Our Fearless Leader Retires

Well, it is over.

Danny has resigned.

And the timing is off.

Why now, with the ink on the $6.2-billion deal for a hydro-electric project in Churchill Falls barely dry? Williams modestly called the deal a "piece of mastery" and the "stuff of nation building." And yet feels no need to stay on and see it through- to ensure it does in fact happen.

Something is rotten in the state of Dannystan.

It reminds me of when I was a kid, and my dad would let a silent but deadly one rip and then would leave the room before anyone noticed it was him who caused the stink.

Something Positive

Canada has been taking a lot of crap in the press these last few weeks. The Olympic games is the focus of much of the ire, with headlines from the UK like: 'Vancouver Games continue downhill slide from disaster to calamity"; Canadian organizers are responding to complaints about everything from the weather, protesters, ice surfacing and to the fence around the Olympic Flame, and the horrific death of Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili on the opening day. Add to that the scandal Premier's Danny William's decision to get surgery outside his own province, and worse, outside Canada. He ignited the debate about the quality of health care in Canada versus the United States on both sides of the border. And today, we have the hullabaloo over the gold winning Canadian Women's Hockey team daring to celebrate their win in such a "rowdy" way- drinking and carousing! How dare they? Had this been the gold medal win for the men's team such celebrations would not likely have made the papers; even if it did the finger wagging the girls received would be pats on the back for the men.

Yeah, our collective Canadian image is taking a bit of a pounding.

So it made me feel good to see this video circulating on Facebook. It is Canada, as seen through the eyes of American news anchor Tom Brokaw which was aired just as the games were about to begin. It is a very positive piece about Canada and our relationship with the U.S. I found myself sitting up a little straighter as I watched it- and I was very pleased to see so many shots of Newfoundland.

Thanks Mr. Brokaw, we needed this:

Green House for Shaun Majumder

I remember the first time I saw Shaun on Just for Laughs, he made me laugh so hard my sides ached. I had his routine on my PVR for months before I would let Don delete it. His delivery is so causal and conversational it is like having a few drinks with an old friend.

The Burlington Newfoundland native has had a variety of roles starting with YTV's CLIPS. His stand up routines lead him to become a popular host for the Comedy Festival Just For Laughs, a recurring role on This Hour Has 22 Minutes, and Cedric the Entertainer Presents. All that exposure, helped propel the comedian to the big screen with Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle.

The Newfoundland funny man has another project in the works, and he needs your help to get it off the ground. Shaun wants to create a reality show called Shaun Majumder's Green Home. While it is not my favourite television genre ( OK, I admit it, I despise so called Reality TV), I do think this show is a good idea. Mostly because of the concept and principles behind it. The show would chronicle what it would take to build an environmentally green home. There is a rumor that at the end of the show, and the home's completion, that someone would actually win the final product.

They plan to build the home in Shaun's hometown, providing employment and exposure for the community. It also builds awareness of environmental issues, not only in Newfoundland, but for Canada as a whole. We need to be more proactive with environmental issues. Indeed, a recent report by Toronto's Corporate Knights magazine graded all the provinces on their eco-performance: the highest score, a measly 69%, went to BC, and Newfoundland ranked only slightly higher than the lowest ranked province; P.E.I.

So let's get behind this idea! Help throw your support to Shaun, and petition the CBC to back this proactive and innovative project. You can petition the cbc at this website, and you can join the Facebook devoted to the cause as well.

Pass it on!

Do not bother.

Awhile back I ranted about Telemarketers, and I spoke about the Do not call service that was in the works. Well, it was launched, unsuccessfully, yesterday.

Unsuccessful is is a bit of an understatement.

According to the Globe and Mail, demand was so high the CRTC had to publish a note on its site advising people to try later.

Local radio stations and media outlets have been allowing consumers to rant and rave about the inability of the site to handle the load, and question the effectiveness of the program. That aside, I have to wonder, would it not be easier to have everyone on the "Do not call list" by default- and only those interested in receiving calls should sign up on a "Go ahead call me, I've got no friends list".

Surely that would be easier than the clusterfuck that was yesterday.

Air Canada reaches new lows

Awhile back I posted about Air Canada's less than stellar service, but a story carried by CBC today just blew all that ranting away.

It appears our national airline had to make a decision between leaving a few pieces of luggage behind, and irritating a few passengers, or leaving a casket behind and devastating an entire family. Air Canada's choice? According to the CBC: " Body bumped from flight to make way for luggage: family"

I will just let that sink in a bit.

Kinda leaves you speechless doesn't it?

Dennis Hamilton died suddenly last week while working in Alberta, and while the news of his death hit the family hard, the phone call telling them his body was bumped in Montreal must have been harder. This profound display of insensitivity was not just an insult to the family, it delayed both the viewing at the funeral home and the funeral service itself.

Of course, Air Canada has no comment. Why would they? They have never taken responsibility for anything before, why start now? And when I think about their announcement last week of their plans to add a fee for customer service, I begin to really understand the term "going postal".

My condolences to the Springdale family, you did nothing to deserve this, and I am so sorry this experience added to your grief.

I am not sure they can build one strong enough

to take the winds in Fermeuse:

Fermeuse likes way wind is blowing on energy project

Good job guys, a renewable resource! That is the way to go.

Censorship?

I was dismayed this morning to read about St. John’s store Downhome Shoppe and Gallery’s decision to ban Littleseal a children's book by a St. John's author Morgan Pumphrey because it has an anti-sealing message. Banning books is patriarchal, oppressive; it is the foundation of intolerance. It pains me to see people on the Rock take this backward approach. It remind me of how the Church handled The DaVinci Code - slagging it because it did not represent their version of historical events. Their loud protestations fueled the publicity machine; the controversy it created propelled the book into the stratosphere of billion dollar book sales. How many more people read the book because of the controversy? The best way the Christian churches could have handled it was to say “What a creative work of fiction! Well done!” and then used the book as a springboard to talk about their version of historical events as they see fit. If the intent was to stop Littleseal from reaching public hands, this move was the very definition of counter productive. Realistically how many people would have ever heard of this book, never mind buy it, before this hit the papers?

When asked about their decision the president of Downhome Inc., Grant Young, replied: "We're pro-sealing and this is an anti-sealing book. Maybe some people could call it censorship, but we call it standing by our beliefs..."

I call that pretty slippery.