What's their problem?

"We will not be pushed aside during this election campaign," stated Perry Bellegarde, AFN chief.  The only place Bellegarde will be pushed is into a teller's line at a cash wicket in the bank.  What more do natives want?  They do nothing for the millions they get every year -- and are accountable for none of it -- and still think the election should be all about them. 

Please.

Here's another goodie:  After six years of local and provincial negotiating, consulting and planning for the badly-needed Springbank Dam here to mitigate flooding, Chief Lee Crowchild of the Tsuut'ina band in the vicinity just announced he doesn't like it.  Why?  Because.  Here's a guy who waited for six years, saying nothing while bags of money were spent trying to figure it out with more consultation than you could shake a stick at, and then pronounces he "doesn't like it". 

What an unproductive thing to do.  Now what?  Guess it's back to the drawing board.....or something......

I have decided Canada is a land of apologies, compensation and the handing out of money to whoever feels slighted or hard-done-by.  We don't actually do or create anything.  We're a country of people who do each other's laundry.  Instead of creating wealth, we just exchange the same old dollars, sprinkling more to anyone and everyone while we're at it. 

Sad. 

More BS

A Tale of Two Suzuki's

Most of us know the one called Saint Suzuki.  That's the Suzuki whose TV show, The Nature of Things, constantly lectures us about our lifestyle.  He says we need to consume less, buy less and use less fossil fuels.

But then there's another Suzuki, Secret Suzuki, because he's far less well-known.  Secret Suzuki is the one who lives on Vancouver's elite Point Grey Road, on a double lot, overlooking English Bay, right above the exclusive Kitsilano Yacht Club.  The City of Vancouver assesses the land value alone at over $8 million.  One of many Secret Suzuki's properties.

He has another million-dollar home in Vancouver. And then there's another home on Quadra Island.  That's three homes right there, if you count the double lot on Point Grey Road as just one property. 

And then there are his large property holdings on Nelson Island.  What's so fascinating about that one (Nelson Island) is that he co-owns the property with an oil company, Kootenay Oil Distributors Ltd.  They don't plan to drill for oil together.  It's a beautiful tourist spot — maybe perfect for a nice big condo development.  Of course, there's nothing wrong with co-owning any property along with an oil company.  But isn't Saint Suzuki against fossil fuel companies — especially oil companies?

Saint Suzuki - tells us that the world is desperately overcrowded, that we're overpopulated, and that we're going to run out of things.  But in his own life, Secret Suzuki has five children. There's nothing wrong with having five children. It's a blessing.  But then why does he think other people should have fewer kids?

Saint Suzuki - rails against corporations and profits.  He even gave a well-received anti-capitalist speech at the Occupy Vancouver protest.  Secret Suzuki - has several corporations.  One of them, the David Suzuki Foundation, took in a whopping $9 million last year and has $12 million in assets.  More than 10 million of that is invested in stocks and bonds.

Saint Suzuki - despises lobbyists, and says they have a disproportionate control of political power in Ottawa.  But Secret Suzuki - himself has nine paid lobbyists registered in Ottawa's lobbyist registry. Not one. Nine.

Saint Suzuki - despises politicians and says they can't be trusted.  But, Secret Suzuki - starred in a Liberal party TV ad along with former Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty.

Saint Suzuki - says corporations have to be less obsessed by profits and do more for the public good.  They need to especially think of the interests of the next generation, our children.  But Secret Suzuki - has made a tidy profit off young people.  His standard speaking fee at universities in Canada is $30,000 plus expenses.  He billed Quebec's John Abbott College a cool $41,000 to visit them.

Saint Suzuki - speaks in the language of tolerance and equality and liberalism — utterly politically correct.  But Secret Suzuki - engages in conduct that should cause feminists to raise an eyebrow.  When he visited John Abbott College, his assistant called with special requests to go along with his speaking fee.  Here is an internal e-mail from the college's Mary Milburn:

"We have learned, via Dr. Suzuki's assistant, that although the Dr. does not like to have bodyguards per se, he does not mind having a couple of ladies (females) that would act as body guards."  The college's Jim Anderson got involved in selecting the co-eds, too:

"Please be certain that the women are nicely dressed, we don't want them in
evening gowns, but definitely NOT Police Tech uniforms."

All of this bizarre selection of girls, dressed just so, was the result of
Secret Suzuki's special request.  If he were a conservative, he'd be called a dirty old man.

But he's a saint.  So the college went along with it.

David Suzuki is not a criminal, but he is not a saint.  He's a real person.  He is a capitalist multi-millionaire, a politician, a man with a staff of lobbyists, a prolific father and a wealthy landlord.  If only he'd stop scolding the Rest of Us for aspiring to do the same.

More "wrong"

As I sit in freezing Calgary, two other people who don't deserve to be enjoying our old cottage locale are up there for the weekend staying with the other two who don't deserve it:  Stepson and his girlfriend.  This is a guy who owes us a lot of money -- and I mean a lot -- but will never re-pay it.  Were he to, we could afford to take lots of trips to this beautiful place.

But he won't, so we can't.

So, there sit stepdaughter, her b-tch of a mother, stepson and his girlfriend all lounging around where they should not be.  As I said, all besmirching our name and dining out on our accomplishments.

Told B I was going to blog this to vent and he was fine with it because frankly, he too is disgusted and embarrassed by his kids' behaviour.  So, S__tt and S-r-ah, don't call him up and complain about this blog and tell him to make me delete it.  I have done that in the past, but I won't again.  If you don't like the truth, too bad. 

I am a truth teller. 

Can't connect the dots

"These women come from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe.  They should go back and help fix their countries and then come back and show us how it's done," said Trump the other day.

Guess he forgot his own wife comes from Slovenia, a dump of a country.  He called their countries "totally broken and crime-infested".  Fair enough, but inconveniently, three of the four women he was attacking were actually born in the US.  Melania was not.  Should she go back to her catastrophic, broken and crime-infested country?  Come to think of it, his first wife, Ivana, was also born in another country.  Gee, seems he's kind of a serial chaser of the Eastern European skirt. 

See, that's the kind of confused, knee-jerk comments that flow from his twitter feed.  So far, no one else has picked up on this "inconvenient truth".  

Other than the hypothermia....

....this year's Lake Windermere Open Water Swim was perfect!  My sixth, I did worse than any other year since I started in 2013 and only figured out why when my fire fighter son-in-law helpfully treated me for hypothermia at the finish.  Until then, I had no clue what had gone so badly wrong?!

The swim this year was three weeks earlier than every other, which apparently had a huge impact on the water temperature.  Half way to the 1K buoy, I could feel neither my hands and arms, nor feet and legs.  I was swimming on auto-pilot, trying not to think about how cold I was.  I literally crawled out of the water and stumbled across the timer -- to great cheers, mind you because I was the oldest.  As usual.  Son-in-law saw my uncontrollable shaking and quickly realized I was in trouble.  He and B helped me to the car and turned on the heat full blast. 

A very sweet woman and her little girl stayed with me the whole swim in their kayak because they too could see I was struggling in the cold water.  Lake Windermere, after all, is not really a lake.  It is part of the mighty Columbia River.  No wonder everyone else always wears a wet suit!  I usually do the 2K swim in just over an hour, 1:05-ish.  This year?  1:38!  Yes, I was slow, but I would not give up.  Here are a few souvenirs:

Just before the start, when I hadn't realized how cold the water was.  Note the wet suit on the other woman.  (I always wear a Swim Buddy, just in case.  Didn't need it, thankfully.

Daughter and me before her Olympic Distance triathlon.  She won, by the way.  I didn't!

The grands did a Kids' Tri.  Reed came second, Hilary third.  Chips off the old block, as they say.

Family dinner the night before.

Enjoying myself the night before.  No clue about what was to come!

Every year, a pair of Osprey Raptors nest atop a hydro pole in Invermere.  Fascinating.

The Three Sisters Mountain range in Canmore.

Daughter on the right collecting her first prize medal.  The woman on the left is someone I swim with every day.  Was surprised to see her there!



 



     

The most undeserving

That's who is going to have a two-week holiday at our sacred place again this year.  Stepdaughter and her mother.

This is the same mother who sent numerous lawyer's letters demanding we quit this club in order to pay her more money.  As if we weren't shelling out enough!  This is the same stepdaughter who was privileged to have been up at the club for 25 years on our dime, but who now dismisses what we did for her. 

I know I should be over this, but this is one file I cannot abide.  Stepdaughter is rewarding herself for having done nothing since she was let go (was going to say "fired", but am being charitable here) from her job a year-and-a-half ago.  Why she thinks she deserves a reward holiday is beyond me!  Where the money is coming from to support this n'ere-do-well and her husband is a mystery?  If you conjure up "The Real Housewives of.....whatever", you have a picture of how this Houstonite lives.  Oh, sorry, she doesn't have the money to compete.  

It's all so wrong.  B served on the board of the Gatineau Fish & Game Club for seven years and was president for two.  To think that these enemies are up there, besmirching our name and dining out on his accomplishments and our reputation is a scandal and a desecration. 

I wish nothing but ill on both of them.   

Yeah, pretty much.........

A friend sent this to me, but I can't figure out how to set this up correctly, but you get the picture.  Sadly, it's all true: 

. The Racist - Me? The term “Racist” Is an important tool in the Marxist tool bag.....A very effective one it seems. "This is an interesting and different point of view from Britain. Food for thought. Racist - me? A thought provoking passage written by an ENGLISHMAN   about the current situation in HIS homeland - this is thought provoking   and is equally relevant in other countries.Does make you stop and think. When does political correctness go too far?"

I have been wondering about why whites are racists, and no other race is? There are British Africans, British Chinese, British Asian, British Turks, etc., etc., etc. And then there are just British. You know what I mean, plain ole English people that were born here. You can include the Welsh, the Scottish and the people who live off our shores of Great Britain on tiny islands. Yes, we are all true Brits. The others that live here call me 'White boy,' 'Cracker,' 'Honkey,' 'Whitey,' 'Caveman' 'White trash' and that's OK...  But if I call you, Nigger, Spade, Towel head, Paki, Camel Jockey, Beaner, Gook or Chink, you call me a racist. You say that whites commit a lot of violence against you. So why are the ghettos the most dangerous places to live? You have the Muslim Council of Great Britain. You have Black History Month. You have swimming pools for Asian women. You have Islamic banks for Muslims only. You have year of the dragon day for Chinese people. If we had a White Pride Day, you would call us racists. If we had White History Month, we'd be racists. If we had any organization for only whites to 'advance' OUR lives, we'd be racists. A white woman could not be in the Miss Black Britain or Miss Asia, but any colour can be in the Miss UK. If we had a college fund that only gave white students scholarships, you know we'd be racists. There are over 200 openly proclaimed Muslim only schools in England. Yet if there were 'White schools only', that would be racist! In the Bradford riots and Toxteth riots, you believed that you were standing-up for your race and rights. If we stood-up for our race and rights, you would call us racists. You are proud to be black, brown, yellow and orange, and you're not afraid to announce it. But when we announce our white pride, you call us racists. We fly our flag, we are racists. If we celebrate St George's Day we are racists. You can fly your flag and it’s called diversity. You celebrate your cultures and it’s called multiculturalism. You rob us, carjack us, and rape our daughters. But, when a white police officer arrests a black gang member or beats up an Asian drug dealer running from the law and posing a threat to society, you call him a racist. I am proud.... but you call me a racist. Why is it that only whites can be racists?? There is nothing improper about this e-mail.  Let's see which of you are proud enough to send it on. I sadly don't think many will. That's why we have LOST most of OUR RIGHTS in this country. We won't stand up for ourselves! BEING PROUD TO BE WHITE! It's not a crime, YET... but it’s getting very close! It has been estimated that ONLY 55% of those reaching this point in this e-mail, will pass it on.

 

Buying it twice

Before I get to that, against my better judgement, I listened to yet another CBC broadcast about how terrible it was that native women have their children taken away.  This was the sad tale of one who had all four, fathered by different men, taken away in succession -- the last couple right at birth.

"She couldn't cope, so she started drinking and using drugs," said her cousin.  "It was the fault of the system."  Well, naturally!  But could it possibly have been that her drinking and drugging were the reasons the kids were taken away in the first place?  I mean, if you're a good mother, they don't take your kids away.  But no, every native interviewed blamed her whole predicament on "the system".  She did nothing wrong.  Man, their victimhood knows no bounds and the CBC, of course, falls for it, devoting all kinds of air time and money to blaming everyone except the parents. 

More on the native file reveals that a consortium of natives want to buy 51% of Trans Mountain.  But guess what?  They'll be doing it with our money -- the money poured into them by the rest of taxpaying Canadians via the Indian Act.  And since Trudeau and Morneau have already bought it with your money -- so they wouldn't have to build it, by the way -- Canadians will now be buying it again!  Wake up!

Sadly, no one ever wakes up on the native file.       

Scandalous

Apparently, the most recent stats tell us that....wait for it....Canada's asylum system can't cope with all the illegals sliding across the border.  The backlog is now 75,000 and likely to grow.  OMG.  For 2019, we're handing over $1.18 billion to pay for this fiasco. 

It's unconscionable.

We've only deported a small minority of the tens of thousands of "irregular" asylum seekers who have strolled into the country in just the past two years.  Only 723, of the almost 3,000, processed have been removed because all legal (free to them) avenues have to be exhausted before they can be removed. Only 2,277 to go!

In the meantime, it costs approximately $320 per day per illegal.  Let's see, will my calculator go that far?  That would be $728,640 per day we're shelling out -- not including the thousands who have yet to be processed.  I guess it's multiple millions per DAY!  Countries have borders and laws because they are....well....countries.  People can't just ignore this fact, but they are.  Meanwhile, those following the legal route to get here go to the back of the line.  The incompetence is breathtaking and I am so sick of it.
_____________________________________

Another stupid little tale is the uproar over the fact that CSIS is actually spying on people.  Wow, what a shocker!  A spy agency is actually spying!  The BC Civil Liberties Association -- naturally it's BC -- is going to release documents that show it was monitoring the activities of native and enviro groups about protests they were organizing.  I would imagine this was because violence was feared.  Isn't that what CSIS is supposed to do?  I guess BC would also be outraged were CSIS spying on terrorists and the like. 

So ludicrous.             

Still shocks me when I see it all laid out............

This is from 'The Calgary Sun'.  We are being scammed and have been for generations.  Read it and weep...............

 

... AND NOW GREY AND BRUCE COUNTIES ARE BEING SUED FOR $80B AND THEY WANT UNDERWATER LAND RIGHTS TO PART OF LAKE HURON. 
 
  This was sent to me and sure many of us are confused with the treaties that are out there and how they are used or misused. 

This was published to provide information about those who stand against pipelines.

If you were wondering why aboriginals always want an inquiry into anything and everything they can dream up, just think of free hotel stays, free food and incidentals, not to mention the bar fridge that gets stocked up every day in their rooms.

This Calgary Sun article tells some staggering truths and historical facts.

I hope you are open-minded enough to make an objective read.

I will add one interesting fact - since 1946 the Canadian Government has spent 

$3,300,000,000,000.00 - that is 3.3 TRILLION on Indian Affairs with NO RETURN on the investment.

This should be reading material for ALL Canadians.  This article is absolutely correct.  Some very interesting statistics for each individual to consider but anyone with a background knows this to be  true already!  The fact is that the bleeding hearts and vote mongering Politicians don't want the general public to know this, so let's spread it around!!  

Judging from an article in The Calgary Sun entitled  "Enough is Enough", a National Inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women is NOT what needs to be done and Harper was right in not pursuing this time wasting expensive suggestion supported by both the NDP and Liberals.  Chief Ronald Morin of the Enoch band west of Edmonton is paid $750,000.00 per year by the federal government (YOU).

He spends winters at his winter home in Las Vegas, 4 car garage & swimming pool.

Not all the people in his band live like kings.   Still every Chief of an Indian Band in Canada makes more than our Prime Minister.   Harper brought in the "Accountability Act" so that these Chiefs would have to tell their band members and the rest of us where the money was being spent.  It is the taxpayers' money and we have the right to know where all this money is going.  One of Trudeau's first acts as Prime Minister was to throw out the "Accountability Act".    If you were paying attention at all and did your research you would understand this tragedy, the real issues and what needs to be done to address them.

Some statistics:

• According to the RCMP: Out of 6,420 missing persons in Canada 1,455 are women, of those 164 are aboriginal.

• 88% of murders of aboriginal women have been solved by police

• 89% of murders of non-aboriginal women have been solved by police

• Between 1980 and 2012 there were 20,313 murders in Canada.

• 6,551 of those victims were women and 1,017 of those were aboriginal women.

 

Here's where it gets even more interesting:

• Almost 30% of the 1,017 aboriginal women were murdered by their husbands.

• 23% were murdered by another family member.

• 30% were murdered by an acquaintance.

• So, only about 8% of aboriginal women were murdered by strangers.

 

More statistics:

• 44% of the family members and acquaintances who kill aboriginal women were drunk.

• 74% of the murderers of aboriginal women are unemployed.

 

AND NOW THE MOST SHOCKING:

• 71% of the murderers of aboriginal women already had a criminal record.

• 53% had been convicted before of a violent crime;

• 62% had a history of violence with the specific murder victim herself. 

 

To be clear, there are some Chiefs and aboriginal communities in this country that are doing well, for various reasons, but much of it has to do with their leadership.

Chief Clarence Louie of the Osoyoos Indian Band is an excellent example of quality leadership, but no one (especially the media & government) ever talk about him and his people.

Here are the REAL issues:

1.   Welfare.   The billions of tax payer dollars that go to support aboriginal people, not only in living expenses but free education, free medical, no taxation, etc. has crippled them (as it has crippled many non-aboriginal Canadians for generations).

I would venture to say many of them have not worked a day in their lives.

2.   Corrupt leadership who have no idea how to lead, manage, inspire or teach their people .... who take for themselves and their families and friends and are not accountable to anyone (as evidenced most strongly by Chief Theresa Spence in Attawapiskat.) and blame, blame, blame the Canadian Government.

3.  Alcohol and drug abuse, gang violence .... all contributing factors in the crime rate on reserves, lack of parenting, family violence and poverty.

4.  A two-tiered justice system that gives aboriginal offenders lighter sentences, or no sentences at all, allowing them back into their communities to continue to abuse the same aboriginal women again and again .... often resulting in death (as evidenced by the 83% who were murdered by their husbands, a family member or an acquaintance).  If you want a National Inquiry .... it should be on this issue..

When you say "It is inconceivable that we, as a country, allowed this situation to continue"  .... and "We urgently need to acknowledge the systemic aspect of this crisis instead of ignoring or dismissing it.  " What are your intended solutions?"

A National Inquiry is not going to fix these problems!

Giving the aboriginals more of hard earned Canadian taxpayer dollars is NOT going to fix this problem!  WHAT ARE YOUR REAL SOLUTIONS TO THE REAL ISSUES?

Let's get this straight.

This land does not belong to them and they never were a 'Nation'.

These people's ancestors did not just appear in North America, magically out of thin air one day 40 or 50,000 years ago.  They came in  waves across the land/ice bridge from Asia.  What's more, these waves, in many cases, were not related groups of people.  They came from various places around North Eastern Asia and were from different genetic strains.  In other words, the "natives of North America" are not a homogenous group of people and more importantly...they are immigrants too.  Like millions of immigrants today.

The idea that the "natives" were peaceful caretakers of the land or benevolent tenants couldn't be further from the truth. The various tribes right across Canada warred on each other constantly.
They were violent.  Want proof?  Ask the Hurons ... oh, that's right you can't. The Iroquois' wiped them out.

How about slavery that was rife among all the first nation tribes until the Europeans came and freed the slaves and put an end to this "valued cultural tradition".  Is slavery peaceful and humane?

The idea that we "stole" this land from them is also ridiculous.  A more technologically advanced and numerous culture invaded and conquered.

This is exactly what has been happening since the dawn of humanity all around the globe.  To say we "stole" their lands is just plain wrong.  That is akin to saying the Saxons should return England to the Angles. Or maybe we should launch a campaign to have the Roman descendants give Italy back to the Etruscans.  It is a nonsensical notion driven by the politically correct bleeding hearts, some intellectually deficient politicians and pressure on the Government from lobbying groups.  Also, by the Indian people.  It will continue to cost this country needless and wasted trillions until we get some backbone and turn off the taps.

Are these people in trouble?   Yes.

Do they need help?   Yes.

Are they responsible enough to look after themselves and efficiently spend the billions that tax payers give them? CERTAINLY NOT! 

The only way to fix this situation is to bring them into society as equals.  Getting jobs and paying taxes like the rest of us because in reality, they are no more special than any of the other numerous cultures that now call Canada home.

Just as London isn't England....

...so Toronto isn't Canada.  The harassment of Kawai Leonard is a disgrace and will be one of the reasons he will not sign with the Raptors.  I mean, he wouldn't have anyway, but the constant attention and lack of normal privacy certainly doesn't help.  The poor guy can't even enjoy a meal at a restaurant without people flocking around and bugging him.  Even helicopters are following him!

Were he living in small-town Ontario -- or any other Canadian hamlet -- people would leave him alone because Canadians are courteous and mindful of others' privacy and personal space.  But, as I say, Toronto is not Canada.  It's Toronto.

In London a few years ago, we experienced the same thing.  The big city was full of loud foreigners haggling and yelling in a multitude of languages over business in swanky hotels and restaurants.  In some cultures, the louder one yells, the more important one believes one is.  However, in the countryside, England was in full view when we took the train to visit B's Mum.  The pubs, filled with polite and friendly patrons and owners, were a delight.  I have to say, it was a great relief to discover England was still "there".
_________________________________________

Just wanted to say a few words about today's essay in The Globe and Mail by a Muslim woman who extolls the virtues of the niqab.  Sorry, I don't buy it.  She claims she wants to communicate and chat with people, but they don't reciprocate.  If all you can see are her eyes, that's not communication and it's not welcoming.  I see the niqab as sexist; she says she wears it as gratitude to her Lord.  I'm not a scholar of the Koran, but everything I have read says the niqab and burka are not mandatory, but the fact that girls must start covering themselves at puberty indicates to me there's obviously something related to sexuality at the root of it.

"Do these people assume (sic, should be "presume") I am oppressed, acting upon the dictate of my husband and blindly following my religion?" she asks.  Well, frankly, yes.  "I simply wear the niqab to please my Lord," she adds.  How this "pleases her Lord" mystifies me?  Is she saying that if anyone saw her face or any part of her body "her Lord" would be angry? Certainly, no loving God as I envision the deity, would be displeased.

She concludes by saying, "All I ask is for people to be open-minded and communicate openly."  My dear girl, open communication involves the entire face and hands, so covering both kind'a rules that out.  "If you ask me a question, we can bridge the gap in between."  Do you think your average mall shopper would walk up to you and start chatting?  Never gonna happen.  The non-face you present to the world makes it impossible.          

Luck of the Irish

That's what B had going for him when he called his Houston grands the other day.  He got his son-in-law on the phone and so was able to have a great chat with him and with his grandson and granddaughter. 

Until his daughter came home and grabbed the phone.

He does not call to talk to his daughter.  That relationship is done.  But he does want to have a relationship with his grands.  They need to know him.  We loved having his grandson here in Calgary a year ago, but sadly, that's all over.  Why his daughter had to grab the phone and interrupt his chat with his grandson is not a mystery.  She has to control everything.  Sadly.

Hopefully, when they are of age, we will not have to go through that gate-keeper to have a relationship with his grands.  The apple doesn't fall far from the maternal tree.   

Wimbledon 2004

That's when we saw Roger win his second Wimbledon Men's title after defeating Andy Roddick.  We were actually there!  It was the most exciting tennis I have ever seen.  Cathal Kelly had a wonderful column about Wimbledon in The Globe and Mail yesterday. 

"Wimbledon is the year's premier tennis tournament," he writes.  And it is.  "No other place on Earth seems so purpose-designed to deflect the tawdriness of gossip.  You walk through the gates and everything is just so.  The grounds, the concessions, the flower pots.  Even the people are just so.  The security guards look like they summer in the Cotswolds.  One of them gives your jean jacket a full up-and-down, 'wretched  foreigners' perusal and you feel something like shame.  You should've packed your lime-green slacks and club blazer."

Pretty much it.

He talks about how pristine Wimbledon looks on TV, but in real life it is more so.  That's what I noticed because everyone is so civilized.  The security guards are members of the army, air force and navy -- not rent-a-cops -- and they are "in charge", but quietly.  Two young ladies near us became "over-refreshed" and as a black car drove quietly up, they were simply escorted into it and out.  No fuss, no muss.  It was perfect.  I felt as if I were in Church.

Wimbledon sets the tone and it is, "Mind your Manners".  That's what tennis used to be about when I was a kid and teenager growing up in Ottawa.  You wore white only -- as you still do at Wimbledon -- and you behaved.  Wimbledon is about Wimbledon.  It's platonic and remains the ideal of tennis.  Unfortunately, the Americans got in there and fouled it all up.  Tennis is no longer a game of finesse.  Rather it is a game of baseline pounding until someone hits it out, or into the net.  Gone are the lobs, gone is the beautiful serve-and-volley game of Edberg and Navratilova.  It's all just pound, pound, pound. 

I was glad Sverev was defeated in the first round.  Don't like that rude kid.  Congratulations to Felix Auger-Assilieme.  Will watch with joy as the tournament unfolds.

p.s.  Don't like Pimms.  Yuck.