Get the Buck out of here.

Another embarrassing loss for the Blue and Gold, another injury for Bombers starting QB Buck Pierce.

The time has come for the Blue and Gold to make Steven Jyles their #1 QB. The Bombers are a stinking 2-7.

I wonder what Bombers management were thinking when they signed Pierce. He was let go by the Lions. He has suffered numerous injuries over the past two years and looks like he will be out for another month. He has too many problems to be the #1 QB. If Winnipeg intends to be a contender for the Grey Cup, they can't pick QB's with all these injury problems.

Joint Strike Fighter CF-35 : The Whole Story.

An interesting article in Sun Media papers today concerning the CF-35 contracts.

There is an interesting myth out there that this aircraft was selected without bidders or tendering the project.
Here is a bit from the Toronto Star , July 17th 2010 :

“Despite the fanfare, the contract is dogged with controversy, especially since the contract was not put out to tender by the Canadian government, which simply fell into line with the U.S. on the decision to go with the Lockheed Martin fighters. ‘I am appalled, angry, frustrated, all of those things,’ said Alan S. Williams, a retired bureaucrat who served as assistant deputy minister at both national defence and public works. Williams said it seems the Tories are trying to put one over on the public by suggesting the deal was arrived at by process of elimination.”

What the Liberal Mr. Williams is suggesting is completely false. For the truth about the F-35 program, we have to go back in time, to 1997. In 1997, Canada signed on to the Concept Demonstration phase of the JSF program with an investment of US$10 million. This investment allowed Canada to participate in the extensive and rigorous competitive process where Boeing and Lockheed Martin developed and competed their prototype aircraft. Yes , despite what the Liberals say, there was a extensive and rigorous competitive process.
Lockheed Martin and Boeing were each given $750 million for the development of the concept demonstrators.
The JTF program put both the Boeing x-32 plane and the Lockheed Martin x-35 plane through it's paces.
The contract for System Development and Demonstration was awarded on 26 October 2001 to Lockheed Martin, as their plane outperformed the Boeing aircraft. At that time, the Liberal Government ponied up US$475 million toward the development costs, making us a level 3 partner and giving Canada the opportunity to build and develop some of the new aircraft in Canada. This was all before Stephen Harper entered the picture.

Canada made a deal under the past Liberal government to buy these jets. We invested money in the development of these aircraft with the intention we would purchase them. The Liberals committed to the CF-35 deal back in 2001. Canadian defense contractors have already been awarded over $500 Million in work on the CF-35.

Would Ignatieff rip up this deal and cost Canadian Taxpayers billions in lost work and cancellation fees ? The Liberals say the deal is secretive. They are the ones who wrote it, so how can they say that ?
The deal is a complicated one, and the Conservatives had no choice but to move forward and keep our obligations with our allies.

The clock is ticking on future of the Goldeyes and Northern League Baseball.

Independent baseball leagues have always been a turbulent operation. The Northern League has been around in various incarnations since 1902.
Since Sam Katz purchased the Rochester Aces and moved them to Winnipeg, the Northern League has seen teams come and go. They had a failed merger with the Northeast league and their expansion into Alberta was short-lived after Calgary and Edmonton left to join the Golden Baseball League .
Since the league is down to just 8 teams, many of them struggling. The Winnipeg Goldeyes are considered the #1 franchise in the NL , but according to Goldeyes owner Sam Katz, even they are losing money.
The biggest obstacle is that the Northern League has no connection to Major League Baseball or even Minor League Baseball. The Northern League players are mostly washed up ex-minor league players or players who just aren't good enough to make it to the minor league level.

Northern League Players are usually not scouted heavily by the Major Leagues. The Northern League has been called a "Beer League" by sports writers in the United States.

It is only a matter of time before the Northern League folds and the Winnipeg Goldeyes are without a league to play in. There are only 8 teams in the league and attendance continues to dwindle in all markets , including Winnipeg. The level of play has dropped sharply and the Goldeyes just finished their worst season ever.
The Northern League, is shaky. You have to commend the owners of the teams for trying to keep things afloat, but it is only a matter of time before this Northern League, like past incarnations , will dissolve, too. Winnipeg deserves a team that is linked with Major League Baseball, so maybe the end of the Northern League will turn out to be good for Winnipeg.

The other people running for mayor.

Sam Katz and Judy Waslylicia-leis are only 2 of the 6 options you can vote for as the next Mayor of Winnipeg. Here are the other people running for mayor.
First up is Nancy Thomas.

Nancy Thomas is running on platform to gut the Photo Radar/red light camera system and reopen community police service stations. Her tough on crime platform also include more police officers and more foot patrols. Another major promise is to retain public ownership of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and term limits.


Next up is Rav Gill.

Gill promises to return every single phone call to the Mayor's office personally , and promises better customer service at City Hall. He also wants to focus on a long term rapid transit system.

Next is Avery Petrowski.

Avery , in his own words :
* I would like the repair and proper funding of existing Winnipeg community centers to be a key priority in my campaign. Integral to the growth and development of a community and its children, underfunded community centers and youth programs must be brought up to speed if Winnipeg wants to remain a center of entrepreneurship and culture.

* Downtown revival will be a major focus of my campaign. Through progressive policies in energy and public transit, and encouraging the growth and development of new and exciting small businesses within the Winnipeg core, my plan is to expedite the recovery of the downtown center of Winnipeg.

* Primarily, I am aiming to increase the well-being of all Winnipeggers, and create a stronger working relationship between all our citizens. By uniting the citizenry, both working families and successful Winnipeg entrepreneurs working toward the common goal of shared prosperity, I hope to facilitate creation of much opportunity and growth in Winnipeg should I be elected it’s Mayor.

Also running is Ed Ackerman and we have no website or information about his platform at this time.

Out of these 4 , the only one that can really be taken seriously is Nancy Thomas. She is the only candidate out of all mayoral canidates to have a real stance on issues at this time. She has the best website out of all candidates and she has real world experience.

Either way it's still a two way horse race between Judy and Sam, and things are looking grim for the future.

Why did MSM ignore Tom Brodbeck's sexy stadium exclusive ?

The Black Rod - Maybe, if we can associate failed businessman David Asper with an attraction to large, naked black men, we can generate some news coverage of the biggest story in Winnipeg.

This week the city's news outlets rushed to follow CBC's masturbatory interracial sex fantasy story (black man claims he was recruited to have sex with white wife) while ignoring the true news scoop by Winnipeg Sun columnist Tom Brodbeck involving a threesome of Winnipeg's most influential men---Asper, Mayor Sam Katz and unelected Premier Greg Selinger.

Oh, not that kind of threesome. Sorry.

We meant a business arrangement involving the three men, as in getting into bed together to announce a new stadium for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and in the process screwing the taxpayer. As in the CBC sex "scandal", there is no sex. But there is plenty of scandal in Brodbeck's exclusive story.

"But Asper says the initial agreement that requires him to cover all cost overruns in the stadium deal is no longer valid if the cost of the project exceeds its original $115 million price tag," wrote Brodbeck (Somebody's gotta pay, Winnipeg Sun, Aug. 30, 2010).

Say what? Asper's pledge to cover cost overruns only existed as long as there were no overruns? Yeah, that makes sense, doesn't it?

He told Brodbeck, presumably with a straight face, that he never expected that the cost of construction would be more than the estimate. Construction costs were lower in the spring, he said. So by the time the deal was announced, on March 31, it was too late. The window was shut. The moment had passed. Coitus interruptus.

Asper didn't tell anyone the deal was off for another five months. Like all men, he was ashamed he couldn't perform. But now that tenders are out and expected to be at least $25 million more than the first estimate, Asper decided to come clean.
Forget it boys, he's telling his partners, Sam and Greg. You've got to cover the bill. I'll get the tip.

There's one part of the deal Asper doesn't want to change. He still intends to buy the Winnipeg Blue Bombers by paying $75 million of the cost of the stadium.

There's one problem with that scenario.

When the stadium cost $115 million, $75 mil was 65 percent. If the bill for the stadium is now $139 million plus, $75 mil is only 53 percent.

So Asper wants to buy the team at a discount. He doesn't live in Winnipeg anymore, but he's still looking for a discount.

You would think this story of reneging on a pledge and renegotiating a multi-multi-million deal on the fly would be big news. Especially since its part of a pattern with the Aspers. His sister Gail pledged the private sector would cover the cost overruns on the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, then as soon as there were cost overruns, she went running to Sam Katz and Greg Selinger's predecessor Gary Doer for a bailout. Then she stiffed the city on property taxes.

At last count, adding the cost overruns of the museum and the stadium, the taxpayer will be tapped for at least $50 million by the Aspers.

How much of any city tax increase will go to prop up these "Top 30" influential panhandlers?

In order to report the salacious details of black-on-white sex, CBC had to frame it as a question of "character", as in the woman who didn't have sex with the black man is a judge and it's the public interest to judge her character.

David Asper is a lawyer. He teaches students at the university of Manitoba. Shouldn't we examine his character?

Once upon a time a man's character was judged by how he kept his word in business. But that was then.

Now, maybe in the spirit of this week's 'new journalism', we can examine why he wants to spend $75 million for the right to sit in the Bombers dressing room and watch large naked black men walk out the showers, their ebony bodies steaming, their big, uh, muscles bulging.

Glenn’s Disgrace? Shocking Racism at Sharpton-Sponsored MLK Anniversary

Police Chiefs' Registry Fool's Gold

An Angus Reid poll out this week shows a vast majority of Canadians - 72 per cent - think the long-gun registry has done nothing to prevent crime. A survey of rank and file police officers is even more decisive, fully 92 per cent of them want it scrapped. Yet neither of these telling statistics will stop chiefs of police who are reportedly planning a taxpayer-funded lobbying and education campaign to defend the registry. They should stop.

A vote to kill Candice Hoeppner’s bill to scrap the long-gun registry is scheduled for September 22nd in the House of Commons. With numbers looking like the bill will survive, the long-gun registry appears doomed. As a result, the registry’s defenders are getting more and more desperate.

The registry has wasted some $2 billion and drains at least $106 million a year more from taxpayers from all three levels of government.

Police chief bureaucrats defend the registry because it gives them an excuse to purchase more computers, hire more staff and get larger budgets. However, the public get that the long-gun registry doesn’t make them safer; it’s simply adds more bureaucracy to a process that already requires gun owners to be licensed before obtaining a firearm.

Defenders frequently trot out the statistic that that the registry is queried 11,000 times a day by officers. However, this is because all queries of the Canadian Police Information Centre automatically check the registry. If you’ve been pulled over by police in traffic, it’s more than likely the gun registry has been queried. Of course, police are trained to assume guns are always present because criminals don’t register their firearms!

It’s worth noting that police chiefs have refused to commission a poll of their rank and file officers. No doubt they fear being proven to be out of step with the officers they purport to represent. An Edmonton officer conducted an online survey for Blue Line magazine and found 92 per cent of those officers surveyed favoured scrapping the registry. The survey revealed that police fear inaccurate data from the registry is affecting police safety in every province and territory.

Doubt about the usefulness of the registry is not limited to police officers. The Angus Reid poll reveals widespread Canadian belief that the long-gun registry has been a failure: 72 per cent think it has been ineffective and/or had no effect on preventing crime. The survey further revealed a plurality – 44 per cent – support scrapping it compared to 35 per cent that want it kept (21 per cent were undecided).

Importantly, despite a ramped up effort by defenders of the registry over the past several months, these numbers have budged little since a similar poll taken last November. Support for scrapping the registry is far deeper than the traditional urban/rural split in Canada.

Taxpayer-funded lobby and interest groups predictably beg for more and bigger government programs, regardless of their utility. However, it’s disappointing to see the chiefs of police join this bandwagon. Canadians should be mindful that the chiefs do not necessarily reflect the views of rank and file officers across the country. It’s likely any taxpayer-funded campaign of theirs to sell the public on benefits of the registry will prove no different than selling pyrite – fool’s gold. Fortunately, the registry’s shine is long gone.

Lady Gaga hits Winnipeg Saturday Night

The Lady Gaga Tour has stopped in Winnipeg on Saturday Night , between tour stops in Edmonton and St. Paul. Gaga is staying at the Radisson downtown and is rumored to be hitting a club or two in the exchange district on Saturday Night.

MANITOBA HYDRO CAN’T AFFORD TO SQUANDER $1.75 BILLION ON LONGER WEST-SIDE TRANSMISSION LINE

Hydro financial reports show disturbing trend of declining revenue: McFadyen

Manitoba Hydro posted its first quarterly loss since the severe 2002-2004 drought and its annual report highlights a disturbing trend of declining revenue for the utility and higher rates for Manitobans, even though more power is being sold south of the border, say Manitoba Progressive Conservatives. "The NDP would like us to believe that power sales to the US will pay for the longer, more expensive west-side route for the new BiPole III line,” said PC Leader Hugh McFadyen. “The utility’s financial reports tell a different story. Manitoba Hydro cannot afford to squander $1.75 billion to put the line down the west side of the province just because the NDP said so.” The NDP issued a directive to Manitoba Hydro to build BiPole III down the west side. Premier Greg Selinger’s decision means Manitoba Hydro must build a transmission line that is 479 kilometres longer, have increased maintenance costs, and add $1.75 billion to our Hydro bills. “This political interference could potentially cost the average Manitoba family about $7000 in additional, unnecessary costs,” McFadyen added.

This Isn’t the Stadium Creswin Promised

The original Stadium Asper Promised

The stadium Asper is going to deliver.

Creswin Properties (David Asper) is now trying to build a different stadium than what was originally promised the city, the Bomber fans, and this community. The artist’s rendering above is the latest version of the stadium planned for the U of M. You can clearly see the bleachers which mean you will hear events at the stadium LOUD AND CLEAR up to several kilometres away.

What happened to the sunken playing field that Asper promised would provide an important sound and light buffer to the surrounding area? How are you going to enjoy an evening in your home with 33,000 to 45,000 screaming football or concert fans yelling in your back yard? An open-air stadium of this capacity at the University of Manitoba has the potential to very negatively impact the quality of life in this community. Yet our political leaders don’t appear to care.

Plus there does not appear to be a realistic parking plan to deal with the 9,000 to 13,000 cars that will converge on our community and the significant negative impacts this will have on area residents (blocked and over-crowded streets, restricted access to emergency vehicles such as fire trucks and ambulances, and lack of parking for residents and their family and guests to name a few). It appears from the design plans that were submitted that OUR NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS are intended to provide some parking for the stadium (see the attached document presented to get their permit).

Let’s be realistic. Your hard-earned tax dollars are ultimately going to be paying for this project yet has anyone asked you do you even want a stadium in your neighbourhood? David Asper thinks you do. So do Mayor Sam Katz and Councillor Justin Swandel. Many residents feel this stadium is being forced onto this community, like the 600 people in the area who have signed our door-to-door and online petition against the stadium.

The Fort Richmond Coalition is a group of concerned residents who have organized a TOWN HALL MEETING at the Richmond Kings Community Centre on Monday, August 23rd at 7:30pm to give you a chance to voice concerns and ask questions you may have about the stadium being planned for our community.

We have invited Premier Selinger; Mayor Katz; Councillors Swandel, Vandel, and Steeves; Vic Toews MP; Marilyn Brick MLA; Dr. David Barnard (U of M); Hugh McFayden; Judy Wasylycia-Leis; Louise May; and David Asper to hear your concerns and answer your questions.

This is YOUR community that is being affected and your voice needs to be heard! If you believe the new stadium design is completely unacceptable to this community you need to attend. If you believe the idea of a CFL football stadium at the University of Manitoba is simply a bad idea and a poor use of your tax dollars, you need to attend. If you want to help preserve the quality of life in this community it is very important you attend the Town Hall Meeting at the Richmond Kings Community Centre on Monday, August 23rd at 7:30pm.

The Town Hall Meeting at the Richmond Kings Community Centre (666 Silverstone) on Monday August 23rd at 7:30pm is your chance to hear an update about the changes to the stadium design and the impact this will have on our community as well as your chance to have your concerns heard. Please be sure to attend.