I remember when

A favourite email amongst the older set, and I get a few of them, is the one that starts off - "I remember when" and then proceeds to list all kinds of fantasies about how much better life was years ago. Now how about a "remember when" from Cobourg.

I remember when you could take a lunch, after supper ice cream or just a daydream break at the Harbourfront. One would just drive down Division St and sit in one's car and watch. Watch whatever went on at your leisurely pace. Gone! With the open space now occupied by affluent condo owners and the miniscule parking lots taken over by long term parkers, some of whom are condo owners with second cars who cannot park onsite because of the failure of Councils to ensure that developers provide adequate parking, the daydreamers have been moved on. But now they have been completely excluded from the waterfront. Signs have appeared that instruct anyone thinking about parking in the West lot, the last public lot available, not to park unless they are part of another exclusive group - actual lakefaring people - Cobourg Yacht Club members or Marina users. There is a trick to engage in daydreaming these days but you have to understand the secret method, secret because it is not publicised, go to the Marina office and beg for a pass to park.

Let's think about this, if the public lot is now going to used exclusively for Yachters and Marina users when can we expect them to pay for this privilege? If the public cannot use this area why should they pay a penny for the upkeep - shift the tax burden to the users, after all they have exclusivity. If I cannot use it I will not pay for it! And at the same time if there are other tax breaks being given to this group remove them after all they are a private club. The Town cannot cry poor about revenues and then expect the taxpayer to subsidise private clubs,

I write this to point out the law of unintended consequences - you cannot have unfettered public access to diminishing public space if you have inadequate planning policies and subsidies to private areas. I'm just suggesting to Council that on this issue you own up to your mistake and acknowledge that the supposed benefit of creating a community at the lakefront has worked to the detriment of the rest of us.

Not quite the last final word

In the note below I referred to the Deputy mayor's voting pattern. I have since received information (thanks to the speed of the internet and readers obviously hanging on to every word) that the motion to delay the process was hurried and the DM may have voted in the affirmative on this one but due to the haste of the process may have appeared to have voted against it. If anyone at the meeting can clarify this action it would be appreciated

A final last word about the frink

A quote from an email to me about Monday night's Council meeting especially the Deputy Mayor's stand

"Broc had the opportunity to prove his sincerity in opposing the deal when Frost made a motion to delay everything and Broc voted against that just minutes before he stood and voted against the project itself citing the unnecessary rush to push this through without properly informing the people of all the pertinent details, something that could have easily been done if Frost's motion had passed."

Just thought the world should know

Wardens pose questions, the public should have answers

If you believe that anyone of the political animals that reside on County Council will vote for the party that supplies the best answers I have some swampland for you! Read what they (wardens) have concocted and then speculate that if the NDP had the best answers see how they wriggle out of voting for them. These Wardens should be told to respond publicly to the answers they receive so that we can see if they are posturing or really mean to vote for the party with the best answer.story here

Now for the litmus test

Will this guy get the usual gush of mourning that all the others have received. Obviously a "base wallah" what he was up to will be determined in due course but will he get the ramp ceremony and if he does what kind of effect does that have on the morale of the rest of the troops? Obviously highlighting the differences between those who go "outside the wire" and those who don't. globeandmail.com: Canadian soldier found dead in Kabul

TV & radio: Last night's TV: Boys from the Brown Stuff

Don't you wish you had this channel on our TV? Boys from the Brown Stuff and the way the review is written blows me away.

A couple of days off

I have been at home for the last couple of days and it has given me time to reflect on many things not the least of which is the way the local health system operates. I had an industrial accident at work and managed to pinch the end of my finger So much so it had to be amputated, just the first knuckle, (anyone notice the speed at which I am typing now?). The experience was interesting. Arriving at the NHH, in a police car. I managed to flag down one of our local guys just as it happened and said "I have to go to the hospital". This police car bit is topical as I would say that it probably would not have happened under the OPP style of policing. Being immediately triaged was good for me but bad for the packed waiting room. I was told later that an unnamed person did mutter to the accompanying police person "If you want the finger saved you probably came to the wrong hospital" Cut (no pun intended) a long story short the finger was sutured in place and an appointment was made to see a plastic surgeon in Bowmanville later that day. As someone commented later, "Big shiny place but no doctors!" Arrived in B'ville at the appointed time and was admitted in a place that looked like wartime air raid shelter, nice people crappy surroundings. Went to sit in the waiting room and listened to how a youth had been stabbed at a field party and was shown a new scar to go with the story, he was waiting too. one hour and three quarters later the surgeon turned up. Another delay as the CD given to me by the NHH was defective and couldn't be read so more x-rays. Finally on the table, again in what looked like a cubbyhole immediately off the main entrance, I had the finger very expertly tidied up and was on my way.
Lessons to be learned:

• Don't put your fingers where they shouldn't be unless you want to lose them
• Don't judge the level of care by the surroundings - Cobourg shiny, no docs, B'ville grungy but docs

As I write this I don't know the answer

Tonight Council will be approving a siteplan for the fountain/rink, it will pass because they have the votes to enable passage. But the saga will continue, even though three delegations will speak tonight, because the tenders have yet be voted on. I don't know the end result of this issue but you can bet it will be dragged on and on by the angry spurned opposition. Perhaps that is the strategy to drag it out until the financial deadline expires. In the meantime the only suspense is watching "I used to be the Deputy Mayor but now am only a councillor, but I wore the chain of office a couple of times" Bob Spooner trying to weasel out of the deal by threatening to vote against it if the tenders come in over $1.4.

As an aside I see the local paper printed a letter expressing maximum encouragement to the Mayor for sticking to his guns and position. Pity the fellow who wrote it lives in Hamilton Township - Keep out of it Mr Houston.

Real MPs or the Pretend MP

Garth Turner, in his weblog has spun the tale of a person, the defeated Con candidate in the last election, being appointed by the head of the BC Con caucus to be a "liaison" between the ruling party and the people of Skeena-Bulkley Valley.

MP Harris issued a press release indicating Candidate Smith has been appointed as the liaison person between the citizens, taxpayers and voters of Skeena-Bulkley Valley and the federal government. Said the MP: “As Chairman of the BC Caucus of Conservative MPs, I am pleased that Sharon has accepted this role, and I know the constituents of Skeena-Bulkley Valley will derive a huge benefit from having direct contact with government, something that they have not had since 2004.

Now think this through and you will see that the "new" Canadian Government now intends to have two MPs in this riding - the real one elected by the electoral process and the pretend one appointed by the government. Just imagine if carried to it's logical conclusion we will now have a majority government even if we didn't elect them in each riding they did not win. Perhaps the end result will be a majority government without elections - a pundits dream!

This nonsense must be stopped now or else the democratic process will be even more of a farce that it is now.

German critics mock wrinkled rockers on tour trail

And it's about time somebody told the truth, just love the last line of the article - Sueddeutsche Zeitung critic Sebastian Gierke said it was "almost tragic" to see Ozzy Osbourne, 58, at a "farcical" concert. "He kept screaming 'I can't f---ing hear you!' over and over again. You felt like shouting back 'buy a goddamn hearing aid and maybe you'll realize you're singing everything off key'." story here

Don't forget the Shelter Valley Folk Festival this weekend

See the lineup and get your tickets here the weather forecast is a great one, try to be there, you'll enjoy it.

Sunday Morning Post

A collection of ramblings:

• Saw the first election sign yesterday for the upcoming Provincial election. It was a 3*3 for Cathy Galt in the hillside at Benlock Rd. Amazing how some can't wait until the writ is dropped on September 10th. Loo's Cobourg office looks impressive but it would look better if people were actually inside it!
• This "Highway of Heroes" thing, I don't like it, people shouldn't gush their emotions about death and venerate the dead publically quite as much as they do. This outpouring of feelings I think is repressed guilt about sending these boys off to get killed and when they do get killed the gushers can assuage themselves by "honouring" them in this manner. Dalton McG should be ashamed of himself for jumping on this political bandwagon, but what do you expect he is in the middle of an election he might lose.
• I hear more and more of my friends and acquaintances murmuring about the paucity of the choices in the next election, I fear it may have the lowest turnout ever causing much handwringing amongst the pundits. How about this: next time you hear anybody moaning about not voting because they have nobody to vote for ("Don't like the Fiberals, Tories screwed it up with Mike Harris and the NDP - well they have had their chance!"), tell them to go to the voting booth and take a ballot and then decline it unopened. Imagine if 20% of the voters did this thus voting for "none of the above". The effect would be startling and probably upset civil society.
  
• I read that the Mayor has volunteered to be in the "dunk tank" for the St. Mike's Parish Fair. That should be entertaining for all, especially if the people who demanded a public meeting, which they never got, turn out to put him in the water.
  

Too much information!

I don't like to imagine this Woman sets fire to ex-husband's penis

linked from the Drudge Report

Bill Pyatt's comments about policing

Here are, (CDS article) the comments. Somehow they are going to be questioned, especially the comment, "exact same service as provided to each individual municipality now." We know in Cobourg, courtesy of the report filed by the OPP, that that is not true, for instance the same number of OPP constables not doing the same amount of work and yet the annual costs are the same as we pay now. The savings coming from removing administration costs not operating costs.

So "beware of Greeks delivering gifts" Look very carefully at this proposal and watch for a rushed consultation process in Cobourg. More to come!!

Texas executes 400th inmate in 25 years

A record to be proud of, I think not! read it here

Only in America you say!

Interesting stuff here about ways to deter protesters, maybe Cobourg Council could get a copy White House Manual Details How to Deal With Protesters - washingtonpost.com

Up pops the OPP guy again

Lookee here Kenora OPP report uses Port Hope as an example. The OPP guy, who is doing the local Policing Study , has another gig in Kenora, apparently analyzing policing costs up there. Wonder of wonders he is quick to point out just efficient the OPP is compared to other Municipal Forces. When are we going to call his bluff and ask if he can be impartial when he is indoctrinated in the ways of the OPP and is sitting on a full pay OPP pension.

Work for your reading!

Professor Rob Washburn has posted an opinion about that Economic Development and the recent election splash of Fiberal money by Loo. Read it here

This is my answer to him
"You are so right Economic development is a mantra repeated by the ignorant of ignorant politicians trying to impress the unwashed. The lack of accounting of the millions (at least 50) doled out in the last few years to Eastern Ontario, in the name of Economic Development, is a bloody scandal. How many projects never see the light of day after the first grant? How many projects are pet projects of favoured agencies and how many projects are local government projects that should have been funded by another level of government?

And more importantly how many times do we have to fund the investigation of valuable issues that never get funding after the initial grant. Transportation and High Speed Internet Access come to mind immediately. We fund the favoured agency to do a study and then fail to fund the operation of the study. Why because they study unsustainable projects and then refuse to fund them because they fail to find partners to sustain them. Kafka would have loved it. Meanwhile because it is done in the name of Economic Development money can be pissed away!!"

BTW this post is an effort to create linkages between online posts tell me if you like it and maybe we can explore the world of online posts together. ben

This rogue got caught

A pretty pathetic way to do business read it here

A story from the Globe about yesterdays topic Is Wikipedia becoming a hub for propaganda?

Read this about computers in the House of Commons editing wikipedia. globeandmail.com: Is Wikipedia becoming a hub for propaganda? You may ask why get worked up about this or even mention such a "minor" story. Well it's not, it is the rewriting of history and definition to suit ones side. What is worse is that it is being done by the government on our money.

Somebody with waaay too much time on their hands sent me this

I really don't know what to make of this one here

Now for the real analysis

The dust has settled and the decision made and now all Cobourgers have to do is wait for the tenders to come in and Council votes on them and we will be the proud owners of a Fountain/Rink facility at the harbourfront.

According to my sources I didn't miss much by not being at the Council meeting on Monday. About 200 people filled the concert hall to listen to delegations give their opinions. One quoted proponent proceeded to insult everybody in the place by sayng they are part of history, going to die in ten years and therefore are ignoring the needs of the young. Also proceeding to slam the dissenting councillors as involved in pettiness and harbour ambitions. Wonder what she would have said about the supporting councillors if they deigned to upset her? The opponents spoke about new information and process but to no avail - the votes were not going to change.

I am wondering after all of this just what would have come out of another public meeting if the votes were so entrenched. Not much as the opponents would have still not been satisfied if votes did not change.

My final opinion about his is simple, why not harness the anger and energy to come up with another project, involving fitness - thereby keeping the fitness money, and start the process of putting another IcePad/Arena together. Let's do something positive with the money and energy and time of the opponents and work with Council to put another arena in Town. 1.3 million is a helluva of a seed! We know the people opposed to the project are healthy, resourceful and willing - give them some work to do. Work with Councillors and make them show us they can do more than say no and sit on their fat arses.

Just my two cents

Companies and party aides cast censorious eye over Wikipedia

The good guys tend to win most of the time! Wikipedia is an online encyclopaedia and is composed of definitions submitted by us (the onliners). But submissions can be edited by anyone and that has been the source of this controversy. Normally past blowups have been about differing opinions of the same definition but here we discover the rewriting of history to make the participants look good. We can't change that but we can track what they are up to and expose them. click here for more

Cobourg makes the bigs

Cobourg's squabble over the Fountain/Rink has made page 8 of the Globe &Mail (Canada' National paper) today here. In a very generic piece the G&M lays out the contretemps in bare bones fashion. This will probably annoy the people who contacted the paper and supplied reams of background . But as they say in the publicity business, never turn down free stuff and make sure they spell my name right - all publicity is good publicity. But some will see this as dirty laundry not to be aired outside Elgin St.

Only doing half the job!

Now that the Fiberals and the Harpocrits have adopted the abominable American practice of fixed election dates and imposing them on the Municipalities the cry for the other part of the equation is becoming stronger. I refer to the practice of recall or impeachment. This is an essential part of American democracy but somehow got left out when the idea of fixed terms was imported.

Both here in Cobourg, and more often in Toronto: where the Mayor has become rather unpopular very quickly, critics are bemoaning the lack of a recall procedure. This is valid, especially in Municipal politics. Four year terms are horrendous for local democracy as we see in Cobourg where four dead white men, five if you count the Mayor, are obstinately disregarding the appeals of the great unwashed - and not just on the FRINK issue but everything else. I did read that the Mayor was recently booed at a public function - that must have been very unsettling both for public decorum and the imperial ego of PD. Incidentally when thee year terms were instituted in the 80s I spoke against it. Local politics is the most responsive level of government and should be electorally responsible as well. Two year terms should be the norm and any politician who says they need that long to learn the job should be sent to the slow learner class and dismissed.

In real terms a recall operation is very expensive and time consuming and usually fails to unseat the incumbent but McGuinty, or his soon to be successor, must add it to the Act that covers elections. After all it's only fair, but then what's fair these days?

I wasn't there but this fellow was

A correspondent noted: "We had to close and secure the doors for the first presentation when we got to about 160 people. The presentation was received with a feeling of shock in the room (at the revelations) and a very prolonged round of loud applause. The questioning session which followed was intense but ended after about an hour when an audience member whose name is 'Lisa' disrupted it with personal insults. She is the same person who came down to the park and, while literally screaming at us, tried to tear down our rope and signs that we attached to the picnic tables for our protest. We were astonished to learn last night that she is an employee of Totten Sims Hubicki. The second presentation was similar with close to a full house, without the disruption. Overall, about $1,000 was donated in cash and cheques as people left the two presentations. (The total out-of-pocket administrative and outside legal costs for the four organizers and the dozen or so 'mentors' who have been guiding our work now exceeds $3,000.)"

Observations arising from the meetings

• Many people were surprised to learn that we have already installed the drainage system for a natural rink, that a natural rink would allow the grass to remain year-round (covering the grass with ice for skating doesn't hurt it -- it's covered with snow and ice anyway), and that we are about to pay more tax dollars to rip out that drainage system because of the new plan.
• Forrest Rowden, the former Mayor of Hamilton Twp (who lived in Cobourg for much of his terms), stood up and made a remarkable public statement about the inappropriateness of how this matter has been handled by Cobourg.
  
• The meeting organisors will have delegation status at Monday's Council meeting to summarize the presentation.
  
• No Councillors other than Frost and Mutton could be seen in attendance.
  
• It was said that a Town official was present to take notes and that the Town intends to challenge everything we said. To protect themselves the organisors voice recorded and video recorded both presentations.
  
• A Rotary member revealed that the lip and drop at the edge of the planned concrete basin is an extreme liability issue for Rotary because they had at least a couple of stumbles or falls even at the last Waterfront Festival with the tent over the oval.

There were two recommendations from presentation. First, that everyone should attend Monday's Council meeting by 6:15 pm (on the day that the Mayor returns from his vacation trip to Russia) and fill the lobby, staircase and chamber as he arrives -- as a human petition. Second, that people should urge the Town to use the natural rink capability at least once this winter to see if it works and if citizens and tourists like it -- we've already paid for it and it won't cost anything to try it out.

There are a couple of background documents available to the public - the power point presentation here, and the paper trail outlining the project chronology here These items will be available as soon as I can log into my ISP

One for those reading this at work!!

Want to change jobs? The Worst Job Listings Ever?

Punishment enough?

Sounds like a plan to me! Man avoids breath test by eating his socks

Another Fountain/Rink discussion

A public forum has been organised to discuss the Downtown facility that has drawn so much fire from all kinds of opposition. Anyway the organisers have emailed people asking that people attend a PowerPoint presentation that illustrates new information. Perhaps this new information will convince others to pressure Council to change their votes when the bylaw approving the tender will be up for discussion. After all it only needs one vote to change and the project is dead.

Thursday evening 5.30pm and 7pm at the Cobourg Public Library. Be there if you are interested.

Theeeere Off!

As my father used to say, "They're off: as the monkey sat on the circular saw!" As are the political parties in their quest for electoral success, Cathy Galt opened her office, local Liberals are gloating about the largesse of the Provincial government (as explained in a leaflet received last week from Loo), and the NDP are holding their first official planning session this week.

Fixed election dates mean longer election campaigns, the question is - can we stand them? I saw election signs in Oshawa yesterday, it's going to be a long Fall.

So what are the local election issues? Please use the comment box to explain your issue and what you think will be a theme as the parties go to the hustings.

For those of you with too much time on your hands!

If you have plenty of time to spare give some of it to these guys Jackie & Dunlap. I really liked this one click here

Remember this story?

I have written about this before, I guess it will not go away! Ohio's 2004 Presidential Election Records Missing