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