News Flash - From a Commentor

Having decided that the Detroit Red Wings technically won the 2008 Stanley Cup, the Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers and Dallas Stars have formed a coalition demanding a three way ownership of the league title.

Rationale for their decision revolves around their total combined scoring in the 2008 Semi-Finals, their total share of season ticket holders versus the Detroit Red Wings, and their horror at discovering the Detroit Red Wings are using a more cost effective and efficient, but non-union made silver polish, to keep the Stanley Cup gleaming.

The three teams are being assisted in their bid to overturn the traditional results by members of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League who have no real interest in the success of the NHL in general but sense an opportunity to demand Zambonis and other critical equipment be manufactured in Quebec.

Player representatives, team owners and Nike are expected to submit their proposals to Don Cherry in the next few days. Fans and ticket holders are neither being asked or allowed a voice in the final decision.

Leaders of Our Times

Nothing speaks to the incompetence of the Federal Bumbling, Stumbling, Rumbling Liberal party better than this:

"Adding to the discomfort with his leadership was the fact that last night Mr. Dion and his team couldn't even get his televised national address – a speech intended to counter Mr. Harper's appeal – to TV networks on time.

The production values of the tape were also poor, with Mr. Dion out of focus at times. It appeared his head was emerging from the shelf behind him."

The above is taken from a Jane Taber piece in this morning's Globe.

By now, you may have learned that Parliament has been shut down until Jan. 26th.

Here are the opening paragraph's of the Globe's on line news just after noon, eastern time.

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Stephen Harper has obtained Governor-General Michaëlle Jean's consent to temporarily shut down Parliament, a move that allows him to avoid a confidence vote next week that he was expected to lose.

It's a blow for the Liberal-NDP coalition, backed by the separatist Bloc Québécois, that was seeking to replace the minority Conservative goverment.

The development buys time for Mr. Harper to assemble an economic package that he hopes will discourage the multiparty alliance from taking him down at that time.

Have yourself a merry little...

Boo! (We don't really like you.)

It's a classic example of how the politicians and the mandarins attack the good works of someone they don't like, someone who threatens them with her honesty or bad news.

The someone in this instance is BC's children's watchdog, Mary Ellen Turpel-Lafond and we have written often on these pages in her praise.

In the latest skirmish, her own government has been questioning her right to rent office space.

She's supposed to invite her staff over to her breakfast nook at home, unplug the toaster and the microwave and light up the notebooks?

These are such old, such tired, such cheap, such transparent tricks, this so-called budget committee should be given the Casper the Ghost Award for Silly Spookdom.

It's the Little Things that Hurt

A tiny little insert in the newspaper this morning caused my shoulders to sag.

A large truck was caught last night at midnight doing wheelies over the lawns and flower beds of Victoria's Beacon Hill Park. The damage is about $10,000.

I've just returned from a wonderful two weeks in Victoria and the house i rented was very near Beacon Hill Park. I walked past it every day along the open ocean front of Dallas Road, in my opinion one of the greatest city walks anywhere in the world.

But aside from my sense of personal connection to this small story, the content says so much about our seemingly total abandonment of respect and community and the social compact.

It's often too ugly out there, boys and girls.

Buy it on Amazon

Tony Bennett, 82 years young, has a new album out.

"A Swinging CHristmas" is recorded with the Count Basie Orchestra.

The man is amazing.

Here's a little preview: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDmQlAN3I9g

Closing Time

Gary on Hornby Island has submitted this marvelous Leonard Cohen video for our enjoyment. The piece has been "embedding disabled" so all I can do is give you the URL:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVt6vhRAu3k

It's a beaut.

Thanks, Gary.