Please Play Again

There is something foul in this world of ours.
Ya, Ya ...the stock market has tanked...AIG
executives are receiving anything but what they
deserve, and that snake Bernie Madoff is not going
be stripped of everything in his possession...
Ya, Ya...but I have to say that of greater concern
to me is that so far - and this is really unusual for
me - at this point I have rolled up my rim to win at
Tim Horton's I don't know how many times - and I
have been shutout ! I haven't altered my strategy.
I still order large double/double...I drink as quickly
as I can...I anxiously grip the rim in my teeth and
unfold expecting to win a car...not a car, not cash,
not electronics, not coffee, not a donut...Nothing...
nada...squat...zero...what kind of a world are we
living in ? I'm growing bitter...bitterer...
Speaking of which...AIG executives who have cashed
their bonus cheques after the company received American
stimulus money to stay in business should be looking over
their shoulders...with great care ! I suspect each and
every one of them will find the IRS taking keen interest
in their financial affairs as far back as is legal...
I'm guessing these individuals will find the spotlight
intense as a lesson to all...you don't make the President
of the United States look bad without consequence.
The last thing I saw on TV last night before I forced
myself to sleep was CNN's Anderson Cooper who went to
commercial break teasing...so Bernie Madoff is in jail...
how much is he going to get to keep ? I will only tell
you it's going to make you more mad...."More mad" kind of
stuck with me..."madder" of "angrier" might have been
preferable but I will say that if Madoff ripped people
off to the tune of 65 billion dollars, he and his wife
should be able to keep any personal possessions, over
and above 65 billion dollars...homes, cars, cash, boats,
everything should be sold off until 65 billion dollars
has been recouped and they should not be permitted to
own a stitch of anything until their responsibilties
have been met. There is something truly distasteful
about the idea of Mrs. Madoff living in luxury in
Florida even with the weasel in jail while so many of
his victims suffer.
and now for something really important !!! I spoke with
Manager Ken Jaquard at West Pubnico Golf and Country
Club yesterday and guess what...West Pubnico is
open for business effective tomorrow ! Friday !
Golf in Nova Scotia...
Which veteran pro golfer was it that said, " If it
wasn't for golf I'd be a caddie today...."
Til next time...hittem long and hittem straight.
Bless
Don

Under the Microscope

I watched with uncharacteristic interest as Barack Obama addressed
the US Congress a couple of weeks ago...
Obama's an intriguing political presence.
Economy, Education and Health Care...three areas of focus for his
administration...costly initiatives to be funded by trillions
of dollars recouped from scrapping inefficient, wasteful progams
of the previous government(s).
I am optimistic that he will have some success. Only time will
tell.
I do question bailing out the automakers. That may prove to be
good money after bad. I suspect that without life support from
taxpayers GM, Ford and Chrysler would all fold. Massive,
unwieldly, wasteful and inefficient, the North American car
makers represent in a snapshot what went wrong in the
"system." For decades the " Big Three" have been guilty of
throwing crap at the wall hoping something would stick worried
little about quality and customer satisfaction - concerned more
with fragile bottom lines and ridiculous executive payoffs.
Instinct tells me that from the ashes of the dinosaur -
corporations faster, stronger and more responsible would rise
seeing opportunity to create something good..and lasting.
We don't need companies dependant on government handouts.
We need companies that provide needed products - that can
bring those products to market, reasonably.
I hope that Canadians will someday soon see a similar strategy
employed in this country. Government focus on what we need.
Our once admirable healthcare system is in shambles. Our
education system resembles a carmaker and our taxes are
wasted on programs that sheild our politicians and civil
servants from anything close to accountability.
The CBC is begging for increased funding.They would have
us believe the 1.1 billion taxpayer dollars on which the
CBC survives is insufficient. The CBC, like many corporate
"bad dreams" has simply gotten too big and no longer
serves the master for which it was created. I support
a public broadcaster in Canada. I support every Canadian
helping to foot the bill. But - a responsible public
system would involve one Canadian Engish TV network -
one Canadian French TV network and one radio network in
each official language. In fact the time may have come
to pull the plug on even that - and make the whole service
web-based. 24 hours a day - all Canadian content ...on
5 percent of their current budget Canadians should be
able to enjoy, top Canadian quality - a major improvement
over much of what the CBC currently programs.A little less
Peter Mainsbridge and a little less Ron MacLean, would not,
in my view, necessarily be a bad thing.
In my last blog I used some lyrics from a song from an album
by Rice, Rice, Hillman and Pedersen...nothing wrong with the
lyrics but for anyone who may be trying to track down the song -
the title is " Out Among the Stars " not "Moment of Glory"...
the problem with aging is that the braincramps occur more
frequently and I only catch the odd one.
It is the middle of March. Time to start working on
the first " Atlantic Golf Radio Magazine E-Newsletter"
of the season. We'll be teeing it up again before we know
it. If you want to register for the newsletter just go
to the website ( www.atlanticgolfradio.com ) ...tips, golf
quotes, the odd editorial comment, places to play and things
that are going on in the Maritime Canadian golf community...
it's an easy read that attempts to entertain.
Time for me to go to work..I leave you with this quote
from golf pro Paul Goydos commenting on a particularly
treacherous golf course..." It's like playing Scrabble
without any of the vowels."
Til next time...Happy trials...and make it a good day.
Don