Dave Shuttleworth - blog
Biker Mamas and Cabinet Ministers
As I've told you, politics of great interest to me. With that in mind, this news about Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier is quite intriguing. If you aren't aware of the situation I'll give you the Coles Notes: Mr. Bernier is under harsh criticism because he previously dated a woman who has been romantically linked to at least two known biker gang members. The woman in question, Julie Coulliard was engaged to marry a member of the Hell's Angels ten years ago. More recently, Mlle. Coulliard accompanied Mr. Bernier to a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.
You'll like this...
I know that many of you are music fans, so I found this gem! Check it out. The worst album covers ever! There are 50 of them here for your amusement. I quite like the gentleman with the harp.
Enjoy,
Dave
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-worst-album-ugc,0,5066300.ugcphotogallery
I have an idea!
I don't know about you, but this weather just puts me in a great mood. I didn't believe in that SAD nonsense, but compared to my demeanor back in the dead of February the difference is well, like night and day. Hot and cold, if you will! This is good since I was in a pretty rotten mood yesterday because the Habs got tossed on Saturday night!
By the way, thanks for the chats. Just so everyone is on the same page I chat live on K-Lite every Monday at 11am and on CHAM Mondays at noon. I don't have a scheduled time on CKOC yet but I will change that! Ask whatever you wish. It's pretty cool really.
Habs are out, so summer can start!
Well, the sun was shining on Sunday, literally speaking, of course! If you are a Habs fan, not so much! I, like many Hamiltonians who were so proud of the Canadiens (which features many former and current Hamilton Bulldogs), am very disappointed to see the team eliminated by the Philadelphia Flyers. I can seek solace in the fact that they will probably be trounced by the Penguins!
This week, I start my summer courses at Mac. I am six credits (2 classes) away from getting my degree. Many people have asked me what I will do with my Poli Sci degree when I get it. Well, I going to buy a nice frame! I hope to be finished by the time the baby is born. Alright, unborn baby, I'm talking to you. Try to wait another week. See what you can do for me. I'll make it up to you, I promise!
Just catching up!
Me again. Lots going on these days.
First of all, I would like to congratulate my friends, Jamie and Lily, who got married this past weekend. They're off to Greece for two weeks. That should be an amazing honeymoon! Perhaps I'll get them to report back as one of you lucky K-Lite listeners might be going there soon! The dinner was wonderful. It was at a beautiful Vietnamese restaurant in Toronto. I ate, and ate, and ate some more, as did my wife. Interestingly enough, on the way home, Jenn (wife) insisted that we stop at McDonald's...Even after all that food! Such is life, I guess, when you're 7 months pregnant.
This is one "Super" argument!
My father-in-law was over the other night. He, like me, is a big music fan. In our discussion we were talking about "Supergroups" and what constitutes them. For this I'll need your input.
My definition was this: A Supergroup is a band comprised of at least two musicians who have been in other successful bands.
His definition was: A very successful, multi-platinum selling band.
By his theory, any band that sells a million records could be defined at a "Supergroup." This is why I believe that the term is overused and thus I seek to clarify.
Really, how could it have been any better this year?
Well, the locker rooms are cleaned out and most of the players are making their summer plans, which might include some hockey, but more likely golf. Yes, another Bulldogs season wrapped up. This year was obviously not as exciting as last. But then again, how could you get much better than last year. The Bulldogs won the Calder Cup last year for the first time in franchise history and like many of you I was half-heartedly waiting for a repeat, to no avail. We must, however, put this in to perspective. With the Dogs' victory last year, one had to figure that there was an overwhelming amount of talent within the organization. Talent that one might consider to be ready to make the transition to the NHL, and that's exactly what happened. Over this past season, Andrei and Sergie Koistitsin, Michail Grabovski, Maxime Lapierre, Ryan O'Byrne, Carey Price and Jaroslav Halak were all called up to play for the Habs. Price retuned briefly, only to be called to take the starting role when Montreal traded Huet. Meanwhile several other players made the up and down trip a few times including: Corey Locke, Matt D'Agostini, Greg Stewart and Yann Danis, to name a few.
The Good, The Bad and The Masters
The weather is spectacular! You should be BBQing by Thursday and golfing by Friday. A sure sign of spring (or summer) is The Masters! I watched what I could on the weekend and Tiger Woods never ceases to amaze me. Yes, he is perhaps the greatest golfer ever but it's when he's losing that he intrigues me. That's because, unlike the rest of us, he doesn't know how to lose. He is so focused that the thought of taking a bad shot doesn't even enter his mind. What we can determine from his "Landmark" approach is that when he is having a bad game, he can't correct because he can't change his focus! Isn't that amazing?!
Hey There...
Just me again! Thought I'd link some video just for fun. Did you see that shot that Weir had at the Masters?
Take a look at this video...
Cobain, Junos and other brilliance
It's been over a week since I last blogged, but I'm getting a good reaction from you about what I've written so keep the emails coming.
Today is the 14th anniversary of the death of Kurt Cobain. Not that I was a huge fan of his while he was alive, but I recognize his influence and did even at the time. He was also one of those celebrity deaths that I can remember exactly where I was when I found out. I was at the corner of Aberdeen and Locke St., walking home from school when a friend drove by and shouted out the window of her car what had happened.
Low impact, trying to be low impact!
My wife and I kept on one light for Saturday's "Earth Hour." We were hanging some blinds and weren't willing to do so by candlelight. A quick stroll on to my front porch at 8:29 pm revealed a few lights from the houses on my street, but certainly less than usual for a Saturday night. Not that I am against the idea of Earth Day or an hour, for that matter, given that it raises awareness about the issue of global warming. I am, however, prone to cynicism since it is unclear how much energy was saved during those fleeting sixty minutes.
Hamilton joined many cities across the world that participated by turning off non-essential lights in the downtown core. Also, many local businesses, including ours at Astral Media did the same. But does that truly show commitment to the issue, or is it just for show? I had to laugh at the notion of a concert in downtown Toronto that offered free parking. Free parking, really? That means that I would DRIVE to a show that is to support the environment. I wonder how much energy was used to power the stage? The Weather Network encouraged us to watch live coverage of the hour too. Let me get this straight, because, perhaps I'm missing something. I'm supposed to turn on my TV during an hour that has been designated for power reduction. In addition, all I would supposedly be watching would be darkness (from all around the world, no less).
Let me put this in to perspective, since I am not a rabid environmentalist. Last month, Hamilton City Council turned down a proposal that would require us to limit our garbage to one container per week. A measure that would force us to take a hard look at what we are consuming in an effort to reduce the amount going to the landfills. There would have been special provisions that would allow for hospitals, nursing homes and homes of large families to put additional containers out at no extra charge. This was a great idea and I was truly saddened when it was, for all intents and purposes, dismissed. Last week, however, we were inundated with calls to take part in this hour as a way to show our commitment to the environment. It wouldn't take any stroke of brilliance to figure out that a commitment to throw out only one bag of garbage per week would have a much better impact on the earth, than turning out non-essential lights while we watch Nelly Furtado play "Turn off the Lights" (the "unplugged" version).
It would occur to me that our determination to curb the causes of climate change is superficial, at best. What should be "Low Impact" is our environmental footprint. Not our commitment to do something about it!
Budgets, smokers, and Unions
Budget News:
Based on yesterday's provincial budget, Hamilton will get $12 Million for social services! Will this mean tax relief for hard-working Hamiltonians? Not so much...This will only provide the basis for the Hamilton budget to be released today. Perhaps a less-than-five-percent tax increase. That means that the cash infusion from the province won't even make it a wash!
Perhaps if the city hadn't tried to make affordable housing, welfare and corrections and rehabilitation a business several years back, we wouldn't be in this situation. But what do I know?
Also, if you smoke, you might not be able to light up at the beach this year, if the city has its way. How effective will this be? Well, it worked at Ivor Wynne Stadium...lol!
Hey Dofasco, how's that union thing working for you these days? I heard a great argument for Arselor Mital's organization just yesterday. It went like this: Dofasco should organize because then the workers would have the same protection as Stelco's employees. And some protection that has been!
Don't get me wrong, I love Hamilton, but news like this makes it so easy to make fun.
Talk soon!
I Love Politics
For those of you who already know me, you know that I love politics. I won't bore you with political speak but I can't resist this story about Hillary Clinton. Recently, at a news conference she described the harrowing tale of her 1996 trip to Bosnia, where she said "I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base."
The news media, being the news media, dug up the footage of this 12-year old trip. It showed Clinton and her daughter Chelsea getting off the plane before being greeted by a delegation. There was music, salutations, hugs and kisses. There was even poem read by a young girl, to the delight of the then First Lady. But where, oh, where was the sniper fire? It would appear that, to quote Roger Clemens, Clinton "misremembered" the series of events from so long ago.
Today, Clinton apologized for the errors in her account about that trip. As was printed in the Globe and Mail: "She told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "I was sleep-deprived, and I misspoke." She told KDKA radio in Pittsburgh: "You know, I have written about this and described it in many different settings, and I did misspeak the other day. This has been a very long campaign."
Here's my question: If you were ever shot at, wouldn't you remember every single detail of that event? If you said to me, "Dave, tell us about the time that you were shot at." I would tell you sit down and I would unload every last nuance and intimate, seeming-inconsequential bit about that day, up to and including the style of the washroom where I went to change my underwear. This does not, to me, seem like something where I could really mess up the story that badly....but, then again, I'm not running for president.
See, politics is quite fun!
Vacations, Concerts and Radiothons
Back from vacation, actually I've been back almost a week but I forgot to blog about it! I spent the first part of the week working on the house, painting quarter-round and hanging curtains (which, by the way, my wife made by hand). The next 4 days were spent at a B&B in Port Stanley...Very relaxing! I ate, read, slept...and ate again! I wrapped up the week at the Iron Maiden show in Toronto. I truly amazing concert packed with all the hits. The Maiden fan is maturing, as the parking lot was full of mini-vans and BMWs.
Question: When was the last time you paid for parking in Toronto? For me, it was obviously a long time ago because some of the lots were charging $25.00!!!!! That's right! All of the other lots were about $20. A little entertainment doesn't come cheap!
Once every four years
So, the earth needs to get realigned, and in order for that to happen we need an extra day in order to facilitate that. Happy Leap Day!!! As far as I can tell, it's just one more day of winter! I could go to Wikipedia in order to get the details on what actually happens according to the Gregorian calendar, but I'm too busy....I mean Lazy. Pierre Trudeau announced his second retirement after his "walk in the snow" on February 29th. Leave it to him to get the extra glory after he had two kids born on December 25th!!! He was once quoted as saying "God only had one child born on December 25th, I had two." But, happy birthday to you if you happen to have your birthday on this day...Let's see here, if you're fifty-two, you're only celebrating birthday number13, not too shabby. One question though, on non-leap years do you celebrate on February 28th or March 1st?
Hockey and Politics....Does it get any better than this?
What a great day for those who love Hockey and Politics?!?!?!?!?!
I was glued to the TV to watch all the trading and the made the flip to the CBC to watch the budget. Normally the Federal Budget is a total snorefest but this could be the one that brings the government down (If I have a dime for every time I've heard that). Not that I want to see the Conservatives defeated, but I would like to see a Conservative Majority!
Incidentally, have you read Mulroney's memoirs yet? I can't put it down. Perhaps I'll lend it to you when I'm done. Although, it is 1,200 pages so you might have to wait until October. He was at the RBG last fall but because of the Bulldogs' Home Opener I could not attend...Alas, I'll have to wait again. His promo tour has turned in to more of an exercise in damage control, so I won't hold my breath!
My first blog!!
I have joined the blogosphere!!!!! So what happens now? This is interesting, really. I have 3 email addresses, a cell phone and I'm on Facebook, but it never occurred to me to start a daily (or weekly) blog.
Here's the deal: I'm 32 years-old, married, with a baby on the way in July. My wife, Jennifer Sanders, and I, live in downtown Hamilton. I've been here for a few years now but I'm pretty hard pressed for time since I'm giving away concert tickets, trips, trinkets amid telling you what song is coming up next. So I'm not prone to get personal, even though I'll tell you anything if you ask (really, try it sometime).
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