Brexit vote

I am not sure quite what to think about the Brexit vote, the fact that the Britain has voted to exit from the European Union. I think part of the issue is racist. And that comes from fear. I think another part of issue is that the younger Brits just didn't vote. Either way, I don't think this is the end of the matter. I think Germany and France will be having votes before we know it.

Loss of a legend...

So yes, I felt sadness today at the news of Gordie Howe’s death. It is bizarre because just last week at work we were talking about the death of Muhammad Ali and we wondered what other athlete might have had the same impact in sports that Ali had in the 20^th century. I suggested maybe Gordie Howe. Some of my co-workers agreed. So Rest In Peace old man.

I also remember myself and Gary playing rubber boot hockey in Portage La Prairie when we were kids. (we didn’t have skates yet) We had one pair of shin pads and a Gordie Howe Red Wings sweater between the two of us. So if one got the sweater to wear, the other of us got the pads. I always enjoyed wearing that sweater when it was my turn. I remember arguing with Gary that he shouldn’t get the sweater because he was playing goalie.  Either way it was kind of cool that kids back in 1961 wanted to be Gordie. 

After a long week ...

I spend a lot of money on groceries. I think everyone does. But some days I just don't feel like cooking. That's how it was Friday night. I worked a bit later than expected and so I decided to stop at Tiffany's take-out. The clerk at the counter said there was a 30-minute backlog on orders. I said that's okay ... and I took a chance and complimented her on her hair. It looked like a new cut, so I mentioned it, said it looked nice. I had my order in five minutes! LOL Maybe she just wanted the old guy to leave quickly. Either way, I got home and enjoyed a nice medium serving of Quebec-style poutine. I know I have to eat healthy, so I tossed in a baby tomato!  By the way, I like Tiffany's better than the "other place" that is so well known. I also enjoyed a very nice cold can of Guinness with the poutine. Life doesn't get much better eh. Wonder how the poor folks live!

Red Rose from now on ...

It's disappointing to learn that something that you enjoy so much has something wrong with it. I am referring to a cup of tea. CBC Marketplace ran a report not too long ago that revealed that most popular tea products in Canada have trace amounts of pesticide. Now Health Canada said that this is not a major problem even though the Canadian Food Inspection Agency revealed that many popular teas have pesticide residues above the acceptable limit. The tea industry also responded to Marketplace saying that pesticides are a fact of life for tea. Most teas are produced in India, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), China and Kenya.

Here's the thing. Red Rose Orange Pekoe Tea and Red Rose Canadian Breakfast Blend has no residues, none, nothing. At first I thought it was a mistake but then Red Rose issued a statement saying its tea producers are certified organic and that their tea is grown in Kenya, where there is no threat from insects and therefore no need for pesticides. You can see the organic approval seal on the left side of the box.
So, I went out Saturday and bought Red Rose. I threw out half a box of Tetley, half a box of Lipton and a few sachets of Twinings.

Staying hopeful ...

I saw the following in Tuesday's edition of New York Times. I am hopeful.

Mr. Trump has said so many irresponsible or dangerous things so often and in so many settings that there is a real risk that many voters will simply tune out and his campaign will somehow be normalized.

So it is particularly important to note when Mr. Trump’s statements go beyond the merely provocative or absurd and instead represent a threat to America’s carefully balanced political system. This is such a moment. It is not too late for Republicans who revere that system to question how they can embrace a nominee who has so little regard for it.