[basic]

I would imagine having his taxpayer funded driver/babysitter watching him has helped. That guy is in shape. Ford is still a disaster waiting to happen though.

Guaranteed when he loses the election (or gets charged), has no motivation anymore and no more city-funded handler, he'll balloon back.

It's just so infuriating how he can regurgitate statements like "Losing Weight = the key to reelection." Those statements work on a section of the electorate. The more he repeats them, the more they become considered truth. It's like he is using Jedi mind tricks for dummies.

 

[newearthling]

I've found that nuance and subtlety are often missed online. Especially among those with a sense of humour deficit.

It's, "...the most cliché media training question of them all: “When did you stop beating your wife?â€

http://www.mrmediatraining.com/2011/09/19/when-did-you-stop-beating-your-wife/

Why assume someone has no sense of humour merely because they did not train in journalism?
Your first response seemed in the Ford league of crude insensitivity, as you did not explain the reference.
Having experienced what you are mocking, I don't think it is ever appropriate to make fun of those who have experienced it.
You proved the evaluation of that 'cliche' I guess. It is impossible not to look like an ass when talking or joking about it.

 

[JWBF]

For the record, I think Robbie's weight loss gives hope to those who struggle in this area. However, loosing weight will not make you a better mayor, or give you back something that did not exist in the beginning.

Anyway, being in shape was never an issue with Robbie, he has in the past shown a great deal of energy, just not endurance in situations of stress, which IMHO is more mental and emotional than physical. One just has to watch him in challenging situations like a difficult counsel session.

 

[mrtinfoilsocket]

Why assume someone has no sense of humour merely because they did not train in journalism?
Your first response seemed in the Ford league of crude insensitivity, as you did not explain the reference.
Having experienced what you are mocking, I don't think it is ever appropriate to make fun of those who have experienced it.
You proved the evaluation of that 'cliche' I guess. It is impossible not to look like an ass when talking or joking about it.

In fairness it's not really about journalism training. It's a phrase used as the quintessential example of the "loaded question" and the context is understood by nearly anybody with formalized debate experience/training. (I understand why it got your back up though - a month or two ago and I wouldn't have understood the reference either).

 

[dforthandbview]

Jackson Proskow ‏@JProskowGlobal
I asked the mayors if they felt the premier needed to be here to listen to them directly. Only 2 (Ford and Fennell) thought so.

Fennell being the mayor of Brampton, who has a scandal of her own at the moment.
And Ford is, well, you know.

Also, it's worth noting that Mayor McCallion didn't invite the premier to the meeting. "If the premier was to be here I guess we should have invited the prime minister," said McCallion. (excellent point, Hazel)

So, clearly, Ford was the one playing politics here, not the premier (re: his criticisms of her not being there today).

 

[newearthling]

Things get more interesting every day. Richard Peddie endorses Olivia Chow and laments Rob Ford's mayoral tem.
Business has abandoned Ford finally.


Former MLSE president: I know who can start rebuilding Toronto

Richard Peddie
Contributed to The Globe and Mail
Published Friday, Jan. 17 2014, 10:29 AM EST

I lament now that we ended up with Rob Ford and think four years is enough. Because I realized that adding bricks doesn’t only apply to companies. It applies to people, too. And we deserve better than a mayor who measures success by what he opposes and who he attacks.
...

The mark of a good mayor isn’t calling himself the best mayor ever. Instead, it’s having the experience to know that liveable neighbourhoods and prosperity flow from strategically investing. Not throwing money at tactical things, but making that money really work.

Whether she will run for mayor I don’t know. Obviously she is considering it. I certainly encouraged her to and happily offered my support. Because I am convinced that on the big picture, she gets where Toronto needs to go.

Defending his visionless agenda, Mr. Ford suggests that throwing bricks at people is how businesses are run. I absolutely know better. Businesses are run by working with people and knowing which bricks to add where and when. Based on that test, I hope Ms. Chow runs, wins and starts building a city again.

Richard Peddie is the retired president & CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment

 

[themarc]

Things get more interesting every day. Richard Peddie endorses Olivia Chow and laments Rob Ford's mayoral tem.
Business has abandoned Ford finally.


Former MLSE president: I know who can start rebuilding Toronto

Richard Peddie
Contributed to The Globe and Mail
Published Friday, Jan. 17 2014, 10:29 AM EST

I lament now that we ended up with Rob Ford and think four years is enough. Because I realized that adding bricks doesn’t only apply to companies. It applies to people, too. And we deserve better than a mayor who measures success by what he opposes and who he attacks.
...

The mark of a good mayor isn’t calling himself the best mayor ever. Instead, it’s having the experience to know that liveable neighbourhoods and prosperity flow from strategically investing. Not throwing money at tactical things, but making that money really work.

Whether she will run for mayor I don’t know. Obviously she is considering it. I certainly encouraged her to and happily offered my support. Because I am convinced that on the big picture, she gets where Toronto needs to go.

Defending his visionless agenda, Mr. Ford suggests that throwing bricks at people is how businesses are run. I absolutely know better. Businesses are run by working with people and knowing which bricks to add where and when. Based on that test, I hope Ms. Chow runs, wins and starts building a city again.

Richard Peddie is the retired president & CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment

And throwing his hat in the ring for a later run for Mayor?

 

[Johnny Au]

No, he should never hold public office ever again.

That would be even better.

 

[Johnny Au]

Twitter forces concision on the tweeter.

I have significant difficulties thinking of anything under 140 characters. I need much more than that to articulate my thoughts. Not just that, but immaturity requires much fewer characters than anything well thought. This is one of many reasons why I don't tweet.

 

[casita]

I would imagine having his taxpayer funded driver/babysitter watching him has helped.

If the driver is responsible for picking the mayor up at home and returning him home at the end of the day, including nights out, weekends etc., I wonder how many hours per week he works?

 

[NYCBoy2305]

I have significant difficulties thinking of anything under 140 characters. I need much more than that to articulate my thoughts. Not just that, but immaturity requires much fewer characters than anything well thought. This is one of many reasons why I don't tweet.

Apparently, people follow hundreds of tweeters at a time. Not surprising that impact of tweeting is negligible. Here is something I wrote about addressing health inequalities for another piece.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
My experience has been that “social media†is all “sound and fury, signifying nothing.†Tweets and Facebook deny any role for contemplation and reflection and lead to action being merely clicking on “like†or “favour.†In contrast the 1500 members of my social determinants of health listserv has evolved into a community that shares materials, reflects upon it, and then moves towards real action.[ https://listserv.yorku.ca/archives/sdoh.html ]

In terms of education and action, Juha Mikkonen’s Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts†has been downloaded 200,000 times and virtually all of this traffic has come from course outlines, health unit and other agency websites, and articles and journals. [http://thecanadianfacts.org] In other words, from places that require more than a click on a mouse. Even then, all attempts to get traffic to the Facts from twitter and other “social media†has amounted to nothing. See SMALL CHANGE: Why the revolution will not be tweeted. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/10/04/101004fa_fact_gladwell

 

[nfitz]

I have significant difficulties thinking of anything under 140 characters. I need much more than that to articulate my thoughts. Not just that, but immaturity requires much fewer characters than anything well thought. This is one of many reasons why I don't tweet.

140 characters is bad, but 264 characters is good? 1/2

Surely, you could articulate same by twitter simply with two tweets. 2/2

 

[urbantoby]

If the driver is responsible for picking the mayor up at home and returning him home at the end of the day, including nights out, weekends etc., I wonder how many hours per week he works?

I seem to recall people not knowing if his driver was being paid for by the city or his own pocket...

 

[themarc]

I seem to recall people not knowing if his driver was being paid for by the city or his own pocket...

I would say Rob is paying for it - because if he was a city employee he would have been turfed in a hot second when caught recording people faces in the council chamber with his cell phone that day when the circus came to roost.

 

[PinkLucy]

Wasn't the fact that he is NOT a city employee an issue because he was on the council chamber floor that day?