The Grey Cup Game Is This Weekend!

This weekend will be the 101st edition of The Grey Cup - the pinnacle game of the Canadian Football League - whereby the Cup - perhaps the longest-running professional sports trophy in North America - is awarded to the champions of Canadian football. 

This years game is especially noteworthy because of the following….

a)  it will be payed in Regina, Saskatchewan 

b)  the Saskatchewan Roughriders actually made it to the Grey Cup final - so they'll be playing for the championship in form of their home town fans

c)  Rider fans are known to be especially rabid - the loyalty and support of this team in Saskatchewan is off the charts 

d)  the game is especially sentimental as Mosaic Stadium - an outdoor stadium - will soon be torn down in favor for a new stadium 

The weather can be a major factor this time of year on the Canadian prairie - let's just say any California natives who play in the CFL often have a hard time dealing with the cold "I've played in Notre Dame - but not in weather like this" was a quote I read after today's practice by one of the players. 

Last I checked though - game day highs may reach -1C or 30F  which would not be too bad at all!

The Riders will be playing the Hamilton Tiger-Cats ("Ti-Cats" for short) and are favored to win by 5.5 points.

May the best team win!

Enjoy the game all!

Kevin

Spotlight on Singer Linda Ronstadt

I was saddened to recently learn that Linda Ronstadt, 67, is unable to sing anymore  - she has been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease.

I grew up with her music in the 70s - her voice always seemed so pure and innocent . 

She was essentially the master of the re-make - not sure if any of her big hits were originals - but her version of others' songs was usually very well done 

Here are my top 5 faves….starting at 5 and working up to my overall fave….

#5.    It's So Easy, 1977, #5 peak 

About as much as a rocker as Ms Ronstadt ever got - very catchy and up-tempo song 

#4.   You're No Good, 1975, #1peak 

Her only #1 song - as a 12 year old listening to it back then, I just thought this was as naughty as a song could ever got (boy, would I be proven wrong!) 

#3.   Don't Know Much (with Aaron Neville), 1989, #2 peak 

One of the best duets of the past few decades - their voices blend beautifully on this ballad 

#2.   Blue Bayou, 1977, #3 peak 

This song took me right back to the bayou that I never had growing up in small-town Ontario….the tempo of the song reminds me of a slow hula dance 

….I still love the line "if I could only see….that familiar sunrise……through sleepy eyes…..how happy I'd be" 

#1.  Blue Train,  1995, (album cut - never released as a single) 

My all-time have from Linda was never a hit single - but is performed with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris on the Trio album.

It's one of those deep, mystical songs….and it's a truly spectacular ballad - I can listen over and over ….a very calming song much like Blue Bayou is

Listen to Blue Train Here

Hope you enjoyed our little tribute to Linda Ronstadt - have a great week!

Kevin 

ObamaCare - Just a Train Wreck or Do We Have A Nuclear MeltDown??

ObamaCare

Reader's Note - As I write this blog - President Obama is speaking on the topic at his hour (12 noon Eastern, Thursday 11/14).

My main message was to simply say that even if you tried for weeks, I bet you couldn't find a more expensive, botched, error-ridden, launch of a major government program over the past few decades if you tried.

Of course, I'm referring to ObamaCare. 

ObamaCare's roll-out has been a COMPLETE DISASTER.

Yesterday, we learned that only 100,000 people signed up for it, yet 5 Million more LOST their coverage (that's netting 4.9 M in the hole!!) - the whole point of ObamaCare was to provide health insurance coverage to those who were uninsured.  Talk about a disaster. 

Many think that this is something too big for any government to accomplish successfully - they are saying that ObamaCare will set liberalism back 10 years at least. 

It does stand to reason - "If they can't even manage a website - how could we trust them to run the entire health care system - one-sixth of the entire economy." 

It is tragic that people are losing their health insurance coverage - no question. 

The more amusing part in all of this is to watch how Democratic Senators who are up for re-election next year, and who previously supported this, trying to distance themselves from ObamaCare (they are scurrying away like cockroaches when the light goes on). 

The President's approval rating has slipped into the "30s" - sitting right at 39%, the lowest it's ever been.

More than 55% of those polled say that he is not being honest with the American people when he said "if you like your plan, you can keep it." 

He is making some speech at this hour as I referred to earlier - what we have here is a totally desperate President no doubt trying to salvage this thing - time will tell if he succeeds. 

Til next time,

Kevin 

Cheers for Mark; Jeers for Tom

Tom Cruise recently compared the life of an actor in an action movie as being the same as being in the military on a tour of Afghanistan.   Jeers 

Mark Wahlberg came out today and issued a statement (not known if it was intended to be a response to what Cruise said) - NOT THE SAME THING AT ALL!  Cheers!

Wahlberg went on to say this….

"I don't care if you (expletive) busted your (expletive) behind - you get to go home at the end of the day and sleep in a (expletive) nice bed in a nice (expletive) hotel and order your nice (expletive) steak or (expletive) chicken - you can see your family on (expletive) weekends - it's not the (expletive) same thing at all as being in the military serving in the middle east!!"

I can't imagine why Tom Cruise would say something like this - but then again, he's said some very controversial things before!

I'm with Mark W on this one!

How about you? 

Retail-Me-NOT! The Not So Great US Thanksgiving Day Shopping Rush

Recently, Wal-Mart joined a growing list of retailers who said that they would open their doors for shopping on Thanksgiving Day at 6 pm - that's two hours earlier than last year.  Amazing, isn't it?… this is right smack dab in the middle of dinner!  

We've seen Black Friday creep from stores who open early on Black Friday, (remember when 7 am was a shocker?) to very early (5 am) to midnight after Thanksgiving dinner (gasp!) then to 8 pm on Thursday evening and now to 6 pm on Thursday….Out of control!

Target, BestBuy, Macy's and others have joined the fray.  

But the worst "offender" has got to be Kmart - who is proudly opening stores at 6 am on Thanksgiving morning and staying open for 41 hours straight into Black Friday!!

Retailers defend these crazy hours, calling this time the 'Super Bowl of Retail" and basically saying that they must compete with each other. 

But I wonder about that - I wonder - what if any major chain came forth and issued a statement like this…

"We at Store X feel that the Thanksgiving Holiday is an important time to spend with family and friends, and we want all of our employees and customers to enjoy the holiday (and maybe even give thanks!), therefore we will be CLOSED on Thanksgiving Day and we will open for business on Black Friday at our USUAL and CUSTOMARY business hours.  Thanks for your patronage." 

I, for one, would respect this company so much I'd go out of my way to shop there!

What about you? 

Til next time, 

Kevin 

THE FRIDAY ENTERTAINMENT BLOG - "ROYALS" Creating Quite A Stir (and I don't mean Kate and William)

Hello all,

How'd you like to be 16 years old and have one of the biggest hits in pop music history?

That's what happening right now on the music charts. 

A 16 year old high school girl from New Zealand, who goes by the name "Lorde",  has a hit song, "Royals" which is spending is 6th week atop the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart this week.  

(Anytime you hit #1 is a major accomplishment, to spend 6 weeks in a row there is something very very few songs can muster).

The song itself is a slow, moody number that seems to be about a rebellion against the materialism of the world (in general terms).

Some critics have said (reading way too much into the lyrics) that there are racist overtones here - but I think that is quite a stretch.

We don't know too much about Lorde - except she seems a little camera shy with all this new found fame - she said she would be perfectly fine if "only one photo of me" is ever made public.

Have a listen in case you've avoided radio for the past few months… and enjoy "Royals."

Listen to Royals Here

Have a nice weekend everyone!

Kevin 

You gotta be smoking crack if you think you can smoke crack and still be mayor!!!

Hi everyone, 

What are we gonna do with our politicians across the US and Canada? 

We have President Obama lying about healthcare (and now he's lying about lying - check today's news - maybe this will be the blog tomorrow?).

We have Canadian senators trying to fleece the taxpayers on their expense account.

And now, we have the Toronto Mayor Rob Ford finally admitting to smoking crack (but only after allegedly caught on video doing it)… yet he won't step down as mayor!!

The funny thing about the mayor's apology - was HOW he apologized... "yes, I smoked crack… but it was when I was in one of my drunken stupors at the time!!!"

(Oh, well, in that case, that must be okay!!!) 

Mayor Ford's Press Conference

Mr. Ford seems to have a connection with the people of Toronto - however, his approval rating just went up 5 points to 44 after his apology.

I would argue that this is not the type of guy that any city should have as mayor - we really should hold our elected officials to a higher standard. 

Toronto now joins Detroit and Washington DC in the "embarrassing mayors club"… as Jay Leno quipped last night "at least this time it's not an American!" 

Comments welcome!

"When a Lie is Not A Lie" OR "November 3, 2013 - The Day That the New York TImes Became Irrelevant"

There's been much talk in the US lately over President Obama's ("If you like your health plan, you can keep your health plan") comment. 

Much of the media has correctly labeled this comment as any of the following:

*  a lie

*  an "untruth"  

*  the highest level of deception 

*  "four pinocchios" (highest level) 

I'm all for being direct here - but i'm okay with the other descriptors listed above. 

What I am NOT ok with is the what the New York Times stated over the weekend - they said the President "misspoke". 

To misspeak means a slip of the tongue occurred, you said something that came out unintentional. 

In the case of the "you can keep your plan if you like your plan" comment - this was uttered at least three dozen times by the President - that disqualifies it from being a misspoken incident. 

The New York Times has sunk to a new low here in professional journalism - even fellow Democrats and huge Obama supporters (Bill Maher) are calling this incident a "lie" at most or "an incomplete statement" at best.

I think this editorial in yesterday's NY Times marks the beginning of the end of this once respected newspaper - they have long been down the road of being a Democratic policy-pusher - but this time they may have gone too far.

It will be very interesting to see if the President can recover from this comment - if he can at all to save his 2nd term. 

Comments welcome! 

If you like your candy - you can keep it!

Happy Halloween everyone!

In today's blog, we feature a political cartoon that highlights what has become perhaps the most famous quote by President Obama - (no, not "hope and change" - that's a distant memory)… it's "If you like your health plan, you can keep your health plan. Period."  

Unfortunately, for the President, this seems to be a lie - as millions of Americans are finding out that their health plans in the individual market are notifying them that their coverage is being terminated unless much higher premiums get paid.

This has triggered another chapter of craziness on the US political scene.

The Republicans are on the attack - demanding the President to "walk back" that comment since it's not true.

The Democrats are spinning like a top - trying to find (often very amusing) ways to defend this statement as "Oh, he really didn't mean it to be policy"…. "it was taken out of context", etc.

The problem when you go back in time and examine this statement you learn that it was not a slip of the tongue, it was repeated dozens of times - and the "PERIOD" at the end seems to disqualify the President from the excuses being put forth by those trying to defend him. 

Even the left-leaning Washington Post gave this statement "four Pinocchios" - the worst rating ever - basically reserved for "whoppers" that politicians say….hence, the inspiration for today's political cartoon!

Enjoy and Happy Halloween!

Is It Time to Abolish the Canadian Senate?

Non-stops scandals have been rocking the US Presidency this year, but Canada has had its own fair share of political scandals too!

As all Canadian residents know, a number of senators have been implicated in a scandal revolving around their expense reports and housing allowances.

It's remarkable that as the US turns from one scandal to the next - the Canadian senate expense scandal just won't go away. 

It is noteworthy that the Canadian senate is not an elected one - Senators are appointed for life (until age 75) and though they have veto power over the laws passed in the House of Commons - they rarely execute this power. 

Many in Canada are calling for a "triple E" senate - elected, equal, and effective. 

But, many others want to see the Senate abolished - many Canadians see this as nothing more than a "plum job with a great salary and perks without any real mandate".

This scandal will only serve to amplify the call to abolish - and that's my point of view too!

The McDonald's and Heinz Break-up

Did you hear about the latest company break-up….which looks more like a jealous lover is in play in a relationship versus your typical corporate news. 

McDonald's is severing its 40 year relationship with Heinz ketchup because the new CEO of Heinz was a former CEO of Burger King!

This appears to be all there is to the story….

This news item may upset a few folks - given the dominance of Heinz in the ketchup market…..who's #2?  Hunts? Del Monte? 

….but you shouldn't fret too much about it….unless maybe you live in Europe!

Apparently, McDonald's USA uses Heinz ketchup now ONLY in its Pittsburgh (hometown of Heinz of course) and Minneapolis (not sure of the connection here to Heinz) restaurants….all of the other McDonald's restaurants in the US use private label. 

I can't confirm where McDonald's Canada sources its ketchup from - itmay be more from Heinz than anywhere else - as there is a large ketchup plant in Leamington, Ontario (near Detroit) 

Is ketchup a distinguishable food or a commodity? 

Can people taste the difference between name brand ketchup and private label? 

Ketchup is one of those products where I'm not even sure if I know the difference or would be able to detect a difference - I happen to buy only Heinz in the grocery store - but often consume ketchup outside the home, say on a  hot dog at a ball park, for example - in that situation - who can focus on critiquing ketchup? 

It will be interesting to see the fall-out from this - for example, will Burger King now ONLY use Heinz ketchup in "retaliation"? 

Only time will tell. 

Train Wreck, Meltdown, or Disaster - How Do You Describe ObamaCare?

Now it's being called the single biggest internet disaster of all time - the Obamacare website launch.

Here's what you need to know, apart from it taking 3.5 years to build and anywhere from $400-670 Million of US taxpayer money

• It basically doesn't work! (that's all really there is to say about it - Consumer Reports is advising all users to stay away indefinitely until it is fixed)
• It seemingly was built using 10 year old technology (?) 
• Was this not tested properly? If not, why not? 
• The US division of the Canadian firm that was selected by the Obama administration to build it was FIRED by the Ontario, Canada government for failing to deliver on building a health care registry in Canada! 
• The President is steering people to using a 800 number to register for ObamaCare! (what's next, smoke signals?) 
• The 800 number allegedly sends you to the website - and vice versa - talk about a runaround 
• Tech experts are saying that there are deep flaws with the site infrastructure - I don't know much about tech stuff - but that sounds difficult to easily fix, doesn't it? 
• We have not heard the President or the Health & Human Services Secretary explain what is wrong, what is being down to fix it, how many users have signed up, or when it will be fixed!!

Here comes the irony… (with a capital I)… the Republicans helped force the government shutdown when they passed a bill to DELAY this thing for a year - but the President and Democrats said NO - and the govt shutdown ensued.

Had the President simply said "YES, you know, truthfully, we're not ready to launch this thing - we need more time….."  there wouldn't have been a shutdown in the first place!!!

We'll have more on the ObamaCare fiasco in future blogs - I welcome your comments!

It's a nutty world we live in, but stay buckled up and try to enjoy the ride!!

Kevin 

Restoring Faith in Humanity

Hello all,

Here is one of those stories that makes you feel good -and helps to restore one's faith in humanity. 

It's pretty self-explanatory - so just read and enjoy.

And be on the look out in your own life for the chance to do something similar!!

Til next time,

Kevin 

The US Govt Shutdown and ObamaCare - The Great Irony Of It All

One of the interesting things about the US govt shutdown (now over as of the evening of 10/16/13) is also incredibly ironic, here's the point ….

*  the Republicans passed a bill that would fully fund the government but defund ObamaCare, the President refused to negotiate and Senate Democrats refused to pass it 

*  the Republicans then passed a bill that would fully fund the government, but delay ObamaCare for ONE YEAR (a great idea since the enrollment website doesn't seem to be working!) - the President refused to negotiate and Senate Democrats refused to pass it 

*  the Republicans then passed a bill that would fully fund the government but said that we all be equal under ObamaCare - no special waivers for Congress and big unions - the President refused to negotiate and Senate Democrats refused to pass it 

So therein lies the irony - Obamacare may be the reason for the government shutdown, but ONLY because the President and Democrats don't want to have it for themselves - just for the rest of the country.

They gave themselves a special waiver to NOT HAVE TO BE COVERED under Obamacare.

If Obamacare is such a good thing, why do so many want no part of it? 

It doesn't get more ironic than that!!

Til next time,

Kevin 

Burger King's Latest Innovation - SatisFRIES - Do They Live Up To The Name?

Hello everyone - have you tried the latest Burger King innovation - french fries with 30% less fat and calories - the much advertised SatisFRIES!

I had a chance to try them recently - the verdict?  

"It's always nice to have options when dining, but I must give this product a THUMBS DOWN for actual taste and "mouth-feel" (as the dieticians would say)"

I found they seemed plumper than the average french fry - so you feel that you're eating more of a french-fry/mashed potato mix.

The taste seemed to be missing something however - and unfortunately, I found myself dousing these fries with MORE SALT AND KETCHUP than would normally be used by me. 

It'll be interesting to see if this product takes off or not.

It reminded me of a leaner-than-usual burger that McDonald's launched about 10-15 years ago - the McLean Deluxe.

I actually liked that burger - but it was a market failure and disappeared soon after launch - maybe it was ahead of its time, however, as fast food firms seem to be scrambling to get healthier choices on their menus.

Back to BK and on the bright side, I think Burger King has the best fish sandwich on the market - the former Big Fish now renamed Alaskan Big Fish is terrific.

but when it comes to french fries - McDonald's still reigns supreme!

Let us know what you think of the new SatisFRIES from Burger King!

Til next time,

Kevin 

Less Government Please (If It Does Stuff Like This)

As we all know, there is a partial government shut-down going on in the US. 

Regardless of who may think is responsible for the shutdown (and to me, both sides share plenty of blame in this) - there are some things going on that are downright nutty.

Example - the Vietnam War Memorial is an open air monument - anyone can visit anytime, night or day, there is no admission fee, no turnstiles, no nothing - there are no security guards routinely posted to this memorial.

But in this government shutdown period, the White House ordered barricades to be put up to BLOCK ACCESS to this open air memorial, not to mention Park Rangers who were newly posted there to keep visitors OUT. 

Good for the visiting Vietnam Vets (who arrived by the busload over the weekend to visit THEIR memorial) and who very calmly removed the barricades, stepped past the Rangers and conducted their visit. 

Things got a little heated in some cases and a Republican congressman showed up to tell the Rangers that they should ashamed of what they're doing - only to have VP Joe Biden call them later in the day and tell the Rangers he's proud of them. 

What seems to be going on is the Democrats want to inflict as much pain on the American public in this shutdown, and blame Republicans for it. 

That seems to be the strategy in play - and to some degree, it is working - it helps to have the media overwhelmingly on your side to pin the blame on the Republicans. 

The Republicans have called for an inquiry in how this came about - a shut down is going on - so presumably no money available - yet ADDITIONAL STAFF and RESOURCES goes into ensuring NO ONE can enjoy an OPEN AIR monument that took no resources to operate in the first place???

I think this type of gamesmanship only goes so far with the public. 

Nutty isn't it? 

Early Reviews of "GRAVITY" Indicate "FLOATING AWE"

Hi everyone,

A much anticipated movie opens today, GRAVITY, with George Clooney and Sandra Bullock. 

A quick review of the reviewers' first take at this movie indicates that this is a real winner - here are some notable quotes that will help set the stage to help you decide when (not if) you'll go see it!!

• "Gravity" exerts cosmic pull" 
• "This film pretty much stole the show at the Toronto Film Festival this year"
• "There's NEVER been a movie like this before" 
• "You've never seen Sandra Bullock like this" 
• The filmmakers initially thought this movie would be a piece of cake to make - 2 characters in space? (wire and green screens?) …..think again, it took 4.5 YEARS to complete"
• "There's a sense that everything happens spontaneously - surreal freedom plus a fearful randomness that unleashes the debris storms (which puts the characters in danger)" 
• "The premise of the movie is that this is the ULTIMATE NIGHTMARE in space"
• "You'll want the 3-D glasses and an IMAX theatre for this one" 
• James Cameron (Director, "Titanic") calls it "The best space movie ever done"
• One scene, the opening 13-minute sequence is being called a visual game-changer - this is one of the longest "tracking shots" in Hollywood history 
• Even real astronauts have accolades - Leroy Chiao (4 space missions to his credit) said this "Space is so beautiful - thanks for making this film - it took me right back there, both in the visuals and the sounds"

Let me know what YOU think of the movie - and ENJOY!!!

Til next time,

Kevin 

Jenny McCarthy, are you happy now? 10 babies dead in California due to Whooping Cough Outbreak

Hello all,

Here's some sad, but inevitable news.

Whooping cough, aka pertussis, is a highly contagious disease.

A vaccine was developed for it in the 1940s - the disease became totally controlled.

Recently, the number of parents who voluntarily rejected having their babies vaccinated rose to 2%in California.

In 2010, an outbreak of whooping cough affected 9,120 people.

Babies are exceptionally vulnerable to this disease - from this outbreak we have 10 dead babies from this outbreak. 

The latest issue of the medical journal Pediatrics, has published this review. 

Why are parents voluntarily rejecting vaccinations?

Ignorance?

Doubtful - 9 of the 10 families who lost their child are college-educated!

Seems like the headlines stemming from the junk science, which claims that vaccinations cause autism and therefore should be avoided (hello Jenny McCarthy!) are likely to blame. 

Amazing. 

Til next time,

Kevin 

http://m.cbsnews.com/storysynopsis.rbml?&pageType=health&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2F8301-204_162-57605357%2F2010-calif-whooping-cough-outbreak-linked-to-vaccine-averse-parents%2F&catid=57605357&nb_splitPage=0

Global Warming Alarmists Ignore 17 Years of Global Cooling In Latest Report

As mentioned in a recent blog, the long-awaited UN IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report was issued last week - the first report in 6 years or so.

I had personally hoped that it would discuss in detail the 17 most recent years of world temperature records indicating a halt in global warming that the world has experienced.

It didn't. 

In fact, the report INCREASED their projection that probability of global warming is due to man from 90% to 95% (despite the cooling trend)? 

How did they explain away the recent cooling trend?  They didn't - except to say that the warming is "buried deep in the oceans".

If you're wondering why this expert panel is from the UN - I'm with you - right away I'm thinking…

*  The UN is not exactly known for scientists - what's up with that?

*  No group of scientists are going to come to agreement on a controversial issue with 95% solidarity on virtually anything 

*  Is there a hidden agenda here?

*  What is this REALLY about? 

We'll explore this topic - what could be the REAL AGENDA of the global warming alarmists - in a future blog.

Until then - here's a link from a skeptical MIT professor in which he calls the latest IPCC report on global warming as being laced with "hilarious incoherence" 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2438434/MIT-scientist-ridicules-IPCC-climate-change-report-calls-findings-hilarious-incoherence.html

Enjoy!

Women Rule The Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart This Week - Not Since 1979 Have We Seen This!

Hello everyone and TGIF! 

Theres' an unusual phenomena on the music charts these days - the top 3 songs of the week are all by female solo artists - and unusual feat that you'd have to go back to 1979 to find the last time that women dominated the top of the charts in this way. 

For the last week of September 2013, here's what the music chart looks like according to the authoritative BILLBOARD Magazine. 

• At #3 - holding for a 2nd week in a row - is the 16 year old New Zealand native and pop music newcomer Lorde and her unusual song "ROYALS" - My review? All I can say is this one is different - very slow and haunting in mood, still very catchy though.
  
  
  
  
  
• At #2 - holding also for a 2nd straight week (falling after 2 weeks at #1) is Katy Perry's ROAR - my review? - this song is classic Katy Perry pop - the first single release from her forthcoming album - which according to the buzz - is just laced with a collection of big future single releases just like her last one (recall her last album "Teenage Dream" made her only the 2nd act in the history of the music charts to have 5 #1 singles from one album - (tying Michael Jackson's Bad) - quite a feat!

• And at #1, also for a 2nd straight week, is Miley Cyrus with "WRECKING BALL" - this is Miley's revenge following the disastrous VMA performance - my review? - the song is very touching composition, but I wouldn't have predicted that it would become as big a hit as it has (i.e. I haven't taken to the song as much as the other two above). 

So much for this week in music - do many of you remember the summer of 1979?  It was the absolute pinnacle of the disco era - the top 5 looked like this back then - all women (4 songs by solo artists, one group). 

Of note and for the record, my fave from the bunch by a long shot was the #5 song - whatever happened to Ricky Lee Jones?? She basically became a one-hit wonder?.

1.  Ring My Bell - Anita Ward 

2.  Hot Stuff - Donna Summer 

3.  Bad Girls - Donna Summer 

4.  We Are Family - SIster Sledge 

5.  Chuck E's in Love - Ricky Lee Jones 

Enjoy your weekend everyone, 

Til Monday,

Kevin 

Pass That Jacket Over Here, Will Ya? - We've Got Global COOLING!!

Ok, I'll admit, I haven't followed much about the global warming phenomena - it also seemed so difficult to believe in something that is so controversial - with a lot of money to be made from the side of the global warming alarmists (witness Al Gore).

After doing some basic research on the topic - I must admit I was pretty astounded at what the facts say. 

There's a lot of evidence that this global warming thing may be NOT the crisis that some have made it out to be, and may POSSIBLY be a complete scam! 

Here are the FACTS from the recent past - computer models (trying to predict the future) are often dead wrong.

1.     There has NO SIGNIFICANT WARMING on Earth since 1997.

We are now over 200 consecutive months where the earth's temperature is not rising - in fact, it is cooling a little - this was a striking discovery for me since this fact is "simply not out there". 

I thought that we were in a crisis of global warming - after all, the BBC called for, in 2007, for the polar ice caps to be COMPLETELY MELTED by 2013!!!   

Amazing but anyone under the age of 17 has not lived thru any sort of global warming.

Even Dr. Pachauri of the IPCC (the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - the world's leading "global warming" authority) admits this! 

2.     The Arctic Ice Mass Grew by 60% in the Past Year!!  

There is now more than a million MORE square miles of ice mass TODAY than even 
a year ago!

Someone forgot to tell the Arctic that global warming is going on!

3.     Other Miscellaneous Facts 

·      ocean temperatures are cooling 

·      global storms are declining in frequency and intensity

·      solar action is such that it indicates cooling is going on and more is to come 

·      the polar bear population is at a record high  

The Bottom Line….

The experts are telling us that Mother Earth naturally goes through cycles of cooling and warming - this is normal.

We now know with great certainty the history of the Earth in this regard…

1600-1915 = the "Little Ice Age"…. cooling 

1915-1945 = warming 

1945-1977 = cooling 

1977-1997 = warming 

1998-Present = cooling 

Each cycle is about 20-30 years and has more to do with ocean oscillations and solar activity than anything else. I would say that we still don't know for sure what impact man has on all of this - but it sure seems less important once the above data is reviewed.

For governments around the world to change entire policies, approaches, incentives to industry, etc. on the premise of "we gotta stop global warming" seems ridiculous to me. 

If the above "cycles" are true - some people could be fretting a lot about nothing!

I know this may be a controversial blog - but I welcome your comments!

Also, the IPCC is due to issue their first report on "climate change" - since 2007 - THIS WEEK - it'll be VERY interesting to hear what they have to say!!

Til tomorrow!

Kevin 

Disney's Line-Jumping for Disabled Now A Thing of The Past

This story basically sums up the old adage, "A few who abuse, spoil it for the rest of us who play by the rules".

Disney announced that its long-standing policy to allow no waiting for the disabled (rather than wait for an hour or more to get on popular rides) will soon come to an end. 

Why? 

A growing abuse problem summed up as follows... 

Some people, who may not have even been disabled in any way, got their hands on a

"disabled pass" - and were then selling to others the ability to go to Disney and ride the rides "wait-free" - the people who hired these folks would then pretend to be family members of the "disabled".  Despicable - isn't it?   It is not clear what level of disability was even needed to get a pass - the ambiguity likely led to a lot of these passes being issued - and the next thing you know, there is widespread abuse.  

Any quick google search of "Disney disabled policy" will bring up the story (or you can click on the link below for more info) - but this struck me as just another example of how a company's good intentions can get steamrolled by abusers who then ruin it for the greater good. 

Now, though disabled families will still get a benefit at the Disney parks, it just won't be as generous.  Disney has said that they will need to report to the rides at a designated time for a lesser wait - as per Disney's FASTPASS program that we ALL are eligible for in a limited way (only a limited number of FASTPASS rides can be taken in a given day).

I feel badly for the disabled kids, who yearn all year for a day at Disney, and whose experience will now be a little less fun that it should be for them. 

Click Here for More Info on: Disney Disability Policy Changes

Tii tomorrow,

Kevin 

Spotlight on SASKATCHEWAN!

Welcome to the first blog that takes special aim at a city, state or province - and explores what makes it so special!  Thanks to Rob Symchyck, our Saskatoon, Saskatchewan (say that 10X fast!!) representative from the Pfizer project who proudly suggested the topic!

Here's a few fun facts about Saskatchewan

• SK produces more wheat than any other province or state (54% of Canadian wheat production and 20% of all North American production!) ….that's a lotta bread!

• The province is the closest thing Canada has to a perfect rectangle (in terms of shapes of the provinces) 

• Let the sun shine in!  (They sing that a lot in ESTEVAN, SK - the sunniest place in Canada (the climate is classic continental - with very cold winters but sunny and hot summers) 

• More NHL players per capita come from SK than any other state or province (including hockey legend Gordie Howe from Floral, SK) 

• At 250,000 kms of highways - that's more than any other province!

• They are work-horses in SK!  At only 4.2% - the unemployment rate as of August 2013 is the lowest in Canada (national average 7.1%) 

• The Roughriders, their team in the Canadian Football League, have the league's most successful merchandising efforts - 1st in the CFL by far, and 3rd in Canadian sports next only to Toronto Maple Leaf and Montreal Canadiens - amazing considering only 1 million people call SK home!!

• Famous Saskatchewanians (?) include the following…..

• Rowdy Ronnie Piper (professional wrestler) 
• Joni Mitchell (legendary songwriter, hits include "Big Yellow Taxi" and "Both Sides Now") 
• Pamela Wallin, noted Canadian broadcaster and now Senator, currently embroiled in a govt scandal  
• John Diefenbaker, 13th Prime Minister of Canada (1957-1963) 

• The Delta Bessborough in Saskatoon -  known locally as the "Bez" - is one of Canada's grandest hotels - it sits majestically on the North Saskatchewan River - and is a beautiful historic gem that is part of the "Great Railway Hotels of Canada" collection - see it pictured here. 

Hope you enjoyed our spotlight on Saskatchewan today!

Til tomorrow 

Kevin 

Apple's New iOS 7 - Here Are 13 Headline Reviews

Today's blog topic focuses on what the IT world is saying about Apple's long-awaited iOS 7 - released two days ago this week.

I will not comment personally - I really can't at this point not being exposed to it at all; However, it's amazing how much info one can learn about it, just by reading a collection of the headlines!!! 

Here we go... in no particular order… my two favorites are at the end 

• A Bold New Look in a Major Make-Over - But Will Take Some Getting Used To
• Colorful, Stark, and "Tres Minimaliste"
• iOS 7 - Better than iOS 6 but less than Android
• Looking to Bigger Things? - Swipe Away!
• Big Changes Mean a Worthwhile Upgrade For You
• Massive Make-over Makes iOS Feel New Again 
• Simultaneously Transformational and Incremental 
• Breathes New Life into the Apple Ecosystem 
• iOS7 - New Apps, New Control Center & A New Look!
• A New Look and a New Beginning
• A Winning Combination - iOS7 + the New iPhones

...and my faves….

• iOS 7 Redefines Industrial Design through "EVIL" Skeumorphism  (and yes, I had to look it up, Skeumorphism refers to design features that leverage the comfort that users have with the original version - example on the IPhone camera, the click when you snap a photo is an audio click but in older cameras, that was the shutter closing etc..)

• iOS 7 - Everything Improved and iTunes Radio Recommendations "Frighteningly Accurate" 

Enjoy iOS7 everyone - and have a nice weekend!

Til next week!

Kevin 

All About Swedish Fish... and Its Surprising Canadian Angle

Ah, Swedish Fish - (Maynard's Swedish Berries in Canada)… one of my all-time favorite candies. 

Maybe this post was inspired by the Halloween fervor that is starting to gain momentum - or

maybe its just by my sweet tooth getting the best of me - but today's blog is all about this Scandinavian import!

The chewy, wine-gummy candy with the irresistibly good and very unique flavor - thought to be the Swedish LINGONBERRY - but I can't verify this - is responsible for that great after-taste, making the candy totally addictive.  

It's become a favorite for inclusion in sales meeting "goodie bags" at my company... and it's always a big hit!

As I have aged, I have noticed that my taste buds have evolved - let's say we're talking about desserts - today, I'm less inclined to go with a chocolatey dessert like chocolate cake or brownie with ice cream and more inclined to go with a bread pudding, a creme brûlée, or a fruit tort - something very sweet - but outside the chocolate milieu.  When it comes to candies - here too I keep this theme going… I'm more likely to pick a Swedish fish or English licorice all-sort over a Hershey kiss these days. 

Swedish Fish and Maynard's Swedish Berries are now distributed and marketed by the Cadbury-Adams Company of Parsippany, NJ. 

The Canadian angle?  All of the fish and berries for North America are made in a single facility in Hamilton, Ontario (a steel town halfway between Toronto and Buffalo, NY) - let's hope security is tight - for all us Swedish fish-lovers' sake!!

Enjoy some Swedish Fish or Maynard's Swedish Berries soon everyone and have a great week!!

Til tomorrow,

Kevin 

Companies We Admire... STARBUCKS

Starbucks Inc., (formerly Starbucks Coffee Company) is on a roll, literally!

Several years ago things weren't so rosy for SBUX - founder Howard Shultz returned to manage the firm and found that he had too many locations, the stores were uninviting, and sales were flattening.  He took steps to rectify this though, and closed almost 1000 stores, and started to work on the 4th dimension (time, according to Einstein) - more on that below…..

Here's the latest with Starbucks….

• US and Canada same store sales are up 5% year over year 
• International sales are the big growth driver however - the company has planned a major push into China 
• Back to the "time" dimension - this means that the company is trying to sell drinks all day long - not just for the morning coffee rush - these afternoon/evening drinks have been termed 'refreshers" - and the Valencia Orange, for example is a big hit
• The food offerings, long an "unsweet spot" for the company, should improve drastically once the acquisition of the bakery goods chain La Boulange is fully integrated into Starbucks (at least its product offerings may be) - also, the yogurt company Danone is working with Starbucks on developing some new products as well 
• The result of all of this - the stock - ticker symbol SBUX - just hit an all-time high of $75 - and has perked up 40% for the year 

Personally speaking, I am a Starbucks drinker - BUT only when there's nothing else around!!! - finding the coffee too strong for my tender coffee taste-buds - I prefer Tim Hortons in Canada and Dunkin Donuts coffee in the US.

But even so, I have to admit, the "blonde" offering (still with coffee, everyone!!!)….was probably tailor made for me - a lighter, less robust blend that even I can enjoy - especially with the little Starbucks touches - like the vanilla powder (and chocolate and cinnamon) available at the creamery!

Starbucks is brewing up success - and is the latest "company we admire" 

Til tomorrow! 

Kevin 

9/11 - A Somber Day of Reflection

Today is the 12th Anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks and the 1st Anniversary of the Benghazi terror attacks in Libya. 

If you haven't done so already - please take a moment to reflect on the freedom we enjoy and how those who lost their lives that day were just "doing their thing" - traveling, working, going about their business like any other day.  Unexpected human loss must be the worst kind. 

I am reminded of how I spend 9/11/01 - I was traveling and actually used Newark Airport where some of the terrorists started out that morning (my travel was from 7:30 am to 8:30 am - so I was actually finished with my air travel just as the first tower was hit!)

But a strange thing happened during the course of the day (I was visiting a client that day).

By late morning, the seriousness of what was happening was well understood - yet one of my business clients - who I overheard - was seemingly "complaining" to someone on the phone that... "aw, they just cancelled my flight to so and so and now I can't go... I'm bummed… we'll have to re-schedule etc, etc."

Imagine the shock I felt - we all were in the middle of a serious sequence of attacks,  and someone's worried about their own little world and their cancelled flight later that week!!!  Unbelievable!

It reminds me of that scene in the Titanic when a porter shouts "You'll have to pay for that!" to a bunch of passengers who, running for their lives to escape the lower decks, were breaking through a door that held them captive. 

Let's never be like these people who can't see the bigger picture of what is going on.

Instead, let's be grateful for every day, and enjoy the freedoms that we have, in part, due to those who sacrificed for us in terrorist attacks, and in all our military efforts. 

Til tomorrow,

Kevin