Chaos in the CAR: an African mess gets messier

Sub-Saharan Africa is a mess. Don't let articles written by lamestream journalists wearing rose-coloured specs fool you. Walt's agents are everywhere (especially in southern Africa) and they send us the real news. With the exception of one or two countries, Africa and its people are in worse shape today than during the much-reviled colonial era.

One of the countries which is not an exception to the rule that Africans are demonstrably unfit to govern themselves is the Central African Republic. Walt has written about it before: "
"Pray for Syria" (has a map) and ""Christians attacked every day in Mid-East, Africa and Asia

The CAR used to be a French colony, called Ubangi-Chari, later part of French Equatorial Africa.

Some of the people used to wear huge lip plates as ornaments, to the delight of such as P.T. Barnum who brought them to America to exhibit as freaks. (Before you laugh, check your mirror for tattoos and piercings!)

We'll skip over the post-colonial episode of the Central African Empire, ruled by the Emperor Bokassa 1st who used to keep chunks of his enemies' bodies in the palace freezer so he could eat them later. Bokassa was overthrown with the connivance of the French -- because he was an embarrassment -- and the CAR hasn't had a stable government since.

One of the reasons for the CAR's instability is that it is one of those countries which is torn between the Musilm north and the Christian/animist south, like Mali, Nigeria and the Sudan. As I write, Islamic extremists, supported by invaders from Chad (another basket case), Mali and Libya, are invading the CAR's capital, Bangui. The customary raping, looting and pillage has ensued. Chaos reigns.

The French (embarrassed again) have put 1500 pairs of military boots (and counting) on the ground to combat the Muslim terrorists, but are far from clearing the area. Meanwhile, more than 100,000 refugees are thronging the cathedral and the airport, clamouring for protection from the savages.

Speaking of "savages", here's a quote from Catastrophe: Europe Goes to War 1914, by Max Hastings (William Collins 2013):

Lucien Laby was in charge of an escort taking fourteen German prisoners to the rear, when their little column was suddenly beset by Senegalese troops determined to cut off the Germans' ears. After a violent scuffle, the colonial soldiers were driven back.

One big Senegalese saluted Laby and said wistfully, "O my lieutenant, you might have let me cut off two ears -- just two ears!"

A French army chaplain, while applauding the terror that such colonial infantry inspired among the Germans, deplored the difficulties of dealing with their wounded patients at his hospital: "The blacks from North Africa are almost as civilised as their Berber or Arab compatriots...[but] there are others from West Africa and the French Congo...who are very primitive indeed".

That was 99 years ago. As the French say, plus ça change...

And now... anti-Semitic GESTURES!

Until very recently, a quenelle was (only) a delicious Lyonnais dish consisting of creamed fish, chicken, or meat, sometimes combined with breadcrumbs, with a light egg binding, usually poached. Now, however, the word has acquired another meaning, which is drawing the ire of progressive thinkers and the PC police across Europe -- especially France.

As this article on the LePoint website explains, a quenelle is now a gesture, which they call "an ersatz Nazi salute".

Ersatz? Looks to Walt more like a reversed Nazi salute, with the arm extended downwards in an upside-down Sieg Heil manner. With your other arm -- I know you're already trying this at home -- you reach across your chest and touch your shoulder. Got it?

But what does it mean? Like many gestures, the quenelle is subject to interpretation. Wikipedia says the gesture was "invented" by a French "political activist and comedian" [= wiseacre. Ed.] named Dieudonné M'bala M'bala. [How French is that? Ed.]

His name (and the accompanying photo) suggest that M M'bala M'bala is a gentleman of the coloured persuasion. In the USA, it is not unknown for black "activists" to be strongly against Jews and Zionism. Malcolm X, Jesse Jackson, "the Rev" Al Sharpton and even the sainted Martin Lucifer King all made anti-Semitic statements [rants, surely. Ed.] at one time or another.

Da man (Dieudonné) says the quenelle is "an anti-establishment gesture," but critics -- and there are many! -- describe it as an expression of anti-Semitism -- an underhanded manner of expressing hatred for Jews without inviting legal prosecution. The negative intent of the gesture, they say, is further underlined by Dieudonné's history of anti-Semitic remarks and racial hatred convictions. Dieudonne was widely denounced for saying about Jewish journalist, Patrick Cohen: "When I hear Patrick Cohen speaking, I say to myself, you see, the gas chambers … too bad [they no longer exist]."

That's all ye know and all ye need to know.

Towards friendlier relations between China and Japan

Even though it's one of Walt's favourite cities, we don't often feature news from Macau on WWW. However, thanks to Agent 88, we have a picture of efforts being made to promote better relations between China (of which Macau is now a part) and Japan.

Errr, yes. This is Japanese AV girl Mizuna Rei, practising some sort of interactive communication with a Chinese visitor to the Asia Adult Expo 2013, held in Macau a couple of weeks ago.

Exactly what is going on is unclear but it appears to be a game of some sort. To judge from other pictures, AAE2013 featured a wide variety of games and other products not often seen (in public, at least) in the puritanical ABC countries. Walt notes that all of the entertainments on display seem targetted at people of the heterosexual persuasion.

Phil Robertson back on Duck Dynasty -- a WIN for the silent majority!

Walt has some great breaking news, an update on "Enough, already! Pushback against LGBT agenda gains momentum", published here just before Christmas.

Yes, folks, Phil's back on Duck Dynasty!

A&E made the announcement this afternoon. They didn't say "by popular demand" or "as a result of popular outrage". But clearly, expressions of ridicule and disgust by millions sick and tired of pandering to the "LGBT community" had their effect. Let's call it a win for our side!

Yet the pandering coninues. According to the report on the abcNEWS website, A&E couldn't resist adding that they would "use this moment to launch a national public service campaign promoting unity, tolerance and acceptance among all people, a message that supports our core values as a company, and the values found in 'Duck Dynasty.' These [ads] will air across our entire portfolio." Pass the sick bag.

10 Canadianisms that baffle Merkans and other non-English speakers

Back in September, we did a piece on Canadian English -- "Puck off, eh, hoser!" -- which a number of readers found both helpful and entertaining. In the spirit of enlightenment for which WWW is famous, we return to that theme. This is a service to those Floridians (and other Americans) about to be visited by Canucks, or folks from south of the border planning a trek into the Great Not-so-white North.

Walt is inspired and informed by "55 Canadianisms You May Not Know or Are Using Differently", an article written by Jules Sherred for the GeekMom website. Talking to Americans, Ms Sherred found them often "baffled" over what she calls her "Canadian English".

So she did a survey of 175 people from the USA, Canada, and other Commonwealth countries to find out how familiar they were with certain terms heard commonly in Canada, but not so commonly elsewhere. She came up with a list of 55 Canadianisms. Poor Len has contributed explanations and comments on ten of them. We begin with...

Yes, Michelle, it's a tuque, and a nice one too, bearing the logo of the most successful professional sports team of all time...anywhere! Americans might call this a wool hat, or a ski cap, or a knitted cap. People in Britain or Australia haven't a clue. For more on the tuque (or toque or touque) see "Hey hosers - what do you call that cap on your head?", from CBCNews.

You can bet that 1000s of people in Toronto are wearing tuques this week, even in the house. That's because they are without hydro. (And it's not Rob Ford's fault!) "Hydro" is short for hydro-electric power. In many Canadian provinces, hydro is the chief source of light and heat. And many providers of "electricity" (as it's called elsewhere) use the word "hydro" in their names: Manitoba Hydro, Newfoundland and Labrador Hydro, and BC Hydro. In Ontario, the main provider is called Hydro None.

Homo milk -- milk from transgendered cows marketed to members of the LGBT community. OK, just kidding. The term is actually short for "homogenized milk" -- milk with 3.25% butterfat. Calling homo milk "homogenized milk" isn't strictly accurate, since most of the milk sold in supermarkets and elsewhere is homogenized, regardless of its fat content.

Those who prefer beverages stronger than milk should learn about mickeys, two-fours and twenty-sixers. In the USA, a "mickey" might be a short form for "Mickey Finn", a drink laced with chloral hydrate or some other stupefying agent. [How old are you? That term was last used 90 years ago! Ed.] In Canada it refers to a 12-ounce bottle of liquor, sometimes curved to fit in one's back pocket -- a "hip flask".

A "two-four" is a case -- sometimes known as a "square" or a "flat" -- of 24 bottles (not cans) of beer. And we mean real Canadian beer, not the American stuff that's like a couple having sex in a canoe. A "twenty-sixer" is a 26-ounce bottle of liquor. The term is still used, even though the bottle actually contains only 24 ounces (or 750 ml), roughly the equivalent of an American "quart", which of course is what it's called in the US of A.

Hey... what do you call that thing along the edge of your roof, where the ice is building up on top of the leaves you didn't clean out in the fall? Americans and people living in Commonwealth countries generally refer to is as a "gutter". Canadians call it an "eavestrough", and Ms Sherred says the term is virtually unknown in any other country.

What do you put in your coffee or tea [Wozzat? Ed.] if you don't have (or are allergic to) milk or cream? Americans might use "creamer" or "non-dairy whitener", the same stuff Canadians call simply "whitener" -- any powder or liquid used to whiten coffee of tea [Wozzat? Ed.]

You could also stir it into your kid's pablum. Purists (and IP lawyers) would like that to be spelled with a capital P, as it is a trademarked name. But, I hear you ask, what is it? Pablum is a processed cereal for infants originally marketed by the Mead Johnson Company in 1931. It was developed by genuine hosers at Toronto's famous Hospital for Sick Children. Nowadays it's a Heinz product, in spite of which the word must be regarded as 100% Canadian!

Ms Sherred says the word really stumped non-Canucks, with suggested alternatives ranging from "infant cereal" and "Gerber" through "baby food" and -- in Commonwealth countries -- "rusk". [Wozzat? Ed.]

Finally -- and still on the subject of food -- we have "all-dressed", a phrase which can be applied to pizza, potato chips (not crisps!), hamburgers or hotdogs. Whatever you're having "all-dressed" comes with all the trimmings -- the works... everything... Ms Sherred says all-dressed chips are "as Canadian as poutine and maple syrup".

Footnote: Domino's and Boston Pizza, which sell takeout pizza on both sides of the World's Longest Lightly-defended Border, report that Americans, on average, ask for only one topping (other than tomato and cheese) on their pizzas. Canadians get three.

Another footnote: Mickey D's is now marketing poutine, but only in Canada. Walt finds this hard to understand, since a bowl of fries, cheese curd and gravy should be a terrific seller in the USA.

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all our readers

Walt and Poor Len [and Ed.!]
wish all our readers
A HAPPY AND HOLY CHRISTMAS



and for the New Year 2014

PEACE AND HAPPINESS

van Honthorst: Adoration of the Shepherds

How about a better name for Biggar?

Yes, folks, there really is a place called Biggar in the western Canadian province of Saskatchewan. Motto (in case the pic is too small): New York is big, but this is Biggar!

How (I hear you asking) did Biggar get its name? According to Agent 3, who lived in that neck of the woods for a while, there are two theories. The first is that it was named after a director the Canadian Pacific Railway. The top hat gang were travelling through western Canada on newly laid track and decreed that there should be a town every 15 miles or so. Having given no thought to names, they adopted the expedient of naming the proposed settlements after themselves.

The other theory is that the same directors stopped the train 15 miles after the last one, looked around, saw nothing, and said "B*gg*r this!" The company secretary supplied the missing vowels in the meeting minutes.

Whatever the truth of the matter may be, it must be said that "Biggar" is not much of a name. Walt thinks the town should be renamed, if not after a saint [they're all already taken by Québec. Ed.], then by a name out of history, or the name of someplace in "the old country".

But which old country? Walt is in the middle of Catastrophe: Europe Goes to War 1914, the weighty but interesting new work by Max Hastings (Collins 2013). In the chapter on the campaigns in Galicia -- the part of modern-day Poland and Ukraine around the Carpathian mountains -- there are some great place names. And there are loads of Ukrainian-Canadians in Saskatchewan. [And "Walt" is a common name amongst Ukrainians and people of that ilk, right? Ed.]

Yes... for all these reasons I am suggesting "Biggar" be changed to... wait for it... Przemysl! Or Перемишль -- aintcha impressed?!To make it easier to spell, we'll omit the accent mark from the Romanized version. [Wouldn't hurt to add a vowel or two as well. Ed.] To the citizens of Biggar... you're welcome!

Now available at Walmart! No kidding!!!

According to Agent 6 these unique and inspirational Christmas tree [or Hannukah bush? Ed.] ornaments are actually available from Walmart.

So does that mean that after fifty years it's OK to hang a black man from a tree again?

Enough, already! Pushback against LGBT agenda gains momentum

Former speaker of the House or Representatives Newt Gingrich yesterday joined the growing chorus of supporters of suspended Duck Dynasty star Phil Robertson. Mr. Robertson was booted off the show by A&E after making "anti-gay remarks" to GQ magazine. But, on his Crossfire show on CNN, Newt likened Robertson to Pope Francis!

"If you read the whole interview," Mr. Gingrich said, "he talks very specifically about loving everybody. He talks about not being judgmental towards anybody. That's God' decision, not his."

A&E has not commented officially on the removal of the star of the popular show. But Mr. Robertson put out a statement saying that his comments to GQ were in line with his Christian faith, while pointing out that he "would never treat anyone with disrespect just because they're different from me."

His family released a statement on the Duck Commander website in which they expressed thanks for the outpouring of support and prayers. The statement said Phil's "beliefs are grounded in the Bible" and he "is a Godly man."

"We are disappointed that Phil has been placed on hiatus for expressing his faith," the family says. "We have had a successful working relationship with A&E but as a family, we cannot imagine the show going forward without our patriarch at the helm."

A&E has followed a time-honoured tradition of the lamestream media, by quickly silencing those who dare to speak their mind -- or proclaim their faith -- when their opinions and beliefs run contrary to the prevailing orthodoxies of secular humanism and the superiority of all things and people gay.

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, who had her picture taken with Mr. Robertson just last month, complained that his rights to freedom of speech were being trampled. Lousiaiana Governor Bobby Jindal, complained that Miley Cyrus got a pass for twerking on TV while Phil got shown the door. (Duck Dynasty is filmed in LA.)

One of the programme's many outraged fans, Rick Peter, of Vernon BC, told Associated Press, "It's a show that is promoting clean living and good moral values, and that's something we need more of today."

What did Phil Robertson say?!

In the GQ interview, when asked his definition of sinful behaviour, Mr. Robertson replied, "Start with homosexual behaviour and just go from there.... Don't be deceived. Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the male prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers — they won't inherit the kingdom of God. Don't deceive yourself. It's not right."

And that's exactly what you'll find in the Bible, in St. Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. "Know you not that the unjust shall not possess the kingdom of God? Do not err: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor the effeminate, nor liers with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor railers, nor extortioners, shall possess the kingdom of God." (I Corinthians 6:9-10, DRV)

People like Rick Peter say conservative views like his are not just overlooked but ignored by Hollywood and the lamestream media, relentless in their disparagement of Christian values and glorification of perversion.

"I think we're getting a little bit tired of that pro-gay sentiment that's out there in the media and it's time to fight back," said Mr. Peter. And A.P. quotes Randy Schmidt of Illinois, who agrees, saying that while gay people can be happy that some states have granted them the right to marry, "I find it unnecessary to flaunt it all over the media."

Dear readers, Walt begs you, be silent no longer! If you are sick, sore and tired of having the LGBT agenda and other types of political correctness crammed down your throat (or other orifice), speak up!

Use the comments feature of online news sites. Vote in online polls and opinion forums. Use the power of the social media. Don't "rail", but don't be afraid to send your expressions of righteous indignation to the press and the politicians. It's time for majority opinion to be heard!

VIDEO: "The 12 Days of Christmas", Canuck style

The ways of the West are as inscrutable to Orientals as their ways are to us. So also the ways of the rest of the world to Americans. (Are you sensing a theme here? See "The all-American question: 'Where are you from, really?'")

To help Orientals and Americans understand the people of the Great Not-so-white North, Agent 78 has forwarded this lovely (and educational) seasonal video. Sound up. Enjoy!

Obama names queers to represent him at Olympics; what will Canada do?

There won't be any Obamas or Bidens at the Sochi Olympics, two months hence. Nosiree! In yet another instance of pandering to the powerful LGBT lobby, the Prez has declared that he finds Russia's laws against promoting homosexuality "offensive". And, in a gesture of being offended, he has decided to poke the bear by sending, in his stead, some gay athletes and athletic supporters.

Billie Jean King -- role model for Ontario's Premier Kathleen Wynne -- has been asked to head the US delegation. She says she is "deeply honoured". Lesbian hockey player Caitlin Cahow is the other openly gay representative to the delegation. She'll attend the closing ceremony. And Janet Napolitano gets to go too.

What, Walt asks, will Canada do? Steve "Stephen" Harper is well known for kissing Obama's ass and telling him it smells like chocolate ice cream. And Canada's foreign minister, John "John" Baird threw a monstrous hissy fit when the Russian laws were announced, accusing the Russkis of homophobia, hate crime, yada yada yada.

Agent 3 suggests that since the US is sending two queers, it would be only fitting for Canada to send Baird and his confirmed bachelor buddy, Jason Kenney. But my sub, Poor Len Canayen, says it won't happen because to do so would be tantamount to admitting that Baird and Kenney are as gay as 18 balloons. As of this morning, they are still not just in the cabinet, but in the closet.

VIDEO: The all-American question: "Where are you from, really?"

The hail-from place names in this video are Californian, but the situation is all-American, coast to coast. Thanks to Agent 6 for alerting us to this little epic by Ken Tanaka. Here's "What kind of Asian are you?"



Now that you've watched the video, listen as the actors read some comments posted in response by (Walt guesses) real Americans.



Remember, folks, these comments are from average Americans, people who are not only allowed to roam the streets of the USA at will, but to vote! Some of them may even be elected to public office. Is it any wonder that America's relations with the rest of the world -- not to mention its reputation -- are such a mess.

Incredible! Brian Griffin returns!

Last night, on the hit TV series Family Guy, Brian Griffin, beloved dog, came back from the dead! Just like Bobby Ewing, only much quicker, and with a convoluted plot twist which made the old "it was only a dream" shtick look reasonable.

For the three or four people on the planet who don't watch Family Guy, Brian was hit by a car last month. Stewie, having just destroyed his time machine, was uanble to go back in time and rescue him. And so the Griffins got a new dog, Vinnie, who seemed to have been abandoned by a family of Mafiosi.

In last night’s episode, Vinnie takes Stewie to visit the local mall Santa, to cheer him (Stewie) up. Stewie asks Santa to return Brian for Christmas. "I want my friend back," he cries. "My best friend, my dog, Brian, he’s dead. It’s out first Christmas without him and no one has even mentioned his name. I don’t care about this stupid carnival or Christmas! I don’t care about anything but Brian!"

And, he adds, "Oh yeah. I'd like a bike, too." But Santa can't produce a bike, let alone Brian, so Stewie is disappointed. But then... here it comes... Stewie spots an "alternate Stewie" (the product of an earlier travel through time) in the toy store, and remembers that the other Stewie has a copy of the time machine was hidden in his backpack.

Mirabile dictu! Stewie swipes alternate Stewie's time machine, goes back to the scene of the accident in which Brian was killed, and pushes him out of harm's way, just in the nick of time! Vinnie is left in the future -- I guess -- along with alternate Stewie, and Stewie and Brian are BFFs once again. Got it?

Walt wonders if Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane was genuinely moved by the outpouring of grief of 1000s of Brian-lovers, or the numerous online petitions to bring back the loveable dog. Or was this MacFarlane's "New Coke" strategy, killing off Brian and introducing the new character who made the hard-drinking, sarcastic, lecherous Brian look good by comparison.

If this tortured plot twist was indeed planned months in advance, in an attempt to create a buzz and build ratings, that would have been a very cyncial move, wouldn't it. Could TV producers be cyncial manipulators who delight in playing on the emotions of their audiences? Could bears still defecate in the shrubbery? Anyway, welcome back Brian!

What's wrong with "Happy Holidays"?

Two things, maybe three.

First of all, the majority of people you might say "Happy Holidays" to are not on holiday! Folks who work retail are probably putting in extra hours, with stores open 24/7, and even on traditional holidays like Christmas Day and Boxing Day. (Americans can ask a Brit or a Canuck what that's all about.) Such is the quest for the almighty dollar that the three weeks from mid-December until Little Christmas are the busiest of the year for retailers. You should have seen the crowd at the Fort Mudge liquor store today.

Secondly, in spite of your good wishes, this is not a happy time of the year. It's a very stressful season. Suicides spike. Thefts increase. So does begging. What's there to be happy about?! No wonder Scrooge says "Bah, humbug!"

Finally, when you wish someone "Happy Holidays" (or anything else), your wish implies that there's something wrong with the status quo, that their present situation -- whatever it is -- could be better. Thus the wisher imposes a value judgment on the wishee! Maybe the person you're greeting is quite "happy" being a Grinch. Leave them alone!

Footnote: Speaking of "holidays", whatever happened to "Kwanzaa"? Seems to Walt that is (or was) a "black thing" dreamed up by white people, probably greeting card manufacturers. Only in the USA... Even the Canadian government, notorious for pandering to vizmins, didn't bite on that one!

VIDEO: Look out Florida, the snowbirds are coming!

It's that time of year. There's one thing uppermost in the minds of denizens of the Great Not-so-white North, especially those of a certain age. What are they thinking? "Get me outta here!"



Thanks and a tip o' the toque to Agent 6.

VIDEO: Incredible German miniature wonderland

Back in August of 2012, Walt posted a YouTube video of an incredible miniature airport that actually works! Tiny planes land and take off, looking incredibly realistic.

This amazing feat of superb engineering is the latest creation of two German brothers, who started out with a model railway. Then, as you'll see from today's video, it grew like Topsy! Before long the brothers were joined by other model railroad clubs and other craftsmen -- electricians, model makers, carpenters, computer programmers.

Now the "Miniatur Wunderland" has a bakery, kitchen, and restaurant so visitors can have coffee and cake while admiring and examining the massive and complex layout. The challenge now is that, with the addition of the airport, the enthusiasts have just about run out of room.

Watch the video and prepare to be amazed. Running time is just under 5 minute and it's already had over 13 million hits on YouTube. Thanks to Agent 9 for passing this along.

North Korean leader's uncle thrown to the lions -- LITERALLY!

Dear readers, Walt assumes you follow the news assiduously -- local, national and international -- and heard or read yesterday's story about the downfall of Chang Song-thaek. Mr. Chang was -- note the past tense -- the uncle of North Korea's Dear Leader 3.0, Kim Jong-un.

Being an uncle of the Numero Uno (I don't know how to write it in Hangul script) doesn't necessarily make you loyal. Mr. Chang was accused of treachery and disloyalty and trying to organize a coup. If you were watching the TV news, you saw a video clip of two uniformed army types lifting Mr. Chang out of his seat at a special party meeting and frog-marching him out of frame to... well... to his death!

Today it is revealed that Mr. Chang was given a summary trial of sorts and promptly "executed". At least, that's what the English-language media are telling us. At first he was said to have been shot, in traditional Communist fashion. (The Chinese Communists make the family of the deceased pay for the bullet too.) But Agent 78, checking the Chinese media, tells a different story.

According to Agent 78, Mr. Chang was not shot, but eaten! A story published in a Hong Kong newspaper claims he was thrown into a cage of what 78 translates as "cheetahs", who made a meal of him...literally! It seems odd to Walt that there would be cheetahs in North Korea. [Try the Canadian Senate. Ed.] Perhaps it was lions. Or wolves. Or pigs. But it does seem like a fitting end for a corrupt politician.

"Keep Christ in CHRISTmas" challenge

Ed. here. We were pleased (and a bit surprised) to see a large number of hits today on "Ben Stein talks about Christmas and God", which we ran just over four years ago. Evidently there are still many people out there who are sick, sore and tired of this "Happy Holidays" nonsense -- all part of the campaign of the secular humanists to remove Christian values from our society.

Just by coincidence, we received a press release from Coralie Graham, editor of the Fatima Crusader magazine. She challenges us to do what we can to keep Christ in CHRISTmas.

For some years now we have faced the tragedy of "those in command" taking God and prayer out of the schools, the communities and anything government-funded (with our tax money). In recent years we have seen that they have the audacity to separate "Christ" from "Christmas".

"CHRISTmas is no longer 'in'", they tell us. And for some, it's actually illegal! Who says so?! It’s time to say "Bah humbug!" to "Happy Holidays"!

What can we do about it? Let us challenge the world to stand up and be counted. Together, we can make a difference. Together, our voice will be heard and heeded.

I have seen a few wonderful people out there promoting CHRISTmas — but they can’t do it alone. In the last couple of years flash mobs have gone into “Happy Holiday” malls to sing CHRISTmas carols. Videos on YouTube got millions of hits. There’s a clue: millions are paying attention. We are not alone!

There are so many ways you can participate in the “Keep Christ in CHRISTmas Challenge”, using whatever means God has given you.

Say "Merry Christmas!" and wish a Happy HOLY Christmas to everyone you meet, regardless of whether they say "Happy Holidays" or not.

When in the malls and stores, pretend you see friends a distance away and shout "Hey, Merry CHRISTmas!" I actually did this and, yes, there were a handful of people who looked for a straight jacket. But more people got the point. Strangers smiled, some actually chuckled and as they passed me, and made a point of saying loudly and clearly, "Merry Christmas!"

Here's another idea: a prize for the Best Home Nativity Scene.

If you belong to a group, or have been blessed with a little extra cash, sponsor a contest with a nice prize — maybe a Nativity Scene - for the most inspirational Nativity Scene outside a home in your community. I did this some years ago and the response was heartwarming. It encouraged more people to publicly proclaim Christ on their property (seeing as it's not allowed on public grounds) and the winning scenes were photographed and put in the local newspaper.

Or you could organize a Keep Christ in CHRISTmas Essay Contest.

Post an ad in the local newspaper, put flyers up in store windows, on telephone poles, in libraries, in laundromats, or wherever, advertising a contest for the best essay on "What I will do to keep Christ in Christmas". If your budget permits, you could have prizes for different age groups.

Seek permission from your local school boards [Good luck with that! Ed.] and invite school children to participate. Get past the obstacle that the schools are "not allowed" to do this by telling them you are only advertising the contest open to those who wish to participate. We did this in our community and even some non-Catholic school teachers had their classes do essays as a project.

Don't be afraid to challenge the commercial stores.

Talk to managers and tell them that there is a growing group of customers who will boycott their store if they don’t stop boycotting CHRISTmas! Tell them you want to see "Merry Christmas" signs and displays, and that you represent the majority, not the minority.

Challenge the cashiers at the checkouts too!

Remember when there wasn't one checkout clerk who didn’t wish you "Merry Christmas"? Now they're told they're not allowed to say that. So they say "Happy Holidays" or just keep silent. You can see they want to express the Christmas sentiment, but know they may be fired if they do. What to do? Say loudly enough so the rest of the lineup can hear, "I know you are forbidden to wish me a Merry Christmas but I do wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Holy New Year!"

These are just a few of the Christmas challenges I have been involved in over the years. Other than contest prizes, you don’t need a lot of money to do these things. But you do need Faith and courage. For some, it’s not easy to speak out, but try it! When you do, the warm feeling you will experience in your heart and soul will be one of the greatest gifts God gives you this Christmas.

Homosexuality "crime against nature" sez India's Supreme Court... BUT Catholic bishop disagrees!

No wonder Pope Francis is so popular, especially in the USA where "gay culture" is the flavour of the month...make that decade. It was he who asked (rhetorically) "Who am I to judge [gays]?"

Maybe the Holy Father doesn't feel he's competent to judge [Is that all? Ed.] but the Supreme Court of India is willing to do so. It has ruled that homosexual activity is a crime against nature.

Which is what the Church always taught until political correctness forced Her to soften the tone a bit. Now it's just "objectively disordered", according to Benedict XVI, and maybe less than that according to Time's Person of the Year.

The ruling overturns a 2009 decision that had decriminalized homosexual acts, not unknown in India especially amongst a surprisingly large group of professional eunuchs. As you can imagine, the court's decision provoked an immediate angry response from the usual gang of "gay rights" spokespersons. "Religious organizations", they are saying, are responsible for the change.

Presumably those "religious organizations" would not include the Roman Catholic Church. Taking his cue from Pope Francis, Oswald Cardinal Gracias, Archbishop of Mumbai and president of the Indian Conference of Bishops, denied that the Catholic Church had sought the high court’s ruling. The prelate said that while the Catholic Church was opposed to same-sex marriage, "the Catholic Church has never been opposed to the decriminalization of homosexuality, because we have never considered gay people criminals."

To which Walt says: What, not even criminals against nature?! And what do you call someone who breaks God's commandments? But then, who are our religious leaders to judge? Leave that to the courts...

Just how sick is Pope Francis?

Vatican watchers are starting to gossip about the health of Pope Francis. Is some kind of problem being covered up? The Vatican is, after all, quite expert in hiding the truth, not just about the Third Secret of Fatima, but about the medical problems of the Holy Father's two predecessors.

Pope John Paul II was visibly severely afflicted with Parkinson's Disease. His palsy was painfully obvious, yet the Vatican kept denying it until it was impossible to do so any longer. Even in his last days, when JPII was no longer in public view, we were told he was celebrating Holy Mass in his bedroom. But his doctor's official report, published later in Acta Apostolicae Sedis, indicated that he had a fever of 40 degrees Celsius and was rendered essentially unconscious by blood poisoning.

Then there was Pope Benedict XVI, elected at a rather advanced age but, according to the same Vatican sources, in remarkably good health for a man in his mid-80s. Such good health, we could see, that he was unable to walk down the aisle of St. Peter's but had to be transported on a wheeled platform. After his resignation, the "pope emeritus" explained that he had given up the office because of his poor health, flatly contradicting the official party line.

Which brings us to Francis. His audiences scheduled for November 15th were cancelled because -- according to the official Vatican network -- he had a cold. Other media raised the ante a bit, calling his problem "the flu", but that could be just a difference of terminology between North American usage and that of Europe. Whatever it was, it kept him home from work, so to speak.

Now comes news that the Holy Father cancelled a private audience which was to have been held on December 5th. (If you're going to follow the link, ignore the headline. The news about the cancelled meeting comes in the second sentence of the text.) A statement from Vatican spokesthingy Father Federico Lombardi claimed that Francis was "fatigued." How so? Well, it seems the Pope had attended meetings with cardinals that morning and the previous afternoon. You would think that schedule not abnormally onerous, but who knows?

What we do know is that the statement was given by the same Father Lombardi who was, errr, economical with the truth when he spoke of the health of John Paul II and Benedict XVI. Father Lombardi said there was "no cause for alarm". Forgive us, Father, but we've heard that before. Of this you can be sure: when the Vatican denies what would otherwise be a minor matter, they are almost certainly hiding something major!

Today's Salvation Army

Remember how the men and women of the Salvation Army used to stand on the sidewalk around this time of year, ringing their little bells and blessing you for putting something in their red kettles to help the down and out? Well, they're still doing it -- and Walt encourages you to give something next time you see one -- but the style has changed.



This video was shot in New York City yesterday by John Vennari, editor of Catholic Family News. Thanks for sharing, John, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Your Sunday smile

Ed. here. Walt isn't available today -- making up for the role of Zwarte Piet at a Christmas party -- so I'm dipping into the slush pile to share a little cartoon someone sent us a while ago. Let it be your Sunday smile.

Back on the silver screens of NYC: "Rochelle, Rochelle"

Did you miss it the first time around? This weekend could be your big chance to see Rochelle, Rochelle, "the story of a young girl’s strange, erotic journey from Milan to Minsk".

Posters for the "movie" have appeared in several locations around New York City, evidently the work of a local artist who would appear to be a big fan of the late lamented TV series, Seinfeld.

We know that because Rochelle, Rochelle doesn't really exist. It's a trope, a totally bogus title referred to in a number of Seinfeld episodes, beginning in Season 3 when Jerry, Elaine and George go to see it because they missed another movie they wanted to see.

We get to hear Bette Midler sing the "title song" from the equally bogus Broadway adaptation in Season 6. Here's a video clip from "The Understudy".

Re Mandela -- Just fancy that!

Headline and subhead in the online edition of today's Notional Post:
What's next in racially charged South Africa?
Mandela’s vision of a ‘rainbow nation’ failed, almost inevitably, to meet the heady expectations propelling the country two decades ago

Headline on Walt's first post yesterday:
What happens, now that the black "redeemer" has died?


The accompanying text points out that today's South Africa is hardly the paradise on earth that Mandiba and those who used his name promised would follow the end of the "racist white apartheid regime". The truth is that South Africa is becoming more like its neighbours north of the Limpopo -- going back to bush, that is -- with every passing day. "Almost inevitably", as the Post would say.

Footnote from Ed.: Geoffrey York, the Glob and Mail's man in Africa, had a piece published just a couple of days ago -- terrible timing, that -- headed "Nearly 90, Mugabe still driving Zimbabwe's economy into the ground".

Unfortunately it was behind the G&M's "Unlimited" firewall so we weren't able to read it. But we take Mr. York's point to be that if Mugabe lives another five years -- as everyone fears -- he'll actually finish the job that Mandela only started.

AN ALtogether horrible rights violation by New Mexico cops

Walt has just been shown the story of what Albuquerque NM attorney Shannon L. Kennedy calls "the most egregious case of law enforcement abuse" she ever saw in eighteen years of practice. She has filed a lawsuit against the police department of Deming NM, plus a district attorney and a number of doctors, on behalf of one David Eckert, a man with a reputation for concealing illegal substances in his, errr, nether orifice.

It was his reputation, according to the report ("NOT SUITABLE FOR CHILDREN") on Albuquerque TV station KOB-TV, that landed Mr. Eckert in a "traffic stop nightmare" -- a considerable understatement as will be seen from the video and newspaper reports of what happened.

The lawsuit alleges that Deming police pulled Mr. Eckert over at a Walmart parking lot for failing to yield at a stop sign. When he stepped out of his vehicle, the cops thought he was "clenching his buttocks". Not thinking that perhaps Eckert had a bad case of the runs, they suspected him of hiding drugs in his anal cavity, so they got a warrant for an internal search.

Acting on the warrant, the police took Mr. Eckert -- buttocks still clenched, presumably -- to a nearby ER, where doctors refused to look into the matter (geddit?), calling it "unethical". Undeterred [Stop it. Ed.] the cops transported him to Gila Regional Medical Center in Silver City.

The doctors there agreed to do the necessary. First, they x-rayed Mr. Eckert. No narcotics were found. Then they performed two rectal examinations, and still found nothing. But did they stop there? Noooo. The docs gave him an enema, and forced him to evacuate in front of them and the boys in blue. Still no result.

Not satisfied, the good doctors gave Mr. Eckert a second enema, then a third, followed by a second x-ray. Still, they found nothing. But the story doesn't end there! Determined to get to the bottom of things [I said stop it!. Ed.], the doctors sedated Mr. Eckert and performed a colonscopy, sticking a camera up his rectum, into his colon and large intestine. No drugs were found, and Mr. Eckert was released, some 12 hours after his arrest.

Said Attorney Kennedy, "You could never anticipate this happening in the USA." I hate to cast aspersions on those whose mission is "to serve and protect", but I find it very easy to anticipate. The police in the USA (and every other police state on earth) do what they like. They may not have the right, but they have the power.

VIDEO: Greatest "Hockey Night in Canada" intro EVER!

This is for all you hockey fans, particularly supporters of the Montréal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Just a totally awesome video. Sound up.



Yes, it's Luciano Pavarotti singing "Nessun Dorma".

What happens, now that the black "redeemer" has died?

Nelson Mandela died today, at the age of 95. RIP. Now that he's gone to his reward, you can expect an outpouring of breast beating and maudlin sentiment such as has not been seen since the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Mandela would be a candidate for instant sainthood, if only he were Catholic. [In today's Church, do you really have to be Catholic? Ed.]

Mixed in with all the weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth will be a large dose of anti-colonial, anti-white rhetoric. Comparisons will be made with the plight of the Jews in the Egypt of the Pharaohs. The Afrikaners will be cast in the role of the evil oppressors, while Mandela is portrayed as the Holy Moses who led his people out of bondage and into... well... into what? Into the promised land of black empowerment, equal rights for all (even queers), and all the blessings a "rainbow nation" can bestow.

Conveniently overlooked will be the fact that, for the vast majority of its people, South Africa is no better -- and in some respects worse -- than it was in the days of apartheid. The education system is in freefall, corruption is rife, and violent crime threatens virtually everyone. In other words, South Africa has become like the rest of sub-Saharan Africa under black rule.

Walt hopes that in the last couple of years of his life, Mr. Mandela's faculties were so dimmed by illness and old age that he was unaware of what a shambles his people have made of his beloved country.

Here's a quote from an early work by V.S. Naipaul, an ethnic Indian native of Trinidad, with some experience of Africa and the failings of countries, including his own, in the post-colonial era. This is from "Michael X and the Black Power Killings in Trinidad", which appeared in a fine little collection entitled The Return of Eva Peron, with the Killings in Trinidad (André Deutsch, 1980).

Black Power -- away from its United States source -- is jargon...a sentimental hoax. In a place like Trinidad, racial redemption is as irrelevant for the Negro as for everybody else. It obscures the problems of a small independent country with a lopsided economy, the problems of a fully "consumer" society that is yet technologically untrained and without the intellectual means to comprehend the deficiency. ] [Emphasis mine. Walt]

It perpetuates the negative, colonial politics of protest. It is, in the end, a deep corruption: a wish to be granted a dispensation from the pains of development, an almost religious conviction that oppression can be turned into an asset, race into money.

While the dream of redemption lasts, Negroes will continue to exist only that someone might be their leader. Redemption requires a redeemer; and a redeemer, in these circumstances, cannot but end like the Emperor Jones: contemptuous of the people he leads, and no less a victim, seeking an illustory personal emancipation.

In Trinidad, as in every black West Indian island, the too easily awakened sense of oppression and the theory of the enemy point to the desert of Haiti.

Hmmm. Haiti. Yes. And Mr. Naipaul wrote that in the mid-70s [when you could still use the word "Negro". Ed.]. Look at Haiti today -- more of a "desert" than it was 40 years ago. Look too at Zimbabwe, whose "redeemer", Comrade Robert Gabriel Mugabe, is only 90, but determined to hang onto power until the desertification of his country is complete. Mr. Mandela, at least, was spared that.

Majority of Americans think US should mind its own business overseas

The American government's interventionist foreign policies are wrong-headed, counter-productive and just plain stupid. Ron Paul told you so. Walt told you so. But the Bushes, pater et filius, the Clintons and Hussein Obama told you the opposite. Who ya gonna believe?

To judge by the results of the last election -- was it only a year ago? -- the Merkin people believed the politicians and the establishment. But today comes a sign that the scales are finally falling off the eyes of Joe the Plumber.

Today, for the first time in almost four decades of polling, a study by the Pew Research Center (in association with the Council on Foreign Relations) suggests that the majority of Americans believe the US plays a less important and powerful role in the world than it did ten years ago.

As the chart at the right shows, most people now believe America should “mind its own business internationally”.

The findings of the Pew poll suggest Americans think their country is now less respected abroad, bucking a trend in which Americans believed their reputation had recovered since the Prez Obama was elected. Funny how giving him a Nobel prize for doing nothing except being black would give that impression. But the penny has dropped, and impressions of how the US is perceived under Obama are now, broadly, as negative as they were in the final days of the administration of Bush the Younger.

Although there is a growing desire for the development of stronger trade and business links abroad, it seems that Americans want their leaders to adopt a less interventionist approach to solving the world's political and social problems. It's time, many people think, to stop trying to be the world's policeman and concentrate on fixing the many things that are broken in the Land of the Free Lunch.

But will America's political leaders listen? Is the Pope Catholic? [The answer to both questions is meant to be "NO". Ed.]

VIDEO: Canuck politico sends season's greetings to infidel atheists

In this morning's piece about Zwarte Piet (see below) Walt wished all the PC types a Merry Christmas. But I wasn't the only one sending out seasonal greetings to those who think Western religion and culture have no place in our modern secular society.

Brian Pallister is leader of the Progressive Conservative [sic] Party of the Canadian province of Manitoba. Last week he got scrummed inside the legislature building by blogger Natalie Pollock. She had the ole camcorder on while Mr. Pallister expressed his feelings for those who feel excluded by all this Christian talk about Christmas. Here's the video.



Reaction from the usual gang of progressive thinkers, secular humanists, atheists and other infidels was as swift as it was predictable. Donna Harris, president of something that calls itself "Humanists, Atheists, and Agnostics of Manitoba" -- number of members unknown -- told the Winnipeg Free Press, "It was very judgmental. The use of the word 'infidels' is especially troubling and negative because there are many countries around the world where being a non-believer, or infidel, may possibly be a death sentence."

Fortunately for Ms Harris, Canada is not among those "many countries". [Which ones could she have meant? Ed.]

When challenged, Mr. Pallister stuck to his guns, defending his use of the word "infidel", which he said the dictionary defines as "non-believer." And so it does.

"I’m always disappointed when people misrepresent the meaning of the words. What I was trying to do there is include everyone in my best wishes over the holidays," he told a press conference this morning. He said he also regrets when his opponents misrepresent what he says. "That being said, I just ask that people in Manitoba ... forgive me at this time of year if they think that I have stepped on their toes, but I sincerely just meant to include everyone in my best wishes. That’s all."

Walt has obtained Mr. Pallister's e-mail address and will be sending him a link to this post, with my very best -- and very politically incorrect -- wishes for a MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Footnote: Mr. Pallister is the MLA for the provincial riding of Fort Whyte. Just a coincidence.

Zwarte Piet (aka "Black Pete") sighted in Nova Scotia

As Walt told you almost a month ago, when Sinterklaas (aka "Santa Claus") comes to the Netherlands, he comes with an assistant, a comical fellow known as Zwarte Piet (= "Black Pete"). Piet is not really black of course, people of that hue being infrequently seen in Holland... until recently.

Zwarte Piet has been a part of the Dutch Christmas tradition since time immemorial. But in the politically correct 21st century, he has come under attack as being... wait for it... a racist stereotype. People in public life should keep that in mind before being seen, let alone photographed, with poor Piet.

Unfortunately for his political career, a newly-elected member of the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly, forgot this lesson in political correctness. Halifax MLA Joachim Stroink has been forced by the PC police to delete a photo he tweeted of himself posing with the controversial character at a Christmas event hosted by his Dutch-Canadian constituents last night.

Mr. Stroink, who is evidently of Dutch descent, said he never meant for the photo to offend. "As a child growing up and celebrating the Sinterklaas and Zwarte Piet tradition, the blackface did not lead me to think less of my African Nova Scotian neighbours and friends, and as such I was not sensitive to the potential to offend," he wrote on his Facebook page.

Still, Stroink stressed that Dutch culture has long emphasized a black elf-like character as part of its Christmas tradition. "While the history of Zwarte Piet and the blackface have contributed to perpetuating negative stereotypes," he added, "to ignore or to disavow Zwarte Piet would be to ignore that history within the Dutch community."

And that's how things are in Canada these days. And in the USA, the UK, Australia and New Zealand too. Cultural and religious traditions are wonderful... as long as they're not Western Christian traditions. To the PC Grinches who want us to turn our backs on our religion and culture, Walt says "MERRY CHRISTMAS"!!!

Footnote: Hope you noticed that Sinterklaas is wearing the mitre of a Christian bishop... because that's what he was!

Stupid iliterate inumerate kids!

Two related items caught Walt's eye yesterday. The first was a speech given by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, to the Centre for Policy Studies. In his address, entitled "What would Maggie [Thatcher] do today?", Bojo averred that achieving economic equality is impossible because some people are simply too stupid to get ahead in the modern world.

Mr. Johnson's remarks were immediately decried by the usual suspects as elitist and possibly racist, but no-one had the temerity to challenge his basic premise. That's because it's true! Remember what George Carlin used to say about the stupidity of the average person. If you think the average person is as stupid as he/she appears, consider that half the population is even more stupid than that!

Apart from genetic differences, today's younger people are the victims of bad education. Boris Johnson may have been thinking about a major study by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) which showed that that young adults in England scored among the lowest results in the industrialised world in international literacy and numeracy tests.

Out of 24 countries, England ranked 22nd for literacy and 21st for numeracy. The study also showed that, unlike in other developed countries, young people in England are no better at these tests than people in the 55 to 65 age range.

When this is weighted with other factors, such as the socio-economic background of people taking the test, it shows that England is the only country in the survey where results are going backwards. The older cohort scores higher than the younger.

British Skills Minister Matthew Hancock was shocked -- SHOCKED -- by the report. "This shocking report shows England has some of the least literate and numerate young adults in the developed world," he said. Then he came to the nub of the problem. "These are Labour's children," he added, "educated under a Labour government and force-fed a diet of dumbing down and low expectations." [My emphasis. Walt.]

Walt wonders if Mr. Hancock has visited North America. If the average British yoof is thick as a plank, the average American (and his/her Canadian cousin) is thick as two planks! If you don't believe me, ask one of them. A couple of days ago Walt saw a news reporter asking students at Harvard to name the capital of Canada. The only one who could was a visiting student from, errr, China.

And that's Harvard, the institution which educates America's brightest and best! Those kids aren't the ones who would have been left behind but for the Bush league educational reforms. If you want to see what those kids are like, try conversing with one of the gum-chewing, glassy-eyed "associates" at the Gap.

These are the kids who graduated from high schools and colleges unable to read their diplomas or make change without using a calculator. See also "Downward mobility haunts US education", from BBC News, December 2012.

The problem is with "child-centred education", the 60s fad that persists half a century later, under which no-one is "left behind" and no-one "fails" because that would be damaging to their self-esteem [and probably racist too! Ed.] Instead, our educational institutions turn out [churn out? Ed.] graduates utterly unprepared to cope with a troubled economy and shrinking job market. It is there -- in the real world -- that these kids fail.

The problem is hardly new. Dr. Rudolf Flesch wrote about it way back in 1951, in the original Why Johnny Can't Read. Why Johnny Still Can't Read: A New Look at the Scandal of Our Schools appeared in 1981. And yes, Dr. Flesch does propose a solution -- part of the home schooling answer to the crisis in education.

What you should do is teach your kids phonics! Walt recommends Why Johnny Can't Read and What You Can Do About It, from Harper Collins. The book is endorsed -- but apparently not followed -- by the US Department of Education. You can find it at your local library. Your community does still have a library, doesn't it?

Holy Father, be careful what you wish for!

"'I prefer a church bruised, hurting and dirty': Pope's extrodinary mission statement shakes up Vatican"

Headlines like this are all over the media -- especially the "Catholic" media -- this morning. But Walt has a news flash for Pope Francis.

Holy Father, you want a Church that's "bruised, hurting and dirty"? Wake up and smell the coffee [or the communion wine. Ed.]!

Thanks to the diabolical disorientation of your predecessors (and their secretaries of state, in particular), the Roman Catholic church is already "bruised, hurting and dirty"! Faithful Catholics were hoping and praying that you would reverse the slide into corruption, immorality and apostasy, and blow "the smoke of Satan"* out of Holy Mother Church. So far, we are gravely disappointed.

* Not long before he died, Pope Paul VI said "The smoke of Satan has entered the Church". He should have known, because through Vatican II he opened the window.

Politically correct criminology

The Canadian government, ever solicitous of the well-being of the disadvantaged members of society, employs a full-time "prisons ombudsman" -- an official charged with monitoring the country's federal corrections system. According to a recent CBC report, the ombudsman is launching an inquiry into the reasons for a dramatic rise in the proportion of black offenders [disadvantaged yoofs, surely! Ed.] rapidly filling up Canada's prisons.

In the last decade, the investigator reports, the proportion of black convicts has risen from 6% to over 9% -- a 50% increase. People of colour account for just 2.5% of Canada's population. The ombudsman wants to find out why the numbers have increased so rapidly, and thus identify the challenges faced by the corrections system.

Howard Sapers told CBC News, "We've decided to commence an investigation into both the increase and to help us determine whether the CSC [Correctional Service of Canada] is meeting the needs of this population of offenders." According to the CBC, Mr. Sapers hopes to get an answer to a key question -- what distinguishes black offenders from other inmates.

Without waiting for the answer to that very good question, the Canadian Minister of Justice, Peter MacHack, has announced federal funding for a new course to be offered at selected Canadian universities, entitled Politically Correct Criminology 101. The course will explore the causes of black crime and how to implement "culturally appropriate programmes" to enable Canada's justice and corrections system to live up to its responsibility to provide ethno-cultural services that are specific to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse group of miscreants.

Walt has been able to obtain a copy of the new course's exam questions, which have already been formulated but until this very moment have been kept in a hermetically sealed jar behind the front door of Kingston Penitentiary. Here are two of them.

1. According to the Correctional Service of Canada, the proportion of black inmates in Canadian prisons has risen by 50% in the last decade. In not more than 500 words, show how this is due to systemic racism abetted by the police and other agents of the white establishment.

5. The CSC wishes to adjust its policies and practices to accommodate the corrections system to the needs of an increasingly diverse prison population. Explain why you think this is a good idea and give at least three practical suggestions as to what measures could be taken to make persons of colour feel more at home in Canada's prisons. (For example, should guards' uniform jackets be replaced by hoodies? No marks for suggesting this one.)

Lest you think Walt is making this up, check out this video.


Since Walt knows some of you want to ask, the anchorperson doing the intro is Reshmi Nair, presently toiling away on CBC's Wally World, but surely destined for greater things.

Brian Griffin RIP

It's fortunate, in a way, that last night's Grey Cup* game wasn't much of a contest, otherwise Walt might have missed the latest episode of Family Guy, the funniest cartoon show on TV. I had been misled by the trailer into thinking that it was another of those "Stewie's time machine" episodes (which are funny enough) but it was much more than that.

Yes, the show started off with a sequence about Stewie and Brian going back to the Jamestown settlement to take guns away from the Indians, thus preventing them from controlling America in the future. In the aftermath, Stewie destroys his time machine, which turns out to be huge mistake because, when Brian is hit by a speeding car, Stewie is unable to go back in time to prevent the accident.

So Brian dies. I'm so sorry... not least because I identified with Brian in aspiring to be a writer... and being hot for Lois.

In the latter half of the episode, the Griffins get a new dog named "Vinnie", who speaks with an Italian-American inflection straight out of The Sopranos. As well he might, since he is voiced by Tony Sirico. Vinnie describes himself as a "pussy hound"... which means he's 1/16th cat. Walt hates him already.

Will Vinnie stick with the Griffins? Or will Seth MacFarlane find a way to bring Brian back to life, even without the aid of Stewie's time machine? "It was only a dream!" has been done already, but stay tuned...

* Emblematic of the Canadian Football League championship. Saskatchewan romped over the frozen turf to thump Hamilton 45-23, much to the delight of the bookmakers.

Latest fashion for Muslim policewomen... guess where???

Here's the latest in police uniforms designed with political correctness in mind. These two policewomen [female police officers? lady cops? Ed.] are seen on foot patrol, but it's not because they're in Saudi Arabia, where women aren't allowed to drive cars. Noooo... they are in London, England, where the Muslim tail continues to wag the Christian/secular dog. [Must be some kind of mixed breed. Ed.

But the UK is not the only once-Western country where daughters of Islam in the forces will be authorized to cover their hair. Again, noooo.... Police in Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) -- once a bastion of redneck conservatism -- will this week unveil (`scuse the pun!) their own version of the uniform hijab.

According to the Notional Post, the head covering is designed to be worn under a standard uniform cap, so it won't be so noticeable as to give offence to men who think it's bad enough to have female cops in the first place.

The hijab will also be attached to something or other with snaps or velcro, so that it can be torn off easily in a fight. Walt can only speculate about what sort of charges would be laid against someone who assaulted a hijab-wearing copwoman. Would they be prosecuted under the Criminal Code or the Human Rights Act... or both?! The mind boggles.

Edmonton city councillor Scott McKeen [a keen Scot? maybe not. Ed.], called letting Muslim PWs wear the hijab a "gesture of inclusion" toward the local Muslim community which, he said, "can feel a little skittish at times" about Islamophobia. "One of the perceptions about Edmonton and Alberta is that we’re kind of redneck.... [Now we're] sort of saying we want to have a diverse police service that reflects the diversity and multicultural aspects of Edmonton. I’m proud of us."

Note from Ed.: Walt was unable to add a further comment, as he had to leave the room to avoid being sick on the keyboard.

Further reading (and another lovely picture): "Hijab, niqab, burqa -- what's the difference?"
"Arab woman faces whipping for refusing to cover hair with hijab"

Bob Edwards' prayer to the one true god

A century ago -- before the Internet, before TV, before radio, before anyone told you what to think -- there was print. Newspapers, magazines, books and pamphlets gave writers the means to express their opinions.

Bob Edwards had opinions -- plenty of them -- which he printed in The Eye Opener, published from 1904 to 1922 in wherever in Alberta Bob happened to be when the effects of the drink wore off. (To be fair, he went on the wagon and came out for temperance in the elections of 1915.)

Mr. Edwards pioneered a new style of journalism, writing irreverently about anything and everything that pleased or displeased him. His columns were chuckled over in bars, brothels and (kinda secretly) respectable homes all over western Canada.

Here is a slightly edited version of Bob Edwards' prayer to the great god that people of all faiths worship.

O ALMIGHTY DOLLAR, without thee in the world we can do nothing, but with thee we can do all things. Be with us, we pray thee, in all thy decimal parts, for thou art the only one altogether lovely, and the chief among ten thousand.

There is no condition in life where thy potent and all-powerful charms are not felt. In thy absence how gloomy is the household, and how desolate the hearthstone; but, in thy presence, how gleefully the beefsteak sings on the gridiron, how genial is the warmth that anthracite coal or tamarack wood diffuses throughout the apartment, and how exuberant the joy swelling in every bosom.

Thou art the joy of our youth and the solace of our old age. Thou canst adorn the gentleman and feed the jackass. Thou art the favourite of the philosopher, and the ideal of the lunkheads when an election is to be carried.

Almighty dollar, thy shining face bespeaks thy wondrous power. In my pocket make thy resting place; I need thee every hour.

And now, almighty dollar, in closing this invocation, we realize and acknowledge that thou art the god our our grandfathers, the twofold god of their children, and the threefold god of their grandchildren. Permit us to possess thee in abundance, is our constant and unwavering prayer.

Amen.

VIDEO: Rex hexes Canadian pols

Walt hesitates to use the word "icon", said word being much overworked these days, but a Canadian icon is what Rex Murphy is. He hosts Cross-Country Checkup, a coast-to-coast-to-coast [speaking of hackneyed phrases. Ed.] speak-your-mouth programme on CBC Radio on Sundays, and appears most Thursdays on CBC-TV's The National following the "At Issue" panel. From pop culture to politics, Rex Murphy brings a unique and always controversial perspective to the news.

Mr. Murphy has the gift o' the gab. That comes of having Irish ancestry, by way of Newfoundland, Canada's funniest province. He also has a tremendous vocabulary, which was on exhibit last night as Rex poured scorn on Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and Mike "Michael" Duffy and the other Conservative senators embroiled in the ongoing expenses scandal. He did so with such eloquence and wit that Walt is sure even non-Canadian readers will enjoy this large serving of vitriol.

Canucks too polite for their own good?

While recovering from minor surgery, Walt has had ample time to catch up on two political scandals which have been rocking the Canadian canoe this fall. I refer to the saga of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, now at the end of Act I, and the ongoing Senate expenses scandal, which yesterday got close to directly implicating Canuck Prime Minister Steve Harper.

What Walt has learned about Canadians is that they are not just ultra-polite, but very forgiving, even when it comes to the grossest misconduct by their public officials. The forelock-tugging deference shown by those sheeple to VIPs is beyond amazing.


In neither case -- the Ford affair or the Wright-Duffy-Harper scandal -- has a single criminal charge been brought or a civil lawsuit commenced. In America, ravenous lawyers would have been all over the miscreants like pit bulls on poodles! In Canada, "the police are investigating; let justice take its course" is good enough for a citizenry that, in other countries, would have taken to the streets.

And get this! His Honour Mayor Ford and the Honourable Senators Duffy, Wallin and Brazeau are still in office! Apparently Canadians have no provision in their laws for recall elections. As for the Senators, they weren't elected in their first place -- just put in their positions at the trough courtesy of Prime Minister Harpoon.

What about impeachment, I hear you ask. My legal advisor, Agent 3, isn't sure if such a procedure exists in Canadian law. But, he says, he is unaware of any Canadian or provincial parliamentarian ever having been impeached. And the possibility of impeachment has not even been mooted.

Well then (I am still listening to you) why don't Mayor Ford and the three unjustly enriched senators -- Conservatives every one! -- do the honourable thing and resign? Errr, no... Resigning out of shame or as a matter of principle is something they do in Britain, maybe, but Canadian politicians follow the Nixon/Clinton precedents of not jumping until you're about to be pushed...and maybe not even then.


So the state of play today is this. The three Tory senators who have been found to have defrauded Canadian taxpayers of hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegitimate "expenses" have been suspended from the Red Trough ["Red Chamber", surely! Ed.] for the balance of this parliament. But they get to keep their perqs, medical and dental coverage, life insurance, and a generous pension plan paid for by...you know who.

Mayor Rob Ford still has an office (albeit a smaller one, barely big enough to accomodate his girth) in Toronto's city hall, and he still has a staff (also smaller) and a salary (not smaller). Plus he still gets to represent Toronto at various ceremonies and functions (but not the Santa Claus Parade or next year's Garrison Ball, Walt guesses), but will no longer be involved in day-to-day running of the city. That leaves him lots of time for appearances (presumably remunerated) on radio and TV not just in Toronto or Canada but also the USA where he has become an instant celeb -- kind of like Lindsay Lohan, only bigger and uglier.

Agent 78 says that in China they'd all have been shot. But not in Canada. Pity.

Pat Buchanan questions Pope's stance in the culture wars

To judge by his public pronouncements, Pope Francis wants to be neutral in the so-called "culture wars" over issues such as abortion, same-sex "marriage" and the moral degradation of the West. "Who am I to judge [homosexuals]" said the pope who Msgr Patrick Perez denounced publicly as "a disgrace".

"Who am I to judge?" Walt answered the Holy Father's question on July 29th. And now Pat Buchanan -- perhaps a reader of WWW? -- says, "Well, he is pope. And even the lowliest parish priest has to deliver moral judgments in a confessional."

In "Papal Neutrality in the Culture War?", Mr. Buchanan accuses Pope Francis of bordering on moral relativism by refusing to condemn atheists and LGBT individuals. The Pope, he writes, is attempting to move the Catholic Church "to a stance of non-belligerence, if not neutrality, in the culture war for the soul of the West."

Strong stuff! The sound you hear is Walt applauding. Here's more of what Mr. Buchanan has to say about the Pope's astonishing departure lack of leadership on some of the most important cultural and moral issues of our day. The emphasis is Walt's.

"There is a small problem with neutrality. As Trotsky observed, 'You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you.” For the church to absent itself from the culture war is to not to end that war, but to lose it.'

"What would that entail? Can we not already see? In America, the family has disintegrated. 40% of working-class white children are born out of wedlock, as are 53% of Hispanic children, and 73% of black children. Kids from broken homes are many times more likely to drop out of school, take drugs, join gangs, commit crimes, end up in prison, lose their souls, and produce yet another generation of lost souls.

"[Laurie] Goodstein [of the New York Times] quotes the Holy Father as listing among the 'most serious of the evils' today 'youth unemployment'. And he calls upon Catholics not to be 'obsessed' with abortion or same-sex marriage. But is teenage unemployment really a graver moral evil than the slaughter of 3,500 unborn every day in a land we used to call 'God’s Country'?

"Papal encyclicals like Rerum Novarum and Quadragesimo Anno have much to teach about social justice in an industrial society. But what is the special expertise of the church in coping with teenage unemployment? Has the Curia done good scholarly work on the economic impact of the minimum wage?

"The cultural revolution preached by Marxist Antonio Gramsci is continuing its “long march” through the institutions of the West and succeeding where the violent revolutions of Lenin and Mao failed. It is effecting a transvaluation of all values. And it is not interested in a truce with the church of Pope Francis, but a triumph over that church which it reviles as the great enemy in its struggle.

"Indeed, after decades of culture war waged against Christianity, the Vatican might consider the state of the Faith. Our civilization is being de-Christianized. Popular culture is a running sewer. Promiscuity and pornography are pandemic. In Europe, the churches empty out as the mosques fill up. In America, Bible reading and prayer are outlawed in schools, as Christian displays are purged from public squares. Officially, Christmas and Easter do not exist.

"The pope, says Goodstein, refers to proselytizing as 'solemn nonsense'. But to proselytize is to convert nonbelievers. And when Christ admonished his apostles, 'Go forth and teach all nations', and ten of his twelve were martyred doing so, were they not engaged in the Church’s true commission — to bring souls to Christ....

"An Italian atheist quotes the pope as saying, 'Everyone has his own idea of good and evil,' and everyone should 'follow the good and fight evil as he conceives them.' Does this not reflect the moral relativism of Prince Hamlet when he said to Rosencrantz, 'there is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so?' Yet, is it not the church’s mission to differentiate good and evil and condemn the latter?

"'Since he became pope,' writes Goodstein, Francis’ 'approval numbers are skyrocketing. Even atheists are applauding.' Especially the atheists, one imagines. While Pope Francis has not altered any Catholic doctrines in his interviews and disquisitions, he is sowing seeds of confusion among the faithful, a high price to pay, even for 'skyrocketing' poll numbers."

Further reading: "Why don't we proselytize?" by James Bannister, in Fatima Perspectives.

Church refuses to see tyranny of Chinese communism: Cardinal Zen

Joseph Cardinal Zen Zekiun may have retired from his position as bishop of Hong Kong, but he is still -- at 81 years of age -- fighting the good fight against the Vatican's policy of trying to reconcile with the Communist Chinese and their scihsmatic "Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association".

Cardinal Zen is in Rome for the opening of the Academic Year of the Pontifical Lateran University, and gave a provocative interview to the ZENIT news agency in which he again deplored the Beijing government’s ongoing persecution of the Church and the bishops and priests who still owe allegiance to Rome.

China, he said, is still a dictatorship of the [Communist] Party. "Despite the fact that an opening has been reached from the economic point of view, there still hasn’t been any change in politics and religion."

"There is absolute control, contempt for the Church, the humiliation of our bishops," the prelate continued. "Some of them have been in prison for ten years! We, who in Hong Kong still have freedom of speech, must make our voice heard and say what we think."

"There are those who are content at least with an apparent harmony, precisely to avoid any clash," he added, in what can only be a reference to the policies of the Vatican Secretariat of State under its former master, the despised Cardinal Bertone. "But this is mistaken, because arrogance is encouraged by silence. Instead, it is [our] duty to continue to talk and to protest, especially for religious liberty." [Walt's emphasis.]

Cardinal Zen denounced the "make nice with the Commies" actions of some foreign prelates who have had meetings with "bishops" affiliated with the government-controlled CPCA.

"So many cardinals have come, but what have they resolved?" he asked. "They haven’t done anything. They let themselves be photographed and embraced by illegitimate bishops, and, returning to their countries, they have praised China, when instead they saw nothing of the truth."

FUNNY VIDEO: Are you ready for winter?

Walt spent a couple of hours yesterday giving his garden its final cleanup for the year. [You hope! Ed.] The last rose of summer has been cut and thrown into the composter. The rainbarrel is empty. The cave awaits the hibernator.

What about you, dear reader? Are you ready for the joys of winter? Perhaps you've forgotten what fun winter can be. Here's a reminder, courtesty of Agent 6.

The beauty of mathematics (something positive, for a change)

Walt will be the first to admit that a lot of my posts are on the negative side. I am sorely affected by weltschmerz [Are you sure this is right? Ed.] and a general feeling that the whole world is going to hell in a handcart. How often have I said that only Heaven can save us?

Others, however, have a more positive outlook on life. Combined with a strong love for God, that positive attitude will get you through! And here's the mathematical proof of it. Thanks and tip of the toque to Agent 71.

Fed up with eBay? There IS an alternative!

First the background. Anyone who's tried selling on eBay for any length of time knows that if a scammer hits you -- e.g. by claiming they never received the goods and demanding a refund -- you're going to get the short end of the stick every time. eBay will send them a refund and debit your PayPal account (if that's how you're getting paid), which they can do because eBay owns PayPal. And there's not a damn thing you can do about it because the deck is stacked in favour of buyers.

Further reading from the WWW archives: "eBay seller screwed by scammer thanks to 'buyer protection'" and "eBay and PayPal -- complaints mount".

Now we have another entry in the looooong thread called "How to cheat eBay sellers and scam PayPal" on BenchmarkReviews.com. [I've edited it a bit for brevity. Ed.]

"Hi everyone. I just got scammed $2k. Buyer bought $2k worth of gift cards from me via Ebay and paypal checkout, now I knew he was fishy to begin with and there would be no seller protection for gift cards, but I'm a reasonably seasoned seller so I knew if I could prove the buyer had received them as mentioned by Ebay messages and post tracking, I would be bullet proof against any claim...WRONG!

"I received my cash in my account no problem, 6 hrs later I woke up to see the $2 payment had been reversed and a new case opened as 'unauthorised purchase' and closed due to no 'seller response' within minutes of each other according to the action logs. How can a case and decision be made within minutes, that leads to $2k worth of cash refunded?

"So ok, no problems, I thought I'd submit a evidence on appeal clearly showing the buyer had signed for the packages 'under their name' and mentioned in the Ebay messages they received the items and all was dandy/authentic. And the decision: well you guessed it, against me, apparently because I don't qualify for seller protection, so everything I submitted means absolutely nothing, even if the evidence is concrete by the book.

"Now I am going to once again reappeal, with all guns blazing, even collected evidence by chatting to another seller who was also 'scammed' by the same buyer. If I get the same response from Paypal....that's just bluntly ridiculous, I'd just admit defeat stop hoping for at least my money back and going straight to cyber-crime police at least assist in getting him arrested."

As Agent 78 would say, rotsa ruck! But there is good news today. Walt has discovered another online store, called (appropriately) Webstore. It works the same way as eBay. You can put your junque -- fancy junk -- up for auction, or sell it on a "buy-it-now" basis. You can have your own virtual store. The platform is easier to use with the "Easy Post" option. And best of all it's free!

You can use PayPal to accept payment but with better protection against scammers because Webstore is independent of PayPal. The only negative I can see (so far) is that eBay dominates the market, so Webstore and the other eBay wannabes are struggling to build traffic. You can help, though, by putting links to your items on Facebook and other social media sites. If you're sick, sore and tired of eBay, give Webstore a try!