Comments on The Burd Report: Should we "settle" or WIN

Merky ma man, I'm happy to share the podium wi...

2010-02-24T11:09:43.681-05:00

Merky ma man, I'm happy to share the podium with you. Ben asserts that Silver ain't good enough. I disagree. Pity there ain't no other writers here worthy of tin foil, let alone bronze.

Securing the Imagine Nation

Three days later and I still can't come up wit...

2010-02-23T18:44:59.924-05:00

Three days later and I still can't come up with anything to top that, Wally. I defer to your superior quick comeback skills. I am but a hitch-hiker on your freeway of witty ripostes, mere roadkill on Wally's Highway Of Hardball Humour. Please accept my apologies for taking up so much of your valuable time....

Crush you? Can't crush something that is alrea...

2010-02-21T21:59:36.294-05:00

Crush you? Can't crush something that is already flat. Who let the air out of your tires Merk?

I'm certainly gratified that my internet nom-d...

2010-02-21T20:34:49.544-05:00

I'm certainly gratified that my internet nom-de-plume, Merklin Muffley, has unlocked such a treasure trove of devilishly clever rhyming schemes for our resident poet laureate. If and when he graduates to the more complex moon/June/spoon/croon idiom I'll be crushed -as will we all, I'm sure.

Quebecois are my neighbours -- they are not...

2010-02-19T23:57:23.525-05:00

Quebecois are my neighbours -- they are not my friends.

Quebeckers are my neighbours and my friends.

Jerkly Puffly certainly diminished Laurie's contribution: "two-week fact finding mission."

I suppose the fact that I often went to perform and collaborate with Quebeckers over the decades, and lived with a Quebecker in Montreal until last year, provides me with no substantial insight.

My first book was published in Montreal, oh yes, Hugh McLellan, showed up for my poetry reading (I mention this because Jerklen brought up his name to support his tenuous notion, so I figure I can use the name also to bolster my notion.)

The fire of seperatism does not burn as brightly as in previous years despite Merk the Jerk's contention otherwise.

"I had a wonderful time in Montreal and think...

2010-02-19T12:32:21.482-05:00

"I had a wonderful time in Montreal and think the whole English vs. French thing is VERY '60's."

Why...er...yes, Laurie, I see exactly what you mean. Right there on Page A6 of this morning's (Feb.19_ Globe&Mail:'Bouchard's PQ criticism stirs nationalist fervour within party, Leader says'.

Very 60's indeed. And, like so much of the 1960's, it's all coming back to haunt us. Oh, sure, The Mini is now made by BMW, the pot's a little stronger, and instead of a World's Fair in Montreal we've got something that looks and feels like a World's Fair in Whistler. But Ol' Peg Leg never really went away -and neither did his party although apparently many within that party, including the leader Pauline Marois, wish he had.

Without discounting all the smiling faces you encountered on your two-week fact finding mission in Montreal, I dare say the glowing coals of Quebec nationalism glow as hot today as they ever did. Maybe, and it's only a suggestion, maybe in order to quell that kind of Francophone enthusiasm for self-determination we should put together 50 or 60 busloads of unilingual Anglos such as you and I (emblazoned with Canadian Maple Leaf flags and T-shirts boldly proclaiming MY CANADA INCLUDES QUEBEC!) to wrap any recalcitrant leftover Crescent Street sepratists in the loving embrace only the well-meaning but misguided can provide.

After which, our work successful and complete, we can all scurry back to Ontario, declare Quebec separatism to belong to some other era, and perhaps decide what to do about Alberta.

I just got back from 2 weeks in Montreal. 1/ I was...

2010-02-17T19:18:54.989-05:00

I just got back from 2 weeks in Montreal.
1/ I was in my room when Canada won the Ski-ing medal. From the racket coming from the living room, I thought that maybe Sudan had won gold as my Sudanese bandmate was going berserk...and, from the noise coming through the paper-thin walls of the rental apartment, so was everyone else in the building.
2/ I only had a language problem once in the whole 2 weeks I was in Quebec. And that was because the little girl at the corner store didn't have much English. And she apologised to me??? Like she should have been ready for whichever ignorant foreigner who walked through the door??
Anyway, between signs, body language and a lot of smiling, we eventually figured out where the shoe polish was. And I walked out a happy customer.
I had a wonderful time in Montreal and think the whole English vs. French thing is VERY '60's.

So our Anonymous doesn't like unions, and appa...

2010-02-17T09:25:01.441-05:00

So our Anonymous doesn't like unions, and apparently thinks calling someone a Quebecois is a slur.

Talk about ignorant, this person is decades behind in knowledge, understanding and enlightenment.

Union members, like the Quebecois, are our neighbours and friends. Try a little tolerance for diversity, it will do your soul good.

"not a single shred of evidence to support hi...

2010-02-16T22:56:38.778-05:00

"not a single shred of evidence to support his idiot slander. Typical tripe from him." sounds just too much like something Mr. Keeler would express so caustically that it leads one to wonder if Mr Keeler has adopted an alternate nom de plume here. Say it ain't so, Mr K!

GregH says "Alexandre Bilodeau has not claime...

2010-02-16T20:15:25.441-05:00

GregH says "Alexandre Bilodeau has not claimed Quebecois as his nationality, although I don't see why he shouldn't." I'm glad we agree. I don't see why he shouldn't either if that's what he feels in his heart. I don't know whether he feels himself to be a Quebecois or not but I'm sure there are many people of Quebec, Nationalistes all, who would not for a moment hesitate to claim him for their own. And, I'm sure they will in time. And I don't see why they shouldn't.

As for your comment about my take being "so 1960's" well, actually, it's even more dated than that. It dates to something written in the 1940's I think, something that, in my opinion, not only hasn't gone away but has only grown stronger -whether we care to admit it or not: Hugh McLennan's 'The Two Solitudes' -the thinness of the volume rendering it not much more than a novella, it's message a portent that hangs, neither fullfilled nor banished, just there, waiting.

Kind of like Quebec. And the Quebecois.

BTW, I visited Evangel Hall Mission this afternoon...

2010-02-16T14:32:27.405-05:00

BTW, I visited Evangel Hall Mission this afternoon, and found the indigent, etc, cheering on the Canucks. There is a big screen set up in the common room. They CHOOSE to watch tripe -- stupid homeless people, and all those stupid union labourers who took home their fat pay checks to bring us tripe. The trains run on time? In Canada? Union goons get the gold.

In any event, Merklin has no substantiation for his slur that Bilodeau would assert himself as Quebecois -- not a single shred of evidence to support his idiot slander. Typical tripe from him.

Next it will be a rant about French on our cornfla...

2010-02-16T13:04:16.607-05:00

Next it will be a rant about French on our cornflakes box.

Haven't heard that one for awhile although there are still plenty of Anglos, mostly rural, who will spout off about it on occasion.

I say Viva Quebec.

Merklin who-ever-you-are: Alexandre Bilodeau has n...

2010-02-15T19:20:51.219-05:00

Merklin who-ever-you-are:
Alexandre Bilodeau has not claimed Quebecois as his nationality, although I don't see why he shouldn't.
Many medal winning Olympic athletes come from Quebec. Would Merklin prefer that Quebec separated from Canada?
This jingoistic ethnic slur stuff is so 1960s and has no place in Canada.
Give up, Merklin.

Please, Wally, PLEASE don't return us to the r...

2010-02-15T12:44:16.274-05:00

Please, Wally, PLEASE don't return us to the regularly scheduled banalaties -by which I take it to mean the bloody endless tripe called The Olympics.

Isn't there some other kind of regularly scheduled banalities on?

Wally, " American " alludes to the chose...

2010-02-15T12:39:49.262-05:00

Wally, " American " alludes to the chosen flag-waving, self-boosters of any nationality. The conquered of the western world 2000 years ago probably had a similar epithet for the tastemakers of the day. I'd just rather be a hoser, I guess.

For all you cultural illiteristas out there, here ...

2010-02-15T12:34:27.938-05:00

For all you cultural illiteristas out there, here is a haiku recited by Shane Koyczan, the slam poet who graced the opening ceremonies of the Olympics.

So what if he says "Quebecois". ...

2010-02-15T12:10:53.261-05:00

So what if he says "Quebecois".

We interrupt this rude comment to bring you an important announcement:

... and the gold for the Petty Kvetching Crawl goes to [drum roll] Jerklin Stuffed Shirt.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled banalities.

Tell ya what, Gail; try waking that Alexandre Bilo...

2010-02-15T11:14:10.005-05:00

Tell ya what, Gail; try waking that Alexandre Bilodeau kid up at three-in-the-morning and asking him what his citizenship is. Dollars-to-poutine he'll say "Quebecois" so fast it'll make your head spin.

There can be a myriad reasons why a human, or anim...

2010-02-15T10:06:07.658-05:00

There can be a myriad reasons why a human, or animal for that matter, can have a less than stellar day when it matters. I thought it was the height of bad taste for the CTV commentator who met Heil immediately after she won silver to more or less blame her for not winning gold. Leave that for the post competition analysts. Heil was very classy in her responses - more than I would have been! PS Now we have a gold - everybody happy??

Several years back I watched a tv program about th...

2010-02-15T08:43:06.126-05:00

Several years back I watched a tv program about the Canadian women’s hockey team. I was mesmerized by the biographies of each woman who strived to become a member of the team; their tenacity, their perseverance, their courage, their pursuit of excellence. Their accomplishment was to become role models for girls across Canada. None of them regarded the Olympics as a sick joke.

It`s not often that we can witness such a concentration of excellence by individuals who had a dream, yes, a dream, and pursued it despite a wide assortment of personal adversity and they came from all over the world.

The giant media consortium provides high paying union work for countless numbers of electricians, sound engineers, lighting, cameras, etc. etc. Thousands of union workers were employed to construct the venue, and more union labour to maintain it. Union work all over the place. This is a sick joke?

The pursit of technological excellence means that satellites & collateral creations can beam the striving and struggle of the Jamaican bobsled team to the delight of their compatriots.

And then there is the Olympic organization that ensures the youth of the world will have a forum for their pursuits. Wow, an organization that doesn`t pursue politics (UN) or war (NATO) or corporate games (NHL) or corporate cash (NASDAQ). The Olympics is not a sick joke.

The human drama that is the Olympics provides the world with an opportunity to put down the guns, put down the protest placards, put down the righteousness, and celebrate the pinnacle of human strength, physical skill, and endurance of every athlete.

And he same organization that brought you this, also provides a special forum where human beings who do not have a full suite of abilities can compete with each other. And this is a sick joke?

I chose a life road which bloated my waistline, contaminated my lungs, and generally led to a muscular flaccidity disguised in dark clothing. If there is a sick joke around here, it is certainly not the Olympics.

Who cares? the black-clad spineless thugs smashing the windows of small & big business and attacking passersby who had the courage to criticize those goons in the streets -- the collatoral creeps of the Bread & Circus' mob. PRZT!

Who cares? I do.

Step aside you bunch of losers aka hosers, there's a winner to be celebrated.

BTW, winning is not an American thing -- it's a human thing that thrives in all cultures. Aluminum would be too good for the tedious anti-American bigots that wart everything.

Shoulda just stopped at "Who cares!"

2010-02-14T22:14:58.539-05:00

Shoulda just stopped at "Who cares!"

Who cares!!! She finished second, good for her. ...

2010-02-14T19:52:06.892-05:00

Who cares!!! She finished second, good for her. Its not like this is mens hockey or anything so lets not get our panties in a knot the first day of the Olympics.

How does one actually get involved in one of these...

2010-02-14T19:49:54.134-05:00

How does one actually get involved in one of these arcane winter sports ? Like the one where you ski a little, shoot a little..., maybe even get a gold medal for it. And it must be kinda expensive getting to be luge " athlete ". Anybody ever met one ?

"almost half the world's population go...

2010-02-14T19:06:07.201-05:00
"almost half the world's population goes to bed hungry at night""

"The battle to feed humanity is over. In the course of the 1970s the world will experience starvation of tragic proportions -- hundreds of millions of people will starve to death." Thus spake progressive activist, Paul Erlich, author of the Population Bomb 1968.

According to the UN's definition, a person is starving if he or she does not get sufficient food to perform light physical activity.

Globally, the proportion of people starving has fallen from 35% to 18% and is expected to fall further to 12% in 2010. This should be compared to an estimated 45% of developing country people starving in 1949.

...the actual number of people starving in the Third World has fallen. While in 1971 almost 920 million people were starving, the total fell to below 792 million in 1997.

This message was brought to you by the corrective forces of free speech and inquiry

I was sick of the whole Olympic thing two weeks ag...

2010-02-14T16:31:00.718-05:00
I was sick of the whole Olympic thing two weeks ago. What a sick joke when almost half the world's population goes to bed hungry at night.

Just five minutes watching the opening ceremonies was enough to turn my stomach. A pox on all of it, I say. Bread and circuses for the unthinking sheep.