Dr Roy's Thoughts

iffy cartoons

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 06:04:00 PST

I haven't posted any political cartoons in a while. There are a host of new and funny iffy cartoons. Iffy's troubles seem to keep getting worse and worse,

A Gracious Lady

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 04:22:00 PST

An interview with Laura Bush.

Is iffy circling the drain?

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:12:01 PST

Kelly McParland thinks so. I'm not completely sure, but things look pretty bad for iffy. The media now calls him iffy. The problem is that the grits think that it is just a leadership problem. Thankfully for us, they won't believe it is a much deeper problem.

That Ignatieff should be verging on such status is surprising, considering his background and evident talent. Ten months ago it appeared he would be the beneficiary of the good kind of self-reinforcement, the kind that kept Pierre Trudeau in power for so long, even after voters stopped liking him. It appeared, once he replaced Dion, that Ignatieff was a sure thing. It was just a matter of time before he moved into 24 Sussex Drive. Canadians who didn't know much about him told pollsters they supported him, because they got the impression that's what was expected of them.

The Liberal leader has frittered that away, though. The latest Nanos poll suggests fewer than one in five Canadians see him as strong prime ministerial material. He's viewed as marginally more attractive than Jack Layton, but just barely. Stephen Harper, who Canadians still don't love, is nonetheless preferred by a margin of two-to-one.

Ignatieff is in a similar rut as far as election polls go. He can't catch up to the Tories -- can't even narrow the gap. The longer he keeps spinning his wheels, the more self-reinforcing his image of failure becomes. No one's going to champion Ignatieff if they think he's a failure, and the polls are suggesting people have reached that conclusion.

Prime Minister Harper has jetted off to Singapore, India and China. His schedule is packed and papers will be filled with images of him with foreign leaders. Ignatieff is stuck in Ottawa wondering what to do. He used to be the one travelling the globe, meeting interesting people. Not any more.

CBC bias

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:08:00 PST

The cbc's leftist pro liberal bias rolls right along. The cbc is asking Tory bashing , chicken little david suzuki to host a cbc program. This is a man whose foundation had hundreds of complaints about his anti Tory bias reported to revenue Canada. Why do we find this biased organization? Why would the liberal cheerleaders at the cbc be surprised that HM Minister of the Environment doesn't want to be ambushed by partisan suzuki. Perhaps elections Canada should should count suzuki's cbc salary as a grit advertising expense.

As the most middle-of-the-road federal cabinet minister, Jim Prentice was never apprehensive about appearing on CBC. But the environment minister turned down an invitation to appear Friday morning on CBC radio's flagship show The Current for a very good reason: a hostile host.

That would be David Suzuki, the wildly successful environmental crusader and perennial alarm-ringer, who has seen the end of the world coming under a variety of climate-change scenarios.

I've heard over-the-top speeches where the well-paid Suzuki demonizes Alberta's energy sector with such sputtering gusto, Ontario convention delegates were squirming uncomfortably in their seats as they contemplated flights home aboard oilsandsfuelled jets. But this jolly green giant's timing couldn't be worse to host a high-profile CBC show as an undeniable opponent of the government's environmental policies, or lack thereof.

Shame on ssmu

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:38:00 PST

The McgIll student council has suspended Choose life's club status. I have spoken to the administration a number of times about the silencing of voices on campus. I think Choose Life should bypass council and get permission from the administration to book rooms on campus and raise money privately to keep their club going. I would donate to such an effort. Most students on campus to not vote for the student council. It is sad that young people ,having been brainwashed by some of their leftist, victimhood screaming, politically correct mentors, seem unable or unwilling to allow free speech even on a on a university campus. Read the Orwellian statement put out by the censors. I expect next the Choose Life kids will be sent to reeducation camps.
I am sure many alumni will not be happy by this move. My alma mater is no longer a place wherfe free speech trumps hurt feelings.

McGill’s Choose Life had their club status indefinitely revoked yesterday by the SSMU.

The motion, which passed by a vote of 16-7, stipulated that the “Student Equity Committee work with Choose Life to draft a document for Choose Life on how to abide by SSMU’s Constitution, By-laws, and Policies, which will be adopted by Choose Life.”

Maybe it will be a behavioral chart that will work on a smiley face basis. Perhaps double-smiley face stickers will be awarded when Choose Life quietly heeds to the temper tantrums of those who believe freedom of speech comes with strings attached

The Senate

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:35:12 PST

I like having the idea of the senate as a check on the power of parliament. I prefer an elected senate like in Australia. HM Government is trying to accomplish this voluntarily. Several provinces seem to be in favour of this. This could be done without reopening the constitution. In the meantime the Tories will soon be able to overcome the obstructionist grits within a few months.

I n an interview yesterday, Finley said the Senate can become accountable to Canadians without the divisions and acrimony of constitutional change.

The Harper government is canvassing provincial capitals about the possibility of approving rosters of elected candidates for Senate appointments. Alberta is on board while Saskatchewan and Manitoba are leaning in this direction. The McGuinty government is not interested, but Finley has heard that Ontario Progressive Conservatives would agree if they were in power.

"I'm told a number of changes could be made to the Senate without opening the constitutional grab bag," Finley said. "Individual provinces can tell Ottawa how they want to be represented. Personally, if we can get to the point where we have elected senators, I believe we would be where we have to go."

Chantal Hebert:can the grits survive?

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:03:00 PST

Chantal Hebert writes a devastating piece in the red star. She questions the very survival of the red star. She all but calls it the Toronto party. iffy and the grits remain delusional. They hope to find the right Messiah to win. Their problems run much deeper, yet they continue to ignore them. One wonders what republican donolo was thinking boarding this sinking ship.
The Liberals, meanwhile, have counted on a succession of leader changes to swing back the pendulum. But no leader can turn the clock back to the time when a divided right opened the way to Chrétien's three consecutive majorities.

The Liberals failed to prepare for and then to adjust to the 2004 return to a competitive federal scene. For five years, they have allowed their support to be systematically eroded by a more dynamic and aggressive competition, on the left and the right.

As a result, the question facing the party is not so much whether it has the right leader, but rather whether it has reached the point of no return as a national institution. And on that score, Quebec is only part of a larger pan-Canadian Liberal problem.

Branding?

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 04:22:12 PST

That's what Ivison is calling the new excellent citizenship booklet. I think it is much more a grand vision of Canada.It shows respect for our history our symbols and our culture. It explains that the values that mad this land great are not to be treated like used Kleenex. It is a return to the Canadian values that even grits embraced until Pearson and Trudeau. Ivison should read my friend Brian Crowley's new book, Fearful Symmetry: The Fall and Rise of Canada's Founding Values. I again congratulate HM Minister of Immigration and Citizenship Jason Kenney and HM Government for this excellent new book. It is just the beginning of the work that we all must do to stop the slide toward statism.

A new opinion poll put the Conservatives 10 points ahead of their Liberal rivals yesterday but the real cause for celebration in Tory ranks is their creeping victory in the brand war they believe is the foundation for long-term electoral success.
Jason Kenney, the Citizenship and Immigration Minister, yesterday unveiled a new guide for the 250,000 immigrants who take the Canadian citizenship test every year. The Discover Canada document is a comparative bodice-ripper when stacked against its bland predecessor, A Look at Canada, which was commissioned by the Liberals in 1995.
The new guide is a 60-page potted history lesson that walks the reader through the highlights of Canada's pre- and post-Confederation story, pointing out the symbols, values and heroes who have made this country what it is - that is, one currently run by the Conservatives

Brave Vets, despicable thief

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 01:48:00 PST

I can't imagine stealing a vet's poppy money. Good on these Vets for tackling this poor excuse for a human being.

Elderly vets tackle would-be poppy-proceeds thief

Canada's war heroes are once again being hailed for their bravery after several Toronto veterans in their 80s tackled a suspect who allegedly threatened them with a gun.

Veterans from the Royal Canadian Legion on Robinson Avenue in the city's east end told police an unknown man walked in with a gun at around noon Thursday while they were counting money from their poppy drive sales.

"We were just about to count the money and there were four of us in the boardroom over there," John Diets

TRH in Canada in Ottawa : Remembrance Day

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:05:00 PST

Remembrance Day Ottawa

HM PM Harper welcomes TRH to a gala

Dr. Roy to Newcastle

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:28:00 PST

I started my trip to Oz visiting with my friend Dr Trish ( she is a pediatric neuro endocrinologist) and her fiancee Dr Dieter ( he is pediatric neurosurgeon )in Newcastle. I am in Oz to attend her wedding. The people of our sister Commonwealth country are extremely friendly. When I have asked directions, people more often than not have walked with me to my destination.
Newcastle is a center of coal mining and shipping ( mostly to China). At night you can see the lights of many , many ships coming to get the coal. Business is good a new coal loader is being built. China is a voracious consumer of coal.
On my way to Trish's beautiful home from the airport, I had a nice chat with the lady Taxi driver. I commented on the hypocrisy of HM Australian PM Rudd on climate change with this thriving coal exporting business. She commented that Rudd was not all that popular in this region. Newcastle has been gentrified to a large extent and is a bustling metropolis with nice shops , cafes and restaurants. A lot of new restaurants have been built on the river ( Newcastle on Hunter, not Newcastle on Tyne).
One of Trish's lovely friends drove me around to see the sites. It was a wonderful mix of colours in natures. I particularly loved the many blooming jacaranda trees.
Here are some photos of a magpie, a street with lots of jacarandas and the view from Trish's amazing home.

Excellent

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:40:24 PST

HM Government has released a new citizenship guide. All Canadians should read the guide and it should be required reading for all school children. From what I see of civics courses in canada , they are either non existent or badly done. I congratulate HM Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Jason Kenney for this magnificent new book. Everyone should order one!

“It is not easy to capture Canada—its geography, its people, its society and its history—in a brief document, but this one does a fine job,” said Canadian historian Margaret MacMillan of Oxford University, author of the bestselling Paris 1919.

“At last, Canada has a guide for prospective citizens that is not an embarrassment,” said historian Jack Granatstein, author of Who Killed Canadian History?

Rudyard Griffiths, co-founder of the Dominion Institute and author of Who We Are: A Citizen’s Manifesto, said: “Finally we have a citizenship guide that provides newcomers with a comprehensive overview of the people, places, symbols and values that define our collective way of life. Two thumbs up!”

One of the requirements of citizenship is to demonstrate an adequate knowledge of Canada, and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

Xavier Gélinas, a Quebec historian and curator at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, noted that the guide, in both text and powerful images, includes a focus on the bilingual and bicultural nature of Canada. “One example is the inset photograph of the Speaker’s chair in the Quebec National Assembly, featured on the cover. As a historian, I have rarely seen such a frank recognition of Quebec’s reality and distinctiveness in a document published by the Canadian government. It demonstrates federalism in words, deeds and images.”

“Discover Canada introduces would-be Canadians to a nation of distinctive history, geography, character and traditions,” said Professor Randy Boyagoda, novelist and contributor to The Walrus magazine. “This guide cogently describes many of Canada’s strengths, not least of which are the rights and responsibilities of its citizens.”

“The new guide is a very positive step forward in providing more historical context than we’ve seen in previous editions, and presenting it in a way that helps readers to understand its relevance in shaping the way we are today,” said Deborah Morrison, President and CEO of Canada’s National Historic Society. “I hope you will encourage even greater distribution of the guide as I think it will be beneficial to all Canadians, the old and the new!”

I'm with coderre

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 08:59:00 PST

I am joining ChuckerCanuck's new political movement Tories for coderre. coderre should replace iffy immediately. he has all the charisma, tact, loyalty and foreign policy credentials to run the Toronto grit party into it's final resting place under 15%. It is definetely the turn of another Francophone to help destroy the grits brand. coderre is certainly up to the job. Look at the bang up job he did as Quebec lieutenant. Imagine how much more denis could do for the Toronto grits as their leader. He also understands fundraising the tried and true grit way. Indeed most of those big grit fundraisers in Quebec are finally getting parole.
Go Denis Go

Abolishing the gun registry by the numbers

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:46:00 PST

Brian lilley has an interesting piece on the latest poll on the long gun registry. Bottom line , it's not very popular, even among grits. But what about Quebec you ask?

If the poll doesn’t prove that, the by-election win for the Conservatives in Quebec should. On Monday the Conservatives stole a seat from the Bloc Quebecois, the only party to vote in unison to keep the gun registry as it is. For the Conservatives to even try to win this seat just after voting to scrap something Quebec holds near and dear to its heart just showed the party was out of touch was the line from many talking heads. Apparently some people need to get out into the regions more often. Bernard Generoux defeated Bloc candidate Nancy Gagnon by five percentage points.

Norman Spector pointed me to a column by Vincent Marissal in La Presse, published on the morning of the by-election. While the main topic is something different, Marissal drops in a few lines about the gun registry at the end pointing out that not all Quebecers love the...

Elsie Wayne a little better

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 06:42:47 PST

Strokes can be quite devastating. Fortunately we have new ways to limit the damage with clot busting drugs which must be given very quickly. Once someone has had a stroke, with rehabilitation many will have significant recovery of function. I hope and pray Elsie Wayne will recover completely. I am sure her doctors are considering for her to take a statin ( a cholesterol lowering drug), platelet inhibition and good blood pressure control, to reduce the incidence of future stroke.
Get well soon Elsie!

She was admitted to hospital Friday after suffering the first stroke.

While at the Saint John Regional Hospital, she was hit with a second stroke on Saturday.

Wayne said his mother was able to say a word or two and could smile, but still remained in bed.

"She seems a little better," he said. "We're praying, let's put it that way. She's got a lot of people pulling for . . . she's a tough old girl."

The Tories are the federalist alternative

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 03:45:39 PST

An interesting analysis by L.Ian Macdonald how the Tories art very much back in the game in Quebec interestingly with help from the Charest liberals.

s for the federal Liberals, Monday was a bad day at the office.

Never mind that the Liberals finished third or worse in three of these four ridings in last October's general election, and a distant second in the fourth one. The point is that that the Liberals haven't done anything to raise their game since then. They were third in English, third in French, third in the east and third in the west.

Well, maybe on Monday they made the bottom.

For the Liberal leader, it was an Iggynominious loss.

Chantal Hebert agrees with ominous words for iffy.

By definition, a good by-election night for Harper and Layton means a sleepless one for the Liberals. There could be more to come. This was Ignatieff's first electoral test and the results are comparable to Stéphane Dion's dismal 2008 score. Against all expectations, it may be that the Liberals did not bottom out in the last election.

TRH in Canada

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:16:00 PST

TRH visited Montreal.I congratulate this young woman who defended TRH against separatists. I was supposed to attend this event, but I am in Oz.

The Canadian Crown

O' Reilly, Dennis Miller, Ann Coulter et al on Fort Hood

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 08:41:07 PST

Fox has the best coverage of this jihadi terrorist attack.

Who is biden?

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:52:00 PST

When I hear the name joe biden? I think big mouthed loser. Most Americans have new idea.

The Tories and Quebec

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:12:15 PST

All the talking heads said the Tories are dead in Quebec. Well people, its not true. The polls show the Tories have been making a comeback and this byelections confirms this. Indeed the gun registry vote probably helped us. John Ivison has a good piece on the byelections. We are now only 8 or nine seats away from a majority.

The biggest surprise of the night was clearly the Conservative victory in Montmagny-L’Islet-Kamouraska- Riviere-du-Loup, where popular local mayor Bernard Généreux won by 1,500 votes to give the Tories their first win in the region in 16 years.

The result should provide encouragement for all federal parties because it suggests that every election raises questions in the minds of Quebec voters about the relevance of the Bloc Québécois.

“The Bloc is everyone’s second choice — somewhere to park your vote unless there is a better offer,” said one person familiar with the party. The combination of a good local candidate and some major stimulus spending in the area — last Friday, the government announced a $241-million plan to expand the section of the Trans-Canada Highway that runs to Riviere-du-Loup — clearly amounted to a better offer in the eyes of many Quebec voters.

That win and the return to the fold of Cumberland-Colchester leaves the Conservatives just nine seats shy of a majority — or eight, if one considers that independent MP André Arthur always votes with the government.

Mr. Ignatieff seems powerless to arrest a slide that makes a Conservative majority ever more likely. His over-arching problem is that when he hears the William Tell Overture, he thinks of Rossini while most other Canadians think of the Lone Ranger. Even someone as dogged as Abraham Lincoln might call it quits when faced with that harsh, immutable reality.

Remembrance day

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:16:20 PST

The Oz poppy looks different, but it also commemorates the brave sacrifice of HM Forces and our allies.
Watch Youtube videos on the Rembrance channel.

Joanne has a wonderful post up as does Sandy.

Ignoring the obvious

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:09:00 PST

Political correctnes is going to get us into ever more trouble. We can not ignore the jihadi threat. Yet that's how the left wants us to react. Not connect the dots, ignore the dots. Flash forward to Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, the man who last week shot more than 40 people at Fort Hood, killing 13, while reportedly shouting "Allahu Akbar!"

"As a senior-year psychiatric resident at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Maj. Nidal M. Hasan was supposed to make a presentation on a medical topic of his choosing as a culminating exercise of the residency program," reports the Washington Post.

Hasan went a different way. He opted to give a bizarre PowerPoint presentation in which he defended suicide bombing and explained that nonbelievers should be beheaded, burned alive and have boiling oil poured down their throats (presumably not in that order). He argued that all Muslims should be discharged from the military.

One slide concluded: "We love death more then (sic) you love life!"

Dr Roy in Oz and the ADQ in Quebec

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:45:01 PST

I have arrived in Sydney Australia. I am attending the wedding of a close friend in Melbourne. The flight was very easy. I went business and I was actually able to sleep in the sleeper seats!The weather is glorious. It is now 22 degrees Celsius.
I was happy to hear of the two Tory byelection wins and I not that Gilles Taillon has resigned. Even more good news. Taillon will not run. However the damage seems to have been done. Thats what taillon wanted to do. Destroy the ADQ. He should never have run. I suspect nefarious forces at work. I wonder if taillon will now join the Quebec grits or pq? The leadership of the adq did everything in its power to put taillon in charge. It is increasingly clear that the race was not fair. I'm not sure that the adq can survive this. taillon goal of destroying the party seems accomplished. What a terrible legacy for the so "called winner."
I hope Eric Caire either takes over the ADQ or starts a new center right party. Quebec needs new voices on the center right to save it from itself.

The newly elected leader of the Action Démocratique du Québec effectively resigned Tuesday, calling for a fresh leadership race less than three weeks after he won his party’s top job by only two votes.

Gilles Taillon made the announcement following a meeting Tuesday with the four members of his party's caucus.

Taillon said "fruitless internal wrangling" within the party justified a new leadership race.

He said he would stay on as party leader until then.

In a news conference later the same day, the party’s leader in the legislature, François Bonnardel, confirmed Taillon would not run in the upcoming race.

Taillon made the decision to resign on his own, Bonnardel said, adding that caucus would continue to do its work in the assembly.

Taillon also announced he is asking Quebec's provincial police to review the ADQ's bookkeeping, after finding unspecified irregularities dating back to 2003.

On Friday, two of the party's MNAs quit the caucus, saying they could no longer support Taillon. Former party leadership contender Éric Caire and Marc Picard said they would continue to sit as Independents in Quebec's national assembly.

Then on Monday, the president of the ADQ, Mario Charpentier, resigned

grits abandoning kyoto?

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:24:00 PST

That's what Norman Spector is writing. That's becuae BO's climate change policy as harmful as it is to the US economy is only a shadow of the craziness that the environmentostalinists want. So iffy seems to be going along wwith the Tories, yet again. Good for iffy. He should not support policies that will destroy our economy. Maybe we will make iffy a climate realist yet.

Day after day in the House of Commons, Bloc MP Bernard Bigras hammered the Conservatives for having won the fossil award at the climate-change negotiations in Barcelona. However, rather than blow their usual smoke, both Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Environment Minister Jim Prentice unapologetically replied that their government, in contrast to the Liberals, would be defending Canadian interests in the forthcoming negotiations in Copenhagen. And they stressed that the Canadian and American positions on the issue were aligned.
It’s hard to imagine that Mr. Harper would be taking this position if George W. Bush were still in office, notwithstanding that it was the Clinton-Gore administration that did not submit Kyoto to the U.S. Senate for ratification. With Barack Obama in office, the Prime Minister is now free to tell more of what he truly believes (though not yet the whole truth).

Two for the good guys

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 21:34:29 PST

The Tories have won two of the four byelections. So much for iffy's Quebec strategy. It is a very good sign that the Tories took one from the bloq.
The Toronto grits are in third or fourth in all the 4 ridings. Good news for the Tories and to a lesser extent the dippers. Republican donolo has his work cut out for him. Hiding iffy is probably a good strategy. He campaigned for these byelections. That didn't work out well.