TV Fund is Robbery

The most interesting elemnt in today's paper was not a news item.

It was a more than half page ad asking, "What does spending 2.5 billion of your money to fund original canadian TV programs get you?"

The answer, of course, was "Not much."

Now, this as was bought and paid for by Shaw, who no doubt have their own agenda.

But the ad (page A10 of this morning's Sun) spells out exactly how the money is wasted.

And the ad is correct.

The Canadian Televison Fund is a sham; always was.

Telus SNAFU

The tragedy of the Oak Bay murders/suicide can be studied and investigated and commissioned till the cows come home, and nothing much will be learned or changed.

Buy to learn that the all-knowing, superior Telus had lost its database for the 911 system and that digital radios and cellphones for Oak Bay and Saanich were on the fritz - well, that is sickening.

We can't expect crazy people to be much more than crazy.

But we should be able to expect that emergency telephone and radio sytems are maintained in working order.

Fans R Fools

Beyonce was one hour late.

The fans loved her anyway.

Not me. I don't care who you are. Keep me waiting for your show for an hour:

a) I'm outta there

b) I never buy your albums again

c) I bad mouth you every chance I get.

Does Beyonce's best friend, the highly moralistic Oprah, ever tell her about responsibility?

Unions Wrong to defend Rapists

Unions shoot themselves in the foot when they "rescue" the "rights" of rapists.

Not one, but two, prison guards at Matsqui are working in spite of being charged and/or investigated for sexual assault. These charges or suspicions are for events alleged to have occur ed outside the work site.

Nevertheless, who wants such men working in the confined and controlling atmosphere of a hot house jail?

At the very least, they should be suspended with pay until the matters are cleared or decided.

And the union should be quiet.

Federer as Poetry

Beautiful little editorial piece in this morning's NY Times. Well worth the read.

Hello, Consumer Units! Here's Today's Shopping Tip!

One of our biggest challenges in modern Western democracies is to become a human being and a citizen, something more than a Consumer Unit.

The Consumer Units (CU's) are everywhere.

They march down Cornwall night and noon with their Starbucks in their hands. Did anyone ever consider sitting down to enjoy his coffee?

They cannot walk down the street or sit in a cafe without talking, talking, talking on their CU cell phones. The cell phone - a handy and useful enough device if used sensibly - is easily the most oversold, overused, annoying addition to modern life.

I work in a college these days. Every of the of the 8,000 enrolled students walk through the hallways talking, talking, talking on his/her/its cellphone. Often the cell is on/in one ear and the ubiquitous white chord of the ipod is in the other. The brain that can absorb bad music and bad conversation at the same time is not the brain I want voting in a general election.

They buy SUV's, while decrying Global Warming.

They pay $600,000 for basement apartments, because the refurbished mini-kitchen has granite counter-tops.

Everyone believes in the mass-marketed illusion that he is a rare individual. Everyone is a sucker. Everyone buys more and more of the same stuff that his hateful neighbour with the barking dog buys.

Here's my challenge: Try to get through the weekend without buying anything larger than a watermelon or more mostly than a bunch of grapes. Do not buy anything electronic or that needs batteries or that poses as an aid to communication. Try to actually leave your car and take a walk and do not bring a cell or a radio or CD or DVD player.

Notice that the crows have mysteriously disappeared in the last few days - tanks god - and that the juncos, sparrows and other small birds, who have been hidden for months, have now come back!

Or simply walk and think and look.

FACTOID

Moscow has one coffeehouse for every 3,187 people. For comparison, New York has one for every 365 people and Paris one for every 126 people.

This gem comes from the afternoon update of the NY Times, announcing the opening of a certain Seattle -based coffee house in Russia.

Canada Line Ruptures Ongoing: Guest Blog

Sun Editor

The 'interesting conversation' that CEO of Canada Line Jane Bird should behaving, is the one about justice and the Charter of Rights. And while we're at it - bullies.Ms. Bird is well paid to say that it's perfectly fine to expect families to lose their businesses and life savings through no fault of their own, so that this unprecedented government driven mega-project can be built to the government's agenda. No concern whatsoever for the consequences of blatantly presenting one project and building another. No responsibility for neglecting to implement financial help for the merchants from the start. The devastating impacts of this open canyon construction are a predictable and well documented death knell for small businesses. No accountability, no consultation and an emphatic no to deserved compensation.What rubbish. This is a democracy. Governments are not permitted to destroy our businesses, pave over our rights and toss us into financial ruin with impunity. For Canada Line to suggest that as a society, we find this acceptable, or a topic of debate, is shocking. There will most certainly be a public inquiry that will dig into this cut-and-cover-up, and we'll all find out what circumstances drove "on time", and what "on budget" really means for the tax paying public.Canada Line and all levels of government who have brought this unconscionable financial disaster to our doors have a lot to answer for. The merchants have been double-crossed. Ms. Bird's callous comments are a further slap in the face to all citizens, especially the struggling families along the RAV/Canada Line route, and are not based in reality.This is not disruption to our livelihoods, as the project spin machine keeps repeating - it's highway robbery.This is a unique project and it requires a unique solution. Let's stop thisnonesense. The Provincial Liberal government needs to do the obvious right thing, and implement compensation now.

Susan Heyes

Guest Blogger Victor on the City That Won't be Quiet

I always admired the way Johnny Carson retired.

He entertained us for 30 years, said "Thank you; it's been a pleasure," and stepped away from the lights.

A lesson clearly missed by Mike Harcourt, Jerry Lewis, Rafe Mair and others.

Guest blogger, Victor, rants on the City that won't shut up. This is followed, irony upon irony, by an invite I was sent moments later:

VICTOR:

Globe and Mail columnist Ian Brown once wrote a spoof booklet called " A Wanker's Guide to Canada". It was for those Canadians who needed something, anything to brag about in order to shore up their inferiority.

We need a special edition for Vancouver. This city takes civic wanking to ludicrous lows.

The latest example is Harcourt's book, " City Planning in Paradise". Why do we feel the need to use these sophomoric superlatives in referring to our city?

We used to loathe Toronto for being self-absorbed but Vancouver has become an urban tampon.

Every award given to Vancouver, no matter how obscure the source (Madrid Welders Association Rates Vancouver the Top Vacation Spot) gets front page treatment. Like the chronically insecure teenager, Vancouver covets and trumpets the most tenuous praise and if none is forthcoming, it praises itself.

But in fairness, wanking has become a provincial pattern. How else can we explain that modest license plate that proclaims that BC is "The Best Place on Earth"? Even the most boastful Texan stopped short of such graceless egotism. I guess we can expect that during the Olympics , we'll have a banner at the airport saying " Welcome all of you travelers from inferior countries".

THE INVITE:

Event Info
Name:
The Paradise Makers
Tagline:
Interviews with the leaders and decision-makers who shaped the city and region we know today
Host:
Gordon Price
Type:
Education - Lecture
Time and Place
Date:
Friday, September 7, 2007
Time:
7:00pm - 8:40pm
Location:
SFU Harbour Centre
Street:
515 West Hastings Street, Segal Centre
City/Town:
Vancouver, BC

Can you believe I will miss this?

In La-La-Land, Everything's Just Got to be FUN

In criticizing Education Minister (The name is Bond.) Shirley Bond, the Sun editorial reveals that at the deepest level it is singing from the exact same hymn book.

Let's make exercise "fun," says the editorial.

Let's not do anything to the students that would make them uncomfortable, says the Minister.

Go forbid the students under the immense pressure of living at home and talking on their cells and text messaging during class and flying around the world on holidays and not paying a mortgage or doing laundry or cooking...under all that pressure, god forbid they should be TOLD to do anything that isn't FUN.

Because, as we all know that is a perfect training for the real world which is just one big fun after another.

The Corruptions of Richmond Just Go On

In examining the strike, the Sun has focused on whistle blowers today, in particular the case of Mario Ferriera.

Ferriera reported fraudulent billing, misuse of city credit cards and theft of city property when he worked for the City of Richmond.

Rather than applaud and reward this courageous man and/or truly investigate his charges, Mayor Malcolm Brodie and City (mis)Manager George Duncan did everything in their power to discredit and ruin the poor guy.

I challenged both of these dishonorable men on the radio repeatedly and I wrote about them extensively in the Georgia Straight.

In spite of all the evidence, both continue to enjoy the favor of the ignorant and uncommitted Richmond voters.

And so it goes.

Thompson Run a Travesty

The entry of Fred Thompson into the republican race for the presidency says way too much about people and politics and pool.

Without having said a single thing about policy or programs, Thompson is already in second place in public polling. Which tells us that people are blind and stupid, that fame is the name of the game and that any one-trick pony with a TV show can end up in the White House.

Look at him with Jay Leno.

Let us hope and pray that this clown's ride crashes long before he gets near the Beltway.

Pavarotti

He was the greatest tenor of the times.

And like many a "big" man, he was an enigma and a walking contradiction.

He seemed to me to have fallen prey to that strange, rare disease that afflicts only a few in every era: the Mega-SuperStar Syndrome. In our recent lifetime, Liz Taylor, Michael Jackson and maybe Liza Minelli fit this category. The person is so famous, so waited on, so adored, so wealthy that he/she becomes delusional, insane, filled with a repetoire of fake and inhuman gestures.

I was the M.C. at the Three Tenors concert here at B.C. Place. The night was a fiasco, and Pavarotti was crazy and utterly selfish and completely disdaining of the public that gave him a one million dollar take home for that one night.

Now...lest we speak too harshly of the diseased...he was an awesomely great, great singer. His La Boheme performance played on PBS brought millions of new fans to the world of Opera. He was a teacher and in many ways gave of himself, especially to young musicians.

We have all been blessed to have been around to hear him and watch him.

For the best and most comprehensive coverage of his life and death, including a video of his singing Nessum Dorma, click here to the NY Times link.

Meeting of the Old and the the New and the Stupid

Nepal Airlines is having maintenance troubles.

Enlightened answer?

Sacrifice a goat.

But...we have to respect everyone's religious choices, don't we?

The Name is Bond. Shirley Bond.

We said a few days ago that Education Minister Shirley Bond's new health initiatives were without substance, and we were right.

Today's headline says "MINISTER TARGET OBESITY WITH NEW POLICIES."

But read the item thoroughly and you will find that her plan doesn't include more phys-ed classes, which I just learned today are optional for most high school students.

Of course not, that would require spending money on phys-ed teachers and coaches.

But here is her kumbaya, feel-good explanation: "P.E. is not something they feel particularly comfortable in. They may feel more comfortable walking to school."

Well mein gott in himmel, we wouldn't want to ask the poor dears to do something uncomfortable, would we, because everything and everybody in all of life's moments are pure unadulterated comfort, are they not?

Last Words on The Good Senator

Some final (we hope) thoughts about Senator Larry Craig.

This is not a man. This is a construct.

He can't speak without a script. He is a total image and fake.

What did he do these past 30 years for Idaho or his country?

He says, "I love Idaho." But apparently he loves Idaho so much, he has spent most of his adult life in Washington, DC., donning his starched blue jeans just before landing every so often in Boise to see his wife and 3 adopted children.

The entire audio of his conversation with the arresting officer was played last night on CNN and it is mind-boggling. It sounds like a bit on Saturday Night Live, but it is real. A grown man having a serious discussion with a police officer about how wide is his stance while sitting on a public toilet and how his foot could cross over into another booth and whether it was his right or left hand that went under the wall separating the two booths.

And now this pathetic absurdity that he might not resign.

Wasn't it that great (country and) western philosopher Kenny Rogers who said, "You gotta know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em?"

Jerry Lewis is 81 and in dreadful health and still craves an audience. Rafe Mair is in his mid-70's and still must have his audience, at five bucks a head, and Senator Craig apparently cannot imagine life without being Senator Craig.

NEWS FLASH!

Senator Larry Craig may not resign.

What a putz!

Better yet, what a little teenage girl, having a snivel fest in the corner of the party.

Boo fucking hoo...

Canada Line Continues to Snub Merchants

Letters to the Editor, Vancouver Sun:

I wish to express my disbelief at the pronouncement of Alan Dever, Vice-President, Government and Community Relations of the Canada Line, who through the media has said categorically that there is no precedent for offering compensation for lost business due to disruptions caused by large-scale projects, so there will be none forthcoming.

It was the gleeful tone in his voice that I found to be totally inappropriate in the circumstances. That someone in a safe, high paying job could be so unfeeling towards small-business entrepreneurs who are losing not only their livelihoods, but in some cases their homes is disgusting beyond belief; but on the other hand, so is the attitude of all cabinet ministers from the premier on down, especially Minister Falcon, who must have ice in his veins.

Mr. Dever and his CEO Jane Bird need to be reminded that there is no precedent for such a large-scale project which has affected so many small businesses. It is obvious that the people responsible for the much smaller, less disruptive project in the Seattle area have a concern for the small businesses along the line which is totally lacking here. It is not often that one looks to the United States for a more humane approach to a situation such as this, but they are far more ahead in this instance.

Reading the inane public relations speak on the Canada Line web site there is everything except an acknowledgement that the Liberal Cabinet and Canada Line executives have made a total miscalculation on the impact of this project. These P.R. pronouncements include: OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU; GOOD NEIGHBOURS; PUBLIC CONSULTATION; MINIMUM INCONVENIENCE and lastly, the insulting and, in the circumstances, misplaced JIM’S CONSTRUCTION DIARY.

In closing I can only say to Mr. Campbell and members of Cabinet, also to Ms. Bird and her executive, you have made me feel ashamed to be Canadian - the country that the Hon. Sheila Copps, in a fit of hyperbolê once proclaimed to be “the fairest country in the world!”

If only it were so.

In disgust,Ray Eagle

Copies to the Hons. Gordon Campbell, Kevin Falcon, Carole Taylor,Gregor Robertson, M.L.A.; the Mayor and Council, City of Vancouver

Here is a Good Citizen

Congratulations to John Young, who continues to be my working class hero.

Young is the Victoria school trustee and former principal who has twice sued the Education Ministry ("The name is Bond. Shirley Bond.") for charging kids and their parents fees for school course and supplies. Twice he has succeeded.

He vows to continue his fight to maintain our public schools fair and democratic when it comes to financing.

He should be given a Citizenship Award.

When it Comes to Pharmacy News, Follow the Money

The headlines fairly shrieks "Bipolar Illness Soars as a Diagnosis for the Young."

What does this NY Times story, in fact, reveal?

That more kids are "bipolar?"

That more kids are being better diagnosed?

No, of course not.

It reveals, as it often doesm that more parents, doctors and psychiatrists are falling for the ad campaigns of BIG PHARMA.

This is a detestable, legal drug push.

And it goes on every day in every country in every doctor's office.

The Sun reports with a straight face that "Ritalin Eyed as a Weight-Loss Medication."

With enormous billion dollar profits from selling Ritalin to the parents of kids - mostly boys - who would rather believe that their brats are Attention Deficit Disordered instead of out-of-control brat-monsters, the drug companies are now planting the seed that all the dieting people of the world can take their magic bullet and slim down.

There's one born every minute.