[anne]

We were in Jamaica a few weeks ago. I was chatting with our lovely housekeeper, explaining that I was on my laptop keeping up-to-date with our troublesome mayor. She asked "Is that the very fat man that does drugs?". I had to laugh because, even in paradise, the news of our infamous mayor filters through. I fear we will forever be connected to that clown. The damage he has done to our City seems to be permanent and irreversible. It can all be very depressing.

This too will pass. I predict we will barely hear of Ford after he is trounced in the next election. The news will focus on him for a few days and then we will get back to other things. He has to go.

 

[guy caballero]

quadrupled...?

Quintupled....?

Some of the most offensive remarks recently have been made by RoFo himself.
The Saturday night 'swallowing load' drunken stupor comment he made at ACC while he jumped in cab with 2 strangers heading to City Hall where a burning plastic smell emanated a while after his arrival

 

[Cooper]

What do you think, is RoFo staring into the shit abyss?

 

[Riverdale Rink Rat]

There's the Winnipeg Ballet and the Winnipeg Theatre Centre; the Vancouver Opera Company; the Montreal Symphony; and Theatre New Brunswick. But the local ballet company in Toronto is called the National Ballet of Canada; the local opera company is the Canadian Opera Company; a local theatre company is Canadian Stage. These organizations seldom tour to Regina, Prince Rupert, or Dartmouth; their scope and audience are decidedly not national, yet they make the claim. I remember reading an article in the Star a dozen years ago in which the writer waxed nostalgic over her childhood memory of "the quintessential Canadian summertime experience." She was remembering riding the Queen streetcar from the west end to the Beach and eating ice cream. As if every person in Lethbridge or Charlottetown fondly recalls that childhood thrill. The Globe and Mail publishes across the country and calls itself "Canada's National Newspaper" -- and 90% of the content is about Toronto and Ontario. (I refer to it as "Toronto's National Newspaper.") This kind of stuff is absolutely pervasive in this city, but Torontonians don't even notice it.

I think Viljo Revell nailed it when he designed a city hall where not a single window faces outward; you can't see the rest of Canada from here. And that's what bothers people outside this city.

I continue to wax off-topic, but I can't leave this unchallenged. You may have left the west coast 25 years ago, but you continue to be nostalgic for it, if I may. To say that the National Ballet of Canada is 'the local ballet company', or the COC is the 'local opera house' is jaw-dropping. Both can be compared to the best in the world, and are head and shoulders above any other in Canada. Complain that the Royal Winter Fair or CNE don't compare to the Stampede or PCE, fine. Note that the AGO doesn't call itself the 'National Gallery of Canada', because it's not. Take the chip off your West Coast shoulder and enjoy the fact Canadian Stage stages the best independent theatre in Canada, before they send it out on the road to the Jubilee Auditoriums. FFS.

To finish -- the G&M's Calgary edition doesn't have the Toronto and Ontario content. I really miss it when I'm in Calgary. It's Canada's National Newspaper because each edition across the country is sculpted to local taste. But you knew your friends on the West Coast weren't reading the same content as your Toronto edition in their BC edition, right? Because otherwise you'd feel foolish about complaining about that?

Finally -- draws breath -- the fact you try to read the mind of a Finnish modernist architect from the distant past is... wanting.

 

[anne]

Despite your sarcasm, message boards where people talk about Ford are not representative of what random people in another country are talking about.

I'm not sure why you think people on message boards are any less random than anywhere else. The subject matter was not politics, it was music mainly. I would say they were a pretty random bunch, not particularly enlightened about Canada or Toronto.

The smiley face at the end was to denote silliness, not sarcasm.

 

[anne]

Ford's buddy Frank D'Angelo is a failed apple juice maker turned failed beer baron turned failed Italian food peddler turned failed Cheetah energy drink pitchman turned failed gangster film actor turned access-tv host turned ... pop star.

Prepare to cringe.

[video=youtube;_2XjV9J5KVE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2XjV9J5KVE[/video]

Good Lord, is that Frank D'Angelo? This meatball who can afford to buy himself a music video? I've always wondered who he was. He's a blight on late night cable TV.

 

[YYZ2YHZ]

So apparently Doug says Ben is not actually on the campaign team, but was simply there to endorse Rob

 

[Dubster]

Sextupled, but there's not much we can do.

For those though saying there didn't used to be trolls here, remember Cowboy Truth or whatever his name was?

Guys, Forgotten is a really well done parody of Rob apologists. He's not serious. I actually like those posts, and he's been doing them for a while.

 

[DD13]

I confused Forgotten with Cowboy Logic. His dedication to his craft also extended to disappearing for a while after the Ford news started to look bad. I retract my criticism a few pages back. Also, did David Brent direct that music video?

 

[anne]

Led me to... http://truthmostwanted.webs.com/apps/blog/show/4236193-crooked-cops-tied-to-frank-d-angelo-mafia

That's quite the interesting connection. It's been so long since I've seen any media coverage of Mafia in Canada that I was starting to wonder why. But if this writer is telling the truth, Ford's friends are all connected to the underworld which certainly makes one wonder about whether Deco is legitimate.
The only experience I've had with underworld characters is the bikers who had club houses in the east end. I would have believed they were all rivals rather than working side by side. So far we know he has gang friends, D'Angelo - does he have any biker connections as well?

 

[christiesplits]

Also, did David Brent direct that music video?

Haha. That was the first thing I thought. Wasn't sure if people would get the reference.

 

[TOvp]

D'Angelo's show is actually paid programming. Time to crowd source the return of Red Green to bump the bum off CHCH.

 

[hper]

D'Angelo's show is actually paid programming. Time to crowd source the return of Red Green to bump the bum off CHCH.

CHCH is now owned and operated by Channel Zero. HQ's in The Junction. It used to be the channel SCTV parodied. Along with WKBW in Buffalo. Hilarious House of Frightenstein, Commander Tom and all that. Now they do Hamilton local TV and...erm...'specialty channels'. And Frank D'Angelo selfies.

 

[TOBorn]

So apparently Doug says Ben is not actually on the campaign team, but was simply there to endorse Rob

Rob and Doug really need to talk: http://read.thestar.com/?origref=ht...sgraced-sprinter-ben-johnson-trailer-park-boy

 

[EagleEye]

If we hadn't been on twitter or here, would we have heard a word about Ford going back to City Hall where there was a burning smell? I wonder if the Star is pursuing this because they haven't said a word about it. Burning smells in what should have been an empty building with 1 mayor, a security guard and 2 media people who arrived on the scene afterward are very suspicious.