tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-204857282024-03-07T04:22:20.987-05:00Monsieur Gelder à DundasMonsieur Gelder à Dundashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464154335412771763noreply@blogger.comBlogger67125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20485728.post-34783554635075401132015-03-24T22:01:00.000-04:002015-03-24T22:01:28.168-04:00What I learned in EuropeI recently had the good fortune to have taken part in a school trip to Europe. We visited six countries in 10 days. It was a whirlwind tour and an experience of a lifetime for the students who took part. Having said that, it was also a fantastic experience for me, personally, even though I was technically "on the clock" and not in full relaxation mode.<br />
<br />
But I learned a lot in the countries we visited, including Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Liechtenstein, Switzerland and France. There were places I liked more than others. For example, I was amazed by both the physical and architectural splendour of Prague, the Czech capital, a place I would certainly return to, if only to avail myself of a missed opportunity to visit the Franz Kafka Museum. And who isn't blown away by the splendour of Paris visiting it for the first time? After fifteen years in the business, I finally threw off the yoke of being the only French teacher who has never visited France. Bucket list checked. <br />
<br />
There were some smaller centres which were also amazing in their own ways. Dresden, Germany comes to mind if for no other reason than that one must be impressed by how there is no evidence today that the city was essentially flattened by allied bombing during the Second World War. Cool it was, as well, to have visited the city of Innsbruck, Austria who have twice hosted the Olympic Winter Games in 1964 and 1976, when Denver, USA returned the bid originally awarded to them.<br />
<br />
However there were a couple of things that all of these European cities have in common. The first is the incidence of massive cathedrals erected over the past millennium. Every city has one, and it made me reflect and marvel at the extent to which so much human ingenuity, architecture, creativity and labour have been invested in these colossal mausoleums built in homage to a god that probably doesn't even exist.<br />
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But there was something else that struck me. Each and every city visited in the following order: Berlin, Potsdam, Dresden, Prague, Regensburg, Munich, Innsbruck, Vaduz, Lucerne, Basel and Paris, without fail had both higher order transit and public bicycle share. Berlin, being the first city we visited, has an underground metro, electric trams and Light Rail Transit (LRT) running through its city centre. The same held true in Prague where the system of public transit was so extensive that maps of it were difficult to understand! The same tracks and overhead wires were also present in Munich and Lucerne. And, we arrived in Paris to the following news: because a pollution alert had been issued on the Friday, all public transit was declared free for the entire weekend. Imagine that happening in a North American city, where pollution alerts are also a common thing. If public transit had been declared free in my own city of Hamilton, I doubt it would make the slightest difference to our car-addicted culture.<br />
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And the phenomenon of public transit was not exclusive to the larger cities visited, it was everywhere to be found in the smaller centres of Dresden, Regensburg and Innsbruck. LRT sharing the roads with cars, which seemed to move no more slowly than they do in Hamilton in spite of a conspicuous lack of one-way streets, right alongside racks full of publicly shared bicycles.<br />
<br />
It made me feel that Europe is getting it right, far more so than we are in North America, where transit if too often perceived as something only the lower classes take, or something only begrudgingly used in large metropolises where car travel is something economically prohibitive or simply impossible as a function of congestion.<br />
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What is it about North American culture that is so hostile to public transit? Is it a frontier mentality that constantly dictates that nature, right down to the very roadscape, is something to be conquered and tamed for individual convenience, ecological consequences be damned? Is our sense of entitlement so ingrained that we won't even get out of our cars and onto shared busses or, heaven forbid, bicycles when to do so is so blatantly in our self-interest economically, environmentally and for the sake of one's individual health? Perhaps it isn't so mysterious why rates of obesity are lower in France than Canada and the United States in spite of the former's stereotypically rich diet; in between baguettes and cheese, the French are running to and between the metro and trams.<br />
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In fairness to Hamilton, we seem to be progressing on the cycling front as evidenced by the recently rolled-out Social Bicycles (SoBi) sharing program. But will we avail ourselves of the historic opportunity being presented to get the other half of the equation, higher order transit? The European example shows that it can work in every type of city, large or small.<br />
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The trip to Europe was life-changing experience culturally and educationally. But it has also increased my resolve to make a difference in the promotion of transit, bikes and busses right here at home.Monsieur Gelder à Dundashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464154335412771763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20485728.post-31490541174010064632015-02-28T21:45:00.002-05:002015-02-28T21:45:53.308-05:00My piece in Raise the HammerMy bit that appeared in <a href="http://raisethehammer.org/article/2513/my_life_as_an_um_activist" target="_blank">Raise the Hammer</a>, an "alternative" on-line publication here in Hamilton, February 25th, 2014.Monsieur Gelder à Dundashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464154335412771763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20485728.post-42756730879833108362015-02-24T21:44:00.002-05:002015-02-24T21:48:22.449-05:00My recent trip to City CouncilI recently attended a meeting of the Strategy and Policy Committee of Hamilton City Council to make a delegation on the 2015 budget. My specific interest was the enhancement of transit infrastructure in the city. Here is what I said:<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Thank you for allowing me this opportunity to address Council about the budget for 2015. I will state up front that I am here in defence and promotion of public transit and will try to keep my comments relevant to budgetary issues. But I am passionate about public transit, although not a regular user. I prefer the bicycle. Yes, even in this weather, but I have a relatively short commute.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">At the outset, let me clarify a few things. I live in Ward 13, known to us locals as Dundas, and have for 17 years. I am employed. Gainfully. I am a secondary school teacher, which I believe even qualifies me as a professional. I have children. Two, in fact. I apologize to those who might be confused by the fact I don’t fit the profile of the average “bus nut”.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I firmly believe that the state of public transit is a barometer for how we are as a city. There are many who feel as I do, that we need a viable system of public transit as we aim to reach our mission as the best city in Canada to raise a child, promote innovation, engage citizens and provide diverse economic activities. Our system, as it stands, is reasonable. Yes, reasonable is the best adjective I can conjure to describe the Hamilton Street Railway. Indeed, there is room - nay an imperative for improvement to public transit in our city. We are fortunate to have a blueprint for transit in the form of the 10 year plan. Whether it’s enhanced rapid transit corridors, new busses, or working with Metrolinx and the province towards Light Rail Transit, the time to invest is now.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Esteemed councillors, transit matters. It matters not only for those who have no choice but to take the bus, as a function of economic reality, but also in the creation of a vibrant and sustainable city. Because we are falling behind in Hamilton. Car travel is still seen as the default option for getting to work and getting around the city. This in a world where finite resources are a reality and climate change constantly looms.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">I see this every day as I make my daily 4 kilometer bicycle commute westbound up Governor’s Road in Dundas. In the opposite direction is a mass of traffic, most of which is comprised of single occupant vehicles. Up close, I taste first hand the fumes of a city crying out for better transit. Because there are alternatives.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">And make no mistake, Council, there is a need for transit even in Dundas. If our Councillor would take up the challenge and ride transit to City Hall for even a week, she would see that the morning busses are packed. Packed with people heading to jobs in the core. Packed with students heading out of Dundas towards programs of choice in high schools across the city. Packed with people making a difference in choosing a mode of transport other than the private vehicle.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">But transit remains an essential, even life or death reality for many people right across the region, and not just to a few urbanites in the lower city. We have an aging population that needs to access medical appointments. We have those students who school boards on increasingly limited budgets are insisting take public transit if they want equitable access to programs of choice, such as French immersion. We have people with disabilities for whom DARTS isn’t always the most available or even the best alternative.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">And, yet, public transit in Hamilton, in particular, suffers from a stigma. At what point did using public transit become déclassé? It is a way of getting around in not only larger cities like Toronto and Vancouver, where gridlock is ever present, but cities similar in size to Hamilton. As an example, we are light years behind Ottawa, where light rail transit has been present for a decade and is being expanded as we speak. Why is there the perception that transit is for poorer, lower class people in the lower, urban part of the city?</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">And at what point did public transit become unsafe for young people? Why do parents go so far as to forbid their adolescent children from traveling to parts of our great city using public transit? This is completely foreign to my own experience growing up in Stoney Creek, where the King 1 and, later, the Beeline, became my lifelines to the public golf course at the other end of the city, the athletic facilities where I trained at McMaster University and even the now-extinct downtown movie theatres.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">This is a backward vision for a city that fashions itself as ambitious. A failure to invest in transit infrastructure is the opposite of a city that is the best place in Canada to raise a child, promote innovation, engage citizens and provide diverse economic activities. Friends, please embrace the 10 year plan, starting with the 2015 budget year! Enthusiastically seize every opportunity that the province and Metrolinx provide for modernizing public transit in Hamilton. Be the agents of progress that commuters in this city so desperately need and richly deserve.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19px;">Members of Council, thank you for the opportunity of hijacking the budget process - for five minutes at least.</span>Monsieur Gelder à Dundashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464154335412771763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20485728.post-25978380218174009352015-01-21T23:29:00.000-05:002015-01-21T23:29:01.403-05:00Councillor Arlene Vanderbeek, you have failed Dundas<div class="MsoNormal">
Dear Councillor Arlene Vanderbeek:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In your first test as Councillor for Ward 13, you
failed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You failed the people of
Dundas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Miserably.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In spite of some spirited lip service to the importance of
public transit to the long-term interests of Hamilton, which includes Dundas,
in voting to suspend the King Street bus lane, you have set back the cause by a
decade or more.<br />
<br />
We, as a city, are already lagging behind similar-sized communities in our
transit infrastructure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ridership is
increasing at exponential rates in centres such as Mississauga,
Kitchener-Waterloo and St. Catharines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And the progress that Ottawa has made - and continues to make - on light
rail transit makes us look like an embarrassment by comparison.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You and your Council colleagues failed to recognize that the
bus lane is a harbinger for larger transit issues, not least of which is light
rail transit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are on trial in
Hamilton, Councillor Vanderbeek.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
are people and entities watching and gauging a perception of the city's
receptiveness to a viable transit system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These are entities like the Province and Metrolinx, who have the
resources to make Hamilton a livable city via enhanced public transit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the pursuit of parochial interests, you
and your colleagues have failed the city as a whole.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And, make no mistake about it, you have failed Dundas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have you asked the people you purport to
represent about why transit may not be a priority for them?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You needn't bother, because clearly you
haven't, but I will tell you any way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is because the levels of service are presently inadequate, as they are in other
"peripheral" parts of the city.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><br />
<br />
What is going to make public transit work in Dundas?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The answer is simple; it needs to be viable
city-wide and, critically, in the core.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Do you think people are taking transit just to get around Dundas?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Guess again - people have jobs, appointments,
family and friends across the region.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It's an adage that was heard frequently throughout the 2014 municipal
campaign - what's good for Hamilton is good for Dundas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good
transit attracts ridership.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ridership
promotes expansion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By crippling transit
in the core, you have jeopardized the future of decent transit in your own
ward.<br />
<br />
Transit, more than ever, is becoming a quality of life issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all breathe the same air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a city where air quality is a constant
concern, viable public transit is the best option we have to curtail the amount
of emissions coming out of the only option people have in the absence of decent
transit - the private car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We talk a
good game about making our communities more livable and walkable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But do we put our money where our mouths are?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
You have not heard the last from me, or the growing numbers
of those who are committed to the betterment of the whole city in part owing to
our insistence on a transit system that is worthy of us.<br />
<br />
Dundas deserves better.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Respectfully<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Rich Gelder<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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Monsieur Gelder à Dundashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464154335412771763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20485728.post-82699099471764243962014-12-30T23:32:00.002-05:002014-12-30T23:32:50.678-05:00So long and thanks for all the caffeine<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6A_1qxbgy9w0BItPn_Sq9c8VPP_y3zYHnkXpu8-0xYIsLPPjV2llMHTi8yaJEVMdAiKdpZ5TTzm0j4aI8Ts6YGga9R_zynFJvgg4W7OiGM-ZpIjth5JoAZKfFCD4wLRrp0I41w/s1600/Domestique.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6A_1qxbgy9w0BItPn_Sq9c8VPP_y3zYHnkXpu8-0xYIsLPPjV2llMHTi8yaJEVMdAiKdpZ5TTzm0j4aI8Ts6YGga9R_zynFJvgg4W7OiGM-ZpIjth5JoAZKfFCD4wLRrp0I41w/s1600/Domestique.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Bodoni 72 Book"; font-size: 10.0pt;">-Sometimes
you want to go where everybody knows your name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>And they're always glad you came.<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Bodoni 72 Book";">As I write, I am
fighting back the tears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No,
really.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is a sad day, marking a
great loss short only of that of a loved one or a dear pet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My local coffee shop is closing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Bodoni 72 Book";">But it is
(present tense while it remains open for one final day, the last day of 2014)
more than a coffee shop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's a
community hub attracting all walks of life from Dundas and environs - and the
environs can be far as it is a choice destination for cyclists in particular,
riding in from all parts of southern Ontario.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Bodoni 72 Book";">Open in the
heart, yet off the beaten path, of Dundas for a little less than five years,
Café Domestique (or is that Café Cyclo Sportif Domestique?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one is really quite sure) has become a
home away from home - a place to hide out for those few precious moments after
work before having to pick the kids up from the school bus, an end destination
for the long road cycling rides the shop partially inspired me to take up, a
brisk walk for the dog and I.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although
only a part of my own life for a fraction of the time I have lived in the
Valley Town, I cannot imagine life in Dundas without it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But now we have to.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Bodoni 72 Book";">Born of a combination
of two of the great loves my life, coffee and cycling, Domestique opened in
March of 2010 on side street, Miller's Lane, with little fanfare filling in a
niche that was desperately crying out for coffee in a big way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the creation of Krys Hines, perhaps the
biggest fresh air in local business in Dundas in the past twenty-five years or
more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the days before Domestique,
Starbucks (which stands like a metaphorical and literal block against it on the
corner of King Street and Miller's Lane), and Detours the only options for
coffee in Dundas were, well, the two Tim Horton's franchises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Domestique ushered in a golden age of
caffeine consumption whose legacy will survive it for certain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only issue is the welcoming and extent of
bicycle parking at these newbie establishments.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Bodoni 72 Book";">The cafe, in
addition to producing some really great coffee products and selling awesome
roasted beans (the only beans that have touched my stove top percolator for the
past half decade), is a local mecca and museum for cycling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are photos, posters and even actual
bicycles hanging from the walls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There
is even an actual framed yellow jersey belonging to one Steve Bauer who held it
for nine days in the 1990 Tour de France.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The cafe has sold an assortment of cycling paraphernalia over the years,
including bar tape, wall mounts and a vast array of customized Café Domestique
cycling apparel, boasting jerseys, bib shorts, wools socks and caps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the race-themed Domestique t-shirts, I
have closets full of the stuff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Bodoni 72 Book";">My first
encounter with what would become Domestique was a curious snoop around the
entrance of a former breakfast nook whose name I can't even remember.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I knew something special was going in there,
as evidenced the back issues of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">L'Équipe </i>,
the French language sports daily that, although is the go-to publication for
the Tour de France and other cycling news, isn't exactly something whose
circulation rivals that of the Dundas Star News locally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A few months later, there is a good quality
coffee shop locally, albeit with limited hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Hallelujah!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the months that
followed, the front porch was renovated and a cozy patio built in the
back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Within a year, there was also a
liquor license obtained and Domestique became home to Ste. Ambroise and the
five-dollar pint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along the way, a full
breakfast and lunch menu, featuring some of the high quality local food items (including
McGuire's Cheese).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Bodoni 72 Book";">But, as with any
establishment, Domestique is more than just the coffee, the beer and the soup
and sandwiches (Croque Monsieur, anyone?).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It's the people who worked there and those who frequent it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Domestique has boasted a series of characters
behind the bar over the years - usually younger people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the punters come from all walks of life,
including local business people and professionals, young families (my own has
consumed its share of juice boxes over the years), writers and poets, and the
cyclists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those cyclists who arrive en
masse from places like Milton, Cambellville, Guelph, Niagara.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They descend on the café usually mid-morning
on weekends during good weather and often in bad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These MAMILs (middle aged men in lycra - no
disrespect intended, I count myself as a proud member of the ranks) will line
up out the front and back door and take up the large table on the patio out
back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, many a southern Ontario
cycling trip has been planned these past five years with Domestique as the mid
point of an out and back ride.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Bodoni 72 Book";">Countless
memories have been garnered over these past years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing life-changing, but the sorts of
things that make living in community like Dundas something to be very thankful
for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were the dart nights, the
gourmet dinners, the impromptu disco nights with laser lights and music played
off of YouTube on the 52 inch monitor (I don't think Krys ever did get real
cable).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many a leg of not only the Tour
de France, but just about every other major cycling event from across the globe
was streamed on that screen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, not to
mention the eclectic choice of music programmed by the young, hip serving
staff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of it punctuated with Krys'
wry sense of humour and editorial input.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In one instance in the first year of operation, a small number of us
were nestled in the café watching a now-famous stage of the 2010 Tour de France
where Alberto Contador (since stripped of his yellow jersey that year),
famously passed then-leader, Andy Shcleck, when the latter's chain
self-destructed and fell off of his drive train.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This led Krys, a former professional bike
mechanic, to make some choice remarks about Schleck's choice of SRAM
components.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, something only bike
geeks may appreciate, but part of the charm of not only Krys but the café
itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of this has contributed to a
fantastic sense of community that is going to be sorely missed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Bodoni 72 Book";">My own memories
also include celebratory pints following successful provincial high school
track and field championships with fellow coaches - away from the athletes of
course...no...wait.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Never mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is also the place where I met some really
cool people, including author Lawrence Hill (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Boook of </i>Negroes) and Danielle Berman, the brave young woman who
this past summer rode solo across Canada to raise awareness of mental health
and suicide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, watching my two young
sons grow with frequent visits to what they call "the coffee
store".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What began as stroller
rides to Domestique have become quick stops amidst their protests against a
delayed arrival at the adjacent Dundas Public Library, for dad's coveted
"Early Surly" - a concoction of a drink whose composition I still
don't remember and which, unlike the rest of the thriving coffee culture in
Dundas, may not survive Domestique's closing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>RIP.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Usually, however, the boys
can be bought off with a juice box.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Bodoni 72 Book";">Indeed, I hold
myself partially responsible for Domestique's pending closure, now a mere 24
hours away as I write.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If not only for
loving the place too much, for a brief encounter I had with Krys' wife Beatrice
in the summer of 2014 as she came into the shop with the family's two
children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had just finished another
one of my long, yet very pedestrian, rides around the concession roads of West
Flamborough before careening down the Sydenham Hill, now known as Clara's Climb
in honour of multiple Olympic medallist, Clara Hughes and was enjoying a pint
and the surroundings that have become everyone's favourite coffee
shop/pub/hangout in Dundas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I commented
to here that "Krys is never allowed to leave us and close this place, it
is just too awesome!"<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Clearly, I
jinxed it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Bodoni 72 Book";">The closing of
Café Domestique has hit many of us regulars hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Really hard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A propos the café closing New Year's Eve 2015, I find it one of those
exceptions to those <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Auld Lang Syne </i>lyrics
"should old acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind..."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My neighbourhood hangout of the past five
years is not something I ever want to forget nor think I will be able to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It's as if Cheers itself is closing and Norm
and Cliff are completely lost.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Bodoni 72 Book";">Thanks, Krys and
staff, for five wonderful years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Monsieur Gelder à Dundashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464154335412771763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20485728.post-42077597898548360652013-12-06T01:09:00.003-05:002013-12-06T01:09:27.280-05:00Neslon Mandela, 1918-2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtsAiSklVRdYsb7ajFLNHGMVi8QPZLArZdEJUvo1m7KgFxlgF3ii61oTG30QZabQhMJthd4LYHKxoGu7uVpqMtiE7b7uhEIuhWILpJwfvHkbIMPPtGKysNAvZWTEDD6ORPpVe3Ng/s1600/Mandela.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtsAiSklVRdYsb7ajFLNHGMVi8QPZLArZdEJUvo1m7KgFxlgF3ii61oTG30QZabQhMJthd4LYHKxoGu7uVpqMtiE7b7uhEIuhWILpJwfvHkbIMPPtGKysNAvZWTEDD6ORPpVe3Ng/s1600/Mandela.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Century Schoolbook'; font-size: 16pt;">Yesterday
afternoon, one of humanity's bright lights was extinguished.</span><span style="font-family: 'Century Schoolbook'; font-size: 16pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Century Schoolbook'; font-size: 16pt;">Former anti-apartheid activist, former
political prisoner, former President of South Africa and lifetime human rights
icon, Nelson Mandela, passed away at the age of 95.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook"; font-size: 16.0pt;">For
many of you, the name Nelson Mandela is something from the history books; he
had retired from the South African presidency before most students in this
school were even born.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For teachers and
other adults in this building, it is a name we grew up with; from his time in
Robben Island prison in the 60s, 70s and 80s and the international calls for
his release, to that historic release in 1990 and right up until his remarkable
ascendency to the presidency of the country that had endured decades of
apartheid, the unjust political system that rendered non-whites second class
citizens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook"; font-size: 16.0pt;">From
a very young age, when he founded the African National Congress' Youth League
to fight against apartheid and racial injustice, Mandela committed himself to
making South Africa a place racial equality and, in so doing, made the world a
better place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that isn't why I
believe he is a hero.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook"; font-size: 16.0pt;">For
his efforts to bring about profound social change in the name of racial justice
in South Africa, he was charged with, tried for and convicted of treason in
1962 at the age of 44.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He then spent 27
years in a small prison cell, where harsh conditions took a toll on his
health.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He never once wavered in his
commitment to bring about change in South Africa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that isn't why I believe he is a hero.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook"; font-size: 16.0pt;">After
decades of universal calls for release, Nelson Mandela was finally freed at the
age of 69.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A growing crescendo of
international condemnation of apartheid eventually led to its legal dismantling
in 1994.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shortly thereafter, Mandela
became South Africa's first true democratically elected president, an office he
held until 1997.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But that isn't why
Nelson Mandela is a hero.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Why
then is Nelson Mandela a hero?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why does
he matter to us as Canadians and, indeed as citizens of the world?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my view, Mandela is a hero because of two
words he introduced to our vocabulary:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>"truth" and "reconciliation".<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, he didn't invent the words himself, but
he brought them to the forefront of a political discussion that is too often
fraught with vengeance, payback, violence and division.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mandela had every reason to seek reprisal
against the regime that had oppressed millions of blacks and other non-whites
in South Africa for decades.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had
every reason and right to seek compensation and to settle scores with those who
imprisoned him for 27 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mandela
chose another route.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through the Truth
and Reconciliation Commission of the immediate post-apartheid era, Mandela
brought people together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Forgiveness,
and not punishment, was the order of the day, for there were many unspeakable
acts to atone for on both sides of the historical South African divide - acts
caused ultimately by the evil of apartheid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Nelson Mandela is a hero because, in shaping the bright future of his
nation, he set an example for the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook"; font-size: 16.0pt;">I
remember a very powerful symbol of this national reconciliation, which came out
of a seemingly small act.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the 1995
Rugby World Cup - the first major international sporting event hosted by South
Africa in the post-apartheid era, Mandela brought his country together by
simply appearing in the pre-game ceremonies of the final match in the South
Africa springboks national rugby jersey.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Rugby and the springbok logo had been seen as an icon of white South
Africa - indeed rugby was to white South Africa what hockey is to this
country.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many believed the springbok
identity was something that ought to have been abolished in the post-apartheid
era.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not so, said Mandela, who
enthusiastically embraced the game and symbol of white South Africa in that
very simple act.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The nation became one,
that day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, by the way, South Africa
won the game and the World Cup that year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook"; font-size: 16.0pt;">Today,
the world is mourning the loss of a great man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Although none of us can hope to match his contributions to all of
humanity, let the life of Nelson Mandela serve as an example of how to live our
lives and make our own communities kinder places that embrace diversity and
equality, regardless of race, religion, colour, creed, age or sexual
orientation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let Nelson Mandela's spirit
of truth and reconciliation be paramount with all of our challenges and
conflicts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Century Schoolbook"; font-size: 16.0pt;">The
national anthem of South Africa is a song called Nkosi Sikele Africa, which
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Mandela was a blessing, but for all of humanity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rest in peace, Madiba.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Monsieur Gelder à Dundashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464154335412771763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20485728.post-55594240277926691002012-10-11T22:10:00.001-04:002012-10-11T22:17:56.525-04:00<a title="View Lance Armstrong USADA report on Scribd" href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/109637096" style="margin: 12px auto 6px auto; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; -x-system-font: none; display: block; text-decoration: underline;">Lance Armstrong USADA report</a><iframe class="scribd_iframe_embed" src="http://www.scribd.com/embeds/109637096/content?start_page=1&view_mode=scroll" data-auto-height="true" data-aspect-ratio="" scrolling="no" id="doc_52510" width="100%" height="600" frameborder="0"></iframe>Monsieur Gelder à Dundashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464154335412771763noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20485728.post-29862365319883027422012-07-13T21:12:00.001-04:002012-07-13T21:12:18.525-04:001500 night in London<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/45592695?title=0&portrait=0&color=f2e11f" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe>Monsieur Gelder à Dundashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464154335412771763noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20485728.post-35199309591568634112011-10-12T07:33:00.001-04:002011-10-12T07:33:27.296-04:00Weather<iframe marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" name="wxButtonFrame" id="wxButtonFrame" height="168" src="http://btn.weather.ca/weatherbuttons/template7.php?placeCode=&category0=&containerWidth=180&btnNo=&backgroundColor=blue&multipleCity=1&citySearch=1&celsiusF=C" align="top" frameborder="0" width="180" scrolling="no" allowTransparency="true"></iframe>Monsieur Gelder à Dundashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464154335412771763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20485728.post-37820931886016129382011-08-26T14:12:00.000-04:002011-08-26T14:12:09.896-04:00My Library Matters to Me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglyJU-GUBJDsstqwaT6jrq7R9OBnbWdks-kDBlPghuHPt0z6ryxdmUpg4j55-u1C0cGZPC1D3w5JnBGockWYgzxPCvNZB1hG1RD0KZcNMiML1Fkw27DDWKAJ30TmwaySq6XDNzdA/s1600/Carnegie+Gallery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglyJU-GUBJDsstqwaT6jrq7R9OBnbWdks-kDBlPghuHPt0z6ryxdmUpg4j55-u1C0cGZPC1D3w5JnBGockWYgzxPCvNZB1hG1RD0KZcNMiML1Fkw27DDWKAJ30TmwaySq6XDNzdA/s320/Carnegie+Gallery.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>490</o:Words> <o:Characters>2305</o:Characters> <o:Company>HWDSB</o:Company> <o:Lines>46</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>7</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>3432</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><i>I submitted the following to an essay competition sponsored by the Toronto Public Library system. I'm not eligible, as I'm not a Toronto resident, but it was fun to write.</i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><br />
</u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>My Library Matters to Me<o:p></o:p></u></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Literacy is evolving. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have the means to access almost any work of literature with the click of a mouse, a credit card number and an e-reader.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But now, more than ever, my library matters to me.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I became a parent in my late thirties.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have two young sons who I feel often ill-equipped to raise at the best of times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I confess I need help; at least some of Hillary Clinton's village.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whether its excellent teachers, volunteer coaches and chipper camp counsellors, parenthood is not something to be undertaken alone, even in a stable couple.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Here is where my public library matters, in this case the Dundas Branch of the Hamilton Public Library system.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Often, it is the end destination of 2km walk, mostly downhill, into downtown Dundas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes, that end destination is a bicycle-themed coffee shop on a side street.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But everyone knows that caffeine isn't good for kids.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The ghastly pharmaceutically-infused 1970s architecture of the Dundas branch makes me grateful that libraries are more about bricks and mortar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its what goes on the branch itself that matters to me and to my children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure, there are books and occasionally I sign them out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What isn't there can be easily ordered on-line and delivered to my local branch.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">There is rarely a day that goes by that there isn't some form of children's programming at the library. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Be it the summer reading club, movie afternoons or a visit by the local greyhound rescue group, dogs and all, there is something to capture the imagination and passion of children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are even toys to play with for the younger ones.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Certainly, all of this available elsewhere that isn't supported by the public nickel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The same <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thomas the Train </i>table is available at the local Chapter's store up on the mountain in the giant boxscape that has become Ancaster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There's even books there, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, the presence of Thomas and other nods to the cause of literacy and enlightenment are more linked to the greater goal of Heather Reisman's bottom line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the library, though they may be too young to resist the temptation of the toys in favour of a literary discovery, children begin to associate the fun of the library with the cause of ideas and literacy for their own sake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It isn't a cheap marketing ploy.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Even those who advocate for the "streamlining" of our library systems would agree that literacy for its own sake is good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>History matters as much as do its opposites: fiction and imagination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are multiple ways of accessing it, but the library experience cannot be replaced, particularly not for children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do we abandon public playgrounds because of cheap Chinese plastic playground equipment in our own backyards?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do we stop visiting and going out with friends because of social networking?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As much as any other public good, my library matters and I glad to part with my hard-earned property tax dollars in support of it.</div><!--EndFragment-->Monsieur Gelder à Dundashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464154335412771763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20485728.post-86828454962476071302011-07-16T11:43:00.000-04:002011-07-16T11:43:12.384-04:00Sweet Ride to Red Hill, back home, then to Mohawk Sports Park and Back Home<iframe width="100%" height="350px" scrolling="no" src="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/render_route_video?route_key=6726720249&site=mapmyride.com"><a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/41785372">Imported Garmin Route (07/14/2011)</a> and more rides in Hamilton, Canada on MapMyRIDE. <a href="http://www.mapmyride.com">Find ride</a></iframe>Monsieur Gelder à Dundashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464154335412771763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20485728.post-14850986114801748212011-03-10T17:04:00.000-05:002011-03-10T17:04:30.442-05:00<!--StartFragment--> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><iframe frameborder="0" height="548" src="http://connect.garmin.com:80/activity/embed/72318608" width="465"></iframe></div><!--EndFragment-->Monsieur Gelder à Dundashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464154335412771763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20485728.post-502280995473681272011-02-14T21:48:00.001-05:002011-02-14T21:48:20.706-05:00Listen to rgelders Playlist<img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border=0 width=0 height=0 src="http://c.gigcount.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bHQ9MTI5NzczODA3MDc3NCZwdD*xMjk3NzM4MDk2NTczJnA9Njk*MzAxJmQ9Jm49YmxvZ2dlciZnPTEmbz1hYmYyNWNlNjFjOGU*/MmI5YmVlZDQ5YjI5NzQwNTdmOCZvZj*w.gif" /><div style="text-align: center; margin-left: auto; visibility:visible; margin-right: auto; width:450px;"><object width="435" height="270"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.musiclist.us/mc/mp3player_new.swf"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="never"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><param name="flashvars" value="config=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indimusic.us%2Fext%2Fpc%2Fconfig_black.xml&mywidth=435&myheight=270&playlist_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.musiclist.us%2Fpl.php%3Fplaylist%3D84065971%26t%3D1297738070&wid=os"></param><embed style="width:435px; visibility:visible; height:270px;" allowScriptAccess="never" src="http://www.musiclist.us/mc/mp3player_new.swf" flashvars="config=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.indimusic.us%2Fext%2Fpc%2Fconfig_black.xml&mywidth=435&myheight=270&playlist_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.musiclist.us%2Fpl.php%3Fplaylist%3D84065971%26t%3D1297738070&wid=os" width="435" height="270" name="mp3player" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" border="0"> </embed> </object> <br/> <a href="http://www.musiclist.us"><img src="http://www.musiclist.us/mc/images/create_black.jpg" border="0" alt="Get a playlist!"/></a> <a href="http://www.musiclist.us/playlist/21520888587/standalone" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.musiclist.us/mc/images/launch_black.jpg" border="0" alt="Standalone player"/></a> <a href="http://www.musiclist.us/playlist/21520888587/download"><img src="http://www.musiclist.us/mc/images/get_black.jpg" border="0" alt="Get Ringtones"/></a> </div>Monsieur Gelder à Dundashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464154335412771763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20485728.post-24200346660742486522011-02-08T21:38:00.002-05:002011-02-08T21:38:10.857-05:00Here's a really cool site I just discovered. Its called "Google" and it will find practically anything for you on the internet. Cool, eh?Monsieur Gelder à Dundashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464154335412771763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20485728.post-67334594805801883852011-01-13T23:34:00.000-05:002011-01-13T23:35:01.263-05:00A comic I made for French class using Bitstrips<object width="480" height="400"><param name="movie" value="http://static.bitstripsforschools.com/r04.swf?c=CZZTV"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://static.bitstripsforschools.com/r04.swf?c=CZZTV" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="400"></embed></object>Monsieur Gelder à Dundashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464154335412771763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20485728.post-92042063462998698922010-10-07T20:22:00.002-04:002010-10-07T20:40:18.543-04:00Hey, here's the rout I take when I bike home<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXrbO141GGMKxuaGpHEOfspDXW4YajKT9MP7T7hyphenhyphenM0nlVX4QGfAahFg_Lq_k-LKtg_SDtHKFH57bXH-MKPzk3ZU4RZ-0LZEk66d_uzxqJvLa452AMCl2Ce8AkKXW_yrFDPSqkkQ/s1600/Capriccio06.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGXrbO141GGMKxuaGpHEOfspDXW4YajKT9MP7T7hyphenhyphenM0nlVX4QGfAahFg_Lq_k-LKtg_SDtHKFH57bXH-MKPzk3ZU4RZ-0LZEk66d_uzxqJvLa452AMCl2Ce8AkKXW_yrFDPSqkkQ/s200/Capriccio06.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5525468210748172098" /></a><br /><a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/51533619?sms_ss=blogger&at_xt=4cae642fe8c6e87d,0">Untitled by rgelder@sympatico.ca at Garmin Connect - Details</a><div><br /></div><div>This is the route I usually take when I bike home from work/school/SJAM. I've been doing it for over ten years, varying the route somewhat. I used to go to the top of the hill at York and Dundurn, until the advent of Google Earth, wherein I could see that, not only was I engaging an unnecessary and challenging uphill climb, but I was also going a much less direct route than the side streets.</div><div><br /></div><div>I soon abandoned the side streets, as well in favour of the main arterial roads. Granted, they are more dangerous but they're much quicker. This is even factoring in that they, too, are less direct. There's nothing like hitting the green lights (as opposed to stop signs and pedestrian traffic) at 35km/hour! The turning lane at the corner of Main and Queen can be a bit harrowing to navigate but, so far so good.</div>Monsieur Gelder à Dundashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464154335412771763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20485728.post-64022044455748199662010-08-14T00:22:00.001-04:002010-08-14T00:22:05.275-04:00West Harbour, or no stadium<span xmlns=''><p>My friend Samantha asked, so here's my answer. The West Harbour is the best location for the proposed Pan-Am Stadium (if there's even one to be built at this point).<br /></p><p>You asked why the location matters, because jobs will be created no matter where its put. Many of the nay-sayers would disagree with you, arguing that the stadium will have little economic impact. My take is that the stadium, combined with a few other things will create synergies that will greatly assist in reviving the downtown core. Chief among these is the arrival of LRT (light rail transit). Ten dates a year, plus whatever else will go on in the stadium may be enough for a few businesses to consider setting up shop in the downtown, (restaurants, hotels), and may serve to increase property values in the adjacent areas.<br /></p><p>The City, Waterfront Trust, etc. are already doing an excellent job in managing and reviving the north end, particularly in the areas around Bayfront Park, Pier 4, Pier 8, etc. However, there is still the daunting task of the brownfields of abandoned industry, chiefly the Rheem property. The large amounts of cash that are coming in from all levels of government are just what the doctor ordered in getting these areas cleaned up. They are not only a hideous eyseore, but present a real environmental danger if not addressed.<br /></p><p>Furthermore, the stadium will be adjacent to existing rail infrastructure. One of the great successes of Toronto's professional sports facilities, is their proximity to commuter rail. Anyone who actuallly drives to and Argos, Blue Jays, Leafs or Toronto FC game is an idiot, because of the ease, efficiency and cheapness of a GO train ticket - the same service that can be provided to the new stadium location. There's no signficant rail infrastructure anywhere near the East Mountain site.<br /></p><p>Bob Young lauds the east mountain stadium location because of the convenience of the "driveway to driveway" experience. We talk about stadiums and the first question we ask is "How easy will it to be to get to by car"? This needs to become outdated thinking, as the now-seemingly visionary people though (likely by accident) when they decided to put both the Rogers Centre (né Skydome) and the ACC right downtown Toronto. Rather, we should be turning this question on its ear and ask, with the stadium where it is, what's the best way to get there? I would love to see the statistics as to the number of people taking public transit to pro sporting events in Toronto. I think we could match it here in Hamilton.<br /></p><p>Bob Young argues that a stadium downtown will doom his business operation to failure in perpetuity, as if the first question people ask when considering whether to attend a game is "how easy is it to get to by car?". If there is a demand for the on-field product, then people will go, no matter which way is more convenient to get there. Its not "build it, and they will come", but "put a decent product on the field, and they will come". Not to put too fine a point on it, but Mr. Young has certainly had his challenges in that department since taking over the team.<br /></p><p>As needed as the west harbour site is for the purposes of core revival, it pales in comparison to the disaster of building it at the east mountain. I respect Mr. Young's position in wanting the best location for his business but, in addition to subscribing to what I hope is becoming an outmoded car-centric paradigm, that location would be a further and egregious foray into suburban sprawl. Many have argued that there is plenty of space in the Ontario Realty Corporation (ORC) lands proposed in the Fenn "compromise". Granted, but just because their is empty green space, that is no reason to automatically develop it! We cannot continue to expand outwards while we let the core rot; it is simply bad urban planning. Servicing the stadium (sewers, hydro ) will be expensive enough. In addition, although not qualified to say, I am worried about the proximity of protected environmental lands, chiefly the Eramosa Karst. Karst, as you might be aware, is land that is eroded away underneath the surface by underground waters, resulting in caves etc. Is the proposed land for the east mountain site even stable enough? Perhaps it is, but when I'm on a nature hike with my family exploring the caves, the last thing I want is Stadium noise from the Labour Day classic!<br /></p><p>This is not about building a stadium for the Tiger-Cats, its about the Pan-Am Games and the legacy it was supposed to leave. Locally, we have already been deprived of any track and field legacy, thanks in large part to this debate. The feds. and province are to kick in $54 million each, with the city adding $60 million from the Future Fund. The Tiger-Cat contribution? He proposed $15 million and that was from his east mountain pitch (with, admittedly, other not-necessarily out of pocket costs down the road). In this proportion, Bob Young has no right to be calling the shots on location.<br /></p><p>As for the Grey Cup, no 25,000 seat stadium can host the game without temporary seating. I don't think either location has a greater advantage over the other in terms of hosting one of these; temporary seats are always brought in for games not played at either Olympic Stadium, Rogers Centre, Commonwealth Stadium or BC Place. Any time its on the prairies, you see temporary seating. Not really an issue.<br /></p><p>At the end of the day, I fear we may lose the stadium altogether for two reasons. First, if the Tiger-Cats don't come back to the table, there is no anchor tenant and the city doesn't meet a key funding requirement from both the Pan-Am Games and the two levels of government. Secondly, and perhaps more immediately, the Pan-Am Host Committee may come to its senses and realize they are building one stadium too many. Once they made the unholy decision to move track out of Hamilton and to Toronto, they effectively committed themselves to building, at the very least, a 15,000 seat stadium for track and field there (a facility which, if my guess is correct, will soon be taken over by the Toronto Argonauts, track moved out, and you got us nowhere, Athletics Canada! But I digress). Why, with BMO field and the proposed new facility in Burlington, would they even need a third soccer venue? Were they merely placating local sensitivities by swapping track for soccer, without first thinking about the fiscal consequences? The way these oily people in suits operate, I would NOT be surprised to see an abrupt announcement in the coming months, nay weeks, that no stadium will be built in Hamilton, with the whole Ti-Cat situation cited as their flimsy excuse. <br /></p><p>I just hope the velodrome doesn't follow.</p></span>Monsieur Gelder à Dundashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464154335412771763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20485728.post-7966953884903934572010-07-29T10:52:00.001-04:002010-07-29T10:52:32.431-04:00The stupid stadium debate just got stupider, thanks to our friends at Athletics Canada<span xmlns=''><p>For those of you who don't live in Hamilton (or don't otherwise care), the city is locked in a battle with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats over the location of the stadium which will not only host the track and field competition of the 2015 Pan-American Games, but will likely serve as the new home of the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats beyond. The city, as well as most people if the on-line polls are anything to go by, want the stadium located on a brownfield in the west harbour, directly adjacent to the downtown core. This will not only provide a picturesque setting for the new stadium, but many feel it will be a catalyst for the renewal of the downtown core.<br /></p><p>At the 11<sup>th</sup> hour, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats balked at the site, saying that they would not participate in the location of a stadium in the west harbour. This has led to a delay in the stadium construction as the city and the team are currently involved in protracted mediation process. One bewildering result of the this process is the recommendation that the stadium be located on some provincially-owned lands at the junction of the Red Hill Expressway and the Lincoln Alexander Parkway on the east mountain, light years away from the downtown. The debate is ongoing, but is expected to be resolved by mid August.<br /></p><p>Today, matters got more complicated when one Joanne Mortimore, who passes herself off as the Chief Executive Officer of Athletics Canada, the national governing body of the sport of track and field, made a "discreet request" with the Pan-Am organizing committee that they scuttle the stadium in its entirety by moving the track and field competition to the centre of the universe, Toronto. Go <a href='http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/816196'>here</a> to see the Spectator's breaking of the story. It prompted this reply by me to Ms. Mortimore:<br /></p><p><br /> </p><p><em>Dear Ms. Mortimore:<br /></em></p><p><span style='color:#1f497d'><em>Although I do not have the authority to respond on behalf of the Hamilton Olympic Club, nor even on behalf of the track and field community in Hamilton, but I for one am VERY disappointed with the news today that Athletics Canada made a "discreet" request with the Pan-Am Games regarding moving the track and field competition from Hamilton, where it has been entrenched in the bid from the beginning, to Toronto.<br /></em></span></p><p><span style='color:#1f497d'><em>What is particularly galling is that no one even bothered to consult the track and field community here in Hamilton. Perhaps you are aware (if not, you ought to be) that the Hamilton Olympic Club is the oldest continuously operating track and field club in all of North America and a member of Athletics Ontario and, by extension, Athletics Canada. Instead of "thinking out loud", perhaps it would have been wise to have consulted the club. There are a variety of lobbying efforts for the betterment of track and field going on every day, not all of which are directly related to the current difference of opinion as between the city and the Hamilton Tiger-Cat football club. In addition to the goals of perhaps keeping the track within the stadium, we very much desire to have at the very least a warmup track stay behind (preferably in the west harbour location) to serve as a facility for inner-city youth, who currently have nowhere to train in that part of the city. In addition, there are ongoing talks with the cycling community about including an indoor facility with the velodrome. A simple phone call to our club President, Monika DiCesare, would have apprised you of all of this.<br /></em></span></p><p><span style='color:#1f497d'><em>Many of the big players in the stadium/velodrome debate are not attuned with the needs of track and field. Your letter demonstrates that Athletics Canada may not be attuned to the needs of the sport outside of Toronto.<br /></em></span></p><p><span style='color:#1f497d'><em>Again, I don't speak for the club (although I am on the Board of Directors) – you will be receiving an official response at some point – however, suffice to say that your actions have seriously undercut our efforts in ensuring there is a legacy of track and field facilities in Hamilton. The last time I checked, Toronto already has a nice new track.<br /></em></span></p><p><span style='color:#1f497d'><em>Respectfully,<br /></em></span></p><p><br /> </p><p><span style='color:#1f497d'><em>Rich Gelder<br /></em></span></p><p>Very quickly, I received this response from Ms. Moritmore, which was very impressive if for no other reason she is likely plunked down in the stands at the Varsity Stadium at the University of Toronto for the National Senior Track and Field Championships. She must have a really cool Blackberry:<br /></p><p><span style='color:#1f497d'><em>Dear Rich<br /></em></span></p><p><span style='color:#1f497d'><em>I appreciate and understand your concern. All informal information we have points to the track being removed post games hence our position. The challenge for the athletes training and traveling from the ath (sic) residence to the venue also leaves us with serious concerns. I hope this gives you further insight for the reasons for our position. <br /></em></span></p><p><span style='color:#1f497d'><em>This does not remove the possibility of continuing to work towards a track in Hamilton. <br /></em></span></p><p><br /> </p><p><span style='color:#1f497d'><em>Regards,<br /></em></span></p><p><span style='color:#1f497d'><em>Joanne Mortimore<br /></em></span></p><p><br /> </p><p>So how does one become the Chief Executive Officer for a sports organization like Athletics Canada? Apparently not by being concerned about the long-term legacy opportunities that major international championships bring – at least those outside of the centre of the goddamned universe, Toronto.<br /></p><p>In any event, I also cobbled together this letter to the editor of the Hamilton Spectator:<br /></p><p><span style='color:#1f497d'><em>Editor,<br /></em></span></p><p><span style='color:#1f497d'><em>Suffice to say that, in this instance, the national track and field federation (Athletics Canada) does not speak for the local track community.<br /></em></span></p><p><span style='color:#1f497d'><em>That the track and field competition of the2015 Pan-Am Games will be staged in Hamilton has been part of the bid from day one. Whether the stadium is built in the preferred west harbor location or on the east mountain, the legacy of at least a warmup track outside the stadium, for community, club and school use, would be a boon to the sport in Hamilton. Currently, no such facility exists in the inner city. If Athletics Canada was attuned to the needs of the sport outside of Toronto, where they have just christened a brand new track and field stadium in the downtown area in the past two years, they would understand that the track and field competition in Hamilton presents an opportunity not only for the long-term fortunes of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats but for the sport of track and field at the grassroots level. And this doesn't even address the creative possibilities of having a track remaining inside the stadium.<br /></em></span></p><p><span style='color:#1f497d'><em>Today, I am embarrassed to be affiliated with Athletics Canada. They have done a disservice not only to the local stadium debate, but to all of those working hard for the betterment of track and field in Hamilton.<br /></em></span></p><p><span style='color:#1f497d'><em>Rich Gelder</em></span></p></span>Monsieur Gelder à Dundashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464154335412771763noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20485728.post-87092599045361577702010-06-06T13:03:00.001-04:002010-06-06T13:07:30.590-04:00Sunday morning run punctuated by the appearance of a wayward whippet<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Ne7zn3D2tVvuk1Y9PUlfL-CtDsehZazvWKsFizSAAcCqn5Qtl1xNxHt-EVSl-pH9LgOQQFBfBWSmtFRtPgYFhE9ue-OJtuPDndJhWZJR89tD4Vp01lCe9zcgYW6sCjW__DbJzA/s1600/Whippet.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Ne7zn3D2tVvuk1Y9PUlfL-CtDsehZazvWKsFizSAAcCqn5Qtl1xNxHt-EVSl-pH9LgOQQFBfBWSmtFRtPgYFhE9ue-OJtuPDndJhWZJR89tD4Vp01lCe9zcgYW6sCjW__DbJzA/s320/Whippet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5479708201763547250" border="0" /></a><br />This was a cool run on a cool day. Barely 13 degrees in June and damp, but perfect weather for a long run.<br /><br />Didn't know where to go, so just went up York Road to the RBG trails. When I got near the Nature Centre, I was startled by a fast approaching animal which darted past me and back into the woods. The fleeting glimpse I caught of it suggested that it was a runaway greyhound. Knowing first-hand the propensity these animals have to bugger off for long periods of time from their owners, I stopped my run and tried to call him/her back. I then called out to see if the owner was nigh, perhaps frantically serching for its awol animal. Within a minute I saw that the dog had emerged from the woods and was careening around the adjacent meadow, like all sighthounds enjoy. I then caught up with the owner who was unconcerned, knowing that her dog would come back.<br /><br />Sure enough the dog came to a screeching halt where we were standing and I soon corrected myself; we were dealing with a beautiful male whippet. We exchanged pleasantries and I was then back off on my run to York Boulevard and then back home.<br /><br />The experience reminded me how much I still miss Dinsdale, even though he were a proper a greyhound which is a couple of cuts above the whippet on the socio-economic doggy stratum.<br /><br /><a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/35902883">Untitled by rgelder@sympatico.ca at Garmin Connect - Details</a>Monsieur Gelder à Dundashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464154335412771763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20485728.post-4437904513451842692010-06-03T16:55:00.001-04:002010-06-03T16:57:03.674-04:00Morning run - detour to McDonald's<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlahzvl9Bex2O5G_Y6bsMnIZhGuYRPTJV18bfDhIt8JLklC4gvqjwyqUkpB_qq87r_ceF5DaZqsNxSfC77otDxaZhgT5FG2PD91uznsfMzyew_jsCWrdkdrW6pliciSm1H_F1qaQ/s1600/mcmuffin.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlahzvl9Bex2O5G_Y6bsMnIZhGuYRPTJV18bfDhIt8JLklC4gvqjwyqUkpB_qq87r_ceF5DaZqsNxSfC77otDxaZhgT5FG2PD91uznsfMzyew_jsCWrdkdrW6pliciSm1H_F1qaQ/s320/mcmuffin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5478654267713286914" border="0" /></a><br />Ran my usual morning route to school. HOWEVER, instead of turning north up Caroline to SJAM, I continued straight to Jackson Square to procure myself a sausage n' egg McMuffin and a big-ass Powerade. Indeed, I live an exciting existence.<br /><br /><a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/35574488">Untitled by rgelder@sympatico.ca at Garmin Connect - Details</a>Monsieur Gelder à Dundashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464154335412771763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20485728.post-60206719514061772042010-06-01T17:26:00.000-04:002010-06-01T17:26:47.402-04:00Standard run to school (frigging hot!) by rgelder@sympatico.ca at Garmin Connect - Details<a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/35374445">Standard run to school (frigging hot!) by rgelder@sympatico.ca at Garmin Connect - Details</a>Monsieur Gelder à Dundashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464154335412771763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20485728.post-11861151342437093512010-05-24T17:54:00.001-04:002010-06-03T16:55:57.843-04:00<p class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">http://www.jango.com/widgets/c36e09f835723cbe905b82874354f73c/edit#</span></p>Monsieur Gelder à Dundashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464154335412771763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20485728.post-41853719162121951822010-05-09T22:09:00.001-04:002010-05-09T22:09:09.143-04:00Ranking R.E.M.s albums from 1 to 14...just for fun<span xmlns=''><p>Here, in my humblest of estimations, are all 14 of R.E.M.'s albums of original material ranked in order from best to not best (because you can't use "worst" when describing a band the magnitude of R.E.M.).<br /></p><p>1. Life's Rich Pageant<br /></p><p>2. Automatic for the People<br /></p><p>3. Accelerate<br /></p><p>4. Green<br /></p><p>5. Reckoning<br /></p><p>6. Out of Time<br /></p><p>7. Document<br /></p><p>8. Murmur<br /></p><p>9. Monster<br /></p><p>10. Fables of the Reconstruction<br /></p><p>11. Reveal<br /></p><p>12. New Adventures in Hi-Fi<br /></p><p>13. Up<br /></p><p>14. Around the Sun<br /></p><p><br /> </p></span>Monsieur Gelder à Dundashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464154335412771763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20485728.post-87686529935662460652009-12-24T16:05:00.001-05:002009-12-24T16:05:17.152-05:00The Case for Sarah Palin (speaking at a Hamilton Charity fundraiser next April)<span xmlns=''><p>Don't know if the Spec is going to publish it, at this point. But I submitted this earlier this week. I think they may be all "Palined out".<br /></p><h1>The Case for Sarah Palin<br /></h1><p><br /> </p><p>The irony appears to be lost on most critics. They object to Sarah Palin appearing at a fundraiser for a publicly-funded hospital, because she is opposed to Canadian-style socialized medicine. Shouldn't the very idea of a $200.00 per plate dinner in support of the original beneficiaries, St. Peter's Hospital and the Juravinski Cancer Centre, suggest that Ms. Palin might have some valid criticisms of an underfunded health care system?<br /></p><p><br /> </p><p>This might have been the most bewildering criticism of Sarah Palin's pending visit, if it weren't that other arguments against are even more bizarre. First, there is the suggestion that her Hamilton event is inappropriate because the city boasts five "social-democratic" legislators, by which I am assuming is meant the five New Democrats representing Hamilton ridings in the House of Commons and at Queen's Park. Since when does the makeup of our local parliamentary delegations dictate who is welcome and not to speak in our city? If that's the case, do David Sweet, Tim Hudak, Dean Allison, Ted McMeekin and Sophia Aggelonitis , all apparently, "non social-democrats", get to huddle to select the next charity speaker?<br /></p><p><br /> </p><p>Secondly, there is this idea that Ms. Palin's beliefs, be it on same sex marriage, abortion, public health care do not reflect core Canadian values. Is this to suggest that we stifle all opinion, to the point of not welcoming differing point of views, if that opinion is A: foreign, and B: not consistent with what a show of hands might suggest? This type of intolerance reminds me of the dark days of political correctness in my university undergraduate days of the early nineties. It's one of the basic tenets of free speech; one needs dissenting viewpoints to challenge if one is going to make the claim about the validity of one's own.<br /></p><p><br /> </p><p>Telling also is the tone with which critics in these pages have attacked Ms. Palin. Seemingly unable to articulate any serious objection to her speaking in Hamilton, they have denigrated her personally, likening her to Paris Hilton or suggesting that her visit is an "early April Fool's joke". This type of invective suggests to me that the writers are more concerned about fulfilling a psychological need to feel smart by joining a the tired chorus of mainstream media ridicule of a conservative politician, rather than making a serious argument against her visit.<br /></p><p><br /> </p><p>Having made a woefully inadequate case against Sarah Palin speaking at the now Charity of Hope fundraiser, critics might do well to consider the arguments in favour of her attending. She was a moderately successful Governor of the largest American state for three years. Her book, <em>Going Rogue</em>, is at or near the top of the New York Times Bestseller list. And, oh yes, she ran for Vice-President of the United States just over a year ago, only the second woman in the history of the country to seek that office. Palin may also be one of the front-runners to carry the Republican banner against President Barack Obama in the 2012 election.<br /></p><p><br /> </p><p>Agree with her politics or not, but Sarah Palin is newsworthy for all the right reasons. There are no sex tapes, no allegations of infidelity and no criminal record. She is a woman who has made some noise in the arena of politics which, at the executive level in the United States, has heretofore been the almost exclusive domain of men. She has a story tell and it is one that is worth it for Hamiltonians to hear first hand on April 15th.<br /></p><p><br /> </p><p>It will be a great evening for ticketholders to the event. Hopefully, it will be an even better evening for the Charity of Hope.<br /></p></span>Monsieur Gelder à Dundashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464154335412771763noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20485728.post-11049323978382574882009-10-17T16:02:00.001-04:002009-10-17T16:02:34.566-04:00Gary Bettman is a big, frigging liar<span xmlns=''><p>So Gary Bettman says he supports another NHL team in Canada, does he? He's not kidding anyone; he doesn't want another team north of the border any more than I want a scorching case of herpes for my 41st birthday. Bettman had the opportunity to demonstrate his "support" for another Canadian team by working with Jim Balsillie to bring the Coyotes out of the desert (both literally and figuratively) and to Hamilton. How much in legal fees did he and the other owners spend blocking that? How much more will they have to spend, in light of the fact that the Phoenix team is now giving away tickets, after having offered a top - top ticket price of 25 dollars for their home opener?<br /></p><p>The only reason that Bettman is waxing sympathetic about another Canadian team is that, outside of southern Ontario and the money of the likes of Balsillie, it isn't going to happen. There are great hockey fans in Winnipeg. Enough to support an NHL team with its requirement for corporate subscription? How many private boxes can Great West Life buy? As for Quebec, the only person with a remote chance of bringing a team there wants the federal and provincial government to pay for half of a new arena. Half of the costs of a 400 million dollar arena coming the province and the feds? With that sense of entitlement, where does he think he think this team is going? Ottawa?<br /></p><p>I would be sincerely tickled to see teams in Winnipeg and Quebec - especially the latter. However, this whole exercise by the NHL, Bettman in particular, is nothing more than smoke and mirrors in a pathetic attempt to placate those who were beginning to finally accept that he has an anti-Canada agenda. NHL Awards in Las Vegas? Give me a fucking break! If that isn't the precursor for League's next disastrous foray into a completely non-viable American market, then let's see where the Coyotes actually end up next year.<br /></p><p>Bettman's chief henchman, Bill Daly, suggested that the City of Hamilton needs to "get its ducks in line" if wants to be considered for a future NHL franchise. With all due respect, you filthy little fart-catcher to Gary Bettman, the city has spent the last 25 years lining up its ducks, from building an arena, to bidding for two expansion franchises, to being there every time an existing league owner wanted to extort a better arena deal from its home city, to patiently working with people like Jim Balsillie who have a legitimate and realistic desire to see professional hockey fluorish where it is able; in Canada. <br /></p><p>Hopefully, the likes of Bettman and Daly will cease being the "toast" of the League - particularly when the bills for Coyote sustaining come due - and we may be in the final months of his reign over the NHL. The sooner he is gone, the more likely places like Hamilton, Winnipeg and Quebec will actually be able to realistically envision NHL hockey in their cities. </p></span>Monsieur Gelder à Dundashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464154335412771763noreply@blogger.com0