The sin of being poor at the Commonwealth Games ...

The spectacle of yet another collection of well-off international atheletes gathering for competition while the poor and homeless are shoved out of the way is unfolding in India.  When will the world athletic community say enough is enough and refuse to participate under such circumstances?  When will the hungry baby be more important than the gold medal?  Maybe when the organizers AND the athletes develop some courage and awareness of what's going on around them instead of focusing only on the medals.  The video tells an important story ....

National identity should be Harper's goal

Sometime over the last 24-hours, I either heard or read a superb commentary on the consequences of the parliamentary vote to continue the long-gun registry.

Interestingly, the author put it in the context of the prime ministerial responsibility to draw the country together rather than setting one part of the country against another. His point was that immediately after the vote on the long-gun registry, Stephen Harper’s reaction was to pronounce that different regions of the country would be very upset with the result – in many ways, pitting urban against rural jurisdictions since that’s where the Tories seemed to focus most of their advertising and lobbying efforts.

Perhaps one of the reasons that Stephen Harper has not been able to achieve majority government is just that … his is a political philosophy of division rather than unity. He was one of the founding members of the Reform Party, but ended his first stint as an MP to join, and shortly thereafter head, the National Citizens Coalition. He built his foundations on western alienation and has done nothing to try to lessen that, realizing that it is his power base. Harper has argued that national conservative governments between 1917 and 1993 were founded on temporary alliances between Western populists and Quebec nationalists, and were unable to govern because of their fundamental contradictions; however, nearly four years ago in November 2006, Harper introduced a motion to recognize that "the Québécois form a nation within a united Canada."  Do I hear a hint of political expediency?

Harper’s apparent weakness is that he does not have a vision of Canada as a united country, but instead as the sum of its parts. He would do well to read the Canada Broadcast Act which says in part that the role of the CBC is to promote national identity and cultural sovereignty – a good goal for the man who wants a majority government more than anything else. That does not mean doing extended photo ops in Canada’s Arctic territory. What it does mean is promoting our national identity and unity as a people instead of his own narrow political ambitions.

The tale of four mistakes ...

You know how you sometimes get a taste in your head – so strong that you can taste it? Welcome to my world. I noticed over the weekend that Dominion had McCain pizzas on sale for less than four bucks. Figured it would be a good simple supper for tonight while I did laundry, cleaned out the fridge, etc, etc. So, I head to Dominion on Blackmarsh Road with visions of pizza dancing in my head. First mistake, I go over to have a look at the newly roasted chickens along with the other stuff in the hot section of the deli. Second mistake, I spot a tray of what appear to be BBQ ribs and spend too much time thinking about them. Third mistake, I let that taste in my head think in terms of Montana’s ribs which I happen to think are among the best. I see Dominion ribs and think Montana ribs. Fourth mistake, I forget the pizza and buy the ribs. Arghhhh … they had the consistency of a McDonald’s rib sandwich, didn’t seem to be completely cooked, had too much spice on them and were generally gross. Half of them are already in the garbage. Maybe I’ll try the pizza tomorrow night.

End of a blogging community ...

I decided tonight to join other bloggers who are removing the Newfoundland & Labrador Blog Roll from their websites. Part of the concern relates to security issues raised in connection with Blog Roll (the organization that hosts the NLBR) but also the fact that Blog Roll is going to be shutting down. Stephen Harris, who set up the Newfoundland & Labrador Blog Roll put it this way: “it appears BR will be shutting down soon, meaning our lovely blog collection (in this software) will die with it. I'm scrambling to look for some solutions or alternate systems, but I'm doubtful in finding something as good as what BR is (or was). If anyone has any ideas, please let me know.”

While the Newfoundland & Labrador Blog Roll is a great source of ‘connection’ with other bloggers on the rock, it’s a self-maintenance project in that you have to ping the Blog Roll site every time you update your blog in order to get it to appear on the list. On the other hand, Blogger, the host of this blog, offers what they call a ‘gadget’ you can add to your blog with those blogs you check out the most often and it does an automatic update. I’ve added that to this blog on the right hand side of the page, under the clock.

We owe a vote of thanks to Stephen Harris for setting up the Newfoundland & Labrador Blog Roll. I know that for me, it has been an introduction to many Newfoundland bloggers I would never have found otherwise. Stephen, thank you!

Slainte!

Telemarketing grief

I know I’m not the first and won’t be the last to complain about telemarketers but I seem to be getting a lot of calls lately from 1-877-549-5737. When I finally answered this morning, the person on the other end “Connie Roy” said she was with a company called BRI working on behalf of the Royal Bank. I didn’t bother with the pitch, but thanked her for her call and hung up. The “800notes” website gave me information: http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-877-343-3683/3

It may be legit, but RBC should learn that one way to piss off its customers is by calling them on a Saturday to pitch some product. For the last couple of weeks at least, they have been calling daily if not several times a day - usually I just ignore all 800 numbers. Will resume doing so today!

Apparently there is another line for the same purpose, 877-343-3683. More info: http://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-877-343-3683/3

Five days later, the power is back!

One thing for sure, makes me realize how dependent we have become “on the grid” and how envious I am of those who are able to live “off the grid”, even for short periods of time. Fortunately, no significant damage except maybe to the food in the freezer. Probably a thousand dollars worth of meat and stuff there. Most of it seems to be still relatively frozen, so I’m going to take a chance and not throw it out. Fridge is a different matter. Some stuff there after four days and a bit which I don’t think is safe. Thanks to the power crews who worked through some very nasty weather and sympathies for all of those people who have lost so much. Our thoughts are with you.

Precision Japanese drill team - wow! :-)

Japanese precision

Most common cancer for Canadian men

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in men in Canada. It affects 1 in every 6 men in this province. In 2010, more than 500 men in Newfoundland and Labrador will receive the shocking news that they have been diagnosed with prostate cancer. I haven’t had prostate cancer, but I know several guys who have had it and it is important for all of us to know these facts and to understand the importance and benefit of regular testing and early detection.

The annual “Walk A Mile In His Shoes” fundraiser got me thinking about this last week. The Grand Falls-Windsor Walk will take place on Saturday, September 18th beginning at 10:30am. The one in St. John’s was held this weekend.

Walk a Mile in His Shoes is a joint prostate cancer awareness and fundraising event of the Prostate Cancer Support Groups of Newfoundland & Labrador in partnership with the Canadian Cancer Society. Entering its eleventh year, Walk a Mile in His Shoes is a pledge-based walk which serves to raise awareness of prostate cancer and to encourage men to take action. The funds raised through this event are used primarily to implement a strategy and programs that focus on prostate cancer awareness, advocacy and patient support. Proceeds also help fund travel so that trained prostate cancer survivors can reach out to audiences across the province with their important message that early detection saves lives.

Tell your husband, brother, boyfriend, father about the need for a regular prostate check-up, especially after age 40. Cancer can strike at any time. You don’t want someone close to you to become #501.

More customer service adventures

Two more customer service adventures to report. Back to Mary Brown’s on Blackmarsh Rd. Friday evening about 5:30pm or so. Going through the drive through. Voice on the box polite and welcoming. Young woman in the drive through window anything but. Just gave me a look when I pulled up, told me the price and said nothing else. As I was pulling away, I said “you’re welcome”. She closed the window.  Why do i bother going back there???

Mr. Austin’s barbershop on Portugal Cove Rd. Go in for a basic haircut about 4:15pm on Friday. One of two women barbers on duty points to her chair. Doesn’t say anything, just points to her chair. I sit, she puts the napkin thing and the cover-up thing on me. I finally look in the mirror and say “Fine, thanks and you?” She grunts something and that’s the last sound until she’s done and I get up to pay. She charges me $14 and for some stupid reason that I still don’t understand, I left her a $1 tip. She doesn’t bother to say thank you. So-so haircut. Not worth going back.

Can a judge be a judge after sex photos?

That was the headline in news stories today talking about Lori Douglas, an associate chief justice in Manitoba's Court of Queen's Bench. This week saw public disclosure of her sexual activity from seven years ago — two years before she was appointed to the bench. According to the person who filed a complaint against the judge, some kinky pictures taken by her husband depicted Douglas in bondage and were posted on a pornographic web site. The story gets a bit darker and murkier from there including the judge’s husband apparently having to pay money to get the pictures back from someone to whom he had given copies.

The question being debated at the moment is whether the judge should step down? We’ve seen any number of famous people compromised by sexual pictures or videos being posted on the internet – some by accident and some in an attempt to seek attention. Chances are the judge was not looking for attention but now she’s getting it by the barrel-full.

I have to admit that in this day and age, I can’t understand anyone allowing their picture to be taken in such a compromising scene, but I also can’t understand how someone can eat suicide hot sauce. My question is whether judges and other senior public officials are held to a higher moral standard than the rest of us mere mortals? Should the judge be forced off the bench or is what she chooses to do in her bedroom with her husband any of our business?

"If pictures of you naked end up on an internet site, it's quite difficult to say you have the credibility to be a judge," said Sébastien Grammond, dean of civil law at the University of Ottawa.

Your opinion is welcome … just keep it clean.