Independent Canadian News

1984 type doublespeak and Ethics legislation

“Love is Hate”, “War is Peace”, “Immoral Legislation is ‘Ethics’?”

———I have no idea what the name or number of the Ethics bill that I think the Harper Government is still trying to stuff down our throats, but the bill that is touted as something to protect people from unethical practices and/or employees of the government being required to campaign for their partisan bosses/ MPs, Ministers or whatever… Has this nasty little surprise inside:

———They want to make it illegal for any federal employee to say anything that might be interpreted as ‘against the government’. (truthful or not.)

———( The Nazi-fication of North America is not confined to the south side of the border.)

—————Jim (who usually tries very hard to remain objective here.)

Olympic Torch Visits Arnprior

Olympic Torch in Arnprior
Olympic Torch Run Photo by Cathi Harris

-Arnprior, Ontario, Canada, Sunday, December 13, 2009-

The Olympic Torch was carried through Arnprior today. This first photo was taken on Edey Street, just before the runner turned onto John Street, heading north.

At 11:21 AM the Torch left Tim Horton’s on Daniel Street (Out near the 417 construction & confusion.) And made it to this corner in a very short time. It later arrived at the Town Hall at 11:44 AM, where it looked like more people than live in Arnprior were gathered for the festivities, and to say, “Hey, I was there!”

Local video producers and volunteers from TVCOGECO were on hand to capture the moments for their local newscasts and possibly for other programmes that may be in the works.

Passing the flame, Arnprior, ON, 13 December, 2009
Passing the Flame. Photo by Cathi Harris

We were extremely luckly, as soon as the torch-bearer rounded the corner onto John Street, there was another runner waiting to take the flame from there. The two runners paused long enough to be sure the flame had indeed been transferred successfully and then waited for the cheers to quiet down before the new runner took off on his or her leg of the journey.

Beside the torch run itself, there were several other related events in Arnprior today. There was a ‘Fun Run’ (that I almost misstook for the torch arriving here, it would have had to have taken a weird detour to be coming from the west instead of the east) and a Free barbecue at the Shoppers Drug Mart. Downtown streets were blocked off and a stage was set up for a free concert. Stores that are usually closed on a Sunday were open today.

(We didn’t get any photos of the related events as we were concentrating so fiercely on the main event that this reporter has one heckuva nasty headache.)

—–Jim—–

Overheard Outside the Town Hall This Morning

-Sunday, December 13, 2009. Arnprior, Ontario, Canada.

A Reporter for TVCOGECO was on hand outside the Town Hall in Arnprior today. As he finished up interviewing one of the officials with the Olympic Torch relay, a woman from the crowd came up to him and asked what channel she could tune to to watch what he’d just shot.

He replied, “TVCOGECO, channel 22 in Arnprior or Renfrew.”

The woman responded that she lived in Ottawa, and asked again, “What channel will it be on in Ottawa?”

It won’t be.

She pressed further to ask if CTV or CBC or any of the other local channels associated with any network would air this event.

Her answer was, “No, but you can see it on the TVCOGECO dot com web site, if you click on-”

“But I don’t have a computer-” she complained.

The reporter looked defeated. He looked like he was trying to come up with a polite way of saying, “I’m sorry, then, I can’t help you.”

The woman then blurted, “This is important, somebody has to show this on television.”

Somebody will. TVCOGECO’s got a saying, “Truly Local Television.” Local Cable subscribers will be able to see this news item on their local stations. No Local network affiliate would come out to Arnprior (a town of between 7,500 and 8,500 people, depending on who you ask) to cover really local events such as the Olympic Torch relay through this small town.

If the woman who asked the reporter how she could see this on her television has any friends or relatives in Arnprior, one of them could tape, or somehow make a copy of the News Programme that will cover today’s Olympic Torch relay, and get that copy to her.

Along with Junior Hockey games and other very local programmes that local stations affiliated with the big networks would never even consider covering, The Olympic Torch relay through a town like Arnprior would only find air time on a cable station.

(climbing down from soapbox now…)

—–Jim —–