Last week, the US Congress declared pizza to be a vegetable. I saw this flash across a TV screen as I ordered a coffee in a downtown food court and I felt a need to dig into this story to see what was really going on because it's really a scientific question isn't it? Tomatoes are actually a fruit but, for the US Congress, the 2 ounces of tomato sauce on a typical slice of pizza constitute a "vegetable" within the meaning of the requirements of the $11 billion US School Lunch Program.
Here's what's happened: Since 1980, teenage obesity rates in the US have tripled. To help address this alarming trend, earlier this year, the Obama Administration, through the US Department of Agriculture, proposed a series of changes to the government sponsored school lunch program. The general goal was to reduce the consumption of fatty and starchy foods - like pizza and french fries - and increase the consumption of vegetables and whole grains in the program across the country. For companies wanting to win contracts to provide school lunches, the rules about what is served and what is not were going to change - for the betterment of the country's elementary and high school students. The government pays for the program and can therefore establish and improve these critera, right? Who would object to the general idea of kids eating a more healthy diet? The proposed changes, which also included a reduction in the salt content of lunch items, seemed like a sensible public policy improvement.
Well, the American Frozen Foods Institute (AFFI), which represents makers of frozen pizzas and french fries (among others) saw these changes as a threat to their industry. In fairness, I completely understand. The school lunch program is big business and their members were probably going to lose a big slice (sorry) of it. So, they decided to lobby members of Congress about it. They reportedly spent about $5 million on the lobbying effort which is a small investment when you're protecting access to an $11 billion market. The lobbying effort worked (or I wouldn't be writing about it) and there will be no change to the rules which count pizza and potatoes (this means french fries) as servings of vegetables within the program. The question about reducing salt content was delayed for further analysis.
Conservative members of Congress who opposed the changes had comments like "the government has no right to tell children what to eat" and "this is just another example of excessive buearocratic rules getting in the way". I honestly doubt that ideology was the real reason for this public policy failure. I just can't accept that there are really that many members of Congress who honestly believe that the proposed changes to the school lunch program by the USDA were an ill-advised invasion into the freedom of American children to get fat. Rather, I suggest that this failure is a direct product of the way political campaigns are financed in the US. I admit that I have not researched the political donations of the AFFI or its members but the point is that lobbying in the US goes well beyond the practice of saying "here's why we don't like this and here's how it will effect us". Special interests hold a powerful implied threat of the withdrawal of political donations and this so often drives policy decisions. The US has become a "Corporatocracy" and, while it's good for business, it's bad for the country and its citizens.
Commentary on the Buffalo Bills, politics and whatever else is on my mind
Monday, 21 November 2011
Monday, 14 November 2011
Cowboys 44, Bills 7
"We're more pretenders than contenders" said Bills coach Chan Gailey after the game. The highlight from the game? Bills receiver David Nelson caught a touchdown pass in the second quarter which made the score 21-7. That's not the highlight. After the touchdown, he jogged with the ball to the far endzone, found his girlfriend, Cowboys cheerleader Kelsi Reich, and handed her the ball. They embraced briefly, each knowing that the TV cameras were rolling. That was the highlight. The playoffs look like a pipe dream now. Injuries have taken their toll. Opposing defences have seen enough film and now seem able to stop Fitzpatrick and his quick release passing game. The defence can not stop the run or the pass. Things look bleak. But, after last night's game, they are once again tied with the Jets and one game behind the Patriots. Up next: at Miami.
I'm working on a submission for Canada Writes. It's a 500 word true story about winter, inspired by Adam Gopnik's A Winter Tale. He is also one of the judges. I am writing about an incident from a couple of winters ago where I rescued a West Highland Terrier from a hole in the ice on our lake in Muskoka. The dog almost died but she is still alive today. I originally wrote the story on my blog but I have had to cut and cut to get it down to 500 words. The first prize is $1,000 which might cover some Christmas gifts.
I have been engaged in an email discussion with my city councillor, Karen Stintz. In response to my initial rant about the mayor and my concern over her close affiliation with his administration, she correctly pointed out that, during the campaign last fall, she said that she would work with whoever was elected mayor. She was asked to be TTC Chair and was happy to serve. Fair enough, I said to her but she also commented that although the mayor is controversial at times, she feels that he is following through on his election promises. Well, I just had to swing at that pitch so I reminded her that his central campaign promise was to root out the waste and inefficiencies at City Hall and balance the budget with no tax increases or service reductions. The end of the "gravy train" was going to solve the structural deficit problem. I therefore asked her where the gravy actually is because we really need it now as the city is cutting services and deciding which assets to sell. I await her next response.
On the way to the cottage, I usually stop for groceries in Orillia. I did so this past Friday and who did I see in the produce section? Long time (28 years as he told me) Toronto city councillor, Michael Walker. I had met him 10 or 12 years ago when I was active in the tenants association in a building in hs ward. I decided to say hello. He has retired to a house on Lake Couchiching and keeps busy by advocating for improved recycling in Orillia. After about 20 minutes, I actually looked at my watch but he was still not finished lamenting the election of Rob Ford or telling me that Karen Stintz showed absolutely no interest whatsoever in transit in the time that he knew her. He looks like he still has energy to burn and Orillia will benefit from his involvement if he chooses to increase it - which I urged him to do.
One final note on US politics. As the Repblican presdential candidates continue their series of debates and the candidates seem to be self-destructing one by one (except for Newt Gingrich who may well turn out to be Romney's toughest opponent), the pundits are working full time on CNN. There are a number of Repblican and Democratic "strategists" whose opinions are now sought every day. They try to think of memorable catch phrases to support their parties and this fascinates me. One of the most effective strategists is Democrat Paul Begala who was a key member, along with James Carville, of the team which guided Bill Clinton to the White House. Last week, after the Republican debate in Michigan (where Rick Perry could not recall the third federal agency he would dismantle), Begala offered this: "When I look at the economy, I think that there's no way that the President can win the election. But when I look at the Republican field, I think that there's no way that the President can lose." Carville also had a good one a couple of years ago. In response to someone who was critical of the Clinton adminsitration, he said "Whenever I hear people complaining about America during the Clinton adminsitration, I always ask them which bothered them more - the peace or the prosperity".
I'm working on a submission for Canada Writes. It's a 500 word true story about winter, inspired by Adam Gopnik's A Winter Tale. He is also one of the judges. I am writing about an incident from a couple of winters ago where I rescued a West Highland Terrier from a hole in the ice on our lake in Muskoka. The dog almost died but she is still alive today. I originally wrote the story on my blog but I have had to cut and cut to get it down to 500 words. The first prize is $1,000 which might cover some Christmas gifts.
I have been engaged in an email discussion with my city councillor, Karen Stintz. In response to my initial rant about the mayor and my concern over her close affiliation with his administration, she correctly pointed out that, during the campaign last fall, she said that she would work with whoever was elected mayor. She was asked to be TTC Chair and was happy to serve. Fair enough, I said to her but she also commented that although the mayor is controversial at times, she feels that he is following through on his election promises. Well, I just had to swing at that pitch so I reminded her that his central campaign promise was to root out the waste and inefficiencies at City Hall and balance the budget with no tax increases or service reductions. The end of the "gravy train" was going to solve the structural deficit problem. I therefore asked her where the gravy actually is because we really need it now as the city is cutting services and deciding which assets to sell. I await her next response.
On the way to the cottage, I usually stop for groceries in Orillia. I did so this past Friday and who did I see in the produce section? Long time (28 years as he told me) Toronto city councillor, Michael Walker. I had met him 10 or 12 years ago when I was active in the tenants association in a building in hs ward. I decided to say hello. He has retired to a house on Lake Couchiching and keeps busy by advocating for improved recycling in Orillia. After about 20 minutes, I actually looked at my watch but he was still not finished lamenting the election of Rob Ford or telling me that Karen Stintz showed absolutely no interest whatsoever in transit in the time that he knew her. He looks like he still has energy to burn and Orillia will benefit from his involvement if he chooses to increase it - which I urged him to do.
One final note on US politics. As the Repblican presdential candidates continue their series of debates and the candidates seem to be self-destructing one by one (except for Newt Gingrich who may well turn out to be Romney's toughest opponent), the pundits are working full time on CNN. There are a number of Repblican and Democratic "strategists" whose opinions are now sought every day. They try to think of memorable catch phrases to support their parties and this fascinates me. One of the most effective strategists is Democrat Paul Begala who was a key member, along with James Carville, of the team which guided Bill Clinton to the White House. Last week, after the Republican debate in Michigan (where Rick Perry could not recall the third federal agency he would dismantle), Begala offered this: "When I look at the economy, I think that there's no way that the President can win the election. But when I look at the Republican field, I think that there's no way that the President can lose." Carville also had a good one a couple of years ago. In response to someone who was critical of the Clinton adminsitration, he said "Whenever I hear people complaining about America during the Clinton adminsitration, I always ask them which bothered them more - the peace or the prosperity".
Monday, 7 November 2011
Jets 27, Bills 11
I like Chan Gailey. In his post-game press conference, he personally took responsibility for the Bills poor offensive performance yesterday and downplayed the ability of the Jets defence to disguise coverages and blitz packages and to stuff their running game - especially early on. He thinks that he should have stuck more with the run in the first half until they had success. He also said that his team was just not physical enough on either side of the ball. Rian Lindell was physical. The kicker saved a touchdown on a return and injured his shoulder in the process.
The AFC East is a log jam at the top this morning after the Giants did us a huge favour by beating the Patriots in New England. The Bills, Jets and Patriots are all at 5-3 and each holds the tie-breaker over one of the others and does not hold it against the third. Kind of like rock/paper/scissors. The Bills now hit the road for three straight games, starting in Dallas next week. They have bounced back after losses both times before. But not on the road. As big as the Jets game was, it is now history and the most important game of the season, as always, becomes the next one.
I have not commented on the Greek debt crisis or the soon to be Italian debt crisis, neither of which should be confused with the US debt crisis or the Canadian debt situation or the state of any other country with a debt to GDP ratio which looks unsustainable. I haven't commented because I have not felt that I had any useful or unique insight to offer. It seems that Greek society has developed a systemic attitude which attaches little value to the idea of individual contribution for the greater good. I have read that a large percentage of Greek citizens are small business owners or are self employed and that they under-report their income to avoid paying their full share of income taxes. Various entitlement programs (like government pensions), however, are valued and heavily relied on.
Ok, I don't claim to know the origins or the history of the situation in Greece or Italy but, based on what I have seen closer to home, here's my perspective: Beginning with the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980, the political culture in the US began to shift toward a mistaken belief that taxation was generally a bad thing - something to be reduced, minimized, phased out. The story went that lower taxes encouraged economic activity which would then increase tax revenue in the long run. This theory is widely repeated today. Just watch the next Republican presidential debate and you'll hear it. We heard it from Mike Harris in Ontario. We hear it from the current federal government in Ottawa. We hear it from Rob Ford in Toronto. Taxes kill jobs. Taxes are bad for business. Well, sometimes business is bad for people.
We have reached the point that any proposal to introduce new taxes or increase existing ones is considered to be political suicide. The fact that the programs which our governments provide are becoming more expensive seems not to matter. We haven't seen anything yet. As the demographic rabbit (in the form of the baby boomers) moves through the snake, healthcare costs will increase exponentially. My parents, for example, are in their 70's and, like most of their peers, are keeping the pharmaceutal companies in business. But they don't pay for the drugs themselves. They are covered by something called the Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB). Were it not for the ODB, they would be paying thousands every month for drugs. What will the cost of the ODB be in 10 or 20 years? How will we pay for it? If it isn't with higher taxes, then I have absolutely no idea.
Last week, Rob Ford's Executive Committee was reviewing options for the sale of city assets like Enwave and Toronto Hydro. The reason? They are trying to address the massive budget shortfall. Ford said to reporters after the session: "We can't put this on the taxpayers". Really? Why can't we? I'm willing to pay my share. As a citizen of Toronto, I was willing to pay an extra $60 to register my vehicle but Ford ran on a promise to get rid of that program "because citizens were not seeing value in it". I don't know where they were looking. Maybe we can sell High Park to a developer. Or turn Old City Hall into a boutique shopping destination. At this point, it's all Greek to me.
The AFC East is a log jam at the top this morning after the Giants did us a huge favour by beating the Patriots in New England. The Bills, Jets and Patriots are all at 5-3 and each holds the tie-breaker over one of the others and does not hold it against the third. Kind of like rock/paper/scissors. The Bills now hit the road for three straight games, starting in Dallas next week. They have bounced back after losses both times before. But not on the road. As big as the Jets game was, it is now history and the most important game of the season, as always, becomes the next one.
I have not commented on the Greek debt crisis or the soon to be Italian debt crisis, neither of which should be confused with the US debt crisis or the Canadian debt situation or the state of any other country with a debt to GDP ratio which looks unsustainable. I haven't commented because I have not felt that I had any useful or unique insight to offer. It seems that Greek society has developed a systemic attitude which attaches little value to the idea of individual contribution for the greater good. I have read that a large percentage of Greek citizens are small business owners or are self employed and that they under-report their income to avoid paying their full share of income taxes. Various entitlement programs (like government pensions), however, are valued and heavily relied on.
Ok, I don't claim to know the origins or the history of the situation in Greece or Italy but, based on what I have seen closer to home, here's my perspective: Beginning with the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980, the political culture in the US began to shift toward a mistaken belief that taxation was generally a bad thing - something to be reduced, minimized, phased out. The story went that lower taxes encouraged economic activity which would then increase tax revenue in the long run. This theory is widely repeated today. Just watch the next Republican presidential debate and you'll hear it. We heard it from Mike Harris in Ontario. We hear it from the current federal government in Ottawa. We hear it from Rob Ford in Toronto. Taxes kill jobs. Taxes are bad for business. Well, sometimes business is bad for people.
We have reached the point that any proposal to introduce new taxes or increase existing ones is considered to be political suicide. The fact that the programs which our governments provide are becoming more expensive seems not to matter. We haven't seen anything yet. As the demographic rabbit (in the form of the baby boomers) moves through the snake, healthcare costs will increase exponentially. My parents, for example, are in their 70's and, like most of their peers, are keeping the pharmaceutal companies in business. But they don't pay for the drugs themselves. They are covered by something called the Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB). Were it not for the ODB, they would be paying thousands every month for drugs. What will the cost of the ODB be in 10 or 20 years? How will we pay for it? If it isn't with higher taxes, then I have absolutely no idea.
Last week, Rob Ford's Executive Committee was reviewing options for the sale of city assets like Enwave and Toronto Hydro. The reason? They are trying to address the massive budget shortfall. Ford said to reporters after the session: "We can't put this on the taxpayers". Really? Why can't we? I'm willing to pay my share. As a citizen of Toronto, I was willing to pay an extra $60 to register my vehicle but Ford ran on a promise to get rid of that program "because citizens were not seeing value in it". I don't know where they were looking. Maybe we can sell High Park to a developer. Or turn Old City Hall into a boutique shopping destination. At this point, it's all Greek to me.
Monday, 31 October 2011
Bills 23, Redskins 0
We arrived outside the Rogers Centre at around 2.30pm so as to soak up the atmosphere and the "tailgate" party, check out Finger Eleven and, as it turned out, have a very brief conversation with Bills former great Thurman Thomas. The difference between the experience of attending a game at Ralph Wilson Stadium and trying to re-create it in downtown Toronto has been widely discussed and my only expectation was that there would be at least a bit of improvement over the first three years of this awkward experiment.
In terms of the tailgate party, we had a good look at the long security line-up to get into the area where beer is actually sold and where a view of the stage was possible. It didn't look very appealing so we walked around to an area behind the stage and saw two members of Finger Eleven pound out a couple of their songs which I don't know. Then, we continued our circumnavigation of the stadium and, as we walked up the stairs on the west side, Thurman Thomas was coming down the stairs toward us. He was walking quickly and reading his Blackberry and when I made contact with him and extended my hand, he very half-heartedly did the same but never stopped and never took his eyes off the Berry. I guess he was just trying to blend in to Toronto culture.
Once inside, it got more interesting, sort of. Toronto crowds are notoriously late arriving but I hoped that a 4pm Sunday start time might be more manageable for them. At kick-off, it still looked half empty and didn't "fill in" until the end of the first quarter (the game was, apparently, about 2,500 short of a sell out). The Bills scored two touchdowns and three field goals in the game which meant that the "shout" song was played five times. It was began and ended each time with the sound of a cannon which, with the roof closed, made us jump every time- eventhough we knew it was coming. Rogers Centre staff were throwing bundled up T-shirts into the crowd - something the Raptors have been doing for years. The Raptors do it during time-outs but yesterday it was done when the game was on. Anyone who watches football on TV knows that there are more than enough TV time-outs to allow as much T-shirt tossing as anyone would want - BUT NOT WHEN THE GAME IS ON.
Chan Gailey was complimentary of the crowd in his post-game press conference and he referred specifically to three false start penalties caused by the noise. In the 500 level, it seemed a bit louder than in previous years but still only a small fraction of what it is at the Ralph. Anyway, he (generously) attributed two Redskin false starts to the crowd noise but also mentioned that, with the Bills offence lining up on a third down and one, the crowd decided to do "the wave" and the Bills false started. He seemed mystified by this.
To the game itself: The Bills came in to this game with a league low four sacks on the season. They found a pass rush yesterday and earned nine sacks in total. The Redskins looked lost (maybe it was the intimidating crowd) and were never in the game at all. Apart from the newly found pass rush, Fred Jackson continues to roll, gaining 194 all purpose yards, Scott Chandler caught two more TD passes and now has six on the season, George Wilson had another strong game, as did Spencer Johnson and Dwan Edwards. The 5-2 Bills have a real home game next week against the Jets before going on the road for three straight.
Municipal politics note: As the Rob Ford/22 Minutes/911 call fiasco was playing out last week, I decided to write an email to my city councillor. She is well regarded in the ward and, with a right of centre orientation, is a member of Ford's Executive Committee and Chair of the TTC. To mark the unfortunate one year anniversary of his election last Tuesday, Ford and his team had a press conference where he speculated that they would all be re-elected if another election were held now. I said to my councillor that her continued association with this mayor causes me to question her judgment to the point that I can no longer support her (not that I ever did but how would she know that?) . I called on her to publicly dis-associate herself from him. I have had no response. She's probably still thinking about it.
In terms of the tailgate party, we had a good look at the long security line-up to get into the area where beer is actually sold and where a view of the stage was possible. It didn't look very appealing so we walked around to an area behind the stage and saw two members of Finger Eleven pound out a couple of their songs which I don't know. Then, we continued our circumnavigation of the stadium and, as we walked up the stairs on the west side, Thurman Thomas was coming down the stairs toward us. He was walking quickly and reading his Blackberry and when I made contact with him and extended my hand, he very half-heartedly did the same but never stopped and never took his eyes off the Berry. I guess he was just trying to blend in to Toronto culture.
Once inside, it got more interesting, sort of. Toronto crowds are notoriously late arriving but I hoped that a 4pm Sunday start time might be more manageable for them. At kick-off, it still looked half empty and didn't "fill in" until the end of the first quarter (the game was, apparently, about 2,500 short of a sell out). The Bills scored two touchdowns and three field goals in the game which meant that the "shout" song was played five times. It was began and ended each time with the sound of a cannon which, with the roof closed, made us jump every time- eventhough we knew it was coming. Rogers Centre staff were throwing bundled up T-shirts into the crowd - something the Raptors have been doing for years. The Raptors do it during time-outs but yesterday it was done when the game was on. Anyone who watches football on TV knows that there are more than enough TV time-outs to allow as much T-shirt tossing as anyone would want - BUT NOT WHEN THE GAME IS ON.
Chan Gailey was complimentary of the crowd in his post-game press conference and he referred specifically to three false start penalties caused by the noise. In the 500 level, it seemed a bit louder than in previous years but still only a small fraction of what it is at the Ralph. Anyway, he (generously) attributed two Redskin false starts to the crowd noise but also mentioned that, with the Bills offence lining up on a third down and one, the crowd decided to do "the wave" and the Bills false started. He seemed mystified by this.
To the game itself: The Bills came in to this game with a league low four sacks on the season. They found a pass rush yesterday and earned nine sacks in total. The Redskins looked lost (maybe it was the intimidating crowd) and were never in the game at all. Apart from the newly found pass rush, Fred Jackson continues to roll, gaining 194 all purpose yards, Scott Chandler caught two more TD passes and now has six on the season, George Wilson had another strong game, as did Spencer Johnson and Dwan Edwards. The 5-2 Bills have a real home game next week against the Jets before going on the road for three straight.
Municipal politics note: As the Rob Ford/22 Minutes/911 call fiasco was playing out last week, I decided to write an email to my city councillor. She is well regarded in the ward and, with a right of centre orientation, is a member of Ford's Executive Committee and Chair of the TTC. To mark the unfortunate one year anniversary of his election last Tuesday, Ford and his team had a press conference where he speculated that they would all be re-elected if another election were held now. I said to my councillor that her continued association with this mayor causes me to question her judgment to the point that I can no longer support her (not that I ever did but how would she know that?) . I called on her to publicly dis-associate herself from him. I have had no response. She's probably still thinking about it.
Monday, 17 October 2011
Giants 27, Bills 24
Not that I'm particularly superstitious but I'm now 0-2 watching Bills games alone at the cottage this season. I'm 2-0 watching Bills games not alone at the cottage. I'm 1-0 paddling in a dragonboat event and not watching the game at all. And, finally, I'm 1-0 attending the game. Does it really matter? It matters if they win but if, where and with whom I watch probably doesn't matter but I'm still willing to do whatever I can to help. Next week is the bye week so I have every option available I guess. And the following week, I will be at the game at the Rogers Centre. Can the Bills win their first regular season Toronto Series game after losing the first three?
At no time during yesterday's loss to the Giants did I feel that the team couldn't win the game in the end. A couple of Ryan Fitzpatrick interceptions and a couple of Drayton Florence pass interference calls were the difference in the end but the lack of pressure on Ely Manning during the entire game is probably what the coaches will be focusing on. That and trying to get some players healthy. The Bills generated no turnovers in this game either - and their luck on that front had to run out some time. Playing without Kyle Williams is something which they hopefully will not have to do again. And with Hairston being injured yesterday, that's now 2 left offensive tackles on the shelf. They need Merriman back too.
This past weekend, rain returned to Muskoka. Our lake level a week ago was as low as anyone has ever seen it. Saturday was as miserable a day as we've had in a long time (but a good day to watch some college football) with steady rain and very high winds. I still got a wet bike ride in then I had a sauna around 6.30pm. I just love doing the sauna in those conditions. As I sat on the dock after a cold dunk in the lake, I heard what sounded like a large tree come down accross the bay. I walked over in the morning and our neighbours were very lucky indeed as a the top 10 metres of a large hemlock came down between their cottage and their wash house without doing any damage I could see. There is rain forecast every day until and including Thursday so the lake level should recover a bit. We will need weeks of rain to bring it up the 14 inches to normal fall levels.
Now to US politics: It's interesting to see the progressions of the Republican presidential nomination race as they weave and twist their way toward the likely nomination of Mitt Romney. Likely, that is, depending on the influence of the Tea Party. If they are somehow able to prevent the nomination of an electable candidate like Romney, then the Democrats will be the biggest benficiaries. The Tea Party's favoured candidate started as Michelle Bachman and, after she flamed out, moved on to Rick Perry. He seems not to have been properly prepared for the grilling which comes with being a front runner candidate for President and appears to be finished as well. Now, former Godfather's Pizza CEO, Herman Cain, is the new flavour of the month. He has proposed a tax plan he calls "999" which features a 9% flat tax on businesess, a 9% flat tax on individuals and a 9% sales tax. Obviously, the concept of a progressive tax system where the wealthy pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes isn't part of the Tea Party philosophy. It's hard to imagine that a marginal income tax rate of 9% for everyone will solve the American debt problem but Mr. Cain says it will create 6 million jobs and add $2 trillion to the GDP. And - this is the best part - if it's not there in 30 minutes, it's free.
At no time during yesterday's loss to the Giants did I feel that the team couldn't win the game in the end. A couple of Ryan Fitzpatrick interceptions and a couple of Drayton Florence pass interference calls were the difference in the end but the lack of pressure on Ely Manning during the entire game is probably what the coaches will be focusing on. That and trying to get some players healthy. The Bills generated no turnovers in this game either - and their luck on that front had to run out some time. Playing without Kyle Williams is something which they hopefully will not have to do again. And with Hairston being injured yesterday, that's now 2 left offensive tackles on the shelf. They need Merriman back too.
This past weekend, rain returned to Muskoka. Our lake level a week ago was as low as anyone has ever seen it. Saturday was as miserable a day as we've had in a long time (but a good day to watch some college football) with steady rain and very high winds. I still got a wet bike ride in then I had a sauna around 6.30pm. I just love doing the sauna in those conditions. As I sat on the dock after a cold dunk in the lake, I heard what sounded like a large tree come down accross the bay. I walked over in the morning and our neighbours were very lucky indeed as a the top 10 metres of a large hemlock came down between their cottage and their wash house without doing any damage I could see. There is rain forecast every day until and including Thursday so the lake level should recover a bit. We will need weeks of rain to bring it up the 14 inches to normal fall levels.
Now to US politics: It's interesting to see the progressions of the Republican presidential nomination race as they weave and twist their way toward the likely nomination of Mitt Romney. Likely, that is, depending on the influence of the Tea Party. If they are somehow able to prevent the nomination of an electable candidate like Romney, then the Democrats will be the biggest benficiaries. The Tea Party's favoured candidate started as Michelle Bachman and, after she flamed out, moved on to Rick Perry. He seems not to have been properly prepared for the grilling which comes with being a front runner candidate for President and appears to be finished as well. Now, former Godfather's Pizza CEO, Herman Cain, is the new flavour of the month. He has proposed a tax plan he calls "999" which features a 9% flat tax on businesess, a 9% flat tax on individuals and a 9% sales tax. Obviously, the concept of a progressive tax system where the wealthy pay a higher percentage of their income in taxes isn't part of the Tea Party philosophy. It's hard to imagine that a marginal income tax rate of 9% for everyone will solve the American debt problem but Mr. Cain says it will create 6 million jobs and add $2 trillion to the GDP. And - this is the best part - if it's not there in 30 minutes, it's free.
Monday, 10 October 2011
Bills 31, Eagles 24
After five games, the Buffalo Bills lead the NFL in interceptions with 12. Yesterday, against Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles, they posted another four interceptions (as well as another takeaway) on their way to their third consecutive home win. Each of these home wins featured spectacular autumn weather in Orchard Park, exciting high scoring football and close games which each game's outcome undetermined until the very end. The 34 point drubbing of the Chiefs in week one now seems like a long time ago, doesn't it?
Any NFL coach will tell you (and Chan Gailey and Andy Reid both mentioned this in their post game press conferences) that if a team wins the turnover battle 5-1, like the Bills did yesterday, they are not going to lose very often. Well, the Eagles still made a game of it and looked like they were going to tie it before the final Barnett interception. The Bills deserve credit for the pressure they were able to bring on Vick. It certainly helped create the turnovers and kept him off balance for parts of the game. The Eagles were able to expose the Bills run defence on the outside, and when Vick did have sufficient time, he was effective.
Arguably the most important play in the game took place with 1.30 remaining. Facing a 4th down and about 6 inches, the Bills lined up as if they were going to go for the first down. Ryan Fitzpatrick was able to draw the Eagles offside resulting in a first down. Game over. Gailey explained that they practice the "hard count" drill every Saturday. I would also think that defensive teams would practice the same drill with the goal of staying onside. Gailey was asked if he was actually going to run a play in that situation or if he was going to punt if the hard count did not work. "I'll never tell" was his answer. I think that he would have run a play rather than giving the ball back to Michael Vick.
Buffalo travels to New Jersey next week to face the Giants who loast at home yesterday to Seattle. They will not want to lose at home in consecutive weeks so this will be a challenge. Then, the Bills have their bye week before playing the Redskins at the Rogers Centre on October 30th.
Last Tuesday, I was able, despite considerable confusion on the part of the Elections Ontario staff at the polling station, to get on the voters list in Eglinton-Lawrence and cast my vote for long time MPP Mike Colle. I thought that he would find himself in a close race against "star" candidate Rocco Rossi. Well, it wasn't close. Rossi got smoked and I couldn't be happier about it. Apparently, one of the first things Rossi did as the campaign approached was to try to closely affiliate himself with Rob Ford. They appeared together at bar-b-ques and other events and I can only presume that once Rossi realized the liability that Ford represented, it was too late.
The PC's were shut out of the 416 area entirely and now find their base in rural areas only. This is a disturbing trend which also reflects the situation with the federal party. The most dissapointing statistic for me from this election was that the voter turnout was below 50%.
Any NFL coach will tell you (and Chan Gailey and Andy Reid both mentioned this in their post game press conferences) that if a team wins the turnover battle 5-1, like the Bills did yesterday, they are not going to lose very often. Well, the Eagles still made a game of it and looked like they were going to tie it before the final Barnett interception. The Bills deserve credit for the pressure they were able to bring on Vick. It certainly helped create the turnovers and kept him off balance for parts of the game. The Eagles were able to expose the Bills run defence on the outside, and when Vick did have sufficient time, he was effective.
Arguably the most important play in the game took place with 1.30 remaining. Facing a 4th down and about 6 inches, the Bills lined up as if they were going to go for the first down. Ryan Fitzpatrick was able to draw the Eagles offside resulting in a first down. Game over. Gailey explained that they practice the "hard count" drill every Saturday. I would also think that defensive teams would practice the same drill with the goal of staying onside. Gailey was asked if he was actually going to run a play in that situation or if he was going to punt if the hard count did not work. "I'll never tell" was his answer. I think that he would have run a play rather than giving the ball back to Michael Vick.
Buffalo travels to New Jersey next week to face the Giants who loast at home yesterday to Seattle. They will not want to lose at home in consecutive weeks so this will be a challenge. Then, the Bills have their bye week before playing the Redskins at the Rogers Centre on October 30th.
Last Tuesday, I was able, despite considerable confusion on the part of the Elections Ontario staff at the polling station, to get on the voters list in Eglinton-Lawrence and cast my vote for long time MPP Mike Colle. I thought that he would find himself in a close race against "star" candidate Rocco Rossi. Well, it wasn't close. Rossi got smoked and I couldn't be happier about it. Apparently, one of the first things Rossi did as the campaign approached was to try to closely affiliate himself with Rob Ford. They appeared together at bar-b-ques and other events and I can only presume that once Rossi realized the liability that Ford represented, it was too late.
The PC's were shut out of the 416 area entirely and now find their base in rural areas only. This is a disturbing trend which also reflects the situation with the federal party. The most dissapointing statistic for me from this election was that the voter turnout was below 50%.
Tuesday, 4 October 2011
Bengals 23, Bills 20
In my opinion, poor tackling cost the Bills this game. It made me wonder what causes a team to tackle poorly. Is it possible that what looks like poor tackling is really just effective tackle breaking by the opposing team? In baseball, hitters can have success at times and at other times, they fail miserably. Does good pitching cause poor hitting and vice versa? Same thing with basketball: players and teams shoot well at times and shoot poorly at other times. Good defence in basketball will limit the number of "open looks" shooters get during each game. So, the effectiveness of the opposing team surely plays a role in these situations but, when I watched this game, it seemed clear to me that the Bills just tackled poorly.
The officiating was questionable as well. In addition to a number of non holding calls on the Cincinnati offense, the review of the Steve Johnson catch in the 4th quarter was a critical play in the game. The ruling on the filed was that it was an incomplete pass and the replay, apparently, did not provide enough evidence for the referee to overturn the ruling on the filed. I was convinced, based on the replays I saw, that the catch was good. It would have resulted in a first down and at least allowed Buffalo to wind 2 or 3 more minutes off the clock even if they did not make another first down. None of that would have mattered if they had tackled better.
So, the Bills find themsleves out of the national media spotlight, although they were the last remaining undefeated team in the AFC. Next up is a very interesting and potentially dangerous game: The Philadelphia Eagles come to Orchard Park on this Canadian Thanksgiving Sunday. The Eagles signed a number of prominent free agents in the off season and were widely expected to be one the top teams in the NFC and challenge for the Superbowl. They sit at 1-3 and no doubt feel that slipping to 1-4 would seriously jeopardize their expectations for earning one of the top seeds in the NFC playoff draw. If the Bills lose, they would slip to 3-2 and then travel to New York to face the Giants. As the second quarter of the NFL season begins, this game is extremely important for both teams. Let's hope that the sold out home crowd can inspire the Bills.
Ok, on to the Ontario election. In every recent election, I seem to find myself hoping that a particular party does not win. As long as they don't win, I don't really care which of the other two does actually win. My dad has said for years that he would like to have the option of voting against a particular candidate, instead of only being able to vote for a candidate. Under this system, each candidate's vote total would be the net of votes for and against. This would essentially eliminate the need for strategic voting. But we don't have that option so I will, once gain, have to vote strategically.
I have just moved back to the riding of Eglinton-Lawrence, long held by Liberal Mike Colle. His main opponent is the turncoat Rocco Rossi. A long time Liberal Party executive, Rossi increased his public profile last year with a strong run for the mayoralty of Toronto. Based on the candidates debates I attended, he would have had my vote until he pulled out of the race a couple of weeks before the election. Maybe he was worried that Rob Ford might win. Then, somewhere along the way, he made a sharp right turn and is now running for Mr. Hudak's PC's. Yes,Mr. Rossi has joined forces with the party who supports prisoner chain gangs and seems to think that all taxes are bad. My theory is that he thought that the PC's had an excellent chance of winning the election and that was promised a prominent cabinet role in a Hudak government. Sadly for Mr. Rossi, it doesn't look like it's going to work out that way.
The Globe and Mail endorsed Dalton McGuinty's Liberals yesterday - although not anywhere close to a ringing endorsement. The editorial page was critical of Mr. Hudak for offering virtually nothing more that criticism of the governing party. He has also focused on a couple of what he hoped would be wedge issues - the "foreign worker" flap in the campaign's early days, the prisoner chain gangs and the usual "McGuinty is soft on crime" crap. Otherwise, he has offered nothing except the tiresome tax cuts with no service reductions mantra and no electricity rate increases. He says he will tear up the Feed-in Tarriff program and the Samsung renewable energy deal. These may well be bad deals for the province but in the process of promising to cancel them, Mr. Hudak has postioned himself as the leader who wants to turn away from the new economy and the (so far elusive) "green jobs" it will bring. His opponent talks about embracing the future and Mr. Hudak looks like he wants to wind the clock back. For those reasons, and the fact that, as a Toronto resident, I already have two right wing governments (and I most certainly do not want a third), I will be voting against Mr. Rossi and Mr. Hudak. I guess that means I'm voting Liberal - again - not because that's what I really want but because the alternative is what I really do not want.
The officiating was questionable as well. In addition to a number of non holding calls on the Cincinnati offense, the review of the Steve Johnson catch in the 4th quarter was a critical play in the game. The ruling on the filed was that it was an incomplete pass and the replay, apparently, did not provide enough evidence for the referee to overturn the ruling on the filed. I was convinced, based on the replays I saw, that the catch was good. It would have resulted in a first down and at least allowed Buffalo to wind 2 or 3 more minutes off the clock even if they did not make another first down. None of that would have mattered if they had tackled better.
So, the Bills find themsleves out of the national media spotlight, although they were the last remaining undefeated team in the AFC. Next up is a very interesting and potentially dangerous game: The Philadelphia Eagles come to Orchard Park on this Canadian Thanksgiving Sunday. The Eagles signed a number of prominent free agents in the off season and were widely expected to be one the top teams in the NFC and challenge for the Superbowl. They sit at 1-3 and no doubt feel that slipping to 1-4 would seriously jeopardize their expectations for earning one of the top seeds in the NFC playoff draw. If the Bills lose, they would slip to 3-2 and then travel to New York to face the Giants. As the second quarter of the NFL season begins, this game is extremely important for both teams. Let's hope that the sold out home crowd can inspire the Bills.
Ok, on to the Ontario election. In every recent election, I seem to find myself hoping that a particular party does not win. As long as they don't win, I don't really care which of the other two does actually win. My dad has said for years that he would like to have the option of voting against a particular candidate, instead of only being able to vote for a candidate. Under this system, each candidate's vote total would be the net of votes for and against. This would essentially eliminate the need for strategic voting. But we don't have that option so I will, once gain, have to vote strategically.
I have just moved back to the riding of Eglinton-Lawrence, long held by Liberal Mike Colle. His main opponent is the turncoat Rocco Rossi. A long time Liberal Party executive, Rossi increased his public profile last year with a strong run for the mayoralty of Toronto. Based on the candidates debates I attended, he would have had my vote until he pulled out of the race a couple of weeks before the election. Maybe he was worried that Rob Ford might win. Then, somewhere along the way, he made a sharp right turn and is now running for Mr. Hudak's PC's. Yes,Mr. Rossi has joined forces with the party who supports prisoner chain gangs and seems to think that all taxes are bad. My theory is that he thought that the PC's had an excellent chance of winning the election and that was promised a prominent cabinet role in a Hudak government. Sadly for Mr. Rossi, it doesn't look like it's going to work out that way.
The Globe and Mail endorsed Dalton McGuinty's Liberals yesterday - although not anywhere close to a ringing endorsement. The editorial page was critical of Mr. Hudak for offering virtually nothing more that criticism of the governing party. He has also focused on a couple of what he hoped would be wedge issues - the "foreign worker" flap in the campaign's early days, the prisoner chain gangs and the usual "McGuinty is soft on crime" crap. Otherwise, he has offered nothing except the tiresome tax cuts with no service reductions mantra and no electricity rate increases. He says he will tear up the Feed-in Tarriff program and the Samsung renewable energy deal. These may well be bad deals for the province but in the process of promising to cancel them, Mr. Hudak has postioned himself as the leader who wants to turn away from the new economy and the (so far elusive) "green jobs" it will bring. His opponent talks about embracing the future and Mr. Hudak looks like he wants to wind the clock back. For those reasons, and the fact that, as a Toronto resident, I already have two right wing governments (and I most certainly do not want a third), I will be voting against Mr. Rossi and Mr. Hudak. I guess that means I'm voting Liberal - again - not because that's what I really want but because the alternative is what I really do not want.
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