Third one!

I see that an elementary school chum of daughter's has a third 'First Person' essay in 'The Globe and Mail' today!  That's three!

I can't get even one!  I have submitted nine, but none has been accepted.  I was close with a Mother's Day piece three years ago, which was accepted until it went up to a senior editor for final approval.  To the embarrassment of the junior editor, the senior turned it down.

I am exasperated!

It can't be because I am not a good writer.  I am.  In fact, that's how I earned my living my entire career.  I have had many letters published and at least five 'I Remember' pieces, but they won't publish an essay.  

There can only be one reason:  My blog.  Google me and it comes up and is definitely not up -- or down -- to the Globe's standards.  Decidedly not politically correct, my blog tells the truth -- good, bad and ugly.  The Globe has no problem with my letters because they like opinions, and no problem with 'I Remember's, because they are personal thoughts about famous people.  But to publish an essay would be an endorsement of my opinions and the Globe cannot do that.

So, I will just keep blogging away!

The evils of gentrification

Poor Lindenlea, the magical neighbourhood in which I grew up.  It has been overtaken by the bourgeoisie and ruined.  Gustave Flaubert and Madame Bovary would have a field day wandering along Rock, Rideau Terrace, Rockcliffe Way, Middleton Drive, Lambton and Elmdale Avenues and meeting all the people who have destroyed it with their bourgeoisie-ness.

Lindenlea.

I grew up there in the fifties and sixties.  The first planned neighbourhood in Canada, it has no peer to this day.  My parents bought 8 Lindenlea Road for $6K, before they moved up in the world and bought 24 Rockcliffe Way down the block for $18K.  Now?  Those abodes are worth hundreds of thousands.

Where I grew up in the fifties and sixties, 8 Lindenlea Road.  Seems to small now and whoever did that to those steps and walk should be killed.

I see some residents strolling around on facebook making ludicrous videos of Lindenlea et environs.  Beechwood Avenue?  Back then it consisted of Art's Smoke Shop, the Kingsview Groceteria, Jolicoeur Hardware, a barber shop, the Linden Theatre and Fenton's Bakery -- the latter two now the New Edinburgh Pub.

What I remember about Art's Smoke Shop was the proprietor, Art, a small, mean man who sold everything from smokes to candy and school supplies.  Every day before school started up in September, my Father would run us down to Art's to buy all our school supplies.  We also bought all birthday presents there -- before birthday parties became contests of who could one-up the pretentious gift bag ritual.

Kingsview Groceteria was run by a Jewish couple, whose daughter was a good friend.  Jolicoeur's was run by three haggard brothers, never without a cigarette dangling out of each mouth and a dangerous ash threatening to drop on the merchandise at any second.  If Jolicoeur's didn't have it, it didn't exist.

My Father frequented the old-fashioned barber shop.  As for the Linden Theatre?  We were not allowed to go there because my Mother was convinced we would get ringworm!  Fenton's?  A delight with all sorts of goodies.

Now, Beechwood has been ruined with silliness and gentrification of craft shops and other notional levity and nonsense.  As for New Edinburgh, it was then a dump and anyone who lived on Crichton or Stanley was very lower class.  Now?  It's a status neighbourhood.  

There was also an outdoor city pool on the northwest corner of Beechwood and Crichton.  No clue what happened to that lovely place, to which I used to bike regularly for a dip.     

On the northwest corner of Springfield and Rideau Terrace, there was a completely fenced in and mysterious orphanage.  Walking to Crichton Street Public, I would watch the orphans being marched down Springfield to the school at the corner at Beechwood by the nuns who ran the place.  Now, it is all expensive condos, the orphanage long gone.

My aunt and uncle lived across from Craig's Florist on Rideau Terrace.  No clue why that closed?  The caretaker lived above the sheds and his wife used to be a regular babysitter; she did all the ironing.  

As I trip down memory lane, I mourn the loss of one of the greatest neighbourhoods in the country.  We will never see its equal. 

Corruption at its finest

Re-printed from 'The Pentagon Papers'.  There's a reason both he and Netanyahu won't end their wars.  They'd both be in jail pretty quickly:   

Actor Volodymyr Zelensky stormed to the Ukrainian presidency in 2019 on a wave of public anger against the country’s political class, including previous leaders who used secret companies to stash their wealth overseas.

Now, leaked documents prove that Zelensky and his inner circle have had their own network of offshore companies. Two belonging to the president’s partners were used to buy expensive property in London.

The revelations come from documents in the Pandora Papers, millions of files from 14 offshore service providers leaked to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and shared with partners around the world including OCCRP.

The documents show that Zelensky and his partners in a television production company, Kvartal 95, set up a network of offshore firms dating back to at least 2012, the year the company began making regular content for TV stations owned by Ihor Kolomoisky, an oligarch dogged by allegations of multi-billion-dollar fraud. The offshores were also used by Zelensky associates to purchase and own three prime properties in the center of London.

The documents also show that just before he was elected, he gifted his stake in a key offshore company, the British Virgin Islands-registered Maltex Multicapital Corp., to his business partner — soon to be his top presidential aide. And in spite of giving up his shares, the documents show that an arrangement was soon made that would allow the offshore to keep paying dividends to a company that now belongs to his wife.

Credit: Mykhailo Palinchak / Alamy Stock PhotoVolodymyr Zelensky.

A comedian and actor who had been famous since the 2000s, Zelensky began his political rise a few years after taking on a starring role in the political satire “Servant of the People,” which began airing on the oligarch’s network in 2015. The show starred Zelensky as a humble history teacher whose anti-corruption rant in class is filmed by a student, goes viral online, and wins him national office.

In a case of life imitating art, Zelensky ended up winning the real-world Ukrainian presidency just three-and-a-half years after the show’s launch, with more than 73 percent of the vote.

Zelensky capitalized on widespread public anger at corruption, but his 2019 campaign was dogged by doubts over his anti-graft bona fides, given that his campaign was boosted by media belonging to Kolomoisky — who is accused of stealing US$5.5 billion from his own bank and funneling it offshore in concert with his partner, Hennadiy Boholiubov.

In the heat of the campaign, a political ally of incumbent President Petro Poroshenko published a chart on Facebook purporting to show that Zelensky and his television production partners were beneficiaries of a web of offshore firms that allegedly received $41 million in funds from Kolomoisky’s Privatbank.

That ally, Volodymyr Ariev, didn’t provide evidence, and his accusations have never been proven. But the Pandora Papers show that at least some of the details in this alleged scheme correspond to reality. The leaked documents show information on 10 companies in the network that match structures detailed in Ariev’s chart.

Offshore 95: President Zelensky’s Financial Secrets

Click here to watch this investigative documentary by Olena Loginova and Yakiv Lyubchych, called ’Offshore 95’

Read More

The new documents show that part of the network was managed with help from Fidelity Corporate Services, an offshore consultancy that was one of 14 firms whose documents make up part of the Pandora Papers leak. The documents show that Zelensky and his partners used companies based in the British Virgin Islands (BVI), Belize, and Cyprus.

Two of Zelensky’s associates in the offshore network, who were also part of his TV production company, now hold powerful positions. Serhiy Shefir is Zelensky’s top presidential aide, while Ivan Bakanov heads the Security Service of Ukraine.

These powerful positions also come with risks. Shefir narrowly escaped an apparent assassination attempt when his car was fired on outside Kyiv on September 22. He was unharmed, but his driver was wounded.

Zelensky has repeatedly pledged to rein in oligarchs. The day after the attack on Shefir, the country’s parliament passed a bill that would create a register of oligarchs and bar them from financing political parties or taking part in privatizations. Zelensky said that the attempt on Shefir’s life will receive a strong response and will not influence his fight against vested interests.

A spokesman for Zelensky declined to comment. Shefir and Bakanov did not respond to questions.

Pulling a Don Cherry

Watching soccer here and there -- because B watches it -- I see thousands of so-called Canadian fans rooting for other teams.  Reminds me of the great Don Cherry's line about "you people", when he admonished immigrants and new Canadians to wear a poppy on November 11th.  "It's the least you can do to show appreciation for this beautiful country."  

For this accurate observation, Don was unceremoniously dumped from 'Hockey Night in Canada'.  He was right, of course, and it's the same with the World Cup.  They interview all kinds of "Canadians", who claim to be cheering for other countries -- their "home", as they say.  Well, "you people", can go back there.  If not, cheer for Canada!

Still with sports, I'd like to say a word about Serena Williams getting a wild card for Wimbledon.  That was wrong.  It is also wrong for Venus to get one too.  These two have had their glory days and should not be taking the places of younger, talented players, who are the future of tennis.

They are done.  And as usual, Serena displayed poor sportsmanship and bad manners by not appearing at the "mandatory" press conference after her match.  You can bet that, had she won, her "injury" would not have prevented her from sitting there gloating and blabbing.

Remember when she screamed and threatened to kill a linesman who called a foot fault?  Ya, that's Serena.

And not fining her $50K?  That's a disgrace and Wimbledon officials should be ashamed.  I never liked Serena and her behaviour proves why.  What is the expression?  "You can take the girl out of the Hood, but you can't take the Hood out of the girl."

_______________________

Happy 250th to the great United States of America!  Both my birth Father and adoptive Father were American, so I like to celebrate the 4th of July in their honour:  

My birth father, William Doyle.  Thanks to him, I have five (half) sisters and two brothers.  I am the eldest, but only two sisters have acknowledged me; both my brothers are dead.  I am grateful for Nora and Maureen.

My wonderful Father, Thomas Raymond Griffith, born in 1899 in Kansas City, Missouri.

 

Politicians meddling in sports

Don't they love to do this.  There was Carney, in the Canadian locker room after the win over Qatar, acting like he had just kicked the winning ball, wearing one of those hideous body-contoured Canada jerseys that look like someone's Magic Bullet blew up while they were making a vanilla shake.

"Sitting alongside Carney, Gianni Infantino was sucked and tucked into a sublimely tailored blue suit, looking like he had brought his kid along to the game," wrote Cathal Kelly.  

People like Carney should resist the urge to become one of the boys in the locker room.  But he won't.  He'll be spending another $50K to go to the next game in Houston.  Don't be one of the clusters of politicians launching themselves from a great distance at the bandwagon.  Why do politicians devote themselves to this sports thing, instead of figuring out the housing crunch?  The latter should be their only focus.

There is something offensive about parliament taking a three-month vacation so members can devote themselves to things like soccer.  National problems should be their only job.

But if you're going to get involved in sports, do it with unparalleled panache like the late, great Montreal Mayor Camillien Houde did, when he said, "Tank (his deliberate pronunciation of a fake Quebec accent) you Toronto. I hope you invite me many times to kick off your balls again."

The peerless Camillien Houde

Now, that was a quote!  He had many.  "Your Majesty, I thank you from the bottom of my heart and Madame Houde thanks you from her bottom too," he said to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth during their 1939 visit to Montreal.

Carney has neither the brains, nor imagination to utter anything similar.     

What's next?

So, Carney -- with his smug face hanging out -- is going to bail out rich B.C. developers who have lost money on condos.  I know I've blogged about this before, but what an outrage!  How far will this go?  Are Toronto developers next?  Montreal?  Calgary?  How about individual home owners who have lost money in personal real estate transactions?

I mean, taking this to its logical conclusion, why not?  If Vancouver developers are eligible, so is everyone else.  It's insane and I think it's completely fraudulent.  Does the RCMP have anything to say about this blatant kickback scheme?  It may not be "technically" illegal -- like our recession  -- but it's definitely illegitimate, in my view.  

Of course, digging into all the numbered companies, contracts and sub-contracts you eventually get to Brookfield, so there's your answer right there.  

Speaking of deals where the fix is in, who do you think will be behind the successful bid to renovate 24 Sussex?  The fact that Carney is convening an esteemed panel of experts to evaluate the bids is immaterial.  We all know who will get the deal.  Moise Safdie might as well not bother getting out of bed because my money's on Brookfield.

I'm glad that 24 Sussex is finally going to be fixed, but the process stinks.  Do you think it will be renovated, or torn down and an ugly new structure erected in its place.  I pray it will be the former, but I fear it will be the latter.  Architects love to make bold, read ludicrous, statements and this one will probably be a whopper.

But the topper is that as Carney is handing failed states and sh-t hole countries billions, he's asking ordinary Canadians to root around behind the couch cushions to scrounge a few pennies to cover the renovation!  It's unconscionable.  

Speaking of shady deals, look into who's getting all the contracts in Ukraine, via Chrystia Freeland.  Ding, ding, ding, right again!  And speaking of Ukraine, Carney's given Zelensky and his gang of convicted criminals $25.5 billion.  Our deficit is $78 billion, so that means Ukraine is responsible for 33% of Canada's entire deficit.  Why does no one -- except me -- look into this?

___________________

Watching the World Cup, I could not be more bored.  The players are too good, which makes for ho-hum soccer.  I desperation I tuned into a documentary about Vinny Jones, the great British footballer.  It was spectacular!  

The great Vinny Jones.  Wouldn't want to run into him in a dark alley.

I also watched a series about Sunderland and its fanatical fans.  Again, thrilling!  But at the FIFA level, strikers and defenders are so good they're dull.  But a lot of people are spending millions going to matches.

Odd that all the so-called "Canadian" fans are zealously routing for other countries.  That's because they're not really "Canadian" when it comes to soccer.  They're supporters of their home teams, which isn't Canada.

Me?  I remain a Habs fan.

    

 

Three Wise Men

From the world of sport come three brilliant philosophers:  Johan Cruyff, Dutch football star; Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Swedish soccer star; and Mike Tyson, no ID required.

• "Before I make a mistake, I don't make that mistake," Cruyff,
• "Only God knows...you're speaking to him now," Ibrahimovic, and
• "Everyone has a plan, until he gets punched in the mouth," Tyson

I think I prefer Tyson's take on life, but you could get a PhD in philosophy and not be any more brilliant than the insights of these three celebrities.  

_____________________

But what I want to chat about is Carney's $3.2 billion taxpayer bailout of unsold Vancouver condos.  This is a crime and the RCMP should be called in.  As I have said, Brookfield has to be involved somehow and guess what?  It is.  Before he was anointed PM, Carney worked for Brookfield (he remains a major shareholder) and travelled frequently to China.  He was, in fact, in bed with China, in my opinion, based on research I have done.

(Have a look at Marc Petrone on 'Straight up" on YouTube for more terrifying details about this outrage.)

Eby and Carney shaking on the taxpayer condo buyout grift.

One of the details Petrone points out is that just before Carney slid seamlessly into Trudeau's comfy chair, China gave Brookfield $200,000,000.  That's a teensy bit of what Brookfield has tossed Carney's way, but gee, what a coincidence that Carney is bailing out Chinese developers in Vancouver.  China has control over all the real estate and money in B.C. and supplies the biggest backers and money boys for the Liberals.  You watch, Toronto will be next.  

_____________________

Next, Alberta separatism.  This will not happen, but the ignorant and uninformed Albertans who are pushing it have not taken into account what would happen to this province, should we separate from Canada.  

We all know that the only province Trump wants is Alberta and since we will have no army, navy or air force, the U.S. will simply annex us to get our oil and water.  I know this sounds simplistic, but I can see it happening.  He is still talking about the 51st state, but he really means Alberta.  

So, Nero still fiddles while Rome burns.

 

  

My favourite job

I've had a lot of great jobs during my career, but the one I loved most was as an editor at Maclean Hunter in Toronto.  Here are the jobs I have had and enjoyed:

• Writer, IBM Canada,
• Editor, Maclean Hunter,
• PR leader and writer at DuPont of Canada,
• Director, Vincent Massey Awards for Excellence in the Urban Environment,
• Speech writer for Trudeau Sr's ministers (no, I'm not a Liberal, but it paid well),
• Writer/editor at Supply and Services Canada,
• Director of External Relations, Public Service Commission of Canada,
• Director of communications and PR, Federal Presence, Expo '86,
• Head, communications, Comptroller General of Canada,
• Director, communications, Fisheries and Oceans.
• Director General, Communications, Customs and Excise,
• Head, communications, Canada-U.S.-Free Trade agreement,
• Head, communications, GST Task Force, 
• Director, special projects, CRA,
• Director, Communication and Consultations, GST, CRA, and
• Director, Problem Resolution Program, Canada Revenue Agency. 

Yes, I've had a great career and all of it was because I was a good writer.  Good writing is a skill few possess, but thanks to the rigorous schooling I received in English grammar in grade eight under Miss Anderson at York Street Public, and to Mrs. Jean Portugal, my editor at Maclean Hunter, I learned how to write and edit myself.

Why did I love my job at M-H in Toronto so much?  Because I worked in the era of the great Margaret Wente and Christie Blatchford (may she Rest in Peace).  These two women were an inspiration to me and I sometimes think had I stayed in Toronto, I might have risen to their heights.  Well, maybe not that lofty, but close.

M-H is where I wrote book reviews for 'The Financial Post' and booklets for 'Miss Chatelaine' magazine.  One I wrote was on horoscopes.  I started out doing prodigious, pre-internet research, but soon discovered all signs were basically the same, so as my deadline loomed, I just made a lot of it up.  It sold many thousands of copies, but all royalties went to M-H.  Nevertheless, I was very proud looking at the finished, if somewhat bogus, publication for which I got many congratulations.

I also loved M-H because it was like working in 'Mad Men', that glorious series about the advertising world of Madison Avenue in New York.  At M-H, everyone also drank all the time, everyone smoked their brains out and everyone had affairs with everyone (except my old friend 'Globe and Mail' columnist Roy Macgregor, who had a girlfriend and stayed loyal.)  The rest of us?  Well, a completely different story!

Don Draper's were everywhere, as were suave British writers and editors who had not quite made it on Fleet Street, but were nonetheless excellent journalists.  The latter were the real "Don Juan's" and polished lotharios and we fell for them hook, line and sinker.  

I had a torrid affair with the editor of 'The Medical Post', John Wardle -- a charming Englishman who swept me off my feet.  I also had a semi-torrid affair with the editorial page editor of 'The Financial Post', Bob Catherwood.  Remember, this was the first wave of "The Pill', which made us all believe we were the epitome, and in the vanguard, of sexual liberation.  The reality was, it was the men who were having all the fun; we were the pawns in their game.

Ah, those were heady days, but I have to say that John and Bob were perfect gentlemen.

Nonetheless, it was so much fun.

The kind of keyboard I used until we started using the wonderful IBM Selectric.  Yes, I'm that old!

Unfortunately, I moved to Ottawa because I wanted to keep my then-marriage together.  Although it produced my two wonderful children, it did not last, which is why my first job in Ottawa was with the Massey Awards.  

To this day, I will often edit well-known writers and columnists in 'The Globe and Mail' or 'The New Yorker' and find mistakes and grammatical errors -- all thanks to Mrs. Portugal (we never called her "Jean") and her ruthless red pen. 

When I worked at M-H, we used hot type and I loved going to the plant in Willowdale every Friday to put the magazine to bed.  p.s.  You had to get permission from the union to go out onto the floor.  They took it very seriously.

It used to be amusing to have to work at the end of my career under women who were younger and had no clue about my background and experience.  Most had absolutely no experience in anything other than working at a counter in a tax office like Sudbury or some other nowhere place, yet thought I was some kind of inferior employee.  Sure, I met some great people, but it was no 'Mad Men'.

As I headed towards retirement, my bosses got younger and younger.  But I carried on, eating more that a few sh-t sandwiches, the pension always in my sights.  

Now I have my blog and my letters to the editor.  As a writer, I just have to keep writing.     

Fun FIFA facts!

Did you know that Canadian taxpayers are giving $729 million to the Vancouver portion of the World Cup?  And did you know that the beleaguered Toronto rate payer is handing over $380 million?

I didn't and wish I hadn't.  That's $1.109 billion from your threadbare pockets to the vast riches of the FIFA bank account.  How outrageous!  And no serious matches are even being played in either city, just group-level games that don't count -- not the final, not the semi-final and not even a quarter final.

Mr. Infantino making the pitch to pick our pockets.

Just to put it into an even more depressing perspective, here are a few other fun facts:

• The Vancouver budget tripled 750% in eight years since the original estimate;
• With only seven matches being played in Vancouver, that's $104 million per match, or $1.2 million per minute per match;
• Gregor Robertson, now the witless and hapless Federal minister of housing, was the mayor who bid for this fiasco, with the backing of then premier John Horgan, now deceased;
• It was John Tory as mayor and Doug Ford as premier who bid for the games for Toronto;
• Considerable money is being spent on FIFA-logo condoms and lubricants;
• FIFA demanded major renovations to B.C. Place, including the ripping out of the artificial turf, the replacement of it with real grass and then the re-installation of turf when the games were over.  (With stage four water restrictions in B.C., the stadium will be the only site which will be allowed watering);
• FIFA demanded that all other major sporting events be cancelled during the games -- which included all B.C. Lions games and the famous Dragon Boat races;
• They also demanded new luxury changing rooms for the players and new VIP and VVIP suites for the bigwigs be installed;
• Infantino also demanded Pope-level security, which includes road closures and police escorts;
• Property taxes in Vancouver have risen by $450 per household in Vancouver and $389 in Toronto to cover the costs;
• The head of FIFA in Toronto alone makes $340 million per year;
• The cheapest tickets in Toronto are $3K each, meaning the average family of four would have to shell out $12K to go to one match.  Not going to happen; and
• That $12K would cover a university education for one year.

FIFA's demands sound like Satan's to-do list.  Considering how many FIFA executives have been convicted of fraud and jailed, we're verging on mafia territory here.  Presuming Carney brought about 10 hangers-on, plus his mother, er, wife, means that his little junket to watch the Canada game would have cost about $30K -- not including accommodation and airfare.

Kids' soccer camps in Canada run about $250 per week, meaning that three million Canadian kids could have gone to soccer camp for what we're wasting on this ludicrous FIFA bread-and-circuses fiasco.

So, next time you switch on a match, or drive by lineups at the food bank, keep these numbers in mind, as Carney tells us to tighten our belts and make do with less.  

Any lights going on in the brains of his supporters yet?  The numbers always tell the tale.  

I don't want to go out with him

That's what I said to my Mother when Bob Irvine called to ask me out.  I was in grade nine at Lisgar and didn't fancy him at all.  "Go, you might meet someone else there," said Lily.  So I said yes.

We went to a movie at the Nelson on Rideau Street and I didn't meet anyone else.  When I attended the 175th Lisgar reunion in 2018, who was the first to make a bee line for me?  Bob Irvine.  We embraced warmly and he reminded me of our one-and-only date and which movie we had seen. 

Sadly, I saw his obituary the other day.  It brought back many memories of our halcyon days at Lisgar.  I saw that he had married and had two daughters.  I left a condolence on the obituary.  May he Rest in Peace.

__________________________

The following letters, among several, were not published, but should have been.  I think 'The Herald' is off me at the moment:

Dear Editor,

Carney's recent video to Canadians was a re-hash of unfulfilled pre-election promises, not a summary of actual accomplishments.  Yet, his poll numbers mysteriously remain consistently high. 

Puts one in mind of that old fable, "The Emperor's New Clothes", in which the emperor rides around town completely naked, while everyone raves and cheers about his beautiful new outfit.  It's baffling?  When will Canadians wake up and realize Mr. Carney is basically that naked emperor?

Nancy Marley-Clarke

Dear Editor,

I agree Carney is much more interested in Europe than in the country of which he is prime minister.  Apart from a few high-profile, photo-op trips in Canada, he has yet to travel to small towns and cities to show he is concerned about ordinary Canadians.

He also consistently snubs Parliament.  He has missed 100 of 136 Question Periods since taking office, which is truly shocking because Parliament is where Canada is governed.  Mr. Carney, however, behaves like an autocrat, giving away billions to other countries as he personally sees fit, with absolutely no Parliamentary oversight whatsoever, all while telling Canadians to tighten our belts and make do with less.

The sooner he moves on to grander pastures in Europe the better off this country will be.

Nancy Marley-Clarke

Giving us back our money

How stupid is the $100 fuel rebate Danielle Smith has announced because of high gas prices?!  Very.

My question always is, with oil right underneath our feet, why are gas prices so high?  It's partly because we can't refine it here.  It has to be shipped to Texas, which is dumb.  Estimates are that the rebate will cost the treasury $350 million.  Why not put that towards a refinery?  Why not put that into education?  Why not put that into doctors and hospitals?

We need these in Alberta.

She must think Albertans are pretty dumb, but listening to a phone-in radio show the other day, I realize they're pretty smart.  Not one caller thought it was a good idea to hand out money.  Everyone saw right through it to what it was:  A naked political stunt to buy votes.  With our own money!  Every, single caller said they were going to donate it to a good cause -- like giving it to handicapped Albertans who have just been stripped of half their allowance.

The kicker is that you have to apply for it, which those in most need will never be able to figure out, which, of course, is what Smith is counting on.  With everyone's tax information in government hands, there should be no need to have to apply.  So cynical.

So folks, it's Bread and Circuses all 'round with this premier.  Not fooling anyone.

And speaking of health care, the provincial auditor is going ahead with a forensic audit of contracting procedures at Alberta Health because a lot of funny business has been going on since Smith took over.  Athana Mentzelopoulos, former head of Alberta Health, was fired after she accused the Health minister and the Premier's office of fiddling and interfering in contracting procedures.  Gee, what a shocker! 

Frankly, I'm with Athana, who is now suing the minister for wrongful dismissal.  That'll be a fun audit to follow!

  

Interesting facts about slavery........

Re-printed from 'The Catholic League', by Bill Donahue:  

June 17, 2026

Slavery in America, imported by the British.

"Juneteenth is a federal holiday that commemorates the freeing of the last slaves in Texas on June 19, 1865. It will be commemorated this year by elite colleges and universities across the nation. This is rich given that most of those who ran these institutions at that time owned slaves.

"The Northeast Slavery Record Index is an online site that allows the public to access a host of records on slavery. Last year it posted, “Slavery by Alumni of Colonial Colleges.” It provides information on college officials and faculty that owned slaves.

"It listed the following Ivy League schools: Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Columbia, Brown, Dartmouth and the University of Pennsylvania. It also listed five other schools tied to slavery: Rutgers, University of Vermont, Williams, Union (Schenectady, NY) and Bowdoin.

"It is striking to note that only one Ivy League school, Cornell, did not have any slaveowners associated with it. But that is not a tribute to the university—it was not founded until slavery ended in 1865. Here’s a look at the Ivies.

• Harvard slaveowners included political leaders and the heads of prominent families. Records show that the university continued to benefit from slavery even after it was outlawed in Massachusetts in 1783;

• Yale was named after slave trader Elihu Yale. Under his tutelage, the school benefited greatly from the slave trade;

• Princeton was home to slave-owning trustees—16 of 23 bought, sold and traded slaves; some inherited them;

• Columbia was run by ten men who served as president during the slavery years, and at least half were slaveowners;

• Brown was founded by a family of the university’s namesake. They not only owned slaves, they were deep into the slave trade, participating in two voyages to secure more of them;

• Dartmouth founder Eleazar Wheelock owned at least 18 slaves, and at its Hanover campus in 1770, slaves outnumbered the faculty, administrators and trustees; and

• University of Pennsylvania’s benefactors, trustees and faculty owned slaves. The founder, Benjamin Franklin, owned seven of them.

"Many graduates of these institutions—both the Ivies and the other five—are quick to condemn all expressions of racism, real and contrived, and will no doubt be beating their breasts over slavery on June 19. But few will mention their alma mater’s slave-owning legacy.

"If there is one man who flouts his interest in fighting racism, and is a graduate of one of these slave-owning institutions, it is New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. He is a graduate of Bowdoin College.

New York Mayor Mamdani.

"Bowdoin received funding from benefactors who made their money from the slave trade. Most spectacular, in 1858 it awarded Jefferson Davis, who served as the president of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War, an honorary doctorate.

"In 1972, it doubled down by accepting an endowed gift from the United Daughters of the Confederacy, and established the Jefferson Davis Award. It took until 2015 before this award was discontinued.

"Mamdani graduated in 2014, before the award was nixed. Why didn’t he lead a protest against it? He had plenty of time to join organizations that sought to punish Israel.

"Today he is bellowing about the need of New York City to make reparations to African Americans. Where will he get the money? He says the money should be collected through a targeted tax on white people who live in the city today. But wouldn’t it be racist to fleece those who had nothing to do with slavery, save for sharing the same skin color of some of the slave-masters? (Note: free Blacks also owned slaves.)

"Given the slave-owning legacy of his alma mater, will Mamdani do something? To be specific, will he return his Bowdoin diploma, now that he knows it is soiled by the legacy of slavery?

"Will he dig into his own deep pockets—he is worth a fortune—and make reparations? He could begin by compensating every Black person in his employ. But it should not be up to him to decide how much—he should ask his African American employees how much he needs to pony up. If he is running low on cash, he can always ask his multi-millionaire Marxist parents to loan him the money (preferably interest-free).

"It is so easy to criticize dead people for not abiding by today’s standards, standards that will soon be deemed unjust by a new wave of left-wing zealots. It is much harder to swallow one’s own medicine. 

______________________

Canada had approximately 4,500 slaves between 1671 and 1834.  In 1793, Upper Canada, now Ontario, passed the 'Act Against Slavery'.  While it did not free existing slaves, it prohibited the importation of new slaves, making it the first anti-slavery legislature in the British Empire.

This walked onto the pool deck

I kid you not, a very overweight, middle-aged yob strolled onto the pool deck the other day wearing this:

No one needs to look at this first thing in the morning.

There's a reason I no longer wear bikinis, ya, that reason.  Not that I'm fat, but there are a few bulges here and there that modesty dictates I not display.  I even have a long-sleeve suit to hide my upper arms.  They too are not as toned and smooth as once they were -- even with all my swimming.

I envy the Big Dogs at the pool.  All in their sixties, Chris, Don and Dave are still ripped.  None wears a speedo.  Chris is the fellow lane swimmer who is the Canadian national champ and won four golds and one silver in the world games in Singapore.  He is amazing!

So, I'll keep plugging along and try to keep the old lady at bay for a couple more years.

   

A car tale

Hand washing at Bubbles.

The other day, B and I ventured down to southeast Calgary to 'Bubbles' car wash.  $498 later, we have a virtually new car.  That's what a detailing job will run you there, but it's worth it.  I guess.

But what I really want to talk about is Carney's unjustified "trade" trip to Ireland.  There he was, debarking from the plane with his why-was-she-there? wife.  Instead of going to Washington to try and get the Gordie Howe Bridge open, he's stumbling around in Ireland finding his roots.

And we're paying for this personal pub crawl!

The new bridge is not opening because the Maroun family, which owns the old Ambassador Bridge, has convinced Trump to block it.  What I should say is that it's the Maroun's money that is blocking it -- the family that has given Trump and other Michigan politicians millions, so naturally they believe there should be no competition from the new bridge.  

The tolls on the new bridge -- which Canada paid for, by the way -- are half what the Maroun's charge, so guess which bridge will be used?  Rhetorical.  Their wealth exceeds $1.7 billion, but I guess it's not enough. 

And where is Carney?  Swanning around Ireland.  Since he came on the scene, 85 major corporations have moved their head offices to the U.S. -- including his own, Brookfield!  That's what his "elbows up" schtick is getting us.  Nothing.  The only binding trade deal we have is with Indonesia.  That's it.  And we actually had to give them $1 billion to sign it!!!

Folks, Ireland is a personal boondoggle and we're paying for it.  When will Canadians rouse from their torpor and wake up??!!  It is to weep.............

   

A complete failure

Any leader of any country who has to give his citizens a grocery rebate to put food on the table is admitting he has been an abject failure.  Remember, "Judge me by the prices in the grocery aisles"?  Well, we have and you are.

To think, that Canada, with its vast resources, has to give people a few shekels to buy bread is a disgrace.

Of course, thanks to lunatics like Stephen Guilbeault and Justin Trudeau, our riches have been trapped underground, which means that's where our God-given wealth lies to this day.  Hence, we have to give alms to the poor for crumbs off the table.

He reminds me of Marie Antionette.  "Let them eat cake," she suggested, when food was scarce.  That's Carney to a tee.  He gallivants around the world, dining and gourmandizing in his sky palace, while the rest of his subjects have to skip meals and eat bologna sandwiches.  

Marie "Carney" Antionette.

Mark "Marie Antionette" Carney, surveying his subjects.

_______________________

His latest "trade mission" is to Ireland.  Really?  Why?  We have no issues with that country.  Oh, but wait, I just found out that while he's there in his spare time, wink-wink-nudge-nudge, saving the day, he's also going to re-trace his Irish roots in the county from which he hails.  Frankly, that's the real purpose of his trip, to mix with his ancestors and hoist a few at the local pub -- at your expense.  And just to add insult to injury, he's carting along his wife to double the costs.  Who elected her?  What's she doing there?  What trade deals will she be negotiating, pray tell? 

It's unconscionable.

_______________________

So, FIFA is starting today.  Wanna guess what a seat in the final will run?  How about US $32,000.  That's right!  I am not kidding!  US $32,000!#@^*&^%$#!!!!

Naturally, Toronto and Vancouver are emptying out, as residents flee to saner climes.  And naturally, there is virtually no parking near any of the venues because everyone will have to walk, or take the tube.  That's the green way these days.  No ugly cars for you plebs.  You'll simply hoof it, like it or lump it.

So, folks, that's that state of this country today in my never-to-be-humble opinion  Phucked. 

 

Hard to argue these facts...........

Re-printed from 'The Catholic League', by Bill Donohue:

______________________________

June 11, 2026

"Attacking men, especially white, Christian, heterosexual men, is a popular sport enjoyed by left-wing pundits and activists. This is driven home every Father’s Day. Normal people do not get exercised over this special day, but these folks do.

"In New York State, there is a bill, supported by Democrats, to replace “father” with “non-gestating parent,” and to call a “putative” father, meaning a deadbeat dad, “an alleged parent.”

"Why the adoption of “neutral” terms? Who is offended by calling fathers “fathers”? Radical gays and radical feminists object. They have long been at war with nature so this bill does not surprise. But why?

"Radical gays, especially those who claim to be “married,” object that terms like “father” and “mother” are exclusionary, leaving people like them out of familial conversations and governmental policies. They are right about that. But it is not men—it is nature—that has excluded them. To be blunt, nature has determined that people of the same sex cannot reproduce. 

"The problem for radical gays is that they do not believe in human nature: they think everything that exists is a “social construct.” But male and female genital organs are not a “social construct”—they are an anatomical reality. Nature exists and they cannot change what it has ordained. It is a fight they cannot win. 

"Radical feminists deplore “patriarchy.” But there is a reason why it is universal. How so? Sociologist Steven Goldberg, who wrote a classical book on this subject, found that male dominance can be explained by hormonal factors such as the higher levels of testosterone that males have. As he noted, “the hormonal renders the social inevitable (italics in the original).”

"Radical feminists like to point out that Goldberg’s thesis was contradicted by anthropologist Margaret Mead. Wrong. “Nowhere do I suggest that I have found any material which disproves the existence of sex differences.” She even went so far as to say, “It is true, as Professor Goldberg points out, that all claims so glibly made about societies ruled by women are nonsense. We have no reason to believe that they ever existed.”

"In other words, radical gays and radical feminists can beat up on men, and especially fathers, all they want. But in the end, fatherhood is real and exclusionary. The radicals may not like it, but most women throughout history have never had a problem with any of this. It’s only those with a fanciful ideological agenda who complain about it.

"Happy Father’s Day!" 

Enjoy your day!