Bob Rae Has Great Hair

Picture of Bob Rae (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What's with the new evil laugh attack ads on TV?

Sure Bob Rae has a weird laugh, as we in Ontario know only too well, but using a personal characteristic to sway the voter's opinion is despicable.

The Tories got their majority, there is no election coming, so why go after the Liberal Leader?

My guess is that the ads aren't aimed at the general public.

They are being fielded as a warning to Liberal Party members who are gearing up to elect their new leader.

Bob Rae is supposed to be an interim leader, remember?

"Elect him and we're coming after you!" is the message here.

But Bob Rae, if nothing else, has charisma. 

And great hair.

And that scares the pants off the Conservatives.

(And we are all so fond of them after the robocall debacle.)

Ontario Budget

We can't afford a provincial election. 

We are in deep financial doo-doo.

So I,  in my ladylike retired elementary school teacher manner, 


say, to All of the parties and All the unions,

for the sake of every soul in this province:

F***ing work together

and let this budget pass.

Related articles

• Rae's past as Ontario premier target of new Tory attack ads (calgaryherald.com)
• Conservative ads slam Rae as 'failure,' praise Harper (ctv.ca)

Some Thoughts On The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games (film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Who did you have to kill when you became an adult? 

We spend years battling various parts of our personalities during our formative years.  We decide which personalities 'work' for us and which ones have to die.

And then we execute the ones we don't want.  Painfully and at great cost.

I think that is one of the reasons that The Hunger Games resonates so deeply.

Of course, the people we choose not to be never really die. 

They are very often resurrected in later life. 

(This blog in which I actually express opinions is an example.)

But at the time we don't know that.

Katniss Everdeen, the protagonist in The Hunger Games, is a mythical figure.

She lives in a world that is enslaved by the spiritually dead who live in a place called "The Capital'.

(Anybody remember the social upheaval of the sixties?  Same idea, different crowd.)

To survive she must kill a number of other children during the nationally televised 'Hunger Games'.

It isn't a warm and comfy read.

But being a teenager isn't a warm and comfy time either. 

It is fascinating to see which personalities have to die and which ones she keeps (or tries to keep).

And one last note.

The story takes place in a post apocalyptic USA.

I kept wondering what was going on in Canada.

There's just gotta be a joke about that out there somewhere.

Climate Change and the Canadian Virgin

"The first day of spring was once the time

for taking the young virgins into the fields,

there in dalliance to set an example in fertility

for nature to follow.

Now we just set the clocks an hour ahead

and change the oil in the crankcase."

E.B. White, "Hot Weather," One Man's Meat, 1944

I suppose someone might think that E.B. White was right.

I mean

yesterday, Flynn and I did not see even one

virgin dallying about in a mid-March field.

 

But then again why would they?

 

Why should they dally

in muddy March fields

when they can dally on a sunny 26° beach

on the sandy shores of Lake Ontario.

Photo taken March 21st.

Jeesh.

McClintic, Rafferty and the Death Penalty

Last week I was appalled to read that more than half of Canadians would like to see the death penalty brought back.

This week I learned what happened to sweet little Tori Stafford.

Tori Stafford was an eight year old Ontario girl who was abducted by an 18 year old junkie named Terri-Lynn McClintic for  her 31 year old boyfriend, Michael Thomas Rafferty.  After the punching, the stomping and the  brutal rape by Rafferty, the junkie bashed Tori's head in with a hammer.

The death penalty has been on my mind ever since.

Should it be reinstated?

I would still vote against it.

But I will tell you that if the government announced today that they were making an exception in this case  and McClintic and Rafferty were going to be put down like sick animals - I wouldn't be at any jailhouse protest marches.

They do not deserve to live.

Related articles

• McClintic expected to testify further in Rafferty trial after revealing horrific details (macleans.ca)
• Michael Rafferty Trial: Jurors Hear Horrific Testimony Regarding Tori Stafford's Final Moments (dreamindemon.com)
• The betrayal of Tori Stafford (fullcomment.nationalpost.com)

Hoardered Cats, Cynical Dogs

Flynn and I were just coming home from our walk when I noticed three

 pre-teens trailing along behind us. 

They were huddled together talking intently. 

I didn't think too much about it.

We went into the house and I closed the door behind us.

I hadn't even taken my coat off when the doorbell rang.

The three kids I'd noticed earier were now standing on the doorstep.

"Hi girls," I said while Flynn looked on, "what can I do for you?"

"We're trying to buy a hoardered cat," said the one whose glasses rested on a band aid that covered most of her nose, "and we were wondering if you would like to donate some money."

"A hoardered cat?"  I asked.  

"You know," said the tallest one with the long straight hair, "a cat that is owned by a hoarderer."

"A  hoarder! " I said when the light dawned.

"Er,"  I added quickly.  They hadn't come to my door for a grammar lesson.

"Yeah,"  the shortest girl with the sandy hair nodded grimly, "and we need to save that cat."

"I have six cats!"  the tall girl blurted.

"Uh oh," I thought. "The poor cat is going to go from one 'hoarderer's' frying pan into another 'hoarderer's' fire."

"But two of them are dead," she quickly amended when she noticed my worried look. 

"Eek," I thought.

"I mean I've owned six cats in my whole life,"  she backtracked frantically.

Her companions frowned  angrily. 

They were on a life and death mission and this was no time for a screw up.

But I didn't spend thousands of hours of my teaching career immersed in the emotional turmoil of the 11 year old mind for nothing.

I knew what I had to do. 

"Welllll ..."  I looked down and put my finger against my lips thoughtfully.

They stopped sending eye daggers at each other and turned to look at me hopefully.  

"Let me get my purse," I said.

Flynn made a snorting noise and went to curl up on the couch.

I don't know what the going rate is for 'hoardered' cats these days but I gave them $5.00.

I was still smiling and waving good-bye when Flynn yawned and opened one eye to look at me.

I could see that she was thinking, "A fool and her money are soon parted."

Jeesh.

Dogs use far too many clichés.

Rising Above

I'm adjusting to life in the city.


There are some perks.



For example,

North Pelham had a feed mill for animals


whereas the city offers a variety


of feed mills for humans.

One such establishment is the

 

Rise Above Bakery & Catering

which is also a vegan restaurant


in downtown St. Catharines.

I was quite impressed by the local artwork on display.

The picture of a  rifle bearing hunter

in a vegan restaurant really got my attention. 

And the food was great.

Potato, beet salad.

Very yum.

The chili was excellent.

I didn't think I'd be able to finish it but

holy cow

oops, I mean

holy red kidney beans

I gobbled it all up in no time!

These men were kind enough to let me take their picture

  but they wouldn't share their soup and sandwiches .

Just goes to show you how cold the concrete jungle can be, eh?

But most vegans just want to have fun.

 

And a lot of their fun seems to centre around dessert.

I had part of a raspberry something.

Totally Orgasmic!

This young waiter is trying to get me interested in the freshly baked bread.

(Like I'm thinking bread when I can see the dessert counter.)

Lunch was less than $10

and it was tasty and filling without being heavy .

So if you live in Niagara

or are just passing through

grab a bite at the

Rise Above Bakery and Catering

120 St. Paul St., St. Catharines, Ont.

289-362-2636.

Tell them Francie sent you. 

They'll wonder who the hell Francie is

but you won't be sorry you stopped in.  

Robocall Me

SATAN (Photo credit: lori_la_tortuga)

Does anyone else smell hysteria in our fresh-ish Canadian air these days?

I'm really expecting the next robocall report will be that they caused teenage girls in Medicine Hat to fall down and worship Satan.

 I know I know.  Some people will say that is the same as voting Conservative .

 Be that as it may.

My point is that the media needs to get a grip.

Find the culprit and charge him/her/them.

Move on.

Because we have First Nation's children without fresh drinking water in this country.

And personally,

I'm not sure that people who listen to automated phone calls should be allowed to vote anyway.

Related articles

• Harper calls robocall scandal 'smear campaign' (ctv.ca)
• Rae demands PM get to bottom of 'robocalls' allegations (ctv.ca)
• Robocall canada (disclose.tv)