The Wobbly Puck: We Seek the Holy Grail...

By James Phieffer - first published at The Hockey Writers

As much as I’m sure this is an exciting time for hockey fans and media alike, it is also, I expect, a time when the muscles which surround the eyes of coaches, general managers, and other hockey front office staff get a workout. After all, with each column they read, every fan comment posted after hockey articles of one sort or another, I’m sure the eyes begin to roll.

My last column was a well argued (eye-roll) explanation of what the Senators ought to be doing on their blue line this season in order to build for the future(eye-roll). “All you have to do is…” I wrote, laying out a comprehensive plan for integrating young players while using the now surplus (eye-roll) veterans to secure valuable assets (major eye-roll) useful in building a contender in the coming years. My plan is very simple and straightforward (eye rolls completely over and pops out of head).

I always get a laugh when I read comments on seemingly any story about the Toronto Maple Leafs. While I haven’t checked in the last couple of months, in the last 12 months I have seen more than one suggestion by a commenting fan that “we need to bring back Dougie” (Gilmour) or “Clarkie” (Wendel Clark). Now, after I stop laughing, make sure I haven’t wet myself, and restrain myself from making another derogatory comment about some Leafs fans to the Missus (a Leafs fan…), I wonder about what people are thinking.

I sat beside Doug Gilmour about a year ago. I had taken my nephew Matthew to see the Belleville Bulls play the visiting Kingston Frontenacs. Matt and I had front row seats, and were right across the tunnel from the visiting teams bench, where stood the coach of the Fronts, one Douglas Robert Gilmour, or “Dougie”, in Leaf-speak. He was in a suit, not equipment, and in light of his being about eight years older than my then current age of 39, this seemed unlikely to change. I am sure Brian Burke has just broken down at the news. He’ll have to see if Sundin’s agent is still on speed-dial. Then to let the mayor know he can start planning the Stanley Cup parade route…

But I digress.

Right now, Bryan Murray, Percival to Eugene Melnyk’s Arthur, is trying to assemble a team which will succeed in capturing hockey’s mystical Grail as soon as is humanly possible. But he has no Merlin or Lady of the Lake, nor can he look to Melnyk for anything resembling Excalibur. He did have to trade away a guy who thought he was Excalibur, but Dany Heatley is looking more and more like one of those pseudo-Samurai swords you can find in cheap head shops – if you use them for anything stronger than paper, they get dull and useless in a hurry.

Meanwhile, we, the ink-stained pseudo-Merlins of the hockey’s Camelot, provide our wisdom. We give forth elixirs promising a chemistry never before seen on a single line, let alone throughout a dressing room. We anoint one player after another as the next Bedivere. And yet all too often he turns out to be more of a Sir Robin*.

So, as I turn back to my usual job of making coaches’ lives easier, and demonstrating how simple is the lot of a general manager, in direct contradiction of the rest of this column, I wish all those in actual positions of power throughout hockey a good season, and the forbearance not to strangle the next reporter they see on sight.

Sir Robin? No, just Dany Heatley...

* – from Monty Python and the Holy Grail:

Brave Sir Robin ran away. Bravely ran away, away! When danger reared its ugly head, He bravely turned his tail and fled. Yes, brave Sir Robin turned about And gallantly he chickened out. Bravely taking to his feet He beat a very brave retreat, Bravest of the brave, Sir Robin!

He is packing it in and packing it up And sneaking away and buggering up And chickening out and pissing off home, Yes, bravely he is throwing in the sponge…

Some changes and additions...

Some changes are underway at this site and its sister sites.

First, I'd like to introduce you to TheWobblyPuck.ca, a site focussing on hockey news.  This will include my coverage of the Ottawa Senators (for the site TheHockeyWriters.com) as well as news on the rest of the NHL and the Canadian Hockey League.  If you you're looking for hockey coverage, you'll find it here (and at thehockeywriters.com, of course).

Sand in the Shorts: The Race to Succeed Jack Layton

By James Phieffer - also published in the August 27, 2011 Intelligencer

Whatever else one might say of Jack Layton, he was a key part of the New Democratic Party going from also ran status when he took over as leader in 2003 to being the official opposition party in 2011. And even as he is laid to rest, his own wish that a leadership convention be held in January leads to the question of who might replace him.

The candidates will gradually start to appear over the next month, some sooner, some later, depending on issues such as funding and support within caucus and throughout the membership. A key area of support too will be labour, as provided for under the NDP's constitution. Since others are addressing the question of who, I will focus more on what the NDP should, and shouldn't, be looking for.

First, not Libby Davies. The NDP's lunatic fringe might be a bastion of reliable votes, but the leadership of the party cannot come from here. Davies has embarrassed herself before with anti-Israel remarks and statements, up to the point a couple of years ago when she questioned the Jewish nation's right to exist. Davies or any other leader from this group would destroy the NDP's credibility with mainstream Canadians and doom it to a quick return to fringe party status.

Thomas Mulcair ruled himself out when he made his mind-numbingly stupid comments questioning the veracity of US President Barack Obama's statement that Osama bin Laden was dead. Well, bin Laden was pushing up flowers, and so should any realistic chance that Mulcair might end up leading the NDP.

What the NDP needs to find isn't a Layton clone. Instead, they need to seek out a leader who is capable of controlling the party's left while putting forward the NDP as a party aspiring towards the centre. Essentially, they need a leader known and active in NDP circles who has demonstrated an attractiveness to current Liberal and Green voters.

So, who do I think should be in the mix?

Consider, if you will, Lorne Calvert and Gary Doer. Both are former NDP premiers, who were able to attract votes from areas of their provinces where the federal representation was Liberal or Conservative. Both have demonstrated many of the skills necessary for an NDP leader who aspires to broaden the party's appeal. Doer in particular was known for getting along with Prime Minister Stephen Harper when he was premier. These should both be considered for the party leadership.

And I'll throw out three interesting (but not necessarily likely) possibilities:

First, MP Megan Leslie, who has experience in areas such as the environment. She's young and has a good reputation as on of the NDP's “veteran” (she was first elected in 2008) MP’s.

Peter Stoffer should run. He has perhaps the best potential to lead the NDP into government, as he is known for his populist and pragmatic streak. He has the potential to win over non-traditional NDP voters with his combination of affability and lack of ideological drive. Simply, he won't scare them.

Finally, how about Bill Blaikie? The retired long time MP and runner up for the NDP leadership brings a strong reputation to go with that powerful voice. He is respected both inside the party as well as outside it. He too should run.

So grab the popcorn and beverage of choice, as this ought to be interesting.

Sand in the Shorts: Good Jack Will Be Missed

By James Phieffer - also published in the Intelligencer (Tuesday August 23, 2011)

"I'm going to fight cancer now so I can be back to fight for families when Parliament resumes."

That line says it all: Jack Layton was a fighter. He was also a good and caring man.

Known as someone with a pragmatic side, he was willing to work toward compromise if that would help his constituents.

It was this pragmatism that has allowed him to enjoy the success he has had as the leader of the New Democratic Party.

Mr. Layton came from a political family, from his father, Robert Layton, who served in the government of Brian Mulroney, all the way back to his Great-Grand Uncle, William Steeves, a Father of Confederation from New Brunswick, and later a Liberal Senator.

He was very active in political affairs as a youth in Quebec, and later involved himself in local politics after he moved to Toronto.

More about his biography will be printed over the coming days; what I wish to consider is the impact he had on Parliament Hill.

Jack Layton was an optimist, according to those who knew him, and that optimism was evident in how he approached his work.

This was part of how he impacted the NDP, as the party became a voice for optimism and possibilities.

He saw possibilities in a province that had only elected one NDP MP in its history, leading the party to a Quebec landslide in the 2011 general election when the NDP took 59 of 75 seats.

It was as much a victory for Jack Layton as it was the NDP. Across the province, unknown 'placeholder' candidates were elected, with the majority of votes being cast for Jack Layton. They didn't know who their candidate was, but they liked Jack.

His "Orange Crush" victory also swept aside the separatist Bloc Quebecois, something for which all Canadians should thank him.

Jack Layton was both a man of principle but also a pragmatist. There are stories about his time on Toronto City Council, where he brought together disparate points of view to form a workable, but principled, compromise.

He demonstrated his hold to his principles in matters such as his opposition to Toronto's bid for the 1996 Olympics as part of the "Bread, Not Circuses" coalition. This may have helped defeat him when he later ran for mayor of Toronto.

I was not a supporter of Jack Layton. He and I stood on different sides of a multitude of issues. But there is no question I respected him then, as I do his legacy now.

He helped build the NDP into a vital party in Ottawa, ensuring Canada has that which is essential to any democracy — a strong opposition.

He believed in standing up for those who could not stand up for themselves. He was a proud Canadian.

Maybe the best way to summarize Jack Layton is to use the words of popular Quebec television host Guy A. LePage. After having him on his show, Tout le monde en parle, he called him "un bon Jack" - good Jack.

He will be missed.

Rypien wanted story told to help others battling depression

By Ed Willes - from Faceoff.com

VANCOUVER — Almost two years ago, on the first day of the Vancouver Canucks’ training camp, the organization approached a pair of journalists with a proposition.

Rick Rypien, who’d missed most of the 2008-09 season on a leave of absence, was prepared to talked about his situation. It was understood by those who covered the team that Rypien had been dealing with depression but, beyond that, nothing was known about the condition of this young man and the illness which chased him away from the game he loved.

Two years later, that’s still the case. Rypien was found dead in his Coleman, Alta., home last week and it all seems so utterly incomprehensible. Hadn’t he defeated his demons? Hadn’t he emerged from his dark struggle whole and intact?

That, of course, is what everyone wanted to believe and when Rypien signed a one-year deal with the Winnipeg Jets, it seemed he’d finally stepped into the light.

But, as Canucks general manager Mike Gillis came to learn, it’s never that easy with mental illness. Things are never really as they appear. There can be good days, good weeks, even good months and, when he was at his best, Rypien looked like he could play in the NHL for a decade.

Then, it could all change and everyone was powerless to do anything about it.

“It’s a constant and relentless battle,” said Gillis, the day after he returned from Rypien’s funeral. “It doesn’t disappear. It’s always lurking around and you have to understand and deal with that on a daily basis.”.

But for all that, for all the chaos and confusion, one thing became clear about Rypien. He was willing to talk about his illness, to expose himself to the most excruciating public scrutiny, because he thought his story could help others.

In the end he couldn’t help himself but, even in death, that ideal remains. There is much about mental illness which is beyond knowing. There is much about mental illness which defies reason.

But if Rypien’s story can compel one person to seek help; if it can put a human face to this debilitating disease, then, maybe, some value can come of this.

It isn’t much, but for those who were close to Rypien, that’s all they’ve got these days.

Read more...

Rypien wanted story told to help others battling depression

A letter to Canadians from the Honourable Jack Layton

August 20, 2011 

Toronto, Ontario

Dear Friends,

Tens of thousands of Canadians have written to me in recent weeks to wish me well. I want to thank each and every one of you for your thoughtful, inspiring and often beautiful notes, cards and gifts. Your spirit and love have lit up my home, my spirit, and my determination.

Unfortunately my treatment has not worked out as I hoped. So I am giving this letter to my partner Olivia to share with you in the circumstance in which I cannot continue.

I recommend that Hull-Aylmer MP Nycole Turmel continue her work as our interim leader until a permanent successor is elected.

I recommend the party hold a leadership vote as early as possible in the New Year, on approximately the same timelines as in 2003, so that our new leader has ample time to reconsolidate our team, renew our party and our program, and move forward towards the next election.

A few additional thoughts:

To other Canadians who are on journeys to defeat cancer and to live their lives, I say this: please don’t be discouraged that my own journey hasn’t gone as well as I had hoped. You must not lose your own hope. Treatments and therapies have never been better in the face of this disease. You have every reason to be optimistic, determined, and focused on the future. My only other advice is to cherish every moment with those you love at every stage of your journey, as I have done this summer.

To the members of my party: we’ve done remarkable things together in the past eight years. It has been a privilege to lead the New Democratic Party and I am most grateful for your confidence, your support, and the endless hours of volunteer commitment you have devoted to our cause. There will be those who will try to persuade you to give up our cause. But that cause is much bigger than any one leader. Answer them by recommitting with energy and determination to our work. Remember our proud history of social justice, universal health care, public pensions and making sure no one is left behind. Let’s continue to move forward. Let’s demonstrate in everything we do in the four years before us that we are ready to serve our beloved Canada as its next government.

To the members of our parliamentary caucus: I have been privileged to work with each and every one of you. Our caucus meetings were always the highlight of my week. It has been my role to ask a great deal from you. And now I am going to do so again. Canadians will be closely watching you in the months to come. Colleagues, I know you will make the tens of thousands of members of our party proud of you by demonstrating the same seamless teamwork and solidarity that has earned us the confidence of millions of Canadians in the recent election.

To my fellow Quebecers: On May 2nd, you made an historic decision. You decided that the way to replace Canada’s Conservative federal government with something better was by working together in partnership with progressive-minded Canadians across the country. You made the right decision then; it is still the right decision today; and it will be the right decision right through to the next election, when we will succeed, together. You have elected a superb team of New Democrats to Parliament. They are going to be doing remarkable things in the years to come to make this country better for us all.

To young Canadians: All my life I have worked to make things better. Hope and optimism have defined my political career, and I continue to be hopeful and optimistic about Canada. Young people have been a great source of inspiration for me. I have met and talked with so many of you about your dreams, your frustrations, and your ideas for change. More and more, you are engaging in politics because you want to change things for the better. Many of you have placed your trust in our party. As my time in political life draws to a close I want to share with you my belief in your power to change this country and this world. There are great challenges before you, from the overwhelming nature of climate change to the unfairness of an economy that excludes so many from our collective wealth, and the changes necessary to build a more inclusive and generous Canada. I believe in you. Your energy, your vision, your passion for justice are exactly what this country needs today. You need to be at the heart of our economy, our political life, and our plans for the present and the future.

And finally, to all Canadians: Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world. We can be a better one – a country of greater equality, justice, and opportunity. We can build a prosperous economy and a society that shares its benefits more fairly. We can look after our seniors. We can offer better futures for our children. We can do our part to save the world’s environment. We can restore our good name in the world. We can do all of these things because we finally have a party system at the national level where there are real choices; where your vote matters; where working for change can actually bring about change. In the months and years to come, New Democrats will put a compelling new alternative to you. My colleagues in our party are an impressive, committed team. Give them a careful hearing; consider the alternatives; and consider that we can be a better, fairer, more equal country by working together. Don’t let them tell you it can’t be done.

My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we’ll change the world.

All my very best,

Jack Layton

In Memoriam - The Honourable John Gilbert "Jack" Layton, PC, MP (July 18, 1950 – August 22, 2011) - Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition.

A letter to Canadians from the Honourable Jack Layton

Sand in the Shorts: How you know your dog doesn't like a certain type of dog food...

By James Phieffer

We ran out of the (somewhat) expensive dog food for Holly a day ago, so I was feeding her the cheap store brand stuff. That is, I'd put it in her bowl, and she'd nibble a bit - but this morning, I found a bit of the good stuff and put it into her bowl, and then topped up the bowl with cheap stuff. She proceeded to dig out the good stuff, leaving the cheap stuff behind.

Later on, it hit me.

This dog, which was turning up her nose at the cheap dog food, has to be kept out of the bathroom so she doesn't eat cat poop out of Sammie's litter box.

So, apparently, cat crap tastes better than the cheap dog food.

Holly back in February 2011

Big Picture at World Youth Day: 'It’s the Evangelicals, stupid!' | National Catholic Reporter

By John L. Allen Jr. - from the National Catholic Reporter

Yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Madrid for what is officially the 26th edition of World Youth Day, a total which includes off-year events organized, at least in theory, at the diocesan level. Counting just the massive international gatherings headlined by the pope, Madrid is the 12th World Youth Day since John Paul II launched the tradition in Rome in 1985.

Collectively, those gatherings have generated crowds in excess of 15 million people, making World Youth Day the Olympic Games of world religion: The largest regularly held international religious event on the planet.

“World Youth Day” is, of course, one of those charming bits of Catholic vocabulary that endures despite having thoroughly outlived its accuracy. It was a single day back in 1985, but it’s morphed into a week-long jamboree composed of pilgrimage and devotion, catechesis, liturgies and the sacraments, and even Lollapalooza-style pop festivals. (The lineup includes “PriestBand,” an all-priest septet associated with the Emmanuel Community, which only performs at World Youth Days. Where else can you catch seven guys in Roman collars sounding like Bon Jovi while belting out tunes such as “We Sing for Jesus”?)

From a media point of view, the instinct is to look for what’s new about a particular World Youth Day, to which the only honest answer is “not much.” By now, the template is pretty well set; what changes isn’t so much the show, but the audience.

That said, there are a few interesting storylines this time around.

For one thing, World Youth Day 2011 comes as the world flirts with financial apocalypse, and Spain’s banking crisis and staggering unemployment rate form one of the front lines. That’s generated controversy about the cost of the event, though organizers insist it’s being covered through private grants and participant fees rather than public funds.

Nevertheless, some 150 groups, including atheists and secular leftists, have organized a protest under the slogan, “Papal visit, not with my taxes!” That could provide a bit of street theater; on Wednesday, media reports indicated that Spanish police had arrested a young Mexican who apparently was planning to launch tear gas against the anti-papal brigades.

For another, this is Benedict XVI’s first trip to Spain in what is now clearly a post-Zapatero era. For a decade, socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has done battle with the church on every conceivable front, making him the bogeyman of the European Catholic imagination. Yet weakened by economic implosion and perceptions of corruption, Zapatero has announced he won’t stand for a third term and has called elections for November, hinting at a possible reframing of Spain’s (and perhaps Europe’s) culture wars.

On Monday, I’ll offer an overview of whatever news flashes arise. Here, I want to focus on the forest that World Youth Day represents, rather than its individual trees. The big picture is the following: World Youth Day offers the clearest possible proof that the Evangelical movement coursing through Catholicism today is not simply a “top-down” phenomenon, but also a strong “bottom-up” force.

Read more...

Big Picture at World Youth Day: 'It’s the Evangelicals, stupid!' | National Catholic Reporter

The Century Club - Belleville Intelligencer - Ontario, CA

Story and Photos by Clover Raftis - from the Intelligencer

Evelyn Rollons-Taylor, 102

Emile Masse, 100

Maggie Quinn, 100

Centenarianism is bursting out all over one retirement living residence in Belleville.

Two residents of the Belmont Long Term Care Facility are celebrating their 100th birthdays this month and one resident is leading the way at 102.
Maggie Quinn, born on Aug. 29, 1911, and Emile Masse born on Aug. 21, 1911, are celebrating their birthday in style with a birthday party being held at the Belmont on Aug. 29.
Evelyn Rollins-Taylor just celebrated her 102nd birthday on Aug. 16, but will be participating in the events that day as well.
Maggie Quinn was born in Cobourg, where she lived most of her life. She spends her time now playing bingo, colouring, painting and table top bowling.
Emile Masse was born in Quebec, but moved to Bayside to start a farm during the 1930s. He started as a cattle farmer, but decided to deal only with poultry in later years on his 250-acre farm. Masse retired shortly after suffering a heart attack.
"When the doctor tells you to slow down, slow down," said Masse about his retirement.
He spends his time reading newspapers and magazines now.
"The woman was old, and ragged and grey, and bent with the chill of the winters day. The street was wet with a recent snow and the woman's feet were aged and slow."
This was just a snippet of the poem Evelyn Rollins-Taylor, 102, was able to recite, letter-perfect and completely from memory. It is from a grade school memory lesson from 90 years ago. Her ability to remain mentally tack sharp is outstanding and she is well-known at the Belmont for taking the winning position on the Scrabble board.
"There are few that can beat me," said Rollins-Taylor.

The Century Club - Belleville Intelligencer - Ontario, CA


7W7RRKM4TMHU

Sand in the Shorts: Potshots for August 20, 2011

By James Phieffer - also published in the Intelligencer (August 20, 2011)

There are a few matters that ought to be addressed this week, but only one column. So take cover, do-ers of dumb – I'm going to take a few potshots.

• Gerry Fraiberg, a local Liberal lapdog, was kind enough to offer his condemnation of local Progressive Conservative candidate, and former co-worker, Todd Smith's lack of moral backbone for having decided putting food on the table for his family is more important than meeting the needs of local Liberal mouthpieces. His actions are entirely within the letter and spirit of the law.
  Let's consider the amount of free (that is, on the taxpayers' dime) publicity being had by Leona Dombrowsky, and other Liberals, as she flutters about, a scarlet clad, tax-powered, tooth fairy. Here and there she leaves a few million under someone's pillow, bringing smiles to all. And what has this gained our local sugar-mama? A search of the Intelligencer shows her name coming up in 31 stories since Smith threw announced his candidacy. In the same time Smith's name comes up 9 times.
  In fact, the real advantage lays with Dombrowsky and other incumbents, who are on a taxpayer covered holiday, able to campaign 24/7 while their paycheques keep rolling in. I'm sure Smith would like to have that opportunity.
• Apparently certain members of the local left have decided that the best way to deal with issues of poverty and homelessness is to make those in that situation more comfortable. That's the idea put forth in some comments on various articles in the Intell this week. Their first criticism of bringing more development to Belleville is to focus on the need for “social development”. When it came to the Memorial Arena's fate, the suggestion was it become a homeless shelter and soup kitchen, since it's located so near to transit and entertainment, and “there are benches in the square where occupants could congregate”.
  Now I have no problem with making sure there are adequate resources available to help the poor and homeless, but I believe the best goal is the elimination of homelessness and increasing the income of the poor. This won't be accomplished by such ideas. And the idea of Market Square as a hang-out for local panhandlers should give downtown merchants a coronary.
  What downtown needs isn't a Toronto sized shelter, but new, quality, residential development. A highrise apartment or condominium on the site, possibly incorporating much of the Memorial Arena, would bring money to the city, creating quality jobs, and increasing the tax base so as to allow funds for aiding those who are down on their luck.
• Apparently the McGuinty-Dombrowsky government's Samsung deal is proving to be a hard pill to swallow for taxpayers, based on the discussion of the deal in local media across the province. In Belleville, a Samsung spokesperson took the time to write a “neutral” letter to the editor of the Intelligencer to provide us with “facts” on the most most grotesque example of politically motivated corporate welfare in provincial history.
  While the government loans to GM and Chrysler were bigger (combining federal and provincial) there was a concrete return (in the form of jobs) on that investment, not to mention the loans are currently being paid back and the balance became equity in the companies. The Samsung deal represents hoped for jobs from one manufacturer. A more sensible approach would be a reduction in business costs, such as taxes, which can be a hindrance for the creation of jobs and the growth of the small to medium sized enterprises which are the driving force behind current employment growth.
  As far as economic far-sightedness is concerned, this deal shows the Liberals possess none. The government's job isn't to pick the business' that will (hopefully) be the winners. Rather, it's job is to create a healthy business environment, which means jobs for Ontarians.

Cigarette tossing is more than just a road peeve | Wheels.ca

By Eric Lai - from Wheels.ca

No “butts” about it, tossed cigs cause fires.

Along with their namesake bad habit, many smokers have a nasty practice of flinging ashes and lit cigarettes out the window when driving, or emptying their car ashtray onto the road when stopped.

What’s the harm of these inconsiderate acts?

First off, it’s illegal. This is a “litter highway” offence under section 180 of the Highway Traffic Act. If a fire results, criminal charges can apply. And roadside grass fires are indeed common, as are fires in other vehicles (for example, when a lit butt lands in a mattress being transported by another vehicle).

As for flicking ashes and butts, what goes out one window often comes in through another — and when what’s incoming is incendiary in nature, that’s not only rude, it can be downright dangerous for others. Lightweight ashes, in particular, hang in the air and drift into following vehicles, forcing others to close their windows to avoid your airborne garbage.

“If you smoke in your vehicle, extinguish your cigarette butts in the vehicle ashtray. Never throw lit cigarette butts out the car window, which is known to cause fires,” warns Bev Gilbert of the Ontario Fire Marshal’s Office.

Between 2005 and 2009, improperly discarded smokers’ implements were responsible for starting 68 per cent of the 372 outdoor fires that investigators were able to attribute to smoking. However, due to the difficulty in pinpointing the cause of outdoor fires, the Fire Marshal’s Office reports that carelessly discarded lit cigarettes are also the suspected cause of many additional unclassified fires where the cause couldn’t be conclusively determined. In total, 41,753 outdoor fires (of all causes and cause-unknown) were recorded in Ontario during this five-year period.

Just how dangerous is one lit butt?

“The horrendous 200 Wellesley St. E. (highrise apartment complex) fire was sparked by a single lit butt flicked from one balcony and landing on another,” notes Gilbert. He adds that smokers trying to extinguish a butt in potted plants — which can contain readily combustible material — have also caused many fires.

Read more...

Cigarette tossing is more than just a road peeve | Wheels.ca

Tasha Kheiriddin: McGuinty Liberals are sleepwalking toward victory | Full Comment | National Post

By Tasha Kheiriddin - from the National Post

The current Ontario election campaign has all the excitement of, well, small-town Ontario in August. On this, I speak from experience: I live in Whitby, which at 111,000 souls isn’t actually that small, but feels like political zombie-land despite the fact that provincial voting day looms less than two months away. None of my neighbours are talking about the election: a far hotter topic was the recent heat wave, which left several parched lawns in its wake.

Rewind just one year, and contrast this season’s listlessness to last summer’s frenetic horse race between Toronto mayoral candidates Rob Ford and George Smitherman. After two terms of mayor David Miller, Toronto voters had enough of big debt and high taxes. The race produced a blizzard of front page headlines and “Stop the gravy train” T-shirts. Everyone paid attention, even the people on my street, who weren’t eligible to cast a ballot.

Similarly, after eight years of Liberal rule, the current provincial election should be a no-brainer for the Ontario PCs. Issues? Take your pick: broken promises, higher taxes, an ever-growing nanny state, botched energy policy, long health-care wait lists, government mismanagement, a slide from “have” to “have-not” equalization status. From the economy to eHealth, Premier Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals have screwed up all over the place, producing a target-rich environment for their opponents.

But while Tim Hudak’s Progressive Conservatives continue to outpace their rivals, there are rain clouds on the horizon. While polls published between May and July showed the Tories comfortably ahead of the Liberals, in one case by a whopping 11 points, in the last week, two new surveys reveal a shift in opinion.

The first poll, conducted by Nanos Research, show the Tories’ lead narrowing from 7.3 points in May to 4.5 points in August, in the wake of the Liberals’ new round of negative ads. Over the same period, the survey shows Liberal support rising from 34% to 37.6%, mostly at the expense of the NDP, while Conservative numbers held statistically steady at 41.3% and 42.1% respectively.

Similarly, a recent “flash sample” of 400 voters conducted by Ipsos Reid showed a narrower gap, with 38% of respondents intending to vote for the PCs, versus 36% for the Liberals. Ipsos’s more comprehensive survey of leadership and issues also revealed shifting ground. On the topic of who would make the best premier, 38% of respondents chose Mr. Hudak, while 33% picked Mr. McGuinty. A year ago, only 29% of voters favoured the Liberal Premier, while 37% preferred the PC leader. At the same time, 66% think it’s time for a change of government, while only 34% think the Liberals have done a good job and should be re-elected.

These results led Ipsos’s president John Wright to conclude, “While the Conservatives have the edge, this is going to be a tightly fought campaign…. It’s going to matter what messages and policies either the opposition or the government will take to the people.”

And there’s the rub. While the Tories have rightly seized on the theme of change, their “Changebook” doesn’t go far enough on the key issue: the pocketbook.

Read more...

Tasha Kheiriddin: McGuinty Liberals are sleepwalking toward victory | Full Comment | National Post

William Saletan: The flaws in pro-choice logic | Full Comment | National Post

By William Saletan - from the National Post & Slate.com

What’s worse than an abortion? Half an abortion.

It sounds like a bad joke. But it’s real. According to Sunday’s New York Times Magazine, demand is rising for “reduction” procedures in which a woman carrying twins keeps one and has the other aborted. Since twin pregnancies are generally safe, these abortions are largely elective.

Across the pro-choice blogosphere, the article has provoked discomfort. RH Reality Check, a website dedicated to abortion rights, ran an item voicing qualms with one woman’s reduction decision. Jezebel, another pro-choice site, acknowledged the “complicated ethics” of reduction. Frances Kissling, a longtime reproductive rights leader, wrote a Washington Post essay asking whether women should forgo fertility treatment rather than risk a twin pregnancy they’d end up half-aborting.

In comments on these articles, pro-choice readers express similar misgivings. “Even as a woman who has terminated a pregnancy, I totally understand the author’s apprehension … something about it just doesn’t feel right,” said one. A commenter at Jezebel writes that “if I were put in the position and decided to/needed to abort a single fetus, I could. But if I knew that I was keeping the baby and it turned out to be twins, I don’t think I could have a reduction.”

To pro-lifers and hardcore pro-choicers, this queasiness seems odd. After all, a reduction is an abortion. If anything, reduction should be less problematic than ordinary abortion, since one life is deliberately being spared. Why, then, does reduction unsettle so many pro-choicers?

For some, the issue seems to be a consumer mentality in assisted reproduction. For others, it’s the deliberateness of getting pregnant, especially by IVF, without being prepared to accept the consequences. But the main problem with reduction is that it breaches a wall at the centre of pro-choice psychology. It exposes the equality between the offspring we raise and the offspring we abort.

Look up any abortion-related item in Jezebel, and you’ll see the developing human referred to as a fetus or pregnancy. But when the same entity appears in a non-abortion item, it gets an upgrade. A blood test could help “women who are concerned that they may be carrying a child with Down’s Syndrome.” A TV character wonders whether she’s “capable of carrying a child to term.” Nuclear radiation in Japan “may put unborn children at risk.”

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William Saletan: The flaws in pro-choice logic | Full Comment | National Post