114 Replies to “Reader Tips”

  3. In regard to the HRC this could be part of the problem -Carr Center for Human Rights Policy – once directed by Michael Ignatieff; now directed by Sarah Sewall, one of Banana (b)Obama’s advisors about foreign policy. I found this – curious – Iggy really gets around!

  4. Maz2 – A democracy online info thingie run by David Atkin – isn’t that an oxymoron?

  5. “If I’d taken my doctor’s advice and quit smoking when he advised me to, I wouldn’t have lived to go to his funeral,” deadpans the 98-year-old comedian from a chair in his Hollywood office.
    -George Burns

  6. Did anyone catch the end of Duffy yesterday? There was an interview with Fife and Weston. Weston had a column about the cost of security for former Prime Ministers. What struck me was that presumably Paul Martin is racking up huge security costs. Why would that be? He was in a short enough time that I would not have expected him to be a high-profile security target. I am curious if there are external reasons for his need for MAJOR security protection. Am not sure who assigns levels of security, but I got the impression that it’s a bit ad hoc, and that in certain situations Martin would have requested the security. I have never forgotten Harpers somewhat covert suggestion (when he was in Opposition) about potential ties between the Liberals and the Mafia. This needs exploration, I think. Basi-Virk may provide some clues. Maybe I reading too much into this — but Paul Martin’s need for significant levels of security is curious nevertheless.

  8. But how will we know whether the earth is warming or cooling? Today, it all depends on the data source.
    That reminded me of an old joke; guess who got the job:
    Three candidates are short listed for the accountant’s job. They’re all equally excellent, experienced and personable, etc.
    So the chairman asks each the simple question “what is two and two?”
    The first replies ” Four”
    The second replies ” Statistically anything between 3.999 and 4.0111″
    The third replies ” Well what do you want it to be ?”

  9. I was on our company’s smoking cessation committee back in the early 80’s. The Oshawa Group was a large, 23k, national company and our chairman, Ray Wolfe, wanted to find out the costs of smoking to the company. My department, Payroll and Benefits, was typical with a majority of smokers and the air was blue with smoke all day. As a director I had an office and could get away from the smoke unlike my employees.
    We examined all aspects of smoking such as carpet and drape replacement, cleaning, fire risk, computer equipment just coming in, insurance costs and so on as well as the health of our employees which was the most important thing to the chairman. Working with other companies and outside agencies we presented our findings after a few months. No one realized the staggering costs of smoking both to infrastructure and to us humans. Interviewing non-smokers who hated the stink on their clothes and body and were coughing or sneezing because of the smoke made us look at enhanced venting or smoking rooms. The Benefit department presented statistics on deaths related to smoking and related health costs.
    After all this was tallied and presented to the Chairman he said that’s it, smoking is banned from my company. There was no government pressure or “secret agenda” of control, the costs of smoking were simply too high. We tried vented smoking rooms for a while but no one wanted to sit near them so out they went.
    The effect was immediate and many smokers even relished the clear air and surroundings. We had many heated arguments and I learned how addictive smoking is, worse than heroin. My manager died at 43 from a smoking related cancer.
    Though my wife still smokes though not in the house as she goes outside and several of her female friends do the statistics still pile up. Her sister, both brother-in-laws, her father all died in their 50-60’s from smoking with the remaining sister and brother having respiratory conditions requiring oxygen. Her best friend’s brother and sister-in-law died in their early 50’s from smoking. Yet both my wife and her friend happily puff away. Our benefit statistics at Oshawa Group showed smokers living beyond 65 were the exception.
    We have lived a fair length of time without smoking at our offices and public areas and you don’t appreciate it until you walk into a bar in Europe. I know some of you posters will rant about government control and being forced to do things and as a conservative I am always leary about this but in this case I am glad we did it. Though of course the holier-than-though liberal control freaks always take things too far and piss everybody off.

  10. Ted, after you wrote your post, I hope you went right to the washroom to wipe the s**t off your ankles. Voters don’t care what happened “three prime ministers ago,” eh? Maybe they care that the LPC still hasn’t acknowledged their wrongdoing, let alone paid back the money they stole. Maybe they’ll care when senior Liberals, perhaps even former and present MPs are charged with fraud. I guess I was playing marbles when the Tories were charged or convincted of any contravention of the Elections Act. The Grit culture of corruption is alive and well, and, yes, the voters do and will care about that at election time, in October 09 (because your weenie of a leader and bankrupt – money and ideas – party will be forced to face the voters).
    If and when the Tories are charged, and subsequently convicted of a crime with their in/out scheme, then you can make your argument, and we will have to deal with it. IMO, it won’t happen though. It is far more likely that someone like Gagliano will be charged in the continuing Adscam investigations.
    The Liberals haven’t changed in our out of power, as a friend pointed out to me last time. They didn’t, and don’t offer new vision and ideas for Canadians, just the tried and true (they think) “spin and smear” tactic. Unfortunately for Grits, the Toronto MSM cabal no longer controls the message, so Canadians can evaluate for themselves what the issues are, without being told what to think (read the book “Absent Mandate” to see a fuller articulation of this theme).
    Ted, your party is unelectable right now because it lacks leadership and still clings to the power for its own sake (and the keys to the treasury) notion. IMO, that is now unacceptable to Canadians. On top of that, your leader is utterly incapable of communicating any vision the Grits may miraculously come up with. Sorry, carbon taxes to reduce gas prices is not a coherent policy.
    So, Ted, keep living the delusion. OTOH, if Grits so sure voters have forgotten their theft and are worried about the “in/out scandal,” then they should force an election, and seek the people’s opinion. But then again, when did Grits actually care what the great unwashed think.

  11. Dave, well said. My gal is also a smoker. Mentally quicker and with a better memory than I, yet she smokes.
    Life so often seems to be without logic. = TG

  12. Bernie: Thanks for that line, I think I will start using it. By the way, I’m a water skier and I get 100 plus sets in a season. That like 70 plus time out. AND I have been doing this for over 15 years. TG: I like to think that my memory is 100%, ask my man. He all ways wonders how I can remember every little detail.

  13. MaryT and Bernie; my dear scotch drinking, cigarette smoking, coffee loving, very astute friend, age 94, died last month of heart failure. When questioned about her age (no one believed she was a day over 70), she replied she was ‘Smoked and pickled: well preserved’!
    One day the community help girl (pensioners get ‘help’ here if they live at home) came over to wash her floor. She and I were visiting, drinking coffee and smoking – the woman at the door (at least 45) held out her had as if in defense, and squawked ‘someone is smoking in here, I am allergic, put out the cigarettes!” My immaculate old friend peered at the squawker though her glasses and said ‘This is a civilized household, we smoke and and pay taxes. Take your problems to your husband. If you cannot act like an adult get the hell out of here!” The squawker scurried to her truck (gov’t truck) and someone else who was older(mentally) and wiser was sent over later in the day. My friend was one of the most respected people in the Yukon, I should add; because most old timers don’t get ANY respect from social services or there minions.

  14. Jema54, yes, but you do remember Dave saying that smokers surviving over age 65 is the exception?

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