Dr Roy's Thoughts

HM Canadian GGs and PMs

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Fri, 25 May 2012 19:29:47 PDT

An article in the red star which is lovely. I rarely say that about anything in the red star. OTTAWA—In her 60 years on the throne, Queen Elizabeth II has presided over 20 Parliaments in Canada, featuring 11 prime ministers and 11 governors general. What is it like to work for the Queen? An array of former prime ministers and governors general offer glimpses of working life under Her Majesty’s rule.

Bono Meets Queen Elizabeth at Royal Academy Awards by IBTimesTV

EI Reform

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Fri, 25 May 2012 12:56:07 PDT

Wow a Tory basher saying nice things about the Tories. I think these are very reasonable reforms. More are needed. For weeks now, thanks partly to the aforementioned bungling (more on that later), Canadians have heard the opposition fume about Stephen Harper’s looming war on the unemployed. But the reforms to employment insurance unveiled Thursday were anything but draconian. These are tidy, sensible and moderate fixes that will be overwhelmingly popular with the vast majority of Canadians who take the time to understand them. The changes are long overdue.

Quebec graduates?

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Fri, 25 May 2012 09:17:30 PDT

Since the students in Quebec started their whining, I have been talking about the abysmal graduation rate among French Canadian boys. I am not the only one worried by this tragedy. Barbara Kay also notes the English kids in class and the French kids out. It is a very sad statement on Quebec As a former high-school teacher, I have found it interesting to watch the student demonstrations escalate over the past weeks. Through the later stages of my career, I perceived an increasing sense of entitlement on the part of students. A significant proportion of them gradually began to dwell more and more on their rights and less and less on the responsibilities that came with those rights. However, that’s only a small part of what has bothered me about the recent unrest. I am concerned by the fact that the main argument has been framed as the right of a population to be educated. The argument goes that through education comes freedom. And if an educated population is a must for a society to prosper and grow, then that means education must be free for university students. Society will ultimately benefit.

Munk Debate : Europe

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Fri, 25 May 2012 09:05:22 PDT

I will be attending then Munk Debate tonight in Toronto. It should be interesting. It is on the future of the EU. The debaters are all well know Europeans including Niall Ferguson and Peter Mandelson. The event is sold out. As anyone who reads this blog know I am hugely eurosceptic. I believe the the future of THe UK lies with the Anglosphere and Commonwealth. You can watch the debate live as well. I have embedded the feed here.

Montreal Tourism

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Thu, 24 May 2012 14:24:48 PDT

The student rioters are costing the Montreal economy a lot. I agree with Tasha. The rioters need to stop. MONTREAL — Aerial shots showing a crowd estimated at more than 100,000 protesters spilling out of the Place des Festivals Tuesday evoked more peaceful times in Quebec. Usually when that many people fill the downtown site, it is for one of the International Jazz Festival’s free summer concerts. As the tuition protests drag on with no resolution in sight, businesspeople and tourism officials are starting to worry that the overlap between the student movement and the festivals that define Montreal summer will not be just symbolic.

Cross Country Checkup on the Quebec rioters

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Wed, 23 May 2012 17:52:10 PDT

I called in yet again to Cross Country Checkup. the topic was the reasonable limits of protests. You can my friend and Prince Arthur CEO at 00:14:32, me at 00:47:27 and my friend Barbara Kay at 01:11:03. Listen here.

#ICCC7

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Wed, 23 May 2012 04:50:06 PDT

I am in Chicago at ICCC7. It is expected to be protested by occupiers at 10am-2pm. The warmists mad. You can watch the conference live here:http://climateconference.heartland.org/watch-live-2/

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Tue, 22 May 2012 06:45:54 PDT

Werner Patels on the failed Quebec socialist experiment. Quebec - a failed socialist experiment BY WERNER PATELS 22 May 2012 Student protesters vandalize a statue of Queen Victoria during the March 22nd monster protest rally. Being married to a pure laine Quebecker, I’m deeply disgusted by recent events in Quebec, as is my wife, who has loathed her home province, a socialist/communist utopia, for most of her adult life. What started out as demonstrations against a negligible hike of the lowest tuition fees anywhere in North America has escalated into large-scale and widespread criminality and terrorism. Some have said that these riots and the accompanying lawlessness are almost worse than what transpired in the province back in 1970. While no provincial politician has been killed (yet), we have seen the work of criminals and terrorists of the far and radical left, such as the smoke bombs that paralyzed Montreal’s transit system, as well as Molotov cocktails. None of this has anything to do with a tuition fee hike that amounts to peanuts. Instead, the radical left has taken over, indulging in their usual nonsense such as anti-Semitism: one of the students’ unions, CLASSE, made a boycott of Israel its primary demand, with the support of Québec Solidaire, a pro-Islamist, hard-left party. Police and the government stood idly by as a group of masked terrorists stormed classrooms at Montréal’s UQAM in search of “scab” students attending classes and physically assaulted women in the process. That was the wrong message to send, as things have escalated even further since then. The new emergency law passed by Jean Charest’s government to deal with the violence has come too late in the game. After months of appeasing these criminals and terrorists, and even negotiating with them, the genie can’t be put back in the bottle. Quebec, unfortunately, seems to have a disproportionate share of radicalized left-wingers who aren’t afraid of committing crimes and causing tremendous violence. But that doesn’t surprise me: the media are mostly on the far left of the spectrum. The schools, colleges and universities do not educate, but brainwash students - just look at how many socialist/communist teachers and professors have been standing up for the violent protesters and actually egging them on. La belle province may have the status of a “distinct society” and “nation” within Canada, but it’s also Canada’s “failed society”. Rare are the voices that call for self-reliance and taking responsibility for one’s own actions. For that reason alone, Canada should abolish its equalization system and stop redistributing wealth around the country. Tuition fees in Quebec would skyrocket immediately, giving those protesters a dose of reality about the modest hike proposed by Premier Charest. It’s not surprising, therefore, that one national newspaper, the National Post, has been forced by its readers into a discussion about whether Quebec should be kicked out of Canada or not. While the rest of Canada has its share of criminal and violent leftists, no other part or region has such a high concentration as Quebec. What is more, when those in Quebec decide to become violent, they don’t take any prisoners, as we saw, and remember, from back in October 1970. The rest of Canada has become predominantly small-c conservative in its thinking, as several polls have shown over the last year or two, with a clear of majority of Canadians saying that they would reinstate the death penalty for particularly heinous killers. Quebec as it stands today is highly incompatible with the country’s political and social fabric. Instead of waiting around for the separatists to form the next provincial government, which they most likely will, and launch yet another referendum on independence (with yet another ambiguous referendum question), it might be the right time to cut Quebec off and send it on its way. It may take a while, but probably no more than ten years or so, before they fall to their knees and beg Ottawa to take them back. Letting Quebec run its socialist and utopian experiment without any financial assistance from Canada for a decade would instil that much-needed sense of reality that the province today so badly lacks. In other words, Canada is a grown-up, while Quebec is still a pimple-faced, hormonal teenager who needs to be taught (about) discipline. The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author's own and do not necessarily represent those of The Prince Arthur Herald. Want to respond to this article? Send a letter to the Editor (letters@princearthurherald.com).

Happy Victoria Day

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Mon, 21 May 2012 15:14:58 PDT

Today we honour the Mother of Confederation. HLIM Queen Victoria It is also the Official birthday in Canada of Our Sovereign Lady. God Save the Queen!!!! Victoria Day May 20, 2012 Message from His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, on Victoria Day OTTAWA—This year, 2012, is one filled with celebrations marking Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee. She has had a remarkable reign, devoting herself for the past six decades to public service, a mission that she continues to fulfill today in a truly inspiring manner. Her Majesty has never failed in her duties to the Crown or to the people of the Commonwealth. She always shows great dignity, as well as unparalleled commitment and dedication. Canadians have celebrated the Sovereign’s birthday since the days of Queen Victoria (1837–1901). The Crown is a fundamental piece of our collective heritage and of the identity of all Commonwealth realms. It is a guarantee of the values and traditions that we hold dear and that push us to build a smarter, more caring nation. On this day of celebration, I am delighted to join my fellow Canadians in honouring Her Majesty and in sending her my very best wishes for health and happiness.David Johnston

Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Victoria Day May 21, 2012 Ottawa, Ontario Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement on the occasion of Victoria Day: “Today, Laureen and I join Canadians from across the country in the official celebration of the birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada. “This joyous day comes as Canada and the Commonwealth celebrate The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee with several special events and initiatives taking place throughout 2012. “For six decades, The Queen and the people of Canada have shared a deep affection, and we pay tribute to the great dedication, distinction, and grace with which Her Majesty has served as Canada’s Head of State. “Canadians are also marking the 60th anniversary of The Queen’s accession to the Throne by hosting Their Royal Highnesses The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall during their Diamond Jubilee Tour. “Victoria Day also affords an opportunity to celebrate our proud heritage and the strong historical ties that have forged our close friendship with the United Kingdom. “On behalf of Canadians, I offer Her Majesty The Queen our most sincere and heartfelt wishes of health and happiness for many years to come.”

Ezra on the Quebec rioters

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Sun, 20 May 2012 11:48:28 PDT

An excellent piece by Ezra on the breakdown of the rule of law in Quebec. What’s going on in Quebec cannot be called protests. The right word is riots. That’s what you call it when masked vandals smash cars, break windows in banks and shops, night after night. And that’s on top of the smoke bombs thrown in the subway stations earlier this month that paralyzed the city’s transit system. How is this any different from the Stanley Cup riot in Vancouver? It is different, of course. It’s worse. Vancouver’s riot was spontaneous. They weren’t backed up with official NGOs and union organizers and bank accounts and spokesmen and press releases. The Montreal riots are a criminal industry. But blame also apportions to the people whose duty it is to stop riots — but who haven’t. The police, who too often stood by idly because they didn’t want the rough work of a confrontation. Even when peaceful students got a court injunction demanding they be allowed to attend class, the cops refused to enforce the injunction and clear protesters blockading school doorways.

The Diamond Jubilee

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Sun, 20 May 2012 02:30:01 PDT

This is just awesome!!! God Save Our Diamond Queen!!! <p>&amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt; &amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;gt;</p>

Wente is right again

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Sat, 19 May 2012 17:31:13 PDT

Margaret has another great article on the radical Quebec students and their radical profs. Most Quebec students are still in school by the way. Also a good editorial surprisingly also in the globe. MARGARET WENTE Quebec’s tuition protesters are the Greeks of Canada On Wednesday, a masked enforcement squad swept through the campus at the Université du Québec à Montréal, hunting for students who had dared to show up for class. Wherever they found a class in session, they broke in and shouted “Scab!” in the students’ faces. The enforcement squad was defying a court injunction that ordered the university to open. They jumped on desks and tables and spray-painted slogans on the classroom walls. They grabbed two female students by the arm and told them to get out. The intimidated professors fled. Later, as law student Christina Macedo tried to explain to reporters what had happened, they drowned her out. “Scab! Scab! Scab!” they shrieked.

The Diamond jubilee

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Sat, 19 May 2012 13:36:52 PDT

The Official Diamonf Jubilee Song produced By Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber
A spectacular Horse Pageant for Her Majesty including the RCMP!

Ted should appeal!

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Sat, 19 May 2012 11:43:10 PDT

Over a year after he won,Ted Opitz's election was overturned by a judge. Ted should appeal to the supreme court. Elections Canada stands by its certification. Ted needs to appeal this decision and if he doesn't we all need to help him defeat the grit whiner.

Lang Lang

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Thu, 17 May 2012 17:19:00 PDT

I attended a recital by the amazing pianist Lang Lang in Montreal. It was a truly magnificent concert. Lang Lang is trulyan amazing sight to behold and hear. I was sitting on the right in the front row and had a great view of his magical hands. The audience was enthralled and so was I. Lang Lang gave 2 encores. An amazing evening!!!. LANG LANG, piano BACH, Partita No. 1 in B flat major SCHUBERT, Sonata No. 23 in B flat major, D. 960 CHOPIN, Twelve Études, Op. 25 His fame transcends music-lover circles, the pianist having achieved iconic status on a planetary scale through his charisma, his passion and his prodigious talent. Still in his twenties, Lang Lang has already become a monumental personality on the current musical scene.

Same Time Next Year

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Thu, 17 May 2012 15:01:00 PDT

I attended the charming production of Same Time Next Year. The stars, R.H. Thompson and Michelle Giroux, were amazing. The sets included screen and a history lesson. Inspite it being about adultery it was also about fidelity and loss. I found the play quite amusing and very enjoyable. Try and attend it , if you can.

R.I.P. Donna Summer

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Thu, 17 May 2012 10:41:15 PDT

I was very saddened to hear of the death of Donna Summer. I listened to a lot of her songs during my childhood and teenage years. She was a great talent and a beautiful woman. My deepest sympathies to her family.

Another reason to despise the UN

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Wed, 16 May 2012 04:27:43 PDT

The UN and his highly paid apparatchiks ( highly paid with western money), are criticizing Canada for not being a socialist paradise. This is the same organization which has had Libya and Cuba on "human rights commission". The un pandering to their third world masters is sickening. Time to leave this useless socialist organization. I guess being close to the top of UN human development index means squat. OTTAWA — Canada needs to drop its "self-righteous" attitude about how great a country it is and start dealing with its widespread problem of food insecurity, the United Nations right-to-food envoy says. In a hard-hitting interview this week with Postmedia News, Olivier De Schutter also blasted Canada for its "appallingly poor" record of taking recommendations from UN human-rights bodies seriously. De Schutter, the UN special rapporteur on the right to food, has been on an 11-day mission to Canada, his first to a developed country. It's taken him to poor inner-city neighbourhoods in Central Canada, where he said he's heard from families on social assistance who can't afford to feed their children healthy foods. He's also travelled to remote aboriginal communities in Manitoba and Alberta, where he said he has seen "very desperate conditions and people who are in extremely dire straits."

mob rule in Quebec

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:49:22 PDT

An excellent editorial from the Prince Arthur Herald. The situation in Quebec is increasingly dire. Quebec is Canad's Greece. Yesterday, Line Beauchamp, Québec’s education minister, resigned from her post and quit public life, thus confirming what everyone already knew; the Charest government has neither the courage to stick to its guns on its proposed tuition increases, nor the apparently boundless flexibility needed to cut an acceptable deal with the leaders of the Québec’s student “strike.”

Cirque de Soleil : Amaluna

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Sun, 13 May 2012 16:45:00 PDT

I recently attended Cirque de Soleil's latest show Amaluna for my birthday. It is kind of based on Shakespeare's the Tempest with an Amazon touch. It was a spectacular two hours
of acrobatics and humour. I have seen many Cirque shows and I was getting a bit bored with some of the shows. Amaluna was in many ways new and fresh. You should go see it.

The anti trudeau

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Sun, 13 May 2012 13:18:43 PDT

I like this article. It is my dream to undo the damage that trudeau and his ilk have done. I despised trudeau and virtually everything he did. I want the Tories to undo what the trudeaupian nightmare. It seems every Canadian political columnist passed judgment on the one-year anniversary of Harper’s majority government. But, oddly enough, the punditry on the man and his vision were all over the map. To some he is an authoritarian with a bully club in his right hand, but to others just a hard-nosed PM maintaining party unity. To some he’s a principled radical and to others a moderate populist. I have a different take. If you want to understand Stephen Harper, think Pierre Trudeau. It’s hard to believe that Harper was once a Liberal campaign volunteer, but, somewhere in the early 1980s, Harper embraced a political mission to undo the damage that Trudeau inflicted on the country and to destroy the Liberal party in the process. Of course, Brian Mulroney and Jean Chrétien got first crack, repudiating almost every Trudeau economic policy from unemployment insurance, runaway spending, hyper inflation, economic nationalism, and obscene levels of debt.

Happy Mother's Day

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Sun, 13 May 2012 09:03:42 PDT

Exodus 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee. I am lucky enough to still have my Mom. She turned 88 years old this year. I wish her and all Mothers a very Happy Mothers Day!!!

Statement by the Prime Minister of Canada on Mother's Day May 13, 2012 Ottawa, Ontario Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement on the occasion of Mother’s Day: “Today we celebrate those mothers who by virtue of their wisdom, kindness, decency and work ethic have inspired us to be better people and better citizens.” “While we celebrate the mothers in our lives who have been family keystones and beacons of guidance and care, let us recognize that there are many remarkable women in this country who, along with raising families, are also juggling careers, community service and taking care of elderly parents.” “Our Government recognizes this reality and has been taking steps to help lighten the load of mothers and families. This includes implementing a Universal Child Care Benefit to help with child care expenses, creating a Children’s Fitness Tax Credit to help with the cost of registering children and youth in physical activity programs, as well as establishing a new Family Caregiver Tax Credit to help mothers and families with the cost of caring for an infirm dependant relative, including a child, spouse or parent.” “I encourage Canadians to honour all mothers – past and present – on this special day for all they do and have done for us. In that spirit, Laureen and I wish all mothers a wonderful day."

Quebec students arrested

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Sun, 13 May 2012 07:53:18 PDT

So these young thugs thing releasing smoke bombs and disrupting the lives of hundreds of thousands is no big deal. They need to spend time in prison contemplating this. Why do I pay taxes for UQAM to exist? MONTREAL—The gravity of the actions alleged against four young people accused in connection with Thursday’s subway smoke bombings became much more apparent Saturday with the addition of an anti-terror related charge. The three women and one man, all in their 20s, will each face a charge of hoax regarding terrorist activity, which carries a maximum prison term of five years, police revealed Saturday. If anyone had been injured during the hoax, the maximum sentence would be 10 years. They have also been charged with conspiracy and mischief over $5,000. The man has also been charged with possession of a prohibited or restricted weapon, in this case, police said, it was a knife. All four, who turned themselves in to police Friday afternoon, will appear in court this afternoon via videoconference. On Thursday, smoke bombs were thrown in three key subway stations, forcing the entire network to shut down at the height of the morning rush hour. The ensuing transport chaos affected about 200,000 passengers and cost the city more than $10 million in lost economic activity, according to economists.

California Deficit $16 billion

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Sun, 13 May 2012 07:43:07 PDT

Which is the same for the much less populous Ontario under mcliar. Both California and Ontario run by leftists, but brown seems to be taking the deficit more seriously.

High

noreply@blogger.com (Roy Eappen) — Sat, 12 May 2012 17:53:00 PDT

I recently say High starring Kathleen Turner. It recently closed on broadway after a less than stellar run. The reviews were very good, but it still closed. It was an interesting 2 hrs. It discussed matters of faith, addiction and the meaning of life. Kathleen Turner was absolutely amazing. I very much enjoyed the play.