May 1st is Doctors’ Day here in Ontario!

Did you know that today, May 1st, is Doctors’ Day here in Ontario.

The Ontario Medical Association is asking Ontarians to help celebrate this day by sending a personalized thank you card to their doctors. The cards can be created on this website, http://thanksdoc.oma.org/. Once submitted, the OMA will deliver your thank you card directly to your doctor.

When was the last time you thanked your doctor?

As an added incentive, everyone who submits a thank you card is eligible to win an iPhone5 and Fitbit One™ Wireless Activity & Sleep Tracker.

You can even thank you Doctor on Facebook, or send a kind note to the OMA through Twitter for taking care of their members.  I have spent numerous hours on their Facebook page reading articles which as a parent are important to me, such as the OMA asking to have antibiotics removed from livestock feed in Canada and the alarming amount of sodium in restaurant food.

As a special thank you for posting about a wonderful cause, the OMA is offering you, the reader, and opportunity to win a $25 Sport Chek gift card.  All you have to do to have an opportunity to win is post a comment on my blog or Facebook page of the direct link to their thank you on the website (example: http://thanksdoc.oma.org/#367)  just to be sure that you have actually participated in this day of recognition.

On May 15th, I will take down the names of all of you who took the time to comment, put them in a hat and have one of my children draw a winner.  The winner will be notified via email.

I’m off now to send a thank you to our family doctor of 13 years who adapted her style to meet our needs when she realized that we prefer to try natural remedies first before getting to the antibiotics for us and our children.  As a result, she offers us all solutions and we greatly appreciate that!

Thanks Doc!

Related articles

• OMA calls for crackdown on antibiotic use in farming (cp24.com)
• Ontario’s doctors say province needs to address its ‘drinking problem’ (globalnews.ca)

Headache Network of Canada: Free event in Toronto. May 1st, 2013.

As a former migraine sufferer I can relate to headaches.  With so much uncertainty around the causes of migraines, so is there uncertainty around why they stop.  I suffered from migraine headaches – 2 to 3 a week – from the age of 13 until I was 19-years-old and had my wisdom teeth taken out.  I have not had a single migraine since.  It could be a coincidence or maybe there was a link, but I can recall the pain and agony as if it were yesterday.

The Headache Network of Canada is running an event in Toronto on Wednesday May 1st, at SilverCity Yorkdale at 5:30 p.m. At this event, guests will:

• Learn more about chronic migraine and treatment options from specialists, including Dr. Gary Shapero, one of Canada’s leading headache and pain specialists, and Valerie South, Executive Director of Headache Network Canada
• Enjoy a movie presentation of The Big Wedding starring Robert DeNiro, Dianne Keaton, and Robin Williams. This will be presented in a Chronic Migraine friendly environment where the brightness and volume levels have been adjusted so guests can enjoy a night out with peace of mind

Guests who come early can mingle and get a Glam Photo taken by an expert stylist and fashion photographer.

The event is free and there are still seats available, but you have to RSVP first, and the RSVP link is located here: http://chronicmigrainefreezone.eventbrite.com

For more information on chronic migraine visit: http://mychronicmigraine.ca

Chronic Migraines are a debilitating disorder that affects more than 370,000 Canadians.  People who suffer from Chronic Migraine often dissociate from the world around them and have a tough time finding help.

April 24th, 2013. World Meningitis Awareness Day. Parents, do you know the symptoms?

Today is World Meningitis Day.  I had the pleasure of attending a webinar on Meningococcal Disease and the Burden of Meningitis B in Canada.  I learned a lot of new information about this disease but the most important thing I took away  that I did not know and I also learned as parents, we need to make sure we understand the symptoms or at least know where to go quickly to get the information we need to save lives and prevent permanent damage.

What Canadian Parents Need to Know:

Meningococcal disease is a sudden, aggressive, rapidly progressing and life-threatening illness that manifests as bacterial meningitis – an infection of the membrane around the brain and spine – and sepsis – a bloodstream infection that can lead to death within 24-48 hours of the first symptom.  Survivors may suffer permanent brain damage, learning disabilities, hearing loss, and limb loss.

Meningococcal disease is dynamic and unpredictable as the bacteria causing the illness can mutate and shift over time and vary by country and region.

Bacterial meningitis is one of the most common forms of meningococcal disease and needs to be treated immediately at the onset of symptoms which include fever, nausea, headache, feeling of unwellness, neck pain and vomiting.

The majority of meningitis cases occur in otherwise healthy people particularly infants and adolescents, who are at the greatest risk and also represent the greatest unmet need for protection.

Adolescents, who often socialize in groups, can harbour and transmit the bacteria that cause meningitis to each other, their family members, and their communities, often times while sharing lipstick, cigarettes or drinks.  A dormant case in one person could be a live case in someone else.

Meningitis B is responsible for 80% of meningococcal cases in infants under one year of age in Canada, and 62% of the cases in adolescents.

Meningococcal disease caused by meningitis B remains an important public health challenge, since there is currently no effective vaccine available, however Health Canada is currently reviewing for approval and use for Canadians, the first meningitis B vaccine. This vaccine would be the final piece of the meningococcal meningitis vaccination puzzle.

Up to one in five survivors suffers from devastating, life-long disabilities such as brain damage, hearing loss, or limb loss.

We cannot emphasize enough the truly devastating impact this disease can have on families and the facts are, when it comes to meningitis – KNOWLEDGE IS POWER.

Please watch this great World Meningitis Day video

For more information on meningitis please visit http://www.menifo.ca.  Or http://www.meningitis.ca for information on meningitis research.

Meningitis Disease – Myths and Facts

1. There is only one type of meningitis.

MYTH – Meningitis can be caused by different germs including viral, bacterial and fungal.  A viral infection is less severe and can typically be treated at home. Bacterial meningitis occurs when bacteria enters the blood and migrates to the spinal area.  Given the rapid progression and severity of meningitis, medical attention should be sought immediately if someone suspects meningitis.

2. Meningitis has flu-like symptoms.

FACT – Early symptoms of meningitis are similar to flu symptoms, including fever, headache, stiff neck and vomiting. Other symptoms can include confusion, light sensitivity and no interest in eating or drinking.  If you notice these symptoms, seek medical attention.

3. Meningitis is easy to diagnose.

MYTH – Because early symptoms are very similar to symptoms of other illnesses especially the flu, cases of meningitis can be overlooked and misdiagnosed initially. It’s important at the onset of symptoms to seek immediate treatment.

4. Meningitis will go away on its own.

MYTH – Bacterial meningitis requires quick and aggressive treatment and can result in devastating consequences including varying degrees of blindness, deafness, paralysis and intellectual disabilities or death.

5. Canadian children and young adults are most susceptible to meningitis.

FACT – Children under one year of age and adolescents (15-19 years old) are among the age groups with the highest incidence of meningitis.  College and university students are also susceptible to contracting meningitis because of their increased likelihood of sharing items such as drinks, utensils and cigarettes.

6. Meningitis can be contracted by casual contact.

MYTH – Meningitis is spread through direct contact with an infected person through the droplet route by means of respiratory secretions when air or liquid secretions are shared.

Take the Survey!

I encourage parents to take the Meningitis Awareness Survey, which will be live until April 29^th. This survey will provide insight into Canadians’ current perceptions and awareness of meningitis (http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/5BJRTDY).

Where was this when I was changing diapers: Dove Men + Care Ultimate Changetable

Parents, as we grow older, we see products and services for our children and wonder how cool it would have been to have had that when we were kids.  I’m not the only one who does this, right?  Massive bouncy castles, iPads, gas-controlled mini-cars, and SO much more.

So yesterday, when I saw a clever twist on an established product, I was blown away.  I saw a change table which not just contained all that a father would need to change a diaper – diapers, wipes, etc., but also with a TV.  Sweet.

I can remember having to change diapers in stores, or malls, or restaurants only to find out that the change table was in the woman’s bathroom.  Then came the change table in the family / handicapped bathrooms, and finally change tables in men’s bathrooms.  We do change diapers too!!!

But a change table at a sporting events with a TV.  Brilliant!  As Dads, we have to make sure our children are clean and we gladly miss several minutes of live action to make sure we look after our kids, but not having to miss any of the action is a luxury and a gift to father’s everywhere.

I saw the Dove Men + Care Ultimate Gameday Change Table – billed as a “souped-up baby change table” at the Toronto Raptors / Miami Heat basketball game at the Air Canada Centre.

The official press release: 

Toronto, ON (March 18, 2012)  – Dove Men+Care unveiled an interactive change table to Toronto sports-fan dads at the Air Canada Centre, yesterday. The table was designed to be a light-hearted way to call attention to the brand’s campaign to support real men and their changing role in today’s society.

The Dove Men+Care Ultimate Gameday Change Table’s was given a ‘field-test’ during one of the hottest ticket basketball games of the season. The souped-up change table provides all the tools necessary to keep dads and their babies happy during unplanned intermissions, including:

• A built-in television so dad didn’t miss any game action
• An emergency Lullaby button that played soothing music
• An interactive timer and scoreboard to determine the best diaper-changer in the game

According to a recent study, men have tripled their involvement in childcare over the last four decades. That’s why Dove Men+Care has taken steps to change societal norms by tailoring a public change table temporarily to suit the needs of men and make it more enjoyable too. The Ultimate Gameday Change Table is designed to help men maintain at least one aspect of their daily life so they can maintain everything else and never miss a moment.

About Dove® and Dove Men+Care

Thanks to Dove Men+Care all men can literally be comfortable in their own skin. Built on Unilever’s success in the men’s deodorant, personal wash and hair categories, and the Dove brand’s heritage in outstanding skincare, Dove Men+Care products are specifically designed to provide men with both the results and the care they need. The Dove product lineup, manufactured by Unilever, includes beauty bars, body washes, face care, anti-perspirant/deodorants, body mists, hair care and styling aids. Dove is available nationwide in food, drug and mass outlet stores.

I actually began using Dove Men + Care products recently when my current deodorant / anti-perspirant started giving me a rash.  It’s safe on sensitive skin, smells great and the scent is not overpowering at all.  It also helps that their products are available everywhere.

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[i] Bianchi, S.M. (2011). “Family Change and Time Allocation in American Families”. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science 638:21-44. The author analyzes how recent changes have altered American family life and have produced new challenges for working caregivers. Unpaid and paid work hours are averaged over all couples with children under age 18 and over the 2003–2008 American Time Use Survey data collections.

You can and should follow Dove on Twitter @madeformen.

Here are some pictures of the table.  The music note is so you can add a lullaby if your baby is cranky.  There is a pile of diapers already stocked in the table (on the right).  The TV screen you can see is in the middle and the hand on the top right let’s you compete with other Dads to see who can complete the diaper change the quickest.  The ranking is on the left of the TV screen.

It’s smart, it’s cool, and it’s fun!

Hey! Could I get a little bit of help, please! The 2013 Bloggies are about to close!

logotype of The Weblog Awards (Bloggies) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I’m not exactly sure how this happened, or how I missed this but a couple of weeks ago I noticed a massive spike in readership here at The Urban Daddy and after a very quick check of my statistics I came to realize that I had a whole bunch of new readers coming to see me from The 2013 Weblog Awards aka The Bloggies.

The specific reason for the increased traffic was because many folks were dropping by to learn more about this blog which was nominated, and made it to the finals of the 2013 Weblog Awards in the following two categories.

Best Parenting or Family Weblog
Best Canadian Weblog

I’ve always been a big fan of the Bloggies because of their global coverage and I looked through many of the other blogs who made the finals in their respective categories and there are some pretty awesome blogs out there being written by some pretty amazing writers. Being nominated is really great, as I’ve said before after being nominated for the Canadian Weblog Awards, it’s great just to be nominated.  That someone other than myself has taken the time to put forward my URL is quite humbling. (thanks Mom!).

But now I need your help, and I need it quickly! I don’t normally beg or ask for favours but I’m going to do both today. I need your vote! Please.

Voting for the 2013 Bloggies closes on March 17th, and all you need to do in order to vote for me (or someone else if you like them better) is follow the link to their website, here, then vote for at least 3 blogs, enter the security code and your email and you are almost done. You will receive an email from The Bloggies to ensure you are legitimate, and once you confirm that, your vote goes through. Nice and easy!

But remember to only vote once, please. If you vote more than once, the awards use your most recent vote.  We don’t want to waste your time now, do we?

Then, after that has been completed, you can sit back until the 24th of March, at which time you can Watch the Ceremony from 8:00-10:30 PM EST (UTC-5) on the Bloggies’ Twitter feed and Facebook page. One winner will be announced approximately every five minutes, culminating with the Weblog of the Year at 10:30, at which point the winners will be posted to the site. Follow the feed to keep up to date on the Bloggies!

If you are able to take the time to vote, I appreciate it. Heck, I’m happy that you even come by, subscribe and “like” my blog.

Related articles

• Bloggie, Bloggie, Blogger (marriageconfessions.com)
• The 13th Annual Weblog Awards (youlookfab.com)
• The Post Where I Beg for Your Votes (pocketfulofjoules.com)

Toronto City Council’s Secret Left-Wing Agenda Revealed!

Giorgio Mammoliti speaks to reporters (Photo credit: hyfen)

When Toronto City Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti alleged he, Mayor Rob Ford and other “right-wing” councillors at Toronto City Hall have been victims of a “left-wing conspiracy”, everybody laughed.  When Mammoliti said that a preliminary investigation he has conducted has pointed to a group of people “out to do some damage, personal damage” to the right-wing councillors on City Council, people again laughed and thought Mammoliti was going crazy.

A former member of Mayor Rob Ford’s executive committee, Mammoliti claimed that he has been followed by private citizens here in Toronto and that his home and office phones have been tapped.  He raised the question about just how badly do the left-wing councillors really want him, Ford and the other right-of-centre councillors out of office, replaced with the free-spending, union-loving, tax-the-rich, left-leaning council which almost brought Toronto into bankruptcy.  (Insert Olivia Chow here).

Mammoliti revealed that an investigation has pointed to a number of key suspects; city councillors, private citizens, lawyers in this city, who have united together to ruin the reputation of the right-wing candidates, force the public to sour on them and run them right out of office and we need to look no closer than the legal actions brought against Mayor Rob Ford by a private citizen – a very pro-NDP citizen, no less – which was handled pro-bono by another pro-left-wing lawyer in Toronto, Clayton Ruby.  This legal action resulted in the temporary removal of the Mayor from office and tarnished his reputation.  The citizen who was the front-man of this lawsuit and his lawyer were eagerly expecting the Mayor to cover the court costs, around $150,000.00, however, upon winning the appeal Ford had gone to the court to ask his costs be covered by this duo.  They in turn have asked Ford to cover the costs by taking the money from the taxpayers of Toronto, stating the individual who brought the case against Ford does not have those kinds of funds.

Oops.

We’re also waiting to see if lawyer Clayton Ruby is going to follow through on his pledge to waste more taxpayers money and take the appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada.  This case is that important but it’s not going to challenge the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, is it??

So what do you make of this conspiracy?

Following this failed attempt to remove Ford from office, came an audit of his 2010 election funding in which Ford over-spent by $40,000.00.  Yes, he kept very detailed books and records and the auditor was impressed by that, and yes there was no further action against him, but I’m sure every single Councillor would be in contravention of the Elections Act if scrutinized by audit.  Where are the other audits of team lefty?  Oh, yeah.  Not in Toronto.

Did you know Mammoliti is also up against the same audit?

What about the audit of George Smitherman when he ran for Mayor?  He promised to reveal who donated to him campaign but never did.  Something to hide, maybe?

So let’s move on to the conspiracy…

When Mayor Ford announced (for probably the 50th time) that he was seeking right-leaning (fiscally Conservative) citizens to run in the next election, in order to get better traction on some of his ideas to reel in spending, cut costs and reduce duplication of services, the cries from the left were deafening.  I think the most critical of them all, Adam Vaughan, wanted to haul Ford before some panel or committee or something, yet again, to be slapped on the wrist.  Apparently it’s in bad taste to say it, but it’s okay to skulk around with your left-wing colleagues to find ways to overthrow the Mayor.

Mammoliti mentioned specific knowledge of secret meetings of left-wing councillors and their “inner circle” with their plans to run the “righties” out of City Hall and that… Well, that is okay.

So as the crack researcher that I pretend to be, I have uncovered their plans and compiled a list of the top thirteen items on the secret agenda of these left-wing councillors.

13. Hire unionized workers at $85.00/hour to remove all the doors at City Hall which open to the right and re-hang them so they open on the left.

12. Re-name any streets in the Greater Toronto Area which bear the name “Ford” to “Fraud”.

11. Create their own newspaper aimed at reporting items supported by the left and trashing any thoughts or suggestions by the right. Oops, that one was done already in triplicate; Toronto Star, NOW magazine and the Grid.

10.  Move to teach children left-wing socialist views at schools and institutions of higher-learning.  Oops.  That already happens too…

9.   Remove the term “Right of Way” from the Highway Traffic Act and replace it with “Wrong Way”.

8.   Pressure Ford Canada to rename its Canadian operations and to give its unionized workforce the credit they deserve, so all cars coming from their factories will cost $350,000.00 each, but a wealth tax on the rich will bring the price down to $45,000.00.

7.   Bringing in a fat tax aimed to penalize fat people, especially ones who take office and do not lose weight like David Miller did.

6.   Ban football in Toronto.

5.   After sending that CBC “comic” Marg whatever her name is to harass Ford on his driveway, the lefties are lining up more characters to disrupt Ford’s personal life including; Doink the Clown, David Suziki, ummm, other famous left-wing Canadiens like Brandon Prust, Max Pacioretty and Travis Moen, and the gravy train and a few others…  If they’re smart, however, they will stay out of Ford’s backyard.

4.    Toronto will implement a new wealth tax on all citizens making more than $65,000.00 a year (politicians exempted) and the new tax will be call the “Open your Wallet” tax whereby those rich bastards – damn them for getting educated and working hard to earn money and pay taxes – will pay to ensure that Toronto’s lowest class are able to move into Forest Hill or the Bridle Path like everyone else.

3.   Shows like AM640, SunTV and the like will come with disclaimers warning the risks associated with their dangerous, fiscally conservative views.

2.   Left-wing media will post unflattering pictures of Ford everywhere, including putting his head on top of a naked body in order to… Well, I don’t know why they did that actually…

1.   The number one thing that the secret left-wing group will do is to continue to pester and harass all the right-wing candidates in Toronto, in Ontario and in Canada and turn all the moderates into fiscally Conservatives resulting in right-wing political leaders at all three levels of government for a long time.  This secret operative will forever be known as Operation backfire.

In addition, there will be many new jokes as a result of this secret plan, such as; “How many socialist, left-wing people does it to take down Mayor Rob Ford?”  Answer:  We’re not sure yet.

Related articles

• Did Toronto Star reporter Royson James just call me a Simpleton?!? (urbandaddy.wordpress.com)
• Councillor calls for investigation into Rob Ford’s football charity, again (macleans.ca)
• Councillor Mammoliti probing secret plot (thestar.com)

Canadian RRSP Deadline is March 1st, 2013. Something to think about before you decide to let it pass…

Toronto-Dominion Bank (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

As a parent, any time is a good time to speak to your children about the value of money – certainly not enough is being taught in schools, and children see right through parents who talk about the value in saving money, yet do not have two nickles to rub together at the end of a month (was supposed to be pennies, but Canada no longer uses the penny).

So, when is the perfect time to speak to children about saving for the future?  Well RSP season, of course.  Some recent statistics came through my inbox from my bank, TD Canada Trust, and I wanted to share them with my readers because they stand out.

While many Canadian parents try to teach their kids the importance of saving for the future, many aren’t following their own advice. According to a recent report from TD, 58% of parents say they talk to their children often (19%) or occasionally (39%) about the importance of saving for retirement, but only 42% say they practice what they preach.

On the other hand, 42% of parents say they rarely (21%) or never (21%) talk to their children about the importance of saving for retirement. One reason that parents may be procrastinating, or hesitant, to talk to their kids is because nearly two-thirds of Canadians (64%) never received retirement savings advice from their own parents.

Kim Parlee a Vice President at TD Wealth Management, offer advice to parents for speaking to kids of all ages about money.

·         Taking advantage of teachable times:  From creating a grocery list to making a major purchase, there are a range of opportunities to discuss how to create a budget with your child.  You can also plan your winter family vacation together and chat about how you plan to save for it. Weaving in lessons and tips at a timely moment such as RSP season is a natural way to begin the conversation about finances and saving.

·         Starting small and seeing the bigger picture: Ask your children about the kind of future they want to have and show them how to map out a plan on how to get there. Talk to them about their goals in the short-term (a bike, perhaps), mid-term (education) and long-term (wedding, house, retirement) and explain how different investment and saving products could be better suited to each goal. While you’re at it, make sure you have applied the same principles to your own finances and adult-sized goals!

If, however, your children are teens or already young adults it’s never too late, but you might want to change your approach a little.  Consider the following:

·         Consulting third parties: There is only so much advice you can offer your children, and it is up to them whether or not they put it to action. Consider asking your advisor to speak with your kids about the importance of starting to invest at an early age, and explain in basic terms the benefits of compound interest.

·         Investing in yourself: It’s hard for young people to think about planning ahead when they tend to focus on the present, but teach your children why paying themselves first is important for their  future. With teenage children you can focus on education, such as saving for post-secondary education in an RESP, with “automatic transfers” from their allowance or part-time jobs. When your child reaches their young adult years, you can add a new focus of long-term savings.  Explain the benefits of a TFSA or RRSP, and encourage them to put some money aside using an automatic transfer every time they get paid so that saving becomes a habit.

So whether or not you are like me and thinking about contributing to a RRSP right at the deadline, or if you max your contributions annually, you should take some time and teach your kids about the benefits of investing, saving, and about money in general.  Walk into your bank and see what they have available.

Related articles

• Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD): This Is The Bank That U.S. Banks Should Try To Be Like (insidermonkey.com)

Thursday Thirteen: 13 Facts About Starbucks’ Canada and Naming Starbucks’ New Blonde Roast Contest

Map of the countries with Starbucks Coffee Shops (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Starbucks is the world’s top coffee retailer with over 19,500 stores in 58 countries.  Canada ranks second to the US in the number of stores (over 12,800 in the United States compared to over 1,245 locations in Canada).  Japan, Great Britain, China and South Korea round out the top 6, all under 1000 locations.  But you cannot really trust these numbers because Starbucks are opening nearly 5 new stores everyday.  Starbucks recently held a contest for Canadians to help name their new Starbucks Blonde Roast coffees, which are best described as their lighter roast with a subtle, mellow, lighter-bodied, full of flavor, and delicious.  I liken it to a roast which gently awakens the senses – the more you enjoy your cup, the more flavour you detect.When they first launched the Starbucks Blonde Roast, I immediately picked up the VIA instant packets and was shocked by the lack of flavour from the first sip.  Used to strong coffee I had added way too much cream and sugar and it drowned out the mellow flavour of this mild roast and once I learned to be gentle with this Blonde, I began to notice the subtle flavours and it has become my go to roast.

So of course I wanted to enter the contest to create the name for the Blonde Roast and in doing so, I found some interesting facts about Starbucks I felt compelled to share.

So, here are the 13 Most Interesting Facts About Starbucks, then the details about the contest …

13.  Starbucks currently employs over 137,000 employees, which may not seem like a lot, however this is twice the population of Greenland.

11.  There are currently over 87,000 drink possibilities – a free drink to anyone who can name all 87,000.

10.  There is a size called the ”Trenta” which is 30oz / 916 ml or slightly bigger than the capacity of your stomach which on average has a capacity of 900 ml.

9.   A Starbucks grande coffee has 320 mg of caffeine which surprisingly contains over four times more caffeine than found in a Red Bull energy drink.

8.   The Starbucks cinnamon chip scone has more calories than a McDonald’s quarter pounder with 480 calories.

7.   Starbucks uses 2.3 billion paper cups per year.

6.   They currently serve 40 million customers a week.

5.   The owners almost went with the name Pequod, the name of the boat in Moby Dick, instead of the character Starbucks’ name

4.   After tasting the Clover at a small café in New York and claiming it the best cup of brewed coffee he has ever tasted, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz decided to buy the company that made Clover in 2008 and began introducing the dream machine at select stores around the country

3.   Most Starbucks stores have been equipped Swiss-made Mastrena, which was created to make “the highest-quality, consistent shot of espresso”. The machine also allows baristas to interact with customers due to it’s size and shape.

2.   My first choices for the new name were “Mellow Yellow”, “Platinum Blonde” named after the great Canadian band, “Ambition”, “Natural Blonde” and the “Have More Fun” Roast.  These have all been entered in the contest.

1.   The first Starbucks location to open in Canada was at the Seabus Skytrain Station in Vancouver on March 1, 1987. This humble store was Starbucks Coffee’s first international location.  My last suggestion was to honour that location with the “Seabus Light Roast Blend.”

On February 20th, Starbucks Canada will announce the 3 finalists and open up the voting.  What was your name for the Blonde Roast?

Did Toronto Star reporter Royson James just call me a Simpleton?!?

Whenever I see articles that come from the Toronto Star which relate to Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, I cannot resist the temptation to read through them – not to see what the Star has to say, but more to see how the Star spins it to show the Mayor in a negative light.  Clearly still upset that Ford will not speak with them because of their pro-George Smitherman, anti-Rob Ford stance in which they tried to promote Smitherman for teh top post in the city even though the Pronvicial Ministry he oversaw wasted a BILLION dollars of taxpayer’s money.  Since that time, The Star just keeps finding ways to alienate readers through their opinions on Toronto City Council and the Mayor.

But, the article that came out on February 14th was a classic, even for the Star!

In this article (and I noticed there was nowhere to leave comments), author Royson James takes three pot shots.  One at Mayor Ford, one at voters in the City of Toronto and one at those of us who are fiscally conservative.  I could not believe my eyes.  I actually reread the article 3 times.

The Title of this article is; “Ford’s ‘mandate’ not what it appears – Most voters neither expect nor want Rob Ford’s campaign pledges to be fully fulfilled.”

How could I not read on…

Shot number one comes in the first paragraph, here; “Torontonians left no doubt that they wanted Rob Ford as their mayor when 383,501 of them — 47 per cent of those who voted — chose him to lead the city in 2010.”  47%, eh?  So 53% didn’t want Ford is what I am reading here and why that is important to point out, I don’t know other than to make the point that there was not a clear mandate from the citizens in Toronto to have Ford there, or to point out to voters that if 53% vote for a certain candidate in the next election, Ford will not be re-elected.  Either way, not so important in this article but worth noting.

Shot number two comes in this sentence; “Except for a few simpletons and wilfully blind acolytes who consider grants to cultural and community groups a waste of tax dollars, few drank the Kool-Aid. Most citizens liked the rhetoric. Few expected he could carry out his threats. City council wouldn’t allow it.”

I’m sure Royson didn’t mean to imply that by “drinking the Kool-Aid” that people were just following a leader blindly to death as referenced in the Urban Dictionary; A reference to the 1978 cult mass-suicide in Jonestown, Guyana.  Jim Jones, the leader of the group, convinced his followers to move to Jonestown and then late in the year ordered his flock to commit suicide by drinking grape-flavoured Kool-Aid laced with potassium cyanide.  In what is now commonly called “the Jonestown Massacre”, 913 of the 1100 Jonestown residents drank the Kool-Aid and died.  One lasting legacy of the Jonestown tragedy is the saying, “Don’t drink the Kool-Aid.”  This has come to mean, “Don’t trust any group you find to be a little on the kooky side.” or “Whatever they tell you, don’t believe it too strongly”.

Even more interesting is the use of the term “Simpleton”, because only a “simpleton” would consider grants to cultural and community groups a waste of tax dollars – well, I guess we need to re-define simpleton for Mr. James, because this simpleton (armed with a MBA) - and probably many of the 47% who voted for a stop to the “Gravy-train” have plenty of issues dismissing that any funding – even to community groups and cultural organizations –  is not being duplicated through another part of government or to assume that 100% of any funding – no matter to whom and for what - is used for what it was requested for, or that these organization need to be funded by the taxpayers of Toronto at all.

To wave a hand and insult any fiscally conservative person in the Greater Toronto Area is not only insulting but a little short-sighted unless Mr. James knows for a fact where each dollar of grant money goes and that each and every cent is being used according to plan.  Or maybe Mr. James prefers that those in the city who earn the most money simply keep their wallets open for the local government to use as their bank account whenever they need money or want to sue someone to prove a point.  This narrow-minded left-wing attitude in the City has to be stopped.  If the City spent more time performing checks and balances on where the money goes when it leaves City Hall and less time looking to see how it comes in (ahem: $3500 donation to a football team), our taxes would not be so high, our streets and infrastructure would not be crumbling and City Council might work better.

I mean when you write this; “For one, the mayor’s promises of cuts to government spending rested on the shaky ground of no service cuts. Ford has cut some services, so the foundation of the promise and mandate is fractured” and don’t or cannot name the service cuts (if there were any at all), then you are eluding to something which may not be there, maybe so the “simpletons” who read your articles will think Ford is a fraud.

So no matter how much the Toronto Star tries to justify the agenda of the left, or promote their own agenda at City Hall, they have to realize that by making comments like this, “If citizens expect the mayor to do the best he can to achieve his campaign promises — not necessarily achieve them 100 per cent — then the same citizens expect city councillors to save the mayor from doing outrageous things.  Apparently, at city hall, the mayor’s mandate is not sacrosanct; it’s as flexible as the mayor’s ability to convince and win over city council with sound arguments and compromise.”  When in actual fact, citizens want the councillors to not “save” Ford, but “Support” Ford.  The Mayor will not be able to work with Council not because he’s a brute, or a bully, but because the majority of Councillors on Council have fundamental differences in opinion as to how they personally feel about the role of government and are unable (or unwilling) to cast that aside and work on a truly non-partisan council.

Did you know, Mr. James that before the election, I reached out to my City Councillor, Joe Mihevc and asked him on the phone and then again in an email if he would support Rob Ford as Mayor of Toronto, if Ford was elected, because if he said yes, he would get my vote as councillor.  If Mr. Mihevc said no, then my vote would be directed elsewhere.  Mr. Mihevc was adamant that he would support Ford as Mayor and work with whomever was chosen to represent us, his constituents, blah, blah, blah.  Then the moment Ford was elected, there is Mr. Mihevc blathering about what a poor choice it was and how he would need to keep Ford in check and now 2-years later, each newsletter.

Here was Mihevc even before the election; “it is absolutely imperative that I/we do everything possible to stop Rob Ford from becoming mayor. This is a powerful driver for me. Rob Ford and his associates would destroy so much that we value about our city – its diversity, animated neighbourhoods, care for the newcomers and the poor, our quality of life. Very simply, and without getting too personal, I have watched him for the last 10 years as a colleague on Council, and Rob does not have the skill set required to lead a complex city hall and its agencies. Simple one-liners, an angry persona, a divisive disposition is not leadership and will only hurt Toronto.  Under Rob Ford, City Council will not function, our city agencies will be in disarray, economic development will be hurt and our city will suffer in many ways.”

Short of predicting that a Ford win would topple the CN Tower, maybe Mihevc was worried that a right-wing council would question how a $42-million dollar St.Clair traffic right-of-way turns into $142 million dollar driving disaster.  Say what you will about St. Clair – pro or con – but to drive it is a fiasco and with parking already at a premium they’ve done a great job to ensure that those outside the strip find other streets to shop along because of the headaches involved in waiting in long-lines or making left-turns.  Expecting residents to use public transit because you think they should is not the mandate of Council, and if they really cared about moving people quickly in cars, on foot, through transit and on bikes, they would build subways already, open up the road and add dedicated bike lanes and enforce rules for cyclists.

I’ve called him on it and will continue to call him on it because my ward does not deserve to be represented by someone who will tell you one thing to get elected, then another once in power.  All along, Ford said what he was going to do, and every day in office, the left find ways to hold up council, make Ford look bad and slow down the proceedings at City Hall.  Hello… Bag tax?!?

I digress.

So before the Star calls out the citizens of Toronto for their support of Ford keep in mind that the 47% who voted for Ford want AND expect him to cut waste in government, and reduce the red tape, and where red tape should not exist, make that go away too.  If City Council does not want to get in line and follow – if they want to go more than 3-times over budget and try to explain it away on additional hidden repairs – then that tells me that they either have no idea how to plan through a project from start to finish or that they just don’t give a damn about taxpayers money and they will continue to spend, then raise taxes and blame it away on Ford’s inability to run council, or on his weight, either one.

I’m sorry, Mr. James, but I cannot and will not support a councillor, or council, who disrespects and takes for granted my tax dollars, any longer.  I trust you understand this simpleton and understand that for all the negatives that come with Mayor Ford, the positives far outweigh them (pun intended).

P.S. I have actually used big words like ”Sacrosanct” before (Regarded as too important or valuable to be interfered with.  Holy.)

Shucks.

I’m such a simpleton.

Related articles

• James: Toronto politics ramp up some more as Smitherman and Thomson reappear (thestar.com)

The Harlem Globetrotters Are Coming to Toronto! February 9th and 10th, 2013. Get Your Discount Code Here;

Harlem Globetrotters (TV series) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

WOW, how exciting.  The legendary Harlem Globetrotters are coming to Toronto on February 9th at 7pm and February 10th at 2pm to play games at the Rogers Centre.  If you know who the GlobeTrotters are, then you are going to want to read through this article and see the special discount code I posted at the bottom of the screen.  If you are not sure who the Harlem Globetrotters are, then read on.

The Harlem Globetrotters are an exhibition basketball team that combines athleticism, incredible skill and a lot of comedy.  It’s basketball theatre which will leave you with your mouth wide open in awe.  The Globetrotters’ act feature incredible coordination and skillful handling of one or more basketballs, such as passing or juggling balls between players, balancing or spinning balls on their fingertips, and making unusual, difficult shots.

Over the years they have played more than 20,000 exhibition games in 120 countries.

The team has their own signature song, which is a whistled version of Brother Bones‘s ”Sweet Georgia Brown“.

Among the players who have been Globetrotters are NBA greats Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain, Connie “The Hawk” Hawkins, Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton, as well as Marques Haynes, Meadowlark Lemon, Jerome James, Reece “Goose” Tatum and Hubert “Geese” Ausbie. Another popular team member in the 1970s and 1980s was Fred “Curly” Neal who was the best dribbler of that era of the team’s history and was immediately recognizable due to his shaven head. Baseball Hall of Famers Bob Gibson and Ferguson Jenkins also played for the team at one time or another. In 1985, the Globetrotters signed their first female player, Olympic gold medalist Lynette Woodard, and their second, Joyce Walker, just three weeks later.  In 1995, Orlando Antigua became the first Hispanic and the first non-black on the Globetrotters’ roster since Bob Karstens played with the squad in 1942.

Another cool thing about the Globetrotters is that they rarely to never lost.

Harlem Globetrotters, are playing with a spectator during a game (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After a loss to the Washington Generals in 1962, the Harlem Globetrotters lost only two more games in the next 38 years (12,596 games).  Usually they played a “stooge” team owned by “Red Klotz”, which also appeared as the Boston Shamrocks, New Jersey Reds, Baltimore Rockets, or Atlantic City Seagulls.

On January 5, 1971 the Globetrotters lost to the New Jersey Reds, 100–99 in overtime; that ended a 2,495-game winning streak (which would mean that the Globetrotters were playing 277 games per year up until that date).

In addition to their hundreds of exhibition games, the Globetrotters returned to competitive basketball in 1993 under the new ownership of former player Mannie Jackson.  On September 12, 1995, they lost 91–85 to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar‘s All Star Team in Vienna, Austria ending an alleged run of 8,829 straight victories going back to 1971. The 48-year-old Abdul-Jabbar scored 34 points. The 8,829 games in twenty-four years would mean the Globetrotters were playing nearly 368 games per year, or more than one game a day some days, for twenty-four years. This is because multiple team line-ups tour as The Globetrotters to allow for a greater number of exhibitions.  Amazing!

The Globetrotters won the other 10 games during that European tour.

Five years later, following another 1,270 wins, they lost 72–68 to Michigan State University, the reigning men’s collegiate champions, on November 13, 2000.

On February 27, 2006, the Globetrotters extended their overall record to exactly 22,000 wins. Their most recent loss came on March 31, 2006, when they went down 87–83 to the NABC College All-Stars to bring their loss tally to just 345, a losing percentage of 1.5%.

The Harlem Globetrotters were also quite popular on television.  In 1979 Hanna-Barbera created an animated TV Series called The Super Globetrotters, in which the players undercover superheroes who would transform from their regular forms by entering magic portable lockers carried in “Sweet Lou” Dunbar’s afro, or in a basketball-shaped medallion. Although the Super Globetrotters would first attempt to take on the villain with standard comical heroics, things would almost always be settled with a basketball game, of course.

My second favourite Globetrotters show was when they appeared on Gilligan’s Island in 1981 and faced a bunch of robots in a basketball game.  The Globetrotters decide to play with standard moves in the first half, which the robots are able to counter, until Gilligan unwittingly comments that they have not done any fancy tricks, which make the Professor advise the team to use their comedic style of play to win, which hopelessly confuses the machines. However, a couple of Globetrotters suffer injuries, and the team needs the help of Gilligan and Skipper to substitute.

They also appeared on The Love Boat‘s “Hoopla” episode where The Globetrotters were on a cruise and challenged the crew to a game in the dining room and they appeared on an episode of The Simpsons, called ”Homer the Clown” where Krusty the Clown used all the money he made franchising his name to bet against the Harlem Globetrotters in their game against the Washington Generals stating that he “thought the Generals were due!”.

Coming to Toronto!  Get a discount this way:

February 9th: http://www.harlemglobetrotters.com/event/harlem-globetrotters-rogers-centre-1

February 10th: http://www.harlemglobetrotters.com/event/harlem-globetrotters-rogers-centre-2

The discount code is “TOGETHER” and through it you will save $7.00 on each ticket purchased (available for select ticket levels).