Bad Times and Good Times
Thursday, September 22, 2011
My summer was a time of polar opposites. I had some achievements and some tear jerking moments. I will start with the achievements, and end with the sad moments, that still haunt me. I started a gardening program at the Edmonton Institute for Women(prison). I spent most of my summer helping the ladies grow a vegetable garden and now we are harvesting it. I got an award from them for starting the program and got to shake the Mayor\'s hand....while I was asking him for compost so our garden would be better next year. I have never received an award for anything before, so it was a real highlight. The ones who should have received the award were the inmates who worked really hard weeding the gardens for $5 a day. I thought the money wouldn\'t matter to them, but it did. Some of them had no family to send them money, so the $5 a day bought them toothpaste, shampoo and other necessary items. To .. .. read more..
Poll: Danielle Smith Best Choice for Premier
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
I\'ve just completed an informal, unscientific poll of 250 Albertans who intend to vote in the next provincial election. To represent a cross-section of Albertans, respondents were from Edmonton, Calgary, Sherwood Park, Grande Prairie, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, and Red Deer. Of the current provincial party leaders plus the remaining three contenders for leader of the Progressive Conservatives, I asked who citizens believed would be the best choice for the top job. Question: Who is the best choice for Premier of Alberta? Danielle Smith (Wildrose) - 127 (50.8%) Alison Redford (PC) - 42 (16.8%) Gary Mar (PC) - 39 (15.6%) Brian Mason (ND) - 19 (7.6%) Raj Sherman (Lib) - 16 (6.4%) Doug Horner (PC) - 7 (2.8%) Poll taken from September 17th - September 21, 201 1 .. read more..
Turn Out the Lights, This Party\'s Over
Monday, September 19, 2011
And then there were three. Three liberals, to be accurate. The last three candidates standing after the first vote for leader of Alberta\'s Progressive Conservatives are all, in varying degrees, ideological leftists. It is more irrefutable evidence that the party that has held the reigns of power in the province for more than four decades has bled away any conservatism, leaving what is essentially nothing more than a progressive political party. Oversized, bloated, stale and old, all that is left of the once-great Progressive Conservatives is an impressive history. The party has become a shell of it\'s former self. The leadership race has proven that. When one of Canada\'s most respected conservatives in Preston Manning points this out, you know it is an issue. When a former P.C. MLA and past leadership hopeful with the credentials like Jim Dinning points this out, i.. .. read more..
It Is Time For The Reign To End!
Monday, September 19, 2011
The Alberta PC\'s just killed their chances to continue their 40 year reign, they are now DEAD. Oh, the skeleton is still rattling it\'s bones, thinking it\'s still alive, but Albertans\' know it is DEAD, it just hasn\'t been buried yet. Until this weekend, the debate amongst Alberta’s long-ruling Progressive Conservatives wasn’t if the party needed to change to survive, but how. By Saturday night, after votes had been tallied for the party’s leadership race to replace retiring premier Ed Stelmach, it was clear that change had already come. The contest isn’t over: the top three contenders — Gary Mar, Doug Horner and Alison Redford — will now spend the next two weeks running like Kenyan marathoners into the last stretch of the drawn-out race. But the results revealed a party clearly and profoundly transformed after four-and-a-half tumultuous years under Mr. Stelmach’s rule. And not for the bet.. .. read more..
Friday Night Funnies: Crazy Nastyass Honey Badger
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Q: Where can men over the age of 60 find younger, sexy women who are interested in them? A: Try a bookstore under fiction. Q: What can a man do while his wife is going through menopause? A: Keep busy. If you\'re handy with tools, you can finish the basement. When you\'re done you\'ll have a place to live. Q: Someone has told me that menopause is mentioned in the bible. Is that true? Where is it to be found? A: Yes. Matthew 14:92: \"And Mary rode Joseph\'s ass all the way to Egypt .\" Q: How can you increase the heart rate of your 60-plus year old husband? A: Tell him you\'re pregnant. Q: How can you avoid that terrible curse of the elderly wrinkles? A: Take off your glasses. Q: Seriously! What can I do for these Crow\'s feet and all those wrinkles on my face? A: Go braless. It will usually pull them out. Q: Why should 60-plus year old people use valet parking? A: Valets don\'t forget where they p.. .. read more..
Christmas Comes Early for Wildrose Party
Friday, September 16, 2011
The history of Alberta’s Wildrose party is not long, but it is marked with moments of significance that, by masterful decisions, impressive strategic planning, and sheer good fortune - most likely a combination of the three – has resulted in an unexpected and previously thought improbably creation and rise of a legitimate threat to the Progressive Conservative stranglehold on power. No one really paid attention during the blending process of the Wildrose and Alberta Alliance parties, but that first step has come to be seen as the imperative initial action that set the wheels in motion. It was the important first domino. Timing has tended to be friendly to the Wildrose. At a time when Albertan’s were growing increasingly disillusioned with Ed Stelmach’s P.C. government for an array of reasons ranging from the economy to the Royalty rate blunder to rumours of internal bickering to the heal.. .. read more..
Leadership Hopefuls Lack Credibility
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Any political party that has enjoyed an unbroken 40 year reign is bound to become a bit stale. Alberta\'s Progressive Conservatives are no exception. So it has become entertaining to watch each of the current party leadership hopefuls deploy their own strategies in the hopes of finishing on top. The conundrum for most of the candidates? How to make Albertans forget or ignore their track records while espousing the ideals of \'change\'. Simply put, Stelmach-era candidates have had to somehow explain away their recent record in the Legislature while giving the impression that they would do things differently as Premier. Listen or read an interview with Alison Redford, Ted Morton, Doug Griffiths, or Doug Horner, and the message comes through. They repeatedly slam the previous incarnation of the P.C. government, blaming all the problems and flubs on Ed Stelmach while pro.. .. read more..
\"Atlas Shrugged\" Movie Coming to Canada
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
The movie of Ayn Rand's famous book, Atlas Shrugged, is coming to Canada shortly : \"Pacific Northwest Pictures has acquired all rights for Canada to ''Atlas Shrugged Part 1'' and will distribute through its Cross Country Releasing. Deal was announced Saturday at the Torono Film Festival. Pic opened to $1.8 million at 299 screens in the U.S. in April and finished its run with a $4.8 million cume. Screenplay of Ayn Rand's novel was written by Brian Patrick O'Toole and John Aglialoro. Harmon Kaslow and John Aglialoro produced. Taylor Schilling and Grant Bowler starred. The film was directed by Paul Johannson. Pacific Northwest Pictures VP Emily Alden said, ''Ayn Rand's philosophy still resonates strongly with people today. Tea Party organizations from all over the world remain hungry for Rand's message and we are proud to have Atlas Shrugged Pa.. .. read more..