How not to sell (me) a car
I was waiting in my dealer’s showroom last week as my car was being serviced and overheard this conversation between a young sales rep and a potential customer. “Can I…
Canajun
A gun registry primer
For the purposes of full disclosure, I am not a fan of Canada’s gun registry laws as presently enacted. I am not at all averse to licensing owners or registering…
Shampoo
Those of you know me know I’m one of the follicly challenged members of the species. While not the stuff of Harlequin bodice-ripper covers or heart-throb movie stars it does…
10 awesome things about spring
In no particular order: The first crocus pokes its head out of the ground. Putting away your winter boots. (And coats, and hats….) Your motorcycle is back on the road.…
Setting the record straight
I have been accused in various online forums, and personally, of harbouring feelings of hatred towards supporters of the Conservative Party. “How can you sleep at night?” one person asked.…
An inconsequential, banal, silly word
Stephen Fry was being interviewed on CBC this morning, and the conversation turned to Twitter. According to the New York Times magazine, he is one of the world’s leading twitterers…
Our veterans deserve better
There’s a disturbing story coming out of Ottawa concerning the issue of family violence and post-traumatic stress in returning veterans. The CBC is reporting that incidents of family violence were…
“Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.”– Albert Einstein
I was just thinking about the first 2 days of this election campaign and all the lies, half-truths, and innuendo spouting from the mouths of the various leaders and candidates.…
Time for a new leaf
Spring is the season of renewal. As the sun rises in the sky the snow disappears and the earth awakens to start afresh. It’s a time to reflect and prepare…
Duffy’s X-Ray vision penetrates NDP caucus
Mike Duffy was on CFRA yesterday afternoon explaining why we were going into an election. Here’s his take on it. The buzz here is that Layton was going to let…
Wag the Dog
In 1997 the movie Wag the Dog was released. Starring Robert de Niro and Dustin Hoffman, the movie’s premise is that the president, besieged by scandal, uses the media to…
Head shots
March 8 – Zdeno Chara lays a life-threatening hit on Max Pacioretty and gets a light slap on the wrist. March 10 – Stephen Harper weighs in, saying “I don’t…
Con appointee laughing all the way to the bank
As the Globe and Mail is reporting today, Christiane Ouimet is walking away with a sweet half-million dollars for quitting after 3 years of questionable service to the Crown. Along…
Repair the broken windows and the rest will follow.
The local news tonight covered a story about some Carleton University students who had figured out a way to obtain laundromat services for free. A lot of them took advantage,…
Breaking news–Alberta gets less than fair share of Order of Canada medals!
It must have been a slow news day in Ottawa; the Ottawa Citizen actually assigned someone the responsibility to do an analysis of Order of Canada recipients to determine if…
Conservatives lying? No, it’s just being very precise with words.
On Newfoundland’s VOCM Backtalk Tuesday, Vic Toews said, in response to a question about a federal penitentiary in Newfoundland: “I have to say, without getting partisan, I'm rather surprised given…
CSA to define Metis status?
The Department of Indian and Northern Affairs is apparently confused about who is/isn’t/should be/shouldn’t be Métis. It seems that the determination of Métis status has been somewhat haphazard, with various…
Whoa Nellie!
Recently Ontario followed many other jurisdictions in banning the use of hand-held devices while driving. As a victim of a texting teen driving into me at a stop light, I…
Who are these people
who have absolutely no concept of value for money when it comes to spending taxpayer dollars? It’s a trivial thing, and a trivial amount as far as governments go, but…