.. how many of you have seen the cheesy ad (oops… NOT an ad… just a video, according to the NCC) made by that reactionary of all reactionary groups in Canada – the so-called National Citizen’s Coalition. I don’t think it is getting a lot of air time. And it IS really cheesy. And the NCC has disabled comments on the vid. Chickenshits…

And no, I’m not posting it on my blog. The stench would sully my else-wise nice and tidy venting space that I call Trashy’s World.

It’s about Grit interim (in name only) leader, Bob Rae. The vid goes on about how Rae ruined Ontario when he was Premier, spent like a madman, ate babies… that sort of thing. This is an ad for the Cons without the blue and white logo, pure and simple. And it’s an attack ad. The CPC really, really likes these ads because it suits their bumper sticker politics of fear: keep the message simple and portray the other guy as the baby-eating, spend-happy demon who will jack taxes up by 10,000%

And, as we saw in the last election, these ads work. And while the CPC themselves are not putting these ads out at the moment, their minions at the National Conservative Cabal are more than happy to oblige.

Now, there are two things I have to say about this.

1. The vid is inaccurate about the timing of Rae’s ascension to the Premiership. It claims that the NDP pulled Ontario into a recession. This is factually wrong. The recession was already well under way when Rae took office. Look it up.
2. Some Grits are whining about this video not being “fair” and that rules around third-party advertising should be tightened. And they are probably right. But instead of crying about how mean the Cons and the Nut-bar Convention of Cucumberheads are being, they need to strike back. And fast! They have some momentum coming out of the Ottawa Convention and they need to maintain it.I do hate negative ads and how they lower the level of political debate into the sewers. But they do serve to package the candidate in a negative light before the candidate has the opportunity to do so themselves. The CPC did it to Dion and masterfully to Iggy. And this must be stopped in the tracks. ASAP.

So, my fellow progressives and Liberals, quit whining about the rules and fight fire with fire. It pains me to write that, but it must be done.

Now.

Go.

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Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

Gritchik rox royally sometimes…

httpv://gritchik.wordpress.com/2011/12/17/a-very-conservative-christmas-message/

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

Why is it that when things are a little quiet on the political front, the extreme rightists feel the need to string up the CBC like a piñata and wail away on it like a sugared-up 7-year-old? Are they really that angry??? Have they nothing more deserving toward which to direct their fury?

Seriously, this manhandling of the poor old MotherCorp pops up every few weeks or so in the Twitterverse and the right-wing blogoverse. They won the election, right? They and the talking yabs on the Hill can pretty much do what they want to the CBC – and they likely will in order to throw a proverbial bone to their base. So why the constant abuse?

Me, I think there’s a bit of broadcaster envy going down here. The über right has seen the best that they can do with the Ezra and Spun News thing and are a tad embarrassed. So what better response than a good swing of the stick with an awesome follow through, eh? It’s the CPC Way!

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High level baseball back to Ottawa? This story has been brewing for a while now, so it may have some truth behind it…

An Ottawa Councillor has been actively trying to get a Double A baseball franchise relocated to the stadium on Coventry Road.

I hope it works but a part of me wonders why bother? Ottawa couldn’t support a Triple A franchise (The Lynx) and they left town, so what’s different this time???

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When you piss me off, I’ll tend to ignore you. Been like that since I was a kid and haven’t changed much. This applies to social media like Twitter, Facebook or my this blog. There are lines in the sand that, if crossed, will cause me to send you to an electronic Elba.

If you insist on tossing f-bombs and personal attacks at me, I’ll block you / unfriend you.  If you throw out an incredibly stupid statement and I come back at ya and call you on it… but hear nothing back.. *poof* *gone*. Say anything racist or hateful… gonzo…

I mention this as I have had to block a few folks on Twitter lately. I have no problem with you having issues with what I say, re-Tweet, etc., but be prepared to be civil. K?

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Holy chemical-laden bus interior, Batman! That’s twice this month when someone has plunked down close to me smelling of mothballs! I KNOW peeps are pulling out winter woolies, but can’t ya wash ‘em before wearing ‘em? I don’t walk around covered in Round-up, so YOU shouldn’t be prancing your pesticides around wither!

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Sooo… it looks as though the world isn’t going to end anytime soon... at least not as a result of being hit by that “Doomsday” comet that some folks have been fretting about…

One theory claimed Elenin would set off havoc on Earth after aligning with other heavenly bodies, spurring massive earthquakes and tsunamis. Another held that Elenin was not a comet at all, but in fact a rogue planet called Nibiru that would bring about the end times on Earth. After all, the comet’s name could be taken as a spooky acronym: “Extinction-Level Event: Nibiru Is Nigh.”

Those ideas were pure nonsense, Yeomans said.

“Elenin was a second-rate, wimpy little comet that never should have been noted for anything, really,” he told SPACE.com. “It was not even a bright one.”

Wimpy comet! Go home to your Momma!

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Wow. They’re lined up at the Rideau Centre for the new iPhone. And have been all night, it seems.

Um. Why? Nothing better to do? I have a garage that needs cleaning, if you have some time? I mean, c’mon people! I want to upgrade from my 3s to the new 4s too! But I sure as hell am NOT gonna line up for it overnight! It’s not like Springsteen or U2 tickets are at stake! Sheesh!

¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨)

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

…environmental compliance-wise… comes news that the Cons are looking at turning another vital public sector function over to the private sector: search and rescue.

I really don’t get this one. Where’s the upside? They will piss off DND and the Coast Guard – which are two constituencies that the Harperites like to cow-tow to. They would be dismantling a Canadian institution – we are known globally to be one of the best at search and rescue. And they would be putting the safety of the public at risk, which would be odd given their focus on public safety through getting tough on unreported and imaginary crimes.

Oh wait! I.D.E.O.L.O.G.Y.

Why should the government pay to rescue some family whose boat broke down off the coast of The Rock? It’s their own damned fault! And they’re probably Liberals anyhow!

Thank you for calling Sam’s Search and Rescue – a Division of Walmart. I’m sorry that your boat is taking on water and that you and your family will surely die, but rescuing you at this time doesn’t represent a good ROI. If you would like to reach an operator, please push #.

This is dumb. Don’t even go there, Stevo!

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

CPC drones are all over the place in downtown Ottawa as hundreds of Blue Team Robot-Worshippers gather for their love-in/prayer-fest/progressive-bashing convention.

They are easily recognisable in the crowds. For one, they don’t dress very well. I have not ever seen as many “flood” pants in one place. And tweed jackets with elbow patches. And the younger drones don’t dress any better. Not a lot of hip folks in this crowd.

But you can betcha that the lot of them will be gorging themselves on pork and beans at the buffet troughs this morning while having conversations on things like “how prayer should be mandatory in schools”, “why abortion is evil”, and “who can we demonize now that the hated Liberals have been pushed aside?”.

Oh yeah – the “Opinion Elite”!!!!

I’ll be taking a different route home this afternoon!

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I love trees. I truly do. They add depth and beauty to a landscape. They bring a neighbourhood to life.

I grew up in a rural part of the country where trees of all shapes and sizes were everywhere! Maples, cedars, oaks, birches, hemlocks, pines, spruces, poplars… in abundance! But of course, being surrounded by such beauty can sometimes mean that one grows accustomed to the surroundings and takes them for granted. I didn’t realise my love for trees until I moved away from my rural home into a city.

My wife and I bought our home in a neighbourhood with mature trees topped with billowing canopies. Our community was built in the early 1960′s by Robert Campeau – an early developer in what was then the far-flung suburbs in Ottawa. He did a lot of creative work, design-wise. He built homes on various elevations, for example, to break up the monotony of a one level street. He also planted lots of trees. So, 50 years later, our street and the others in the area are lined with big and beautiful monoliths.

Unfortunately, about 75% of these trees are ash trees. Ash trees, genus Fraxinus, are common street, park, and forest trees. There are three species of ash native to the Ottawa area: white ash (Fraxinus americana) and green or red ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica), and black ash (Fraxinus nigra). And a few years ago, Emerald Ash Borers were detected not too far from our community. These highly destructive wood-boring beetle feed under the bark of ash trees and can quickly destroy the tree.

And that is the fate of 3/4 of the trees on our streets. Personally, we are lucky to have a Manitoba Maple on the boulevard as well as a wild cherry tree – so we’re safe – but we are the exception.

The City workers were going around the neighbourhood earlier this week planting saplings in the shadows of the dying ash trees. And they are indeed dying. You can see one in the photo below. There is perhaps 20% of the foliage on a tree that, at this time of the year, should be pretty complete.

One thing though – the City has been a bit creative in their choices of species to replace the ash trees. Yes, there are the usual White Oaks and Manitoba Maples, but a good proportion of the saplings are Ginkgo trees! You can see these at Rideau Hall and I have posted pics of some beautiful Ginkgos in all of their full yellow splendour in Beijing!

But it will take decades for these saplings to rival the ashes that will soon be removed. And those decades will see landscapes that nowhere closely approximate the beauty that is present today.

I guess Rush puts it best:

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Check this out. Someone sent me the link last week.

I’m not really into astronomy, but this is pretty spectacular:

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Well, isn’t this a BIG surprise…

From the AG :

It is very unusual and troubling. There is no paper trail behind the selection of the 32 projects,” said John Wiersema, the interim Auditor-General who recently took over from a retired Ms. Fraser. “I, personally, in my career in auditing, have not encountered a situation like that.

Come on. This is indefensible.

It was funny watching Pitbull Baird and his goofy sidekicks try to spin the AG’s report into something positive.

Someone on Twitter pointed out to me (and correctly so) that the minority Parliament did pass this spending and there was nothing “illegal” about what they did – which is also correct. But I stand behind the assertion that it still was not proper. In order to “expedite” the spending, the CPC used some sleight of hand that should not be forgotten.

But what do they care, eh? They have their freakin’ majority, don’t they?

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I’ll be in Wolfville, Nova Scotia for few days next week - looking forward to seeing the east coast again!

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Finally – what weird weather we’re having! We are either baking or freezing! Semi-arid or tropical! And the storms and the wind and the hail! Wow!!!!

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

Updated, Apr. 3.

This was picked up by the Star.

Look, I know that I can’t draw a straight line between this cowardly act and the teams behind Polievre and Baird, but c’mon… even if the perps aren’t card-carrying members of the CPC, they are almost certainly supporters.

Why?

• Only Keon’s signs were targeted with the graffiti – NDP and GPC signs were knocked down… but the Keon signs were the only ones targeted with this “message”.
• This happens in every election. But it always seems to be the Liberal signs that are hit. If someone can prove otherwise, I will stand corrected.
• This stuff – and the language on the sign – is more in line with the lunatic fringes CPC supporters. Can anyone really imagine a “granola chewing, tree hugging” Dipper doing this? The Greens??? That’s just laughable!

Anyhow, I’ll back down a little from any direct blame… but not completely. One thing is for sure – this was not the work of gangs!

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Check it out:

And you can be damn sure that it ain’t Dipper or GPC party supporters behind this.

Crosshairs. Shittt, mon.

So typical.

Kick pretty boy Polievre OUT!

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

Is this real or Photoshopped?

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

Attack ads “drag the political process right down into the toilets.”

Nice rant by Rick.

Common household toilet AFTER having been exposed to political attack ads.

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

Now THIS is going to be interesting!

As reported by ThreeHundredEight.com, all 5 of the CPC’s Québec City area ridings are at risk if they choose to not fund a new arena for the City – and thus prop up their chances of regaining and NHL franchise.

The poll shows that the Tories are not even secure in their “fortress” of Quebec City. But, the poll (quite excellently) asks how voting intentions might change if the Conservatives decide to fund the planned hockey arena for the city.

The Conservatives could potentially put all five of their seats in the region at risk if they don’t fund it. Fully 23% of Conservative supporters in and around Quebec City would vote for another party if the funding doesn’t come. That would drop the Conservatives to only 22%, and likely mean they would be swept from the city.

However, if they fund the arena 24% of people planning to vote for one of the other parties would switch to the Conservatives. Assuming they keep the support they currently have, that would bump them up to 46% in the city and almost certainly mean a sweep of all seven ridings.

I would love to see a team there… as I would in Winnipeg. They should never have lost the Nordiques and the jets in the first place. But times were different then – what with the 65 cent dollar and all.

But the fun part of all this will be how the CPC dances around this issue knowing full well that their absence at the funding table may well mean no majority government. Five seats could easily swing the pendulum either way.

They really CAN’T support sports “welfare” without looking totally hypocritical! The Opposition Grits and Dippers would pounce on it! Hell! They don’t have anything to gain in that part of Quebec!

But the Bloq would have a field day, wouldn’t they?

The SH government hasn’t had a lot of lose-lose situations in the past 5 years. It will be interesting to see how they spin this.

Stay tuned!

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario

We can dance if we want to, we can leave your friends behind
‘Cause your friends don’t dance and if they don’t dance
Well they’re no friends of mine

HA! I love it when I’m right! Did I not just recently say that the Harperites were setting themselves up to drop the writ in late summer or early fall? Didn’t I ?

‘Shore ’nuff, one of the head CPC minions has thrown down the gauntlet over proposed amendments to C-9 – the budget enabling and kitchen sink mega-omnibus Bill that is currently in the Senate. The huffing and puffing little Doozer was positively ebullient in daring the Grits to go to the polls.

“Let’s dance,” Conservative Senator Doug Finley said Thursday after Bill C-9, a mammoth 883-page piece of legislation, was chopped down by the Liberals and one Progressive Conservative at a meeting of the Senate finance committee.

“I think there’s more than enough issues here to run an election on, and I’m ready,” Mr. Finley said. “I’ve got buses, I’ve got planes, I’ve got a war room, I’ve got advertising already in the can. We are constantly at work on our policy and platform. I’ve got a tour two-thirds planned.”

Wow! I haven’t heard a Con being that enthusiastic about something since the Blogging Tories were as jittery as schoolgirls over the “illegal” attempt at a coalition between the Dippers and the Grits.

And who can blame the guy? Even the most cursory read of the latest EKOS poll (you know, those guys who were mega-biased against the DeceptiCons a way back a coupla months ago) tells a tale of Liberal woe. It supports my contention that the worse case scenario for Stevie would be a return to another minority Parliament with his willing unofficial coalition partner safely in tow.

Yup, we here in Ontario, and other provinces as well, are going to come down with a severe case of election-sign fever this fall as we head into municipal votes in October as well as a federal vote somewhere between Turkey Day and the end of November.

Of course, for a political junkie like me, this is pure paradise.

Friday miscellany

1. It’s hot, hot, hot here in Bytown!

So hot that there seem to be furious debates about what is appropriate to wear to work. Check out XUP’s take on this…

Of course, furious debates about just about anything are everyday activities here in Ottawa. Remember the big lawn chair debacle of 2007?

Me? Meh. My rule of thumb is that if it’s over 30, I will at the very least throw away the tie unless I have meetings with folks outside of my Department. If it’s over 35, I go naked.

Now THERE is an image to haunt your weekend.

You’re welcome.

2. Lindsay Lohan to be jailed 90 days for breach of probation? ROTFL!!!!!

3. The Huffington Post had a good piece the other day on how scentisits, desperate to get accurate measurements on the extent of the big spill in the Gulf, are being kept away from the area and are encountering roadblocks wherever they turn.

A group of independent scientists, frustrated and dumbfounded by the continued lack of the most basic data about the 77-day-old BP oil disaster, has put together a crash project intended to definitively measure how much oil has spilled and where and how it is spreading throughout the waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

An all-star team of top oceanographers, chemists, engineers and other scientists could be ready to head out to the well site on two fully-equipped research vessels on about a week’s notice. But they need to get the go-ahead — and about $8.4 million — from BP or the federal government or both. And that does not appear imminent.

No matter who is in control, spin is the order of the day, eh?

And I’m glad Jacques Cousteau isn’t around to see this.

4. Looks like the quake did a bit more damage to the homestead than originally thought. Our patio door – although admittedly old and in need of replacement – won’t open or close very easily since the quake… it comes right off it’s runners.

Damned quake.

5.  Finally – GO Spain!!!!!!

Trashy,
Ottawa, Ontario