A Little Fun Going into Christmas…
I’m winding down a little…
After the first almost two months of being in the blogosphere, I have to state that I am overwhelmed by the kindness of so many of you and your appreciation for my thoughts. The tens of thousands of visitors says it all. A heartfelt thanks to everyone, including the naysayers and critics, for without whom…where in the world would this blog be? Many times, I find that I am better through criticism, so I am most grateful for any kind of feedback.
Many of you have written me privately with some very interesting questions, which, frankly, I never thought I’d have to answer. And while I grant and celebrate your right to remain private, even anonymous, I’m clearly not anonymous, so the questions of a personal nature, some very fun ones, I’m going to answer in one blanket email in the next few days. In the interim, if there is a question you’d like to ask me, fire away, either through this website or publically as a comment. I will post all and answer everyone of them. It’ll be our way of, as one reader puts it, getting to know one another better. So ask ANY question of me, personal (hey, watch it! 
) or professional–this is your one shot (until next year, I suppose) and I’ll provide you with the response.
Also, you should know that I celebrate Christmas (even though many of you write me about my Jewish faith–I am not Jewish, but a staunch supporter of the Jews). Therefore, as we get into the Christmas spirit, I will not be posting on the 24th, 25th or 26th. Even I need a bit of a break. But I’ll be back with a vengeance on the 27th. And again, I’ll be off on the 30th, 31st and 1st. Also, I’ll be posting, by popular demand, a list of affordable and ‘best bang for your buck’ eateries in the Lower Mainland, in a separate post.
Just a little fun as we get into the Christmas spirit. My last serious post before the Christmas break will come tomorrow. You’ll read about David Suzuki and Elizabeth May (again) and why they must be immediately banished to the cheap seats (fat chance!) of the climate change discussion. ’YES’, to bettering the planet, and a resounding ‘NO’, to conjuring images of death camps and slave labour to get a point across. Eventually, these two charlatans must face the reality that the world in not monochromatic and we have a responsibility to come to a consensus on how to treat the planet–otherwise, there is no point. Painful rhetoric is no place to negotiate from. Nor is it appropriate to, in my opinion (which is what they have done) disrespect the black or Jewish communities, post-Copenhagen.
You’ll read about all that here tomorrow. Until then, live, laugh, love…
And thank you again for your incredible kindness of visiting here and being so active in the discussions we have. You humble me (um, not an easy task, you’ll agree…)
Thank you for all your hard work keeping us informed with integrety, much welcomed humor,, and your willingness to print what others won’t………. The Truth.
Merry Cristmas and a Happy New Year to you and your family this Holiday Season.
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And many blessings to you George. All the best. Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New year!
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Read today in 24 your friend’s column telling us all that Christ should be viewed as he, an admitted atheist, views him. Christ was not, I repeat, not, an angry man, though he was human also and open to fits of outrage. I personally don’t think Christ would have any problem with Walmart greeters, no matter what he has to say about them. Lighten up, it is after all Christmas and this man wants to thicken our gloom. Wish I had avoided reading the column, it’s unworthy and overly political for the time of year.
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I didn’t think it was so bad Larry, although I didn’t find the tone, in parts, offensive. But the message Bill presented, I actually agree with–the commercialization of Christmas is abominable. Now, were his characterizations of Jesus Christ as a revolutionary and bully, fair? Of course not. But Christ is my personal saviour, as he is yours, so I cannot fault Tieleman for writing about something he knows nothing about. He’s getting “good” at that! LOL!
C’mon Larry, old chum. This was a column written by an agnostic. What did you expect? Quotations from Leviticus, chapter and verse???
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“Your muse is sometimes moody,
In writing you take no pause,
Friends are often like Jim, Plato and Judy,
‘Cause, you’re the Rebel With a Clause!”
Thanks for the Forum, Alex; you are doing a tremendous job! I wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy Joyous New Year in health and wisdom, to you and your loved ones!
Glissando Remmy
PS: as for Jim, Plato and Judy…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DKKCIeA0DM&feature=related
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Witty and clever as always… Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours! Thx for making the blogging experience so terrific!
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To your family from ours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas & good health in 2010. One of my great gifts this year was finding your website.
I look forward to informative reading in 2010.
Guy & Eunice
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And Merry Christmas to you both! It’s a real treat to have you aboard, thank you!
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Thank YOU! Your Site is a daily visit for me! A must read! If I may add, so is David Berner, and Laila Yuil’s Sites.
I feel that between you all, I can start my day armed with FACTS, and not just “feelings” as the mainstream media likes to propagate.
The very best to you and yours, hoping you have a wonderful and healthy 2010.
Cheers, Gary L.
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High praise Gary. Many blessings to you and yours. Thank you so much for being you and please keep enjoying the blog. Safe travels through the season.
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It is hard to break old habits. Open the morning Canwest editions, which are becoming thinner from week to week. Turn on the Top Dog for more current information, newswise, and then try to separate fact from fiction during the talk shows. Early evening is time to turn on the telly and get whatever relevant news one can glean before they revert nothing more than fluff.
Having retired earlier this year, I happened to catch Harvey Oberfeld on Bill Good’s show and he piqued my curiosity about his new blog. Well, one thing lead to another, and I am now hooked on many sites including yours. The mainstream media seems so sanitized in comparison to what information I have found on these sites that one can see the printed media going the way of the Edsel. Television and radio will still thrive because of the visuals of TV and the fairly current information one can get from the other will keep them relevant.
I suspect that blogs such as yours will eventually be the source that a great many people will turn to to get informative and relevant information on many issues. We all have our biases whether we are willing to admit them or not, but I believe that sites such as yours are constrained only by your views rather than those of outside sources such as political influences and corporate agendas which usually involve monetary coercion.
Sites such as yours provide a forum where one can either agree with your point of view or take issue with it. This is a healthy way of having a discourse and as long as the postings avoid personal shots at the other then we will all be better informed.
Our politicians treat us as nothing more than a means to their end, and the media see us nothing more than a ratings statistic. Sites such as yours allow us to be personally involved, and that can be nothing but a good thing.
May you and your family have a Merry Christmas.
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Actually, I must say…I still enjoy the Province…as much as I can’t even read the drivel offered by Peter McKnight or Barbara Yaffe, Or Ian Mulgrew, or Pete McMartin at the Sun. They’re stable of flunkies and fluffers for the doctrinaire left (McKnight’s comments at the Websters “winners” podium about the federal Tories this year were particularly moronic and self-flagellatory) But the Province has some fine writing and reasonable perspectives, even if Ethan Baron has no clue what he’s talking about where it concerns climate change.
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