2016 – Page 11 – Scripturient

Why We Deserve a Permanent CAO

2016-03-12 2016-03-12 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour3 Comments

First, a little history. Back in the spring of 2012, Collingwood Council terminated the contract with Kim Wingrove, the CAO, according to the terms in the agreement. In her place, council appointed the CEO of Collus, Ed Houghton, as interim CAO. In addition to his other duties, Houghton took the job without any compensation. In January, 2013, council began the process of recruiting a new, permanent CAO. Houghton, an effective leader who was widely respected by staff and council, stepped down shortly afterwards. A consultant was found to begin the recruitment process. In July, 2013, on a recommendation from the town’s ……… click below for more ↓

The non-story of the year: the Elvis contract

2016-03-11 2016-03-12 Collingwood / Conspiracy Theories / Critical Thinking / Planning & PoliciesOne Comment

The “big” news in the Collingwood Connection this week is the release of the contract between the town and Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE). Now we all know that Elvis tribute artists can’t engage in pie-eating contests.* The shame, the shame. The community reacted with… a loud snore. Really? This is NEWS? Who the frig cares? Why not cover something exciting, something really relevant? Like the contract for the paint for fire hydrants? Or the contract for aviation fuel? Why not get into the nitty gritty of the photocopier contracts? All of them are at least as important and worthy of your front ……… click below for more ↓

When is a tax increase not a tax increase?

2016-03-11 2016-03-11 Collingwood / Council / Taxes / User fees and costsOne Comment

When blockheads don’t get what a levy is. This month, Collingwood Council voted for a tax increase that, through the admin’s sleight of hand, the bobbleheads believed wasn’t a tax increase. It was just the old shell game. According to a story in the Connection (which also didn’t get it), headlined “No tax hike, but assessment increase will add to Collingwood residents’ tax bills”: (Council) have also agreed to add a 0.75-per-cent capital levy, which will generate about $210,000 for the capital asset management plan. A levy IS a tax increase. That’s why it’s called a TAX LEVY. Trying to ……… click below for more ↓

But wait, it gets worse…

2016-03-08 2016-03-08 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviourOne Comment

By now you know the worst thing that has happened during this term of council: last night, Dep. Mayor Saunderson made a notice of motion to extend the interim CAO’s contract for another year. Yes, the same interim CAO who was originally hired to fill in only until the town hired a permanent CAO. Last year. It appears several councillors have been conniving in secret AGAIN to extend the CAO’s contact, just as they did last year. Perhaps it was discussed at the secret meeting at a Thornbury restaurant, last December. No wonder the recruitment process for a new CAO was delayed. It was supposed to start ……… click below for more ↓

Loteria de Camacho

2016-03-06 2025-06-21 Culture / Mexico3 Comments

Ever since I first visited Mexico, more than 30 years ago, I’ve been fascinated by its culture. It’s beautiful, exotic, alien, yet also comfortable and attractive. One of the things that have intrigued me since the start is the lottery game: loteria de camacho. I’ve seen it for sale in many stores, and played at street vendors and booths at local fiestas. from boxed games to plastic pouches, it can be found in almost every Mexican store. It’s more than a simple game: the set is used to teach literacy, history and writing, too. From the first time I saw ……… click below for more ↓

Time for Closure

2016-03-05 2016-03-05 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Municipal Politics / PoliticsOne Comment

Thirty-six months ago a small group of disgruntled, angry residents, some with burning ambition to take a seat on council themselves, allegedly complained to the OPP about decisions made by some members of the previous council. Decisions they didn’t like. They chose to act in secret, through anonymity and stealth, rather than through open, democratic and public processes. Using biased media, gossipers with their own agendas, sycophant bloggers, protests, ambitious candidates mouthing righteous platitudes, and virulent social media campaigning, they alleged corruption by local public officials. The OPP must have been mortified at having to investigate a clearly politically-motivated, baseless complaint. But the law is ……… click below for more ↓

Type Crimes and Taxes

2016-03-03 2016-03-04 Canadian Politics / Critical Thinking / Fonts & Layout / Grammar / Language & Grammar / Politics / Style & usage / TypographyOne Comment

Type crime is the term author Ellen Lupton uses in her book, Thinking With Type, to describe egregiously bad typography. That description came to mind as I perused the latest fluff mailer from our MP; the so-called “Tax Guide.” So-called because it isn’t a guide: it’s the usual, dreary Conservative whack-a-mole propaganda about how great they were when in power and how evil the Liberals are now. In fact, if you want actual information, the publication has a final page where you have to send in to get it (or call the Canada Revenue Agency). And unless you’re an accountant, you’ll ……… click below for more ↓

The Wolf and the Dogs

2016-03-01 2016-03-01 Culture / Humour & Satire / Legends & Myths / Social Order & DisorderLeave a comment

Once upon a time, there was a pack of good-hearted dogs who were known for their good deeds, and indeed their good natures. They travelled around the town unmolested, loved by everyone they met, helping with the chores, keeping the town safe from wild animals and intruders. The humans fed and pampered them, the other animals in the town bowed to them. Their leader, a kindly, gentle dog, was loved by all. But there were animals in the forest who grew envious of the dogs. They hated their popularity, their good deeds, their companionship with people. They wanted what the dogs had. Most ……… click below for more ↓

The Crafty Crow and the Doves

2016-02-27 2016-02-27 Culture / Fables / Humour & Satire / Legends & Myths / Literature / What I'm Reading Now / Writing & FictionLeave a comment

Once upon a time, an old crow lived by the seaside. He had grown fat over the years because he was too lazy to work for his food. He preferred to sit than fly. He followed the other animals to get their leftovers, taking what wasn’t his, and annoying them by begging for some of their food. The other animals shunned him. They had chased him from many places, until he found himself on the coast. He was unwanted and unloved. One day, a flight of doves appeared. They were young, inexperienced doves fresh from the forest, who didn’t know their way ……… click below for more ↓

The Travelling Life

2016-02-24 2016-02-24 Culture / Personal ReminiscencesLeave a comment

The thing I don’t like about travelling is, well, travelling. Being somewhere else is fine. A wonderful, expansive experience. I love waking up to the sounds of the ocean, wandering the streets of a foreign town, eating foods in their restaurants, shopping in their markets, listening to their music and moving to the rhythms of their city. Getting there is, however, overrated. More than that: it’s dreary. Stressful. Boring. The antithesis of the romantic. Most of the time travel isn’t anything of the sort. It’s waiting. Hurry up and wait. You rush from one location to another, one platform, one ……… click below for more ↓

432 vs 440Hz: Science or Codswallop?

2016-02-14 2020-10-04 Balderdash & Hoaxes / Critical Thinking / Culture / Music & Reviews / Musical Instruments / New Age CodswallopOne Comment

Canadian band Walk Off the Earth posted excitedly on Facebook that they had just recorded a new song. Great. I like WOTE and look forward to their new song. What was really different about that notice was that they also said they had changed their instruments from the standard A440 to A432 tuning, and it made a huge difference to them: For all the music nerds out there, you might want to look into this. This has not been 100% proven but the evidence is building. When we were in the studio recording our latest album “Sing It All Away”, ……… click below for more ↓

The ‘Sharing Economy’ is a Hoax

2016-02-12 2016-02-12 Critical Thinking / Marketing / New Age Codswallop / Politics / Social Order & DisorderOne Comment

Stop calling it the sharing economy. It’s an oxymoron, like ‘creation science’ or ‘sustainable capitalism.’ It’s not collaborative: it’s the new indentured servant economy. If you believe these corporations are all about sharing and collaboration, then you’re mightily gullible. You’ve been had. These are big, multi-billion dollar corporations whose executives are millionaires. They are more akin to drug cartels than to cooperative economics. The economic similarities are evident: both use others – the users or subscribers – to break the law for them, to generate their wealth for them, to do their dirty work, then leave those users to face legal, moral ……… click below for more ↓

Sloppy Reporting and Secret Agendas

2016-02-10 2016-02-10 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Media Issues / Planning & PoliciesOne Comment

One really doesn’t actually expect sterling journalism, good, investigative reporting or excellent editing from a community newspaper, but we do expect factual accuracy. And we expect reporters and editors to do at least the basics of their jobs. Some parallel stories in the local papers show just how inaccurate – and sloppy – local reporting and editing can be. And how this is letting council get away with its secret agendas unreported. The first story, in the Connection, is headlined, Collingwood calling on Collus Powerstream to divulge salaries of executives, employees. It opens: Salaries paid to executives and employees of ……… click below for more ↓

Aesop is Still Relevant

2016-02-06 2016-02-06 Books & Reviews / Collingwood / Council / Literature / What I'm Reading Now3 Comments

A MONKEY perched upon a lofty tree saw some Fishermen casting their nets into a river, and narrowly watched their proceedings. The Fishermen after a while gave up fishing, and on going home to dinner left their nets upon the bank. The Monkey, who is the most imitative of animals, descended from the treetop and endeavored to do as they had done. Having handled the net, he threw it into the river, but became tangled in the meshes and drowned. With his last breath he said to himself, “I am rightly served; for what business had I who had never handled ……… click below for more ↓