my wife used to take ella shopping at the Bay when she was playing in Vancouver......

in order to avoid importuning 'fans' she'd dress with a kerchief around her head......."do i look like a cleaning lady ?" she'd say.

A few comments on the Human Rights travestry and the Roy Green Show, if I may.

As far as I am concerned, the interviews with Ezra Levant and Jennifer Lynch on the Saturday
edition of the Roy Green Show were the greatest non-event in the history of talk radio and
I'm sure that suits Ms Lynch just fine. She came out smelling like a rose. Levant did OK
in his portion of the interviews but he really said nothing that he hasn't said before a thousand
times.

Roy Green hypes his show as hard-hitting, tough, blah, blah, etc and a week ago he told his radio
audience that he was going to invite Ms Lynch to the show and he was going to hold her to
account for this, that and everything else. Ms Lynch agreed to be interviewed on the Sat show
and I, like thousands of other suckers I suppose, tuned in to hear Roy asking the tough
questions and holding her to account and all those other things we were told to expect.

What happened? As soon as Green began interviewing Ms Lynch he became Mr Sweetness
and Light. He asked not a single question in a manner that could be described as tough or
probing and he let her get away with vacuous answers that any fool could ascertain as following
the party line and advice of the spin doctors of the Canadian Human Rights Commission and
their puppet organization, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. Mr Green allowed this
nonsense to go on almost without interruption until Ms Lynch had said just about everything
she wanted to say and in a manner with which she wanted to say it. Green used his response
time not to probe or argue ........... no, he was too busy telling the audience and Ms Lynch how
fair he was being in his questioning.

As much as I dislike Ms Lynch and the HRC, I can't blame her for the inept and classless
performance of Mr Green. He blew a chance, big time, to do a service to the Canadian public
in exposing the inequities and hypocracies of the HRC. Perhaps it's time for the Corus Radio
Network to replace the weekend talk radio slots to someone who isn't afraid to ask the real
tough and probing questions.

Small world, eh, John ;-)

Today, Rasmussen Polls shows that Obama has finally moved into the negative ratio. His approval rating is MINUS 2.

This is because 34% strongly disapprove of him while only 32% strongly approve.

This is the first time his approval rating has fallen into the negative and also, his lowest approval rate (32) to date.

Obama began with a 44% strongly approve and only a 10% strongly disapprove. In five months, he's moved to a 32% strongly approve and 34% strongly disapprove.

His total approval (which includes 'somewhat approve) began with 65% to 30 disapproval. That is, the approval was over double the disapproval. It's now 53% to 46. The gap between them is now only 7 points. Not 35.

Interesting.

"LONDON - It's a spelling mantra that generations of schoolchildren have learned — "i before e, except after c."

But new British government guidance tells teachers not to pass on the rule to students, because there are too many exceptions."

Whatever happened to proper English?

"I don't give a damn for a man that can only spell a word one way."
-- Mark Twain

indeed it is Vito...the old butterfly in China flapping it's wings and a man on South Audley street in London falling down dead.

i've always referred to it as an inverse entropy....sorta the same realization Granma had in "a good man is hard to find' by flannery o'connor.

btw the 'wife' was there the day dusty springfield slapped buddy rich......who offered her a job with that big talent agency(morris?) in L.A.....which she refused to her everlasting regret having to have spent what feels like 3 lifetimes with boring old tone deaf me....

Brent - spelling rules can be weird neighbours to each other. Like endangered species.

J.J. Jackson points out that Obama is acquiring a taste for swatting 'flies', like the Inspector-General of Americorps. President Obama doesn't seem to like the buzzing of assertive auditors...

"They are dropping like flies"

CAMELOT !....CAMELOT !.....oh hell....you see what i mean...

BCer: "Perhaps it's time for the Corus Radio
Network to replace the weekend talk radio slots to someone who isn't afraid to ask the real
tough and probing questions."
Sorry; not going to happen. Corus displays a definite aversion to anything that will damage the business. The CRTC is a very powerful institution and the owners know that. Guaranteed Roy did not produce the show he wanted to.
I don't know what it will take to wake up the Canadian people but talk radio is not going to do it here.
The big O is following in our footsteps according to the comments of Rush, Glen and Sean.
We still have the internet but look for regulation as soon as the big L is back in town.

new application for LEDs:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1137883380?bctid=17075685001

Neutrality Isn’t an Option
You always have a dog in the fight, whether you know it or not.

By Mark Steyn
The polite explanation for Barack Obama’s diffidence on Iran is that he doesn’t want to give the mullahs the excuse to say the Great Satan is meddling in Tehran’s affairs. So the president’s official position is that he’s modestly encouraged by the regime’s supposed interest in investigating some of the allegations of fraud.

http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MDlhMmZmY2I1MjI0MTZlNDBhZmI3N2Y3ZDk2ZGZlYjA=&w=MA==

Was it "diffidence" that allowed Russian tanks to rumble across Hungary and Czechoslovakia during their short-lived attempts at freedom? The Americans
without the aid of the rest of the western world, can't save us all. Are we willing to throw our hats into the ring?

Larry; I seem to be a profit of doom tonight, but the answer is; No.
During the Hungarian revolution, Eisenhower had a very robust NATO on side and did not move. Sending an aircraft carrier to Britain or a Naval unit to the Mediterranean could have made all the difference, but he did nothing.
We really thought we were sticking our necks out when JFK gambled with Khrushchev on the Cuban missile crisis, but we could not guess the enemy was largely a house of cards.
Vietnam did what the USSR could only dream of. It killed the American will to defend freedom and dismantled in everything but name, NATO.

The perhaps-notorious Jim Kouri on Obama's Iran strategy, and what the U.S. government should be doing:

"US faces tragic consequences with Iran"

[No mention of serial killers in this one.]

It's dated, but I found this article on Maurice Strong and Al Gore rather interesting. Thought I'd share it with the rest of you.

http://www.wjr.com/goout.asp?u=http://www.canadafreepress.com/2007/cover031307.htm

Perfect, Vitruvius! Ella, Gershwin, and a first-rate trio. What control Ella has, and it all seems so effortless.

I just wish she hadn't been dolled up so much in the '60s. That getup was hot and wearing that wig under the lights must have been Hell. She handled it well, but the hanky was a little distracting ...

Pic of David Letterman's wife:

mitchieville.com/13362/what-to-do-about-david-letterman/

Gleetings flom Mao Stlong (Hi. I'm Liberal Boob Lae's Uncle Mo) in China: Canada my homerand.

Plime Ministel Halpel, prease herp me get outta hele.
...-

"Tens of thousands of Chinese fight the police in Shishou

It was a dramatic weekend in the relatively small city of Shishou in Hubei province.

Tens of thousands of rioters torched a hotel and overturned police cars, after the authorities allegedly tried to cover up the murder of a 24-year-old man as a suicide."

"There are more details and photos here (EastWestNorthSouth).

It's a strange story, and it gets stranger. A huge mob, of anywhere between a few thousand to 70,000 people, depending on which report you read, quickly gathered outside the building. Tu's parents refused to let his body be taken away, and instead placed it inside the hotel on ice.

The crowd defended the body against waves of policemen. However, on Saturday, a fire was lit inside the hotel, but the corpse was saved. Tu's cousin apparently armed himself with two barrels of gasoline and threatened to blow himself up if the body was taken.

The police restored order yesterday, imposed a curfew and took the body to a funeral parlour. Today, the website of the local government has been defaced by hackers."

urlm.in/cqdn

Check out the poll on the Globe & Mail's website. The middle option is currently in the lead:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/

Globe online poll

At what point should a provincial government pass back-to-work legislation to end a strike by municipal workers?

- Never, always keep bargaining

- Before a strike even begins

- Only when disruption becomes severe

MSM coverup.

Our enemy is the MSM.
...-

"Danzigger: Professional Courtesy

A long time ago, I wrote about the conflict between citizenship and the modern self-conception of journalism. I was critical of journalists who felt that somehow they were above the shared obligations of citizenship, and that their obligation was only to, as Mike Wallace would put it, “…[whatever] story they were there to cover.”

That issue is about to get an interesting wringing out, as it turns out that a courageous NY Times reporter was kidnapped at the Pakistan/Afghanistan border last fall, was held hostage by the Taliban, and recently - with amazing pluck and luck - escaped into the welcome arms of some nearby US soldiers.

Now that’s a great story; not only an amazing drama in the kidnapping, and adventure in captivity, and now one with the happiest of endings.

But we weren’t told it until the story was over. Joe Strupp in E & P, explains that all of the professional US media kept a lid on the story:"

http://www.windsofchange.net/archives/a_matter_of_professional_courtesy.html

Re Iran's convolutions:

David Frum in Saturdays NP. It's about the economy stupid! In 1975 Iranian and South Korean GDP per capita was about equal; now a SK makes 3 times as much. Despite swimming in oil, Iran imports 40% of its gasoline because derelict refineries can't cope with local demand. 75% of the economy is run by the upper crust, opening it up to corruption, failure etc.

Is it any wonder that the younger generation is demanding change?

philm - yes, the economic stasis and elitism, which rejects a middle class, is the basic cause of the demand for change by the under 30 crowd in Iran.

And, following Vitruvius's favourite Rule 30, there is no going back. The future state of Iran is going to be changed and the old simple tribal authoritarian control will end.

They have absolutely no difficulty arming themselves - the 17 year old thugs, shooting each other behind the schools. Where is the registry when we need it most? It was supposed to prevent the incidents like this one:

Peel Police - Investigators Make Two Arrests in 12th Homicide of 2009

The keyword is 'prevent', like in 'public safety'. However I don't have to be sarcastic as yet: the registry had nothing to do with the arrest either - it's good old police work.

Halifax may have turds in the tides but Toronto is enjoying garbage and flies (strike, eh).
Sad thing is, they cannot even cry in their rye as the LCBO wanna strike too.
Maybe eBooze is run by the same helpful souls at eHealth.

Today, Rasmussen polls Obama's approval rating as minus one. That's the second day in a row when his approval vs disapproval has been in the negative range.

And Obama's strategy of blaming Bush for all ills is also moving down. One month ago, the number blaming Bush for the economy was 62%. It's now down 8 points to 54. That's in less than one month (early June).

There's also been a 12 point jump in the ratio of people blaming Obama and the Democrats for economic problems.

Rasmussen points out: "By a two-to-one margin, voters also have more confidence in themselves than in the president when it comes to the economy. This marks a significant shift from just after Obama took office.

Sixty percent (60%) of voters now trust their own economic judgment more than the president’s. In early February, 49% had more trust in themselves while 39% trusted the president more.

Now only 30% trust Obama more when it comes to the economic issues facing the nation."

Interesting.

[the Obama polls] Interesting indeed. I’m optimistic that many in the silent majority will be aroused enough to actually get off their butts and vote in the mid-terms. More importantly, it seems that the political “tribal” boundaries may be re-structuring from Republican/Democrat to pro-constitution /ignore-constitution, so notwithstanding party affiliation, the winners will be based on core American values, ie everything that the current administration is against.

Optimism is the only crutch I have left.

Mao (Hi. Liberal Boob Lae is my nephew) Stlong say,

Chinee Red tloops goodygoody and bettel than Mullah's tloops in Tehelan.

>>> "The police officers and armed police officers withdrew. The crowd chased them for about 1 kilometer."

Rots of pics.

...-

"The Shishou Mass Incident

(Associated Press) Police disperse protesters after clashes in China. By Gillian Wong. June 21, 2009.

Hundreds of baton-wielding police on Sunday dispersed protesters and cordoned off a city hotel in central China after a young man's mysterious death sparked unrest, a local official and a witness said."
http://www.zonaeuropa.com/20090621_1.htm

Trade unions at work, cashing in on our taxes:

“We ask that city negotiators get serious,” 
said Mark Ferguson, president of the union 
representing roughly 6,200 outdoor workers. “We 
never wanted to go on strike.”

Earlier in the day, Ms. Dembinski warned that a 

strike was imminent and said that a resolution 

hung on certain deal-breakers such as seniority 

rights, wages and sick-pay — the last of which is 

among the most contentious and allows workers to 

cash in on unused sick-days upon retirement.

City workers get 18 sick days a year and cashing 

them in would cost the city an estimated hundreds 

of millions in payouts.

Who was that dimwit who allowed the unions to exist? They have absolutely no basis in law, and are nothing but institutionalized racket.

Mind you, they would no longer have free reign if the property rights were to be enshrined in Charter. This is why that will never happen, as no party will ever go against the unions. We are doomed.

Fire. Them. All.
...-

"[Federal] Info commissioner cites personal reasons as he leaves well before term up

OTTAWA - Information commissioner Robert Marleau is retiring after serving less than half of the usual seven-year term.

Marleau says his reasons for quitting are personal and private. Suzanne Legault, an assistant commissioner, has been tabbed to fill in while the government seeks a permanent replacement.

Marleau, a former clerk of the House of Commons, took office in January 2007.

He is the fourth person to hold the commissioner's job since it was created in 1983."
urlm.in/cqel
...-

Today's Oxymoron:

"What about journalistic integrity?

Dan Ferguson
Retired Ontario Superior Court Justice

Earlier this month, I spent a day in my car listening over and over to stories about the taped conversation between Natural Resources Minister Lisa Raitt and her aide, Jasmine MacDonnell – stories concerning medical isotopes and allegedly radioactive relationships between fellow cabinet ministers.

Is there some reason no one comments on the integrity of the media who released this story?"
http://www.thestar.com/comment/article/653915

Obama is stating that he's saying little about Iran because he doesn't want the US to be the scapegoat for Iranian leaders to divert attention from internal affairs to accusations of external interference.

What an empty excuse for Obama's indifference to the world that he cannot personally control. Again, as I've said before, for Obama, the only real world is one where he personally controls people and actions. Anything else is outside that 'textual world' and for him, that outside world literally does not exist.

Obama ought to be acting as the leader of democracy in the world. That's the role of the USA.

But - Obama has no filiation with democracy, for democracy puts power in the hands of the people. Whom he cannot control. And Obama, again, can't deal with anyone or anything that he does not control. Therefore, he rejects democracy.

And he rejects and is completely indifferent to any people, any nation, any event, that lies outside of his control. What did Obama do during these momentous Iranian events? Well, one day he and his kids went for a photo-op of ice cream. And on Sunday, he went golfing. And said not a word about democracy and how some people are fighting and dying for it.

Our Lady of the Cliches is baaaackkk.
Barf Alert.
...-

"Something tells me"
"sooner rather than later"
"there is no easy fix"
"At the tail end"
"the delicate issue"
"without tackling the sticky issue"
"At the end of the day"
"weigh in heavily"
etcetcetc ...
urlm.in/cqep

Pass the tequila, Sheila.
(H/T John Crosbie)

Pass the tequila, Sheila.

Ah Sheila, another "faded rose from days gone by".

UK NHS is run by nutters.

"Want to see a GP? Gipsies come first as NHS tells doctors that travellers must be seen at once

Gipsies and travellers should be given priority in NHS hospitals and GP surgeries, doctors have been told.

They will be fast-tracked for doctors, nurses and even some dentist appointments above all other patients.

GPs have also been told to see any travellers who simply walk in without an appointment, even if all consultation times for the day are full."

...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1193810/Want-GP-Gipsies-come-NHS-tells-doctors-travellers-seen-straight-away.html#

Will there be a regular 'google commemorative logo that we'll never see' today? It's June 22nd.

"Will there be a regular 'google commemorative logo that we'll never see' today? It's June 22nd."

I checked google.com.ua (Ukraine) and google.ru (Russia). Nothing on "Op Barbarossa"!

Shame!

LibIggy has been "Dionized".

His fellow eggheads see Iggy as "dilettante who lacks rigour".

Thus, the IggyConsensus is settled.

Iggy's epitaph:

Cogito, ergo sum* Dionky.

Stay IggyDionky, stay.
...-

"He [Iggy] tried to play chicken with the government, and Stephen Harper plucked him bald.

The Liberals have now lost virtually all of the momentum they had built up since Ignatieff took over as leader, and as some wag had it, he's gone from being "lionized" to "Dionized." Oof."

"Rough times for Ignatieff"
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Rough+times+Ignatieff/1719493/story.html

"Corus displays a definite aversion to anything that will damage the business. The CRTC is a very powerful institution and the owners know that."

The CRTC is another worthless government regulatory body that should be abolished.

Funny how s.2(b) of the Charter of Rights says we have freedom of speech, freedom of the press and other media of communication, yet we have a CHRC to crack down on speech and a CRTC to crack down on media. One could easily conclude that, despite the Charter, we really don't have any rights at all.