From what I understand, the final farewell for Jack Layton was neat. The man was sent off in style in Toronto with masses lined up on the streets for the send-off that included celebration, music and fitting words from those who knew him best.
All I can add is the thought that we can probably be thankful it wasn't staged in Vancouver. Burning cars, looting stores, fighting police and one another, just wouldn't be appropriate for this kind of happening. Best let Toronto handle it and take notes Vancouverites.
Mind you, wasn't it Toronto where they mashed up that G20, G8 Summit? Maybe I take that back. Why don't representatives from both those cities toddle on over to Estevan and learn how to really celebrate life and victories like we did last Thursday when the TSN Kraft Celebration Tour hit the Energy City. It was way more fun than what I expected. I'm sure TSN's ratings in southern Saskatchewan took a nice little tic upward during their time with us. Onrait and O'Toole were the perfect ambassadors for the network and for sports and entertainment in general. Talk about energy!
Now for some information from the wacky, what are they thinking file.
Our crazy federal government has declared that we can't afford to be represented at the World Expo in Â鶹´«Ã½AV Korea in 2012. No pavilion, no free T-shirts, no nothing.
So that brings up the questions of those zany G20 and G8 things we hosted a year ago. Didn't they cost us a couple of kazillion dollars? And that was just for Tony Clement's gazebos and porta-potties. The fake lake and free pizza were a few kazillion more dollars, and what did we get out of that fiasco?
Well, we got a nice picture of eight people standing in front of something for the group shot and then another picture a few days later with 20 guys (and a girl or two, I think) standing in front of something else. Oh, and Stevie Wonder, that Harper boy, said they were united on something, but everyone forgets what it was.
So that was worth kazillions, yet some representation in Â鶹´«Ã½AV Korea ... apparently we can't handle the tab. If we did go, it would be like chump change for Tony Clement, something he could spend on a weekend in Huntsville.
Maybe Saskatchewan could float the feds a small loan at three per cent?
But hey, the feds have their priority.
Just an end note on this mini-rant.
Greece is the only other major country not showing up in Â鶹´«Ã½AV Korea. At least they have a good excuse, they are good and truly broke.
Canada?
Well, last year we did $10 billion worth of business with Â鶹´«Ã½AV Korea and we've just recently restored beef shipments to them, business that was curtailed several years ago when we had that mad cow scare.
Guess, that's not reason enough.
Afghanistan, yes. Gazebos in Huntsville for Tony, fake lake for Stevie ... green light!
Show up in Â鶹´«Ã½AV Korea?
Can't afford it.
A bit quizzical me thinks but then as I noted to a friend the other day, I'm still figuring out how velcro works. I can't finish a crossword puzzle so don't include me in your problem solving world please. I just like pointing out the frailties in our systems and letting the smart people figure out what needs to be done.
By the way, that leads to another question. Who do you think is the smartest person in Estevan? Just asking? I don't have anyone in particular in mind. I just write stuff that comes into the head. That's my job.
