow this time:
"You
sent SPAM to my personal cell phone under the URL
of orderbottledwater.com; I tracked your company
down within 3 minutes of the offence and requested
compensation in the form of .10¢ cash, plus
a letter of apology from Cedar Springs - when can
I expect this?" -- neither of
these have happened, nor have you replied.
Shall I just show up at your door with a camera
team then? Contact has been made with the Canadian
Bottled Water Association (http://www.cbwa-bottledwater.org/)
as well as the Better Business Bureau (http://complaints.bbb.org)
since you seem reluctant to answer me. Many people
following the story on Abattoir.Net (http://www.abattoir.net)
are also wondering why no one at Cedar Springs has
come forward...
I'll break this email down into little pieces and
I'll even number the points so you can assign different
people at Cedar Springs each task as this appears
to be something that one person there cannot handle:
1) Send .10¢ cash to my address
for compensation of the costs incurred by myself
on your behalf when you sent unsolicited email to
my personal mobile phone in form of a text message
reading "I know you’ve been looking for
a great water company that delivers. I found one,
go to orderbottledwater.com, for great pricing and
service.”
2) I would like a letter of apology
from Cedar Springs and assurance that this completely
unacceptable form of both intrusive and morally
bankrupt advertising has been discontinued by your
marketing department.
3) I require a return email from
this contact.
We're not very impressed with your company at this
moment in time, we don't go away, we just get pissed-off,
so I suggest you deal with this matter promptly
and professionally (...try that once and see how
it works for you...)
Craig Milton
Abattoir.Net |
Temperatures
continue to climb in southern Ontario, as do the gas prices.
Overnight, prices in the greater Toronto area topped themselves
up about .11¢ a litre (...that's one cent more than
the a-holes at Cedar SPAM Springs owe me...) Wait
a minute, isn't there a long weekend coming? Oh
I see what's happening; they'll hover .93¢ in our
face for the week, then lower it to .86¢ on the weekend
so we think we're getting a bargain! I find it
odd how gas can go up two cents a gallon in the States
and someone at the oil company almost gets shot, yet here
in Canada, our gas will jump a dozen cents for just one
little liter and everyone shrugs and says; "well,
I have to drive, so what are ya going to do!?"
Our fun, happy and well shaved Fiberal government are
introducing their budget today too - guess what?
Beer is going up again... I know, I know...
"But it just went up!?" Don't fret, Lysol
is still relatively cheap; now I understand why there's
drive-by shootings. Is it possible to vote for "no
government"?
|
09:30am
Thu May13, 2004 |
Time
to drop the bomb! With no further delay, we're thrilled
to announce the official date for BTM44 'Carpet Bomb'
Edition - our annual Summer opener! Abattoir Members
have first shot at registration so don't delay and don't
miss out, this BTM will be a BBQ feast as we napalm meat
to sizzling perfection. Tournament details will
follow and complete details will be posted on the Official
BTM Portal Page along will any/all patches and extras
you may need. After the polls
closed, it's obvious that June 26th is the date of choice
(...by 72%...) and so the people have spoken! We
will not be allowing "drop ins", so if you want
to join the carnage, you must sign-up!
We
know this may seem almost impossible to believe, but the
good Folks at Cedar SPAM Springs have yet to respond to
my emails... As it turns out, Mr. Gabbard is no
longer employed by Cedar SPAM Springs now, so my last
message was sent to every email address at Cedar SPAM
Springs I could find... Meanwhile, people are voicing
their repugnance on the Abattoir.BBs over Cedar SPAM
Springs lack of better judgment in this matter...
Have your say, login and join the discussion; post your
comments and tell them what you think of their actions,
be sure to take our Cedar SPAM Springs Poll too! (the
BBS has an entire transcript of this event to date)
From:
MeatMan
Sent: Tue 5/11/2004 9:24 AM
To: info@springh2o.com
Cc: hr@springh2o.com; sales@springh2o.com; michaelgabbard@rogers.com
Subject: Where's my .10¢ Cedar Springs? |
Good
morning…
Attempting
to find out who at Cedar Springs will be sending
me the .10¢ cash money I demanded three weeks
ago plus a letter of apology as compensation after
I was SPAMMED by your company on my personal cell
phone under the URL “orderbottledwater.com”.
I have had several correspondence now with Michael
Gabbard on this matter but as yet have no resolve
and no compensation, I don’t like being ignored
and I don’t feel it’s in Cedar Springs
better interests to do so…
You
may want to know how many people are following this
little story: to get caught up, please feel free
to read the LAN Minutes on Abattoir.Net (http://www.abattoir.net)
– there are two updates so far, one dated
Friday, April 16th, the other Sunday, May 9th…
Your companies advertising department has essentially
been ‘caught’ and now you're being called
out in a public forum – I expect an answer
and resolve before the close of the week.
Regards,
Craig
Milton |
In
our last email from Mr. Gabbard, he told us that "Cedar
Springs is no long sending text messages. They have abandoned
that marketing avenue, as far as I know." -- Good
call, now I want to hear it from the horses mouth -- and
I want my .10¢
|
09:00pm
Sun May09, 2004 |
Happy
Mom Day to all the mothers out there; guess we have to
be 'sensitive' around the Abattoir now that Mother's Day
for me has gone from WAN to LAN; how can I do brunch with
my 'mother' while the 'mother' of my son asks when we're
heading to her 'mother's place for 'mothers' day, all
the while wondering what she's getting for 'mothers' day
from Dad, that being me. *bang*
As so many before can attest, spawn do
change your life a bit; you simply have to adjust and
adapt, it's really not that bad.. The only problem
I've had so far, the new biological carbon based alarm
unit has no snooze button, his belly button's broke off,
I suspect the mute went with that too. From the
short time Isis and myself have been parents, we've noticed
many things; unfortunately, neither of us can remember
what they were. So to this end, I salute all the
"Momma"s out there, you deserve your day.
We
would love to close off Mother's Day in a nice way, but
I'm afraid we cannot... Cedar Springs has left a
bad taste with me and has thus ruined Mother's Day. *sniff*
If you recall, Cedar Springs "had inadvertently emailed
a small series of cell phone numbers" a completely
accidental chunk of SPAM; I have demanded retribution
for their unprincipled actions in the form of .10¢
cash money. Further, they have been spanked in a
public forum for pursuit of coin in lieu of scruples;
a follow-up has been sent:
From:
Craig Milton
Sent: Fri 5/7/2004 9:51 AM
To: michaelgabbard@rogers.com
Subject: Just wondering when we were going to hear
from you again, Michael? |
Good
morning, Mr. Gabbard...
I've
waited over three weeks now and have yet to receive
either a response from my last message, or the reimbursement
I requested – has Cedar Springs lost my message,
or did they think I was joking when I demanded .10¢
cash for compensation? Either way, I expect an answer
and I’m certainly not the type of person to
“go away”, so I suggest Cedar Springs
address this issue with due haste, there’s
a lot of people watching… Please also take
note of the great exposure your company has been
receiving on Abattoir.Net as your cell phone SPAM
made for a rather lengthy Minutes update (Abattoir.Net
gets 30,000 hits a month) that's sparked quite the
topic on the bulletin board - I would think a company
that sells water would know how to put out fires.
…awaiting
something other than a canned answer, I also want
my .10¢
Regards,
Craig Milton |
So
we'll see how long this takes... Understand this,
it's ALL about the principle here; you are human, you
make mistakes, and for that there's understanding and
forgiveness; you CAN save yourself. A letter telling
us that you have discontinued the "marketing idea"
of sending SPAM to cell phones and have understood that
this is NOT acceptable, plus say that you're "Sorry"
and we'll shake hands. (plus I want my .10¢) <--I'm
not joking
|
11:30am
Thu May06, 2004 |
After
236 episodes stretching 10 years since its September 22nd,
1994 debut, we say our farewell to Friends as they join
the Leaf's golfing. Tonight at 9pm on Global, a
special closing episode ends the comedy series that has
only been rivaled by Seinfeld. NBC is accepting
30 second ads for a meagre 2 million dollars a slot since
it is expected that about 80 million people will be watching
what's called the "television event of the year"
tonight. So is this really the end of Friends?
Not really, it'll live on immortal in syndication and
DVD; I for one will miss the show Friends, in my view
Seinfeld and Friends made up my television viewing time
-- now all I have left is DiscoveryHD and Blind Date.
Thanks for all the laughs; I'm sure we'll be seeing more
of Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Ross, Chandler and Joey in
one form or another.
Now
we turn our heads to the planning for BTM44 'Carpet Bomb'
Edition! This is not a date announcement for the
upcoming summer BTM bash so don't fire off to the sign-up
page and start filling in like a mad-man, rather it's
a call to arms on the Abattoir.BBs for your input which
will help shape this bash... Summer's here and we're
pulling out all the stops on this BTM, the grill will
be ablaze with BBQ goodness as we napalm meat, the LLAMA
Tent will be back up (Little Local Area MeatMan's
Abattoir) and the tournament will be a hoot, but first,
we have to know what you want; remember... It's
all about you! Head to the Abattoir.BBs and vote
now (link removed for archives) for chow and tournament
game, then keep posted for the date announcement.
Odd as it may seem, I've yet to receive
a response from Mr. Gabbard about Cedar Springs little
SPAM fest to peoples cell phones, nor has the .10¢
cash I demanded as compensation shown in my mailbox as
yet (see Apr16 minutes). I think I better fire off
another letter to them, I guess they thought I was joking.
|
04:45pm
Wed May05, 2004 |
Well
at least we’re going to have more time on our hands
now since they don’t televise the Leafs’ golf
games… I recall going off on a tangent last season,
perhaps I should just cut and paste that LAN Minutes update
here seeing as little has changed since then. Last night
the Flyers ended the Leafs pursuit of Lord Stanley’s
Cup in overtime after they dominated over the buds for
two periods; it wasn’t till the third period we
saw a point on the board and brought ourselves out of
a 2-0 game to a tie and into overtime. Out played, the
Leafs are done for yet another cupless season… How
will they repay us for all out loyalty? Raise ticket prices,
of course. I’m beginning to dislike the Leafs organization
more and more as the days go by. Myles is only a
couple weeks old and he produces more in his Pampers than
the Leafs did last night; still, the Leafs stink more.
A
moment here to thank all that came out on the weekend
for BTM43, we had a blast and we were all a little overdue
for it to boot… Big thanks go out to the folks at
EB Games (...at Trafalgar and Dundas in Oakville...) for
all the great swag they provided, almost everyone at the
BTM walked with something; our big Unreal Tournament 2004
champs were Cam (CorpsE) Smith and Jordan (Sodalas) Alexander,
each were given a monster sized Dungeon Siege game box
stuffed with great bootie, way to play! Check the
Abattoir SuperFTP for all the great photos and video.
This
BTM saw the return of the MeatCAM at last which gave everyone
the chance to see a BTM live from afar… BTM44 will
see the permanent return of the Abattoir’s Wall
of Quake as well as a host of other additions. Keep posted
here, we’ll be announcing the date to BTM44 quickly,
this summer bash will see BBQ action and tournament fun;
we’re sure to sell out quick since school will be
out.
|
|
MeatMan
Says:
"If you're new to Abattoir.Net and want to get to know what
we're all about, sit back with a cup of joe or a brew and cruise
through the ramblings of the past"
|