Who got it where??

This will be a short piece today. CONTAINS DISTURBING LANGUAGE!!

I think we’re all familiar with the current idiocy being perpetrated by men on female television reporters. If you’re not, here’s a thumbnail sketch of what happens: A reporter – female as I wrote – is doing a live spot from some location. A young man, or group of young men, will spot this going on and approach the reporter and shout something obscene into the microphone.

That happened to Shauna Hunt, a reporter for CP24 news in Toronto, this past weekend. She was doing a live spot outside BMO Field, the home of Toronto FC, on the occasion of their home opener. Some young men came up behind her and shouted “fuck her in the pussy” into the microphone. Things didn’t go as the men had planned after that. She confronted them on their behaviour, with the camera still running. Because she confronted them live on television, naturally the video has gone viral.

The repercussions of the stupid actions of these young men have been far-ranging. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, the owners of Toronto FC (and I believe the stadium as well) have announced that these men, when identified, will be banned from all MLSE facilities, which includes several other major sports teams. They also state they will provide additional security guards for media personnel doing reports from their venues. But it doesn’t end there. Oh, no.

Since the incident went viral, one of the men, apparently the one who did the actual yelling, was recognized by his employer. The company has a zero tolerance policy for this type of behaviour and the man was fired, According to news reports, up until Sunday afternoon, he had held a six-figure job.

So, to repeat my question in the title, “who got it where??”

Enjoy the rest of your week; be careful what you say and where and remember to hug an artist – we need love (not obscenities) too.

Cat.

Am I really Canadian?

It has been said that to be Canadian, you must like three things: hockey, Tim Hortons coffee (they dropped the apostrophe years ago) and maple syrup.

First, yes, I like maple syrup – in small quantities.

As for Timmy’s well, maybe I drank too much of it when I drove a cab nights, for I now find it bitter.  I usually order tea when I’m there.

As for hockey, that’s what prompted this posting. If you live anywhere in North America, by now you must be aware the National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players’ Association finally settled their long lock-out/strike.  The Toronto Maple Leafs, as they have done in the past, are hand delivering packages to some of the seasons ticket holders, using present and former players for the purpose.

This afternoon I was distracted by the sound of slamming doors outside my apartment window.  When I checked, I saw a Purolator Courier truck with someone wearing a Leafs’ jersey in the right front seat and beside it a van from one of the local television stations.  The van was in the process of disgorging a camera man and commentator.  Apparently someone in the office next door was about to get their Leafs’ seasons tickets.  I watched for a short time and saw the passenger get out of the truck carrying a Purolator package.  I’m on the second floor so couldn’t really make out much more than the fact the  obviously former player was losing his hair.  My first thought was “who’s the bald guy?”  It wasn’t until he turned around that I recognized Wendell Clark, one of the gods of Leaf Nation.

So why didn’t I recognize Wendell?  Mainly because I haven’t really followed hockey since the league expanded beyond the “original six”.  That was, I believe, 1967, which coincidentally is the last time the Leafs won the Stanley Cup.

Which brings up the question: Am I really Canadian when I don’t like hockey or Tim Hortons, but do like maple syrup?   In my opinion, one out of three ain’t bad.

Enjoy your day and remember to hug an artist – we need love too.

Cat.

Just go quietly

I have written previously of Toronto mayor Rob Ford’s various legal problems, including the conflict of interest case he was involved with, caused naturally, by his stubbornness and sense of entitlement.  Today, the judge in this conflict of interest case issued his decision:  Rob Ford was found guilty of conflict of interest and the judge ordered him removed from office.  Robbie has 14 days in which to appeal, which he says he will do, and clean out his office.

The decision leaves city council with a lot of work to do.  They have to appoint an interim mayor, in this case it will no doubt be Doug Holyday, the current deputy mayor (and former mayor of one of the communities that was amalgamated into Greater Toronto a few years ago).  Then council must then decide whether to appoint one of their current members to complete the term of mayor or call a by-election to choose a new mayor.  The by-election will cost the city approximately $7,000,000.  The problem with appointing a current councillor is that council has become very polarized under coach Robbie’s lack of leadership, so there could be some interesting discussions should they choose that route.

How are the citizens of Toronto reacting?  Well, on the call-in segment of the noon news on CTV Toronto, many of the callers said they voted for Ford, but feel he has become a distraction on city council and are glad he’s gone.  One caller went so far as to call him a “buffoon”.  Not exactly the description people want to hear applied to their chief magistrate.

Robbie, do the city a huge favour.  Don’t appeal the decision.  Just clean out your desk and go quietly.  The judge did not ban you from running for civic office, so run again  in the by-election if you think you can get elected again.  Robbie, to use your mantra, “it’s for the kids”.  You’ll have more time for the football that always seemed to take precedence over your day job anyway. Too bad your team plays its last game tomorrow.

Cat.

I can’t do that

One of the main bits of information given to those who would write blogs is “pick a subject and write about that”.  If you choose, say, writing, then write about the various aspects of writing. If you pick photography, then use your site to explore that world.  Travel, food, whatever subject you decide upon should be the focus of most, if not all, your postings.”

Sounds like good, solid advice.  Too bad I don’t follow it.  If you follow or read my postings, you’ve noticed I write about anything and everything that catches my eye.  That is why you’ll find an essay on friends amid postings on scams (“More money I won’t get”) or the latest antics of Toronto’s sometime mayor (“Football first”) or ripping into some of the spam I find (“Look who’s talking”).

Do I have the knowledge and experience to write on a single topic?  Probably. I’ve written before on blogging (“Our words are powerful”) but my mind doesn’t work in a manner that allows me to focus solely on one topic. I’m interested in the world at large and when something in the news provokes a response, I act on it.  Granted there are some subjects that are closer to my heart than others, but I won’t write about them exclusively.

For example, since August, I’ve written a series of posts under the main title “Bring him to justice”.  This series deals with the Toronto Police search for one George Flowers, aka “Mr Flowas”, a wannabe rapper who is wanted for aggravated sexual assault.  This “thing” was diagnosed HIV positive in 1996 but never told any of his partners. I know people who dated him and some have since tested positive, so I have a personal interest in seeing this garbage off the streets.  But that series is as close as I’ve come to a single topic.  And the reason there haven’t been any recent postings under that title is that there is no concrete news to write about and I won’t put up rumours.  As it states in my public profile, I’m transgendered.  There are already enough people out there writing blogs on the LGBT community, so I doubt I could add anything of import.  I have written on those issues, but only from a personal perspective, where something will or does affect me personally.

So, having said all this, I repeat, that is good advice – pick a subject in which you have knowledge and write about it.  But, I can’t do that.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend and remember to hug an artist – we need love too.

Cat.

Football first

The mind of Toronto football coach and part-time mayor Rob Ford must be a scary place to visit unless you’re a football fanatic. I have written previously of Robbie leaving council meetings before they were half finished to coach football, and the other actions of Toronto’s chief magistrate where they relate to his coaching duties.  And I’ve also written of his mantra-like response “it’s for the kids” whenever anyone dares question his actions.

Well, I would have to say his actions today really underline just how much importance Robbie places on coaching football to the exclusion of all else.  As I wrote earlier in the week, Robbie is currently in court defending himself against a $6,000,000 libel suit over comments he made during the 2010 civic elections.  Or rather he has been in court for the first two-and-a-half days of the case. During the lunch recess today, Robbie was seen leaving for the day.  No official reason was given for his afternoon absence, but it is well known that his football team, the Don Bosco Eagles, had a championship game this afternoon.

Now, I’m not saying Robbie put the fate of his football team over a case that could cost him 6 million, plus costs, but if he will cut out from a meeting of the Toronto executive committee – a committee he heads – for football, why wouldn’t he do the same to the courts.  The man has shown in previous incidents he has no respect for the law and this just further cements this contempt.  And of course, if he is indeed coaching this game, should anyone comment on it, his response will be “it’s for the kids”.

It’s time Robbie realized he isn’t indispensable, either at the Don Bosco football games or at City Hall.  Council seems to be functioning just fine without him and is actually getting things done; and there are assistant coaches who can do his job with “the kids”.

If he was in fact at that championship game, and he shows up on news coverage, I really hope the judge in the libel suit rips into him tomorrow for disrespecting the courts.

Enjoy your evening and remember to hug an artist – we need love too.

Cat.