Sleeping on the floor.....

.....in a $6 K mink coat.  Not something I recommend, but when you're shuttled off to Regina, instead of directly to Toronto, landing at 2 a.m. and awaiting a 9 a.m. flight, that's what you do in an abandoned airport.  

Yep, Merry Christmas via Canada's dysfunctional airport and airline systems.  I thought I was in a version of 'Close Encounters'.  Now, I run neither an airline nor an airport, but if I did, I'd probably figure in a couple of givens:  This is Canada, expect winter.  This is Canada, expect a bunch of cold Canadians to fly south over Christmas.  Wouldn't you plan for this stuff?  

Googling the airport authority, I learn that Trish Martynook is the chair (dyed blonde) and she has 11 colleagues, five of which are women -- the latter comprising the usual token array of visible minorities, etc.  So, that's the problem, in my view:  Affirmative action tripping up competence.  By the way, funny thing, but I didn't see Trish at the airport helping stranded travelers when we were schlepping around the premises.  Wonder what that gig pays her?

However, eventually boarding the Toronto-bound plane at 10 a.m., we sat on the tarmac until noon, while the lone de-icing vehicle unfroze a few flights in line before us.  Frankly, this (wanna-be) tough cookie was verging on tears as the hours ticked by.  As an aside, my misery was compounded by the fact that, instead of the expensive priority seats we had paid for up front, we were shuffled off and jammed into the cattle rows.  No clue why our seats had been given away, but I'm not going to fight for a refund.  That'd be another time-waster of a disasterous ordeal.

I wasn't sleeping on the baggage carousel, but close.  

(Note:  When I watch coverage of Ukraine, I am heartily ashamed of my whining self.  Nevertheless, I bitch on.)

Eventually we landed in Toronto -- a day late.  But our son was there to greet us with hugs and love.  We stayed at the Park Hyatt, previously the Park Plaza, smack, dab in the Centre of the Universe at Avenue Road and Bloor.  A word about the Park Hyatt:  The old Park Plaza was the place journalists and writers used to hang after a hard day of slogging type.  At the time, I worked for Maclean Hunter as a journalist with the likes of Margaret Wente and Christie Blatchford -- both of whom went on to forge illustrious careers, while I somehow ended up slogging tax returns at Revenue Canada.  Go figure!?  I like to dream that I could have risen to greater heights, but that's what I got for following "love".

In homage to Canadian writers, there is a rooftop bar called 'The Writers Room', festooned with cartoon likenesses of Atwood, Richler and other usual suspects.  B went to bed right after dinner.  Me?  Of course I took the elevator to the top floor to re-live my glory days.  Judging by the "in" crowd there, Toronto really is the Centre of the Universe -- and I'm not being facetious, it just is.  I loved the ambiance and sat there on my own, observing the action and antics of the gathered patrons.  

Of course, it is ludicrous that a bar dedicated to "writers" spells it incorrectly.  As I didn't hesitate to point out, "Writers" needs an apostrophe -- otherwise it reads, "Writers Room....at hotels in downtown."  "Room" becomes a verb without the possessive.  Duh!?  It really is absurd in the extreme that a bar dedicated to writers can't get its name right.  Unless it was meant as a joke (which I am sure it wasn't), it's a very, bad look.  Naturally, I pointed it out to all-and-sundry -- including the assistant manager.

One couple fixated me:  A man desperately trying to firm up an evening of intimacy with his date -- OK, he was trying to get laid.  You could tell they didn't know each other well because they were so engrossed in each other; after many, married years, this feature fades.  Anyhow, he was gazing into her eyes and touching her shoulder as they chatted; she was coyly swinging her crossed leg and laughing sweetly at his every bon mot.  As their drinks dwindled, he became more emboldened -- eventually upping the ante to caressing her leg.  After taking a selfie on the balcony, with the dazzling CN Tower in the background, they left, presumably to complete his mission.  

________________________

We also had a lovely visit with B's ex-brother-in-law, J, one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet.  He and B have remained friends -- in spite of the hideous, money-draped divorce the former's sister insisted upon all those years ago.  How those two were put together with the same genes, I'll never know?!  Chalk and cheese spring to mind.  But I digress.  Did I mention J is a charmer and the best-dressed man I know?  He arrived clad in a magnificent cashmere coat, wool pants, stylish loafers, a crisp white shirt and a beautiful, beige cashmere sweater.  GQ anyone?  Thankfully, I had put on makeup and a stylish outfit I knew he would admire.  Here we are:

_________________________

Leaving Toronto, our airport experience was perfect.  Westjet hadn't given away our seats, so we enjoyed stretching our legs and partaking of the wine and goodies proferred (B does not drink alcohol, so I enjoyed the wine all by my lonesome).

Our flight was a tad delayed, so I messaged our Uber driver several times to apprise him of new details as they arose.  Naturally, when we arrived, he was nowhere to be found.  "I'll be there in half-an-hour," he texted.  Really?!  So much for Uber.  We took a taxi and were unsurprisingly ripped off, as the driver drove us through Calgary to get to Cochrane.  "Where the hell are you going?" I kept asking.  "I'm the taxi driver; I know where I'm going," he kept replying.  Instead of $70, it cost us $100.  I was pissed and let him know but I guess when a taxi driver picks up a couple of old people, he just automatically screws them.

All in all, however, it was a great visit!  And yes, the Hyatt served turkey, as per the fuss I kicked up.  (See "Almost Outrageous", Oct. 17, 2022)  I miss my sweet son already.  

         

   

Deer to the rescue!

T'was the night before Christmas and all down Glendale Way, the deer were prancing to help with Santa's sleigh.  

B in his armchair and I on the couch,

Had just settled down for a Christmas Eve talk,

When what to my wondering eye should appear, but six sturdy deer in search of some nosh.

Yes, that's what happened this evening; six deer scampered down our street, stopping at our feeders and lingering on the front lawn in hopes of clearing out some leftover bird seed.  

It was a magical moment because I knew they were going to join Santa as soon as they'd had a seed top-up.  As I looked out the window, I believe I actually saw them rising and leaping into the night sky -- just as Santa's sleigh passed overhead, needing some reinforcement.

Ah, Christmas in Cochrane.  Such a wonderful time! 

How ironic.....

....that Henry Lewis, chief of the Onion Lake Indian Band, is suing Danielle Smith and the UCP over Bill 1, her "Sovereignty Within a United Canada" act.  Lewis is the same chief being sued by band member Charmaine Stick over the transparency of the band's money and what the chief and his cronies are doing with it.

I hope he loses because so far, he has stonewalled Ms. Stick, who has been fighting for transparency since 2016.  (In fact, I exchanged a few messages with her and even donated to her legal fund.)  Frankly, the fact that Lewis is challenging the bill means he's afraid Premier Smith will interfere with the hitherto ease with which money flows unaccounted for into his bank accounts.  I mean, what else could it be?

He cites Treaty 6, which natives signed in 1876 with Queen Victoria and claim is still valid.  But here's a bulletin:  All such treaties ultimately take a back seat to the Canadian Constitution Act of 1982.  In any case, there's no need to fret because Ms. Smith's bill will wither and die, once the courts rule on the many lawsuits that will soon clog various halls of justice, so Chief Lewis can let out a loud, relieved "Whew". 

And anyway, what does "Sovereignty Within a United Canada" even mean?  One contradicts the other, doesn't it?  Smith should know by now that the only province permitted to trample all over the constitution anytime it wants over anything it wants is Quebec.  Alberta will be slapped down hard -- although slapping down Alberta, while leaving Quebec to have its way will prove problematic.  

Ah well, never mind.  Another day, another pair of socks to pick out and another round of selfies.

__________________________________

Just saw this in today's 'Globe and Mail'.  The natives want a three-year extension on their lawsuit for MORE money for "survivors" of day schools.  MORE!  Isn't $1.4 billion enough!!!!!  Guess not!

Our "feminist" PM

The scandal over Mary Ng's involvement in the awarding of a contract to her BFF -- something which is actually against the law -- is just another ho-hum for this scandal-plagued government.  Afterall, Trudeau has already been convicted of at least three conflict-of-interest violations himself.

But the reason Trudeau won't fire Ng is because he's a self-proclaimed "feminist" and she's a woman.  To fire her would contravene this hallowed declaration.  But here's my question:

How can a man who has groped a reporter, saying she remembered it "differently", manhandled a female MP, shoved another out of the House of Commons and pushed several other sexual accusations under the sleaze carpet say he is a "feminist"?!  It beggars belief!

I have written three letters to the editor of  'The Globe and Mail' and none has been published.  I tried to make them as objective and innocuous as possible, but it's hard to write about his misdeeds without calling them misdeeds.  Here they are:    

"1.  Dear Editor,

 "Having a cabinet minister as a BFF is evidently one way to secure a contract, but having a self-proclaimed “feminist” as a prime minister is another way of guaranteeing the minister who let that contract suffers absolutely no consequences.  Afterall, how can a prime minister fire a female minister and still remain committed to feminism?  The fact Ms. Ng actually broke the law pales in comparison to Mr. Trudeau’s unwavering fealty to his avowed objective of having a gender-balanced cabinet, “because it’s 2015”.

 "It’s an insult to those of us who went to the barricades in the late sixties to promote real feminism, not tokenism and slogans.  No one is above the law – not even a cabinet minister just because she is a female.

 "2.  Dear Editor,

 "Mary Ng will not resign because the prime minister will not ask her to.  Why?  Because he is a self-proclaimed “feminist” and she is a woman.  Styling oneself a feminist, in spite of a number of examples to the contrary – i.e., the elbowing of a female MP in the House and the manhandling of another; the Jody Wilson Raybould bullying incident and the claim that a female journalist remembered a groping incident “differently” – precludes his asking Ms. Ng to step down. 

 "Never mind that she broke the law by awarding a contract to a long-time friend, to ask for Ms. Ng’s resignation would fly in the face of Mr. Trudeau’s “feminism”.  Won’t happen.  That’s an insult to those of us who went to the barricades in the late sixties to try and stop such sexist behaviour.  For shame.

"3.  Dear Editor,

 "Mary Ng will not resign.  Remember who put her there:  Our “feminist” prime minister.  To ask for her resignation would require Mr. Trudeau to admit he had made a mistake and, judging by his usual behaviour and contrariness, that can’t be possible.  No, Ms. Ng will remain in cabinet."

Is 'The Globe' also in bed with this government?  You have to wonder.  Finally, a columnist in 'The Calgary Herald' has lambasted Ng and Trudeau about their lawlessness.  Tasha Kheiriddin calls Ng's transgression "just the tip of a terrible iceberg" and lists Trudeau's many ethics violations -- including the ones in my letters, above.  

"Mary Ng should resign.  But she won't, because if she goes, it follows that the whole house should fall with her," says Kheiriddin.  Her column gave me the opening to try my letter out in 'The Herald'.  We'll see if they publish it.       

They did, this morning.  Here it is:

If you vote for Trudeau, you're voting for all this

Trudeau’s four years of Accomplishments

Here’s a list........worth the read lest we forget........


-Your minister of finance engaged in insider trading – should be a 10-year sentence.

-You blew the Asia Pacific deal.

-You blew the helicopter deal with the Philippines.

-You blew the pipeline deal (you're now trying to save yourself from it).

-You blew the deal with China.

-You blew the deal with Europe.

-You invited "irregular" -- i.e., illegal -- immigration into Canada and the taxpayer
foots the enormous bill for it.

-You alienated the United States – our largest trading partner.

-At the G7 you pledged $400 million to Education around the world, along with another $180 million to the Global Partnership for Education in Europe. None of it is going to fix our messed-up school systems here at home. Meanwhile, education costs are skyrocketing for our youth making university a mountain too high for many to climb.

-You pledged $241 million to Family Planning around the world including a $20 million donation to the Bill and Hillary Clinton Foundation (because they have integrity!). This all happened while you
told veterans that they were asking for too much.

-You pledged $2.65 billion to climate change at the Commonwealth Leaders Summit and now you’re trying to bully the provinces into new taxes to pay for this pledge.

-You pledged $300 million to the Rohingya Refugee crisis while we have a refugee crisis of our own flooding into Quebec that you won't address.

-You pledged $125 million to Caribbean Reconstruction while our own infrastructure in cities is falling apart.

-You pledged $650 million to Sexual and Reproductive health in Haiti and around the globe wanting safer abortions for women while many women in our own country are left without a family doctor.

-You pledged $50 million to Palestine for flood relief when NB had some of the worst floods in decades this past spring.

-You pledged $840 million to Syria for Humanitarian Assistance when half the native reserves in our country don't have clean drinking water.

-You gave $10.5 million to a convicted...CONVICTED terrorist in a backroom deal that has led to another $30.8 million paid out for three others who say they were wrongfully detained.

-You spent $4.5 billion on a 65-year-old pipeline, and now the court have ruled it shut down. Now it's back on (at a delay cost of $250 million) - a good investment for Canada you said? (And KM uses that
money to build a pipeline in Texas)

-You pressured Jody Wilson Raybould repeatedly & INAPPROPRIATELY with several different high-ranking officials to offer SNC Lavalin a DPA instead of prosecution for repeated & sustained corruption AFTER the former AG had determined they were ineligible for such a deal. You lied about the above having ever taken place.

-You replaced Canada’s old F-18s with Australia’s old F-18s.

-Your bizarre love of all things Castro.

-You imposed tough regulations and taxes on oil from Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Newfoundland but not oil from Saudi Arabia.

-Every new project has to undergo strict environmental assessments...except cement plants in Quebec.

-You said that a proposed pipeline must consider “the intersection of sex and gender with other identity factors” (what does that even mean???)

-You think older Canadians should be replaced. How is -that moral?

-You chase foreign companies (and their investment capital) out of the country like they have the plague.

-You chased our WW1 soldiers out of our national anthem... lest we forget.

-You continuously use identity politics...then complain about identity politics.

-You forgot Alberta was a province.

-You called small business owners “tax cheats”.

-People voice concern over money spent on illegal immigration and you call them intolerant racists.

-We have an equalization program, but you give half of it to one province.

-You spent $8 million on a skating rink (vanity project) when Canada's largest skating rink is 500 meters -away.

-You added tens of billions to the national debt while lying to Canada's face about it.

-You groped a woman and when caught - laughed about it (MacLean's interview) and said she experienced it differently.

-You elbowed a female MP while dragging another MP by the arm in a petulant huff.

-You renamed Fishermen to "Fisher-folk"

-People kind? (international embarrassment)

-You got India to invest $250 million in Canada but we have to invest $750 million in India first.

-You compared returning ISIS terrorists to Italian immigrants and said they will be an extraordinarily powerful voice for Canada. 

-You let terrorists keep their Canadian citizenship.

-You spent $212,234 on the artwork for the cover of the 2017 budget report.

-You think Canada is 100 years old instead of 150.

-You spent upwards to $348,000 on food and alcohol in five flights on our government’s plane. On your G20 trip to Argentina, you spent $103,000 on food and alcohol alone. How is that even possible?

-You gave Canadian taxpayers' money to Hamas.

-You voice outrage over fake racist attacks and say nothing about real terrorist attacks.

-You took 10 vacations in a single year. Who does this??

-You spent a little over $1.5 million on the trip to India that did nothing but worsen ties. Plus paid over $17,000 to bring an Indian chef to India to cook Indian cuisine and to top it off, invited a convicted attempted assassin to a dinner and posed for pics with him.

-And you’re the only PM convicted of ethics violations. (multiple times in fact)

-You allegedly destroyed the career of one of Canada’s honest military leaders to cover up possible massive government corruption in shipbuilding contracts.

-You invited Joshua Boyle, an alleged perpetrator of sexual assault and unlawful confinement for a photoshoot in the Office of the Prime Minister.

-You threaten to sue the leader of the opposition then chickened out when you realized that your alleged crimes would be exposed in court.

-You offer over $600 million dollars in subsidies to failing mainstream media outlets if they can prove to be trustworthy.

 -You put a union who vows to destroy your opposition in charge of selecting these new “trusted” sources to receive funding.

-You pay off your friends to engage in election ads for you and get Elections Canada to pay for it.

-$12 million to Loblaws for new refrigerators.

-You made public statements of deep admiration for Chinese communism.

-You wore preposterous, inappropriate costumes during a state visit to India, paid for by Canadians.

-You were instrumental in handing WE almost $1 billion for work that could be done by regular already established operations...your mother and brother received over $300,000 from WE for short speeches that normally do not receive payment.

-You have been instrumental in allowing a company with strong communist party ties to perform communications and security work with our embassies.

What moral, functioning Canadian human could possibly justify voting for you??  YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!  WAKE UP AND DO THE RIGHT THING FOR CANADA AND GET RID OF THIS MONSTER BEFORE HE COMPLETELY DESTROYS THIS COUNTRY!!

  

Queer White House event

Some of these are worth re-posting.......like this one:

Why Invite A Drag Queen To The White House?

 

December 13, 2022

 

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on a queer White House event today:

 

President Biden will sign the Respect for Marriage Act today, codifying gay marriage. Among the guests will be Marti Gould Cummings. “To be a non binary drag queen artist invited to the White House is something I never imagined would happen.”

 

Cummings is not who he says he is. There is no such thing as a “non-binary” person—such creatures are a figment of his imagination. In 2019, he was more honest when he said, “I’m a gay man in dress.”

 

Why was a drag queen invited to a White House ceremony heralding same-sex marriage? It is telling that it did.

 

Drag queens have nothing to do with the lives of most homosexuals, but they are integral to the radical LGBT agenda. And what is that agenda? To normalize homosexuality, beginning with two-year olds. This is not an exaggeration. Here’s the proof.

 

Cummings is known to partake in Drag Queen Story Hour (DQSH), seizing the opportunity provided by libraries to “entertain” little kids. But to what end? Clowns entertain kids, too, but there is nothing sexual about their performance.

 

Michelle Tomasik, who goes by the name Michelle Tea, founded DQSH in San Francisco in 2015. She told a gay media outlet that the goal was to introduce kids to the “LGBTQ+ culture.” And what might that be?

 

The American Library Association (ALA) is responsible for the spread of DQSH across the country; local libraries pay homosexuals to run the events. A blog post to the ALA a few years ago encouraged librarians to promote the LGBT agenda by “sneakily fit[ting] stuff in current programs.” Sneaking it by parents, of course.

 

One of the most popular books stocked by libraries is The Gender Fairy. It is meant for infants. It tells them “only you know whether you are a boy to girl. No one can tell you.” Again, this is aimed at subverting parental rights. Similarly, a teacher was caught on video telling her class, “It’s OK to be different. There is no such thing as ‘boy’ or ‘girl’ things.” The students were first graders.

 

It’s all about “gender fluidity,” the intentional warping of children’s minds, beckoning them to question whether they are really happy being a boy or a girl. This is called grooming. It is also child abuse.

 

So what has any of this to do with an event that purports to celebrate gay marriage? The White House knows the answer, otherwise Cummings would not have been invited. The purpose is to demonstrate that drag queens are integral to LGBT culture.

 

No one epitomizes the link between drag queens and the LGBT culture better than Ru Paul. Not only is he the most famous drag queen of all time, he boasts of his relationship with Georges LeBar, calling it an “open marriage.” It would be astonishing to learn that he was monogamous.

 

In other words, the link between “gender fluidity” and promiscuity is tight: both are an assault on the Judeo-Christian understanding of sex—God created male and female—and a sexual ethic that stresses the virtue of restraint. Libertinism—the absence of sexual strictures—is what defines the radical LGBT agenda.

 

Cummings says he began his role as a drag queen as a testimony to “genderf***ing.” What does this mean? According to its adherents, it is “a form of gender expression that seeks to subvert the traditional gender binary or gender roles by mixing traditionally masculine (such as a beard) and traditionally feminine (such as a dress) components.”

 

In short, the goal of drag queens is “to intentionally confuse the audience.” The target audience, remember, is children. Drag queens want to get to the kids because children are formative, and they resent the fact that they are denied by nature from having children of their own. Hence, the impulse to groom.

 

I mentioned how the LGBT agenda is to normalize homosexuality, beginning with two-year olds. According to Billboard, in 2019, Cummings posted a video on Twitter and Instagram of him singing “Baby Shark” to “a 2-year-old boy.”

 

There is something very sick going on in the White House. Even more perverse, it is being championed by our “devout Catholic” president.

 

Contact White House Secretary: Karine.Jean-Pierre@who.eop.gov

The highjacking of Christmas

This was sent to me from a friend in Texas.  It is an excellent take on how Christmas and Christians have been highjacked, as we sit around taking it.  

_____________________________

Invoking Inclusivity To Neuter Christmas

 

December 7, 2022

 

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on attempts to weaken the significance of Christmas:

 

Many demographic groups have celebratory events, and some even enjoy a holiday to commemorate their special day. In the spirit of diversity, these groups should be allowed to participate in their events without others seeking to crash them in the name of inclusivity.

 

It’s really a very simple principle. If those not associated with an event are allowed to hijack it—so as to draw attention to their own cause or group—they would effectively neuter its raison d’être.

 

Those bent on diluting the meaning of Christmas are very good at playing this dishonest game. For example, over the past few decades there has been a push to give equal recognition to Eastern religions in the month of December. Any month could have been chosen, but they chose December for obvious reasons. This kind of contrived competition is intentionally meant to undermine the uniqueness of Christmas.

 

The latest attempt to subvert Christmas is coming from the LGBT crowd, clearly the most narcissistic element in society. Never satisfied with having days—even months—set aside in recognition for who they are, they have decided to invade Christmas by flashing their drag queens. Their target audience is children.

 

A controversy emerged last year in Taylor, Texas when drag queens jumped aboard a Pride float dancing and lip syncing to Christmas carols beneath a glittering rainbow arch. After a priest objected, making his case to the ministers who ran the Christmas parade, the Protestant clergy took his side, and changed their rules, saying all floats must “not conflict with traditional and biblical family values.”

 

The issue didn’t go away this year, tearing the residents apart.

 

A spokeswoman for the city defended the inclusion of the drag queens saying, “We couldn’t co-sponsor an event that wasn’t open to everybody in the city.” She obviously did not think this through.

 

The Christmas parade organizers never said that only some people can participate. The only caveat, which is necessitated by the very meaning of the parade, is that everyone respect “traditional and biblical family values.” Gay floats with drag queens are not there to honor these values—they are there to compete with, if not eviscerate, them.

 

Sometimes an analogy helps to understand what’s at stake.

 

New York City has a Salute to Israel parade each year. Would it make any sense, given the name of the parade, to allow Palestinian terrorists to march with a banner, “Death to Israel”?

 

Another supporter of the drag queens in the Christmas parade said she has a message for the ministers: “You don’t get to decide who celebrates Christmas. You are creating an environment of hate and fear, that is what leads men to commit mass murders.”

 

Leaving aside the deranged remark about mass murderers, the ministers do, in fact, get to decide who celebrates Christmas. It’s their parade.

 

Who gets to decide who celebrates Gay Pride parades? Those who sponsor them? Or everyone else, including those who want to ban them?

 

Martin Luther King Day excludes racists. President’s Day includes only presidents, past and present. St. Patrick’s Day honors the patron saint of one country, namely Ireland. At a minimum, Mother’s Day excludes fathers and Father’s Day excludes mothers. Memorial Day excludes the living, and those who did not die for their country.

 

Labor Day is for workers only. Yom Kippur excludes non-Jews. Columbus Day pays tribute to Columbus. Veteran’s Day excludes those who never served. Hanukkah is not for Christians. Christmas is not for non-Christians. The only two holidays that recognize everyone—without diluting their meaning—are the 4th of July and Thanksgiving (fortunately, America haters usually exclude themselves).

 

In other words, holidays, and other special days, acknowledge our diversity. That is why those who try to jam celebrations that are extrinsic to these events, in the name of inclusion, need to be defeated. Their intolerance should not be tolerated.

 

E-mail: pr@catholicleague.org 

Of course he's a Nazi

That's what a dinner guest said to another at a dinner party we held in Ottawa a number of years ago.  We were discussing a mutual acquaintance who hailed from Brazil, but was very blonde and blue-eyed.  I had jokingly said, "Well, maybe he's a Nazi," to which a left-leaning guest objected and said, "Well, you can't make that assumption...."

He hadn't even finished his NDP reply when this woman whirled around and emphatically said, "Of course he's a Nazi."  I roared with laughter and for some reason that expression has remained in B's and my lexicon ever since.  When we are sure of something -- regardless of the subject -- one of us will say, "Of course he's a Nazi."  We still laugh every time.

That expression came again to mind when I heard that China and Canada are jointly hosting an international conference on preserving the global biosphere.  We are hosting this with the biggest polluter in the world.  China!  How can this be??!!  That's when I said, "Of course he's a Nazi," referring to Trudeau's infatuation with China.  His breathtaking ignorance is what drives a desire to give China an international audience in Canada.  It boggles the mind!  

To pile it on, Trudeau has just announced another $800 million for "Indigenous-led environmental healing".  He actually did this at the above-conference, where natives were outside marching in protest against the glittering, but useless, self-congratulating gathering.  Guess reconciliation isn't going too well is it, Justin.  Here's how natives are "stewarding and protecting" the land on the average reserve:

But that's what you get when you elect an ill-educated, narcissistic, virtue-signaling prime minister.  Did anyone else notice the bizarre incongruity of this conference?  The press?  Jo Blow on the street?  Or is it just me?  Perhaps I am living in a parallel universe?  Now we hear that an RCMP contract has been awarded to a company partly owned by....wait for it.....China!!!  Well, with Lucki at the helm, what do you expect?  Carla Quatrough is another incompetent female running the procurement department, so more of the same.  

It's so appalling.

_____________________________

A bit of good news on the sanity file:  Major General Dany Fortin has been found not guilty of a sexual assault that apparently did not happen a hundred years ago at a dorm party when he was a student.  I mean, who hasn't been approached in a sexual way at a dorm party?  Everyone.  Again, his accuser is protected by a publication ban, while General Fortin's life lies ruined and shredded in tatters.  He wants to be reinstated.  Fat chance of that.  How about "guilty even when proven innocent"?  That's what's going on here.

My question is, how many women have been paid off by Trudeau whose indecent sexual exploits are well-known?  

____________________________

And what about the insanity of natives wanting an entire landfill excavated to find the remains of two women who went missing and were murdered in Winnipeg.  In spite of the fact that an additional 10,000 truckloads of waste have been piled on the Prairie Green site since those remains were dumped, the families of these women think they have a right to find their relatives.

It's insane!

The women in question were leading street lives of danger and were undoubtedly aware that anything could happen to them.  It did, but to demand the rest of us pay millions to find them in a huge landfill is beyond the beyond.  The sense of entitlement and lack of understanding of what it would cost by these natives is typical of their ignorance about where the money they are handed comes from.  And does anyone really think they would be found?  Rhetorical.  Still the cries of "Justice for the families" continue.

So completely ridiculous.

Wrote this blog before I read the always-hysterical, half-Polish (i.e., not really native) Tanya Talaga's column in today's 'Globe and Mail'.  Talk about cultural misappropriation, Tanya is a cheerleader on that file, so you had to know she would weigh in with her usual one-sided condemnation of "colonial" wrongs.  In her view, colonialism is the only reason native women are on the streets.  What did she have to say?  

"There is no feasible explanation for the Winnipeg police chief's refusal to search for these women.  Mr. Smyths' refusal to even try is unforgivable."  She actually called it "genocide" and "a hate crime", which is ludicrous.  It was what happens to sex workers -- both native and non -- when they work on dangerous streets.  The decision not to search is because it would be futile to try and dig up layers and layers of garbage in a wildly expensive search for such women.  They chose their dangerous lifestyle; let their families pay for it. 

As I keep saying, look up the RCMP and provincial stats on who's killing Indigenous women.  They are the same for non-Indigenous women, by the way, and the majority are killed by their own kith and kin.  But hey, don't let those facts get in the way of a good press conference.

I remember other non-native families searching for missing loved ones, but guess what?  They paid for the searches themselves.  Publicly-funded law enforcement agencies are not to be deployed for personal reasons.  Now they're outrageously demanding the Winnipeg police chief resign!  So wrong.

Tanya needs to be quiet and 'The Globe and Mail' needs to stop publishing her rubbish.  If it paid as well, she'd grab onto her Polish half and take up their cudgel.        

   

More of the same from Haiti

In the 19th century, Haiti was the richest country in the world.  Now it is an unmitigated disaster.  With gangs running amok, brutally killing and raping with abandon and most of the country facing deprivation and starvation, the prime minister is once again asking the UN to send troops to come in and "save" it.  

Better not happen.  It'll just be another Afghanistan, killing soldiers for absolutely no reason and no resolution.  It's all tribal and you'll never fix that.  I'm sick of all these failed states asking the rest of the world to rescue them.  And for what?  So another dictator can seize power and start the criminal activity all over again?  Forget that.

And speaking of failed tribal states, South Africa is another mess.  Cyril Ramaphosa has been another disaster, following the criminal Jacob Zuma, who was kicked out in 2018.  Again, the problem with that continent is that everything is determined by tribal allegiance -- the good, bad and the ugly.  I did a blog about all 38 failed countries in Africa (see, "Africa, a stupid continent," Nov. 17/17) and how every, single one is a mess.  

Also found another one I did when Trump called Haiti a "shithole" and everyone went crazy with outrage!  Trump was right, as he was about a lot of things.  It is a "shithole" and has been for decades.  (See "In the vernacular..." Jan. 12/18) 

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But what I really wanted to talk about is the sad fact that the beloved Brownies are being forced to change their name.  Can't believe it took this long, what with all the "wokes" running around, clamouring for anything and everything related to colour or race be erased from the face of the earth.  But tucked away in a tiny article in today's 'Globe and Mail', I read that now the poor, old Brownies have fallen victim.  They are to be called 'The Comets', or 'The Embers', depending on the results of a name contest vote.  But wait, maybe a "Comet" is too white!  And aren't "Embers" black?  They better be careful because someone is sure to figure that out and jump all over them.

It's just pathetic.

The reach of the "woke" knows no bounds.  First 'Aunt Jemima" had to be destroyed and turned into the Pearl Milling Co., with dear, old Aunt Jemima relegated to a footnote on the label.  Here she is no more:

Now, you watch, next it'll be poor, old Uncle Ben.  In fact, I'm baffled as to why he's still around?!  Just saw him peeking out timidly from my pantry.  Hope he enjoys what may be his last hurrah, poor guy.  

 

Other mysterious organizations

The Masons come to mind as one of the more secretive sects.  Also up there for me are the Christian Scientists and the Jehovah's Witnesses.  The Knights of Columbus, not so much.  With the exception of their secret initiation ceremony, the Knights are mainly a charitable and social organization.  One thing I do admire about the Catholic Church is its openness to any and all -- and I do mean all.  I have seen many beggars, drunks and down-and-outs in the churches I have attended; none have to be approved in advance for entry and none is ever turned away.  Seeing and interacting with these folks was a humbling experience and filled me with gratitude.

But a last word about the Mormons:  "I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is God's Kingdom on earth."  That's what a Mormon friend avowed in an objection to my earlier blog.  My question is, what about the rest of us?  Does that mean that if you're not a Mormon, you're sh-t out of luck when it comes to sitting at God's knee in heaven?  I think some people believe that heaven has compartments -- protestants to the left, Catholics to the right, Anglicans up the middle and Mormons presumably elevated to greater heights. 

(Note:  For other posts on Mormons and polygamy, see "Who are they kidding!!?", Nov. 3/10; "Beefy", Feb. 9/14; and "Child rape", June 25/22)  

And then there are those who practice Buddhism, Shintoism and Judaism; or the Janes, the Muslims, the Hindus, the Baptists, the Episcopalians, plus all the other odds and sods of faith -- like the United Church, the Methodists, the Lutherans, the Presbyterians....and on and on.  Where do these poor souls figure?  The whole notion is kind'a silly.  I mean, practice your faith and God will love you; you don't have to be a Mormon.

But back to the Masons.  I remember a very austere photo of my great-uncle Charles Lord that hung in reverence in my grandmother's home.  He was decked out in all his regalia, looking very important and grand, but when he visited, he was just jolly, old Uncle Charlie.  The Masons were never discussed in polite company.  I remember being seated beside a slightly over-refreshed guest at a large dinner, who happened to be a Mason.  I started peppering him with questions, which he enthusiastically answered.  Until his wife shut him up.  A few secrets were starting to emerge.  

Research tells me that the Masons have a book of scripture open in every working lodge, that every member must profess belief in a Supreme Being, that any discussion of religion and politics is banned and that no women be admitted.  Now I know where my Mother's tenet originated, i.e., that there were four taboo subjects in respectable company:  Religion, politics, sex and money.  Conversations had to avoid these at all costs, hence one grew up expert in the fine art of conversation.

The very name of Christian Science baffles me?  I mean, how can you combine the words "Christian" and "science"?  They are complete opposites.  Basically, this religion adheres to the principle of, "Do unto others what you would have them do unto you."  Pretty straightforward and in line with other Christian religions.

As for the Jehovah's Witnesses, they are very odd.  For instance, they do not celebrate Christmas, Easter, birthdays and all other feasts they consider pagan.  Like the Mormons, they are governed by a chosen body of senior, more learned Jehovah Witness out of Warwick, New York.  All men.  They also consider their doctrine to be "The only truth."

A good friend of B's was disowned by his family because he left the sect.  When he begged his mother to at least have a coffee with him a few years later, she refused, saying she could not be seen with him.  She died without their reconciliation.  That hurts.

Another question I have about Muslim girls and women is why do they have to be covered -- in some cases from head to toe?  This is mandatory when they begin menstruation.  Why is that?  How can this be a religious tenet if it just so happens to begin when they become fertile?  Is it because any sight of skin or hair would compel a man to want to have sex with them?  Rhetorical.

When I was teaching at Algonquin College after I retired, I took note of the incongruity of the girls who wore the hijab out of "modesty", yet were covered in alluring makeup, painted nails and high heels.  Didn't compute in the least.  Oh, and by the way, they had separate washrooms we non-Muslims could not use, I guess in case our contaminated pee mingled with their pure variety, but they were free to use ours.  Hey, it all drains into the same communal sewer pipes!  All a bunch of voodoo and nonsense.

And then there is the "Church" of Scientology.  I'll have to get more into that too, but it's definitely a cult and all about money.  How Tom Cruise and John Travolta can be so involved  mystifies me?!  This "church" has only about 25,000 members world-wide, but billions in assets around the world.  The late L. Ron Hubbard invented "Dianetics", which is basically a mind-f-ck exercise, where you delve into your unconscious mind and "uncover" all the lies and sh-t you have done over your entire life -- going back to the cradle.  Yeah, whatever.  Like the Mormons, they own a ton of real estate.  Gee, wonder why?  Could it be about money?  Rhetorical. 

So, that's my amateur take on a few less mainstream religions.  I took Religion 101 at Carleton University and thanks to that course, learned that there are many different ways to skin the faith cat.  Obviously, some people don't agree.  

(p.s. This was the class in which I was enthralled by a guest lecturer:  The brilliant Northrup Fry.  Just re-posted this blog, "When the light went on," April 13/12, below)   

  

   

No interest in a cruise to Panama

But I would love to go on 'The Globe and Mail's' Panama cruise only because one of my idols, Cathal Kelly, will be on it.  Maybe just being in his presence would be enough for a little of his writing talent to rub off on my own meagre efforts.

I have been a dedicated fan since happening upon him during a morning perusal of the Globe a few years ago.  Kelly is a sports writer, but not really.  His take on sports always involves a unique angle and usually bleeds into other facets of life, written in the most lovely and beguiling way.  Oh to have just a little of his talent!  

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Anyway, what I really wanted to write about today are my years as a eucharistic minister at Our Lady of Fatima -- a fluke job that found me, not I it.  One morning at Mass at St. Brigid's in Ottawa, where we lived at the time, I was sitting with my kids and stepkids (B was out-of-town), minding my own business, when the venerable Sister Eleanor Hennessy quietly snuck up, tapped me on the shoulder and asked me to step up and give out the host.  I was shocked.  Me?!  "Yes, yes, just go ahead up," she instructed.  Since one never said "No" to Sister Eleanor, up I went on the altar.

I fumbled away, but managed not to drop any hosts and got through it.  After that, I was a regular Eucharist Minister and, sinner that I was -- and am -- felt it had to be right because I hadn't chosen the role; it had me via Eleanor's gentle hand.  When we moved to Britannia, I learned Eleanor had quietly called Father Martineau and pegged B and I to continue our roles at our new parish, Our Lady of Fatima.  Thus it unfolded that not only was I a minister, but I also inherited the role of coordinator and scheduler of eucharistic ministers.

As I have said, it was bizarre, but became more so when Father Martineau asked me to serve on the parish council.  I said yes, but as a result of one missed meeting I learned that he had made me chair-in- absentia.  "I couldn't bear to sit there during those meetings with someone who didn't know how to chair," he confessed, "So I nominated you.  You are now the chair."

Gee, thanks a lot!

Things progressed at Fatima and another task found me:  Bringing the eucharist to hospital patients.  I did this for several years every Sunday morning -- often seeing 30 patients a visit.  I found I had a talent for this mission because I could visit a very sick, or dying, patient, connect immediately and emotionally with them -- often to the point of crying -- and yet leave the room and take nothing home with me.  Sometimes I would see the patient's death notice the next day, but it never lingered with me.  That's why I could do it so easily for so long.

Strange things happened at the Civic.  One day, the list I had been given didn't have the name of a patient I had been seeing regularly.  As I left the ward, something made me turn back.  "Where is Ann?" I asked at the desk.  "Oh, she had been sent home, but came back yesterday because she is so ill," the nurse told me.  So, I went back to see Ann and give her the host.  She died that night. 

Why did I go back and ask about her?  You be the judge.

When we moved to Calgary, I did not continue this work and I don't really know why?  Perhaps because the pastor at the parish we joined was not a very friendly man.  Now, I no longer go to Mass; my spirituality lies within.

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Now a word about Mormonism.  I have been watching some very disturbing YouTube videos about this religion.  Made by people who have left the church, they paint a picture of rules and rigid regulations, do's and don't's and shunning.  Homosexuality is especially frowned upon and tithing is mandatory.  Apparently, the Mormon church has $100 billion salted away from tithing -- much of what is tithed in Canada ends up in the US and at Brigham Young University; very little is donated to charities here -- or anywhere, for that matter.  

In a way, many of the rules and obligations are not unlike those of the Catholic church of a few decades ago -- such as women not working outside the home, marrying very young and having as many kids as they can in short order.  Still, as the sister of a gay man who committed suicide, I was struck by the high suicide rates among gay -- or "gender dysphoria" -- members.  

According to the videos I watched, Mormons preach love, but within their rules.  The largest, single land owners in the entire US, "Mormonism professes to be a religion, dabbling in business, but it's actually business dabbling in religion," said one man who left the church.  

I also watched a couple on Scientology and both religions are secretive, rules-based and focused on huge wealth.  Unlike the Catholic church, whose doors are open to anyone anytime, you can't just walk into a Mormon or Scientology church.  Their doors are barred. 

So, if you're interested in learning more about these sects, faiths, religions or cults, watch a few videos.  "Why we left the Mormon church:  A coming out story" is good because it features a young man, his wife and their three kids who have stayed together -- even though he has come out.  They could not, however, remain in the Mormon church and his family has shunned them.  Fascinating.

Note:  I have a couple of Mormon friends who I don't think will like this blog.  Doesn't seem to be a lot of objectivity in their thinking.

Epilogue:  As predicted one of my Mormon "friends" has gone postal about this blog, thus proving my point about practicing Mormons not being objective.  He has even demanded an apology, which is to laugh.  As if I would apologize for my blog?!  My blog is my opinion -- but always supported by facts.  I have done the research and I have the numbers.  Giving a several hundred million to charity does not jive with the $100 billion the church has in its coffers.  Frankly, it does not qualify them as a non-profit organization, according to reports I have read by forensic accountants.  But good money people have handled that wrinkle with the money within the church.  

I am sorry this person -- with whom I used to enjoy swimming and chatting -- has revealed himself.  When people comment on the Catholic church, I don't take it personally and demand an apology.  I don't run that organization.  But it seems Mormons take everything personally -- regardless of their high-minded intentions and works.

Ah well, as Lord Acton said, in the long run we'll all be dead.  And I know I will be reunited forever with my family -- even though I am not a Mormon, not perfect and definitely not "sweet".   

Stupidity

That's what Trudeau feeds on, our own stupidity.  The cynicism was breathtaking.  There was Trudeau, fake-caring about the victims of a mass shooting on the James Smith Cree Reservation, where a local native ran amok, killed 11 people and wounded 18 in a mass stabbing for no reason that anyone can articulate.  Oh, wait, ya, drugs and alcohol.

I was almost sick watching coverage of the visit.  There he was, visiting all the graves, kneeling, offering tobacco and blessing himself.  What a sacrilege!  Naturally, he pledged MONEY -- LOTS OF IT:

• $42.5 million for a "healing" centre
• $4.5 million for mental health and addictions treatment, and
• $20 million for violence against women and girls.

OMG!  When will it stop??!!  Where is the money coming from??!!  Our grandchildren and great-grandchild will be paying for this FOREVER.  It is to weep.  There are only 4,312 people living there!  That's a lot of money per resident -- on top of what we already give them!  

So sickening.  And let's not forget what the RCMP stats tell about us who is killing women and girls:  Their own kith and kin.  So, why do we need another $20 million to figure out what is available at the touch of a keystroke on any computer??!!  This image of Trudeau defacing the Catholic religion by blessing himself over a grave nearly made me scream:

So sickening.

  

"We don't have a clue what we're doing"

That's what a chiropractor I went to until a few years ago actually said to me one day while treating and charging me.  I should have clued in then, but it has taken me 30-odd years to finally get it:  Chiropractors are useless.

I have finally switched to a physiotherapist.

My back has been in spasm for the past few weeks and I have gone to three different chiropractors here in Cochrane.  They crack it back, but never get to the underlying problem, so out it pops again.  This has gone on for 30 years.  Ten years ago, I ripped an upper arm muscle trying to show off my speed in the Crowfoot Y Pool.  I have since learned that when you tear a muscle, it never heals back normally, which has meant I have been dealing with flareups since.

The physiotherapist I am now going to said, "These guys can straighten your back out, but they never get to the underlying problem."  He then proceeded to explain what mine was.  I have no idea what he said, but whatever it is and whatever he's doing, it's starting to work.  I have to do my part, so I contort myself all over the house, bending this way and that, rubbing a tennis ball between my bum and the wall and a few other bizarre moves he tells me I need to do because, "Your muscles are screaming and they're very angry at the moment."

I'll vouch for that!

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A big shout out to my son-in-law, who arrived this morning to put up our outdoor lights.  What took him 20 minutes would have taken me two days.  It's wonderful to have him around the corner because he helps us with everything we used to be able to do, but no longer can.  

Getting into the Christmas Spirit!

You knew it was going to happen

Yep, the federal government has decided to make the "Truth" and Reconciliation Commission permanent.   It'll be funded FOREVER, it will have offices and it will just keep burrowing into the dregs of the past and will never, never stop.  When you keep picking at a scab, it never heals.  Neither will this.

And just to ensure it doesn't, the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM), has installed the always-hysterical Cindy Blackstock as inaugural chancellor.  Blackstock, a professor of social work (what else?) at McGill and the executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society (by means of which she secured a $40 billion settlement for native children in care -- don't dare ask why they had to be taken into care) began her tenure with this forward-looking vow:

"We're going to be looking at the impact of colonialism on health care."  Well, if that isn't a promise to keep digging backwards in time picking at scabs, I don't know what is?  Please Cindy, try and move forward once in a while!  Both she and warrior-in-arms Tanya Talaga want to ensure northern communities have the same number of doctors and health care workers per capita as any other community.  I guess someone forgot to tell them that in Canada, doctors are free to practice wherever they want.  I mean, who'd want to go to a remote, deprived, barren reservation instead of a nice, modern hospital in a city in which they can live well?      

Why can't natives move on?  Why can't they make any progress?  Why can't they support themselves?  How long will they keep gnawing on 100-year-old bones to no avail?  

FOREVER.  Because it means MONEY.

And speaking of things that will never end, the war between Russia and Ukraine is another such interminable mess.  I used to sympathize with Zelensky, but I don't now.  His personal vendetta is leading the rest of the world into nuclear chaos and grave danger.  He has to sit down with Putin and talk -- even though we know Putin will win and will take Ukraine.  But Zelensky doesn't give a toss and the rest of the world is just sitting around doing nothing.  Hitler anyone?  World War III anyone?

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Watching snippets now and then by accident of the ludicrous inquiry into the emergencies act, I happened upon the ghastly Freeland.  Her rude, dismissive and condescending "answers" to the female lawyers questioning her is appalling.  Her sense of righteousness and never-wrongness is jarring.  The woman doesn't have the brains to have a second thought about anything on any position she holds.  And could she look any more disheveled?  A bag lady comes to mind -- and that's an insult to your average, respectable bag lady:  

More shots of our finance minister and "esteemed" deputy minister:

How can a minister of The Crown comport herself like this?  No wonder Canada is a laughing stock on the world stage.

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A night out at the local hotel here in Cochrane exposed me to this:

All I can say is, I better keep swimming.

       

 

Pretty shitty show

Tuned into the Grey Cup half time show and it was pretty shitty.  Who were the those guys?  No clue?  Were they American?  That was dumb.  Anyway, not really watching the game, but wanted to put out a few comments on other bees in my bonnet.

One of my favorite shows is 'Airplane Repo'.  Love those macho guys who steal planes!  One of them, Mike Kennedy, proves that you don't have to be handsome to be sexy.  With his pock-marked face and stringy hair, Mike proves the Charles Bronson theory that sex appeal has nothing to do with looks.  The other repo men are Kevin Lacey, Ken Cage and Danny Thompson and they all have more nuts than anyone I know.  They also make $ thousands for each repo, but they earn every cent.  In case you haven't seen it, tune in.  

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Watching the ridiculous inquiry on the legality of the invocation of the emergencies act all I can say is, who cares?!  Living in Alberta, no one I know.  It's such an "Ottawa bubble" fiasco, with everyone blaming everyone else and you just know when the report comes out in February -- a year after the whole mess fizzled -- no one will know anything, be accountable or give two sh-ts about the "conclusions".  Cute trick that Trudeau and the ministers, who will testify at the very end, have been allotted the equivalent of about 10 minutes to answer questions.  Talk about scott free!

I wrote a carefully-worded letter to 'The Calgary Herald' pointing the finger at one of the biggest culprits -- literally and figuratively:  Brenda Lucki.  She continues to disgrace herself and the once-revered RCMP by her inaction, incompetence and torpor in the face of crisis.  Here's the letter:

I had to word it very carefully, with a lot of "may have's" and "?'s" so they would publish it, but if you read between the lines, you know I am blaming her incompetence.  (I have also blogged about another fiasco, Peter Sloly -- sadly, another affirmative action disaster.)  

And speaking of affirmative action, the clerk of the Privy Council Office, Janice Charette, and her flunky testified last week at the "inquiry".  I was appalled!  I remember the days when clerks were experienced, astute and able; now they are token appointments.  Jean-Luc Pépin once said that public servants must be political, but not partisan.  He was dead-on, but that's all poofed.  Now senior bureaucrats are all partisan, as Charette demonstrates in her role as clerk.  

She said that the act could be invoked, but that a legal challenge would ensue.  Whaaaat??!  Obviously, she knew the threshold hadn't been met, but advised Trudeau to invoke away with gay abandon.  She should not have knowingly given him that advice, but having been fired as clerk by Trudeau in the past, I guess she wanted to keep her job.  

Googled Charette and her background for the job leaves a lot to be desired; her gender, however, doesn't.  A graduate of Carleton (OK, me too), she has been a policy advisor in some form or another her entire career in the public service; never run a chip stand.  Someone needs to tell "policy" advisors that all that stuff is dreamt up by the kids-in-the-hall gang in the PMO.  And, as I said, it's all purely political; nothing to do with anything that will help Canadians.  She is also a dyed blonde and you know my opinion on that file.  Here she is:

B's boss, when he was at PCO, the venerable Gordon Robertson, is turning over in his grave.  

Once again, affirmative action fails and tars all of us who share the gender.  Fifty years of work by many of us on the feminism file and nothing's changed.  Sigh.

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Guess the Greens have a death wish.  They've elected Elizabeth May as leader.  Again!  She is another unmitigated disaster who will ensure the Greens never see power -- thank God.  Frankly, what is the point of that feckless and ineffectual party?!  There are so many disgraces to our gender I have lost count.  Here is the hapless May again blabbing incoherently into the void.  Over-refreshed anyone?

More sighs......