Yes, yes I believe that was it. 
So, the Federal government wants to limit how much equity homeowners can borrow against their houses, and lending institutions don’t like it. My rule of thumb is if the banks like it, it’s bad for me, and vice versa, so I guess this is a good thing.
That’s an interesting and thoughtful item, Jimbo. Thanks for the link!
I agree that when this labour action is over, Canadians will watch, and attend, hockey games as if nothing ever happened (though perhaps with a little grumbling over why the whole mess occurred). I think what bothers me is the addiction many Canadians have towards hockey, which in my view, acts to the detriment of sports fans, as opposed to hockey fans.
Honestly, I remember the Edmonton sports bar where, when the Oilers were playing, every single TV had to be showing the Oilers game. No exceptions–out of perhaps 36 televisions, not even one could show, say, an NFL playoff game. Nope, the Oilers were on (in a regular season game yet), so NFL playoffs were not shown.
Similarly, locally, a hockey game will always be on the big screens at the local sports bar. Nashville at Dallas in October? Big screen. The Chicago Cubs playing in the World Series? Small screen, around the corner near the men’s room.
I like hockey, but damn! Does every single hockey game that occurs between late-September and mid-June need to be broadcast?
I’m curious if any of my fellow Canucks have seen the film ‘Argo’. I haven’t, and I’ll probably wait until it’s available by some other means. I’m desperately trying not to judge it without seeing it, but everything I’ve heard makes it sound like I’m going to be yelling at the screen “Listen, it wasn’t that way!”
Has anyone who knows the historical accounts of the Canadian Caper seen the film?
I haven’t seen the film, but from what I’ve read about its plot, it is factually inaccurate. As reviewer Brian D. Johnson said in Maclean’s on September 12, 2012,
I may see the film eventually, but after reading this review, I won’t be hurrying to do so.
Dunno if it’s playing yet, but I’ll avoid it. It sounds worse than than that fantasmagorical Second World War turkey in which Americans capture the German sub and Enigma machine.
Ken Taylor on the film (from the Toronto Star of October 7, 2012):
I enjoyed today’s article in the Toronto Star, interviewing Antonio (Tony) Mendez, the CIA agent played by Ben Affleck.
In my humble opinion, Ken Taylor did not harbour those six Americans for the fame or the glory - he did it because it was the right thing to do. Our mutual history is filled with moments like that, of Americans coming to the aid of Canadians, and Canadians coming to the aid of Americans. That’s the part I want to see celebrated, and it grates when a legit hero like Ken Taylor gets written out of the story…
As one who lived through the time that the events took place, that’s how I recall things–Taylor and his staff said that they did what they did because it was the right thing to do.
I recall a joke from the time. I cannot remember who came up with it (though it may have been from a Wayne and Shuster skit), but the joke went something like this:
Canadian official: And to pass as Canadian, you can’t smoke your regular brands. No Marlboros, Winstons, Camels, or any American brand. You’ll have to smoke Export A, Du Maurier, Craven A, Matinee…
American: Boy, you Canadians really take that “eh” thing seriously!
Lived through it too. I lived in a boarder city, Sarnia, Ontario at the time. Well, you wouldn’t believe how thankful and gracious people and companies were. It was Canada’s 15 minutes of fame. We were rock stars.
History’s written by those with the biggest movie budgets.
I saw Tony Mendez’s book Argo: How the CIA and Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History, when I was in Chapters today. I bought a copy. I’ll let you know how historically accurate (based on my memory) I find it.
I lived through that time and it was one of my proudest moments as a Canadian.
I’ll hold off watching it, because I don’t want to pollute my memory.
Plus, what qualifies as a domestic vehicle anymore? Is it the head office location, plant of manufacture, where the parts were made? My Ford Focus was made in Mexico, my japanese Subaru was made in Indiana, or get a VW made in Kentucky…
Congrats on the car purchase,mnemosyne, I like the new Elantras and I think you’ll get many happy years out of it.
Hasn’t that always been the way with Canadian History, though? We always seem to end up on pg.2 somehow. I think we still have a lot to learn as a nation about trumpeting our achievements, without somehow turning it into a full blown production. Laura Secord kicks Paul Revere’s butt as far as what she endured and accomplished but you would never know it.
Adam Dollard makes The Alamo look like a tea party, but only a history geek would even know who he was or what he did.
It really is a shame in a way that we can’t do a little more self-aggrandizing but I guess then we would be virtually indistinguishable from our cousins South.
I didn’t see that coming - Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty resigns.
Nobody did.
My guess is something’s about to bust into the open about the power plant scandal, or he’s hoping that by resigning, it won’t.
There’s been a lot of chatter about documents regarding the power plant closure that should have been provided to Queen’s Park, but weren’t provided and are only now coming out. It doesn’t look good.
I don’t know what confidence issues are forthcoming, but the writing is on the wall that the Liberals are going to lose the next confidence vote. Better to exit as a winner than a loser I suppose.
Federally the Liberals aren’t a terrible party and I have voted for them on occasion. I have never voted provincially for the Liberals and think they have done a terrible job in just about every portfolio over the last 10 years.
I’ve not been paying attention. What’s the power plant scandal about?
During election week, or thereabouts this year, under voter pressure, the Liberals decided to cancel the construction of a natural gas-fired electricity plant in Oakville.
The plant was all ready under construction. The initial cancellation costs were 20 something million, and than later came in at a few hundred million, and have been escalating ever since, especially due to documents not provided to Queen’s Park.
I don’t have all the details but there’s enough information here to Google the deal. We, the Ontario taxpayers, are on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars, so that the Liberals could hang onto one riding.
Lovely.
ouch. thanks for the update.