Rob Ford's Toronto

[JWBF]

The Escalade he initially said he'd bought himself until Doug said it was his gift. Another unexplained lie/failure to get story straight.

Actually, it was not a just a gift (leased to Deco), it was a birthday gift.

 

[cgwalnut]

Well, that seals that. I'll be sure to never spend another dime at Harbour 60 (which is a shame, 'cuz I kinda like the ambiance and steak), and I will tell everyone I know (as well as anyone else who might listen) that Harbour 60 is a disgusting pit that is frequented by the worst people in the world (and probably has cocaine-residue and syphilis on every surface imaginable).

I may try to sell Hy's on the following tag-line: "A person would be better off eating discarded street meat from the rat-infested stall at Simcoe & Richmond than risking his life playing chicken with coked-up, drunk-driving right wing politicians near Harbour 60."

well, harbour 60 is the go-to place for conservative fundraisers etc... I recall MP, and former TPA head Lisa Raitt racking up quite an expensive taxpayer tab there (around $50,000) + other minor scandals.
Harbour 60 is basically the Porter Airlines of steak houses - on federal/TPA land with lots of friends in high, right wing places.

 

[JWBF]

Doug Ford wants the budget to be at 1.75%, not 2.5%. At the same time, wants no TTC fare increase. To me that means service cuts, TTC and elsewhere.

Not suprising. Those of his ilk never think of the future for voters' investments, just corporate sponsership. Remember Harris' sale of the 407? A short term sale for a fraction of the cost to pay for some other "efficiency". In the current? Hudak and his corporations, his short term sales to pay for transit. Sounds not unlike the Ford brothers and subways, "P3!-P3!-P3!" while they did nothing, and expected others to do their jobs... like Woodbine Live.

 

[Jado]

I clicked that link and read comments for about 5 minutes... I could almost feel the IQ points flying out of my ear.

Yeah but even though we know it's bullsh*t and run by incredibly stupid people, it still breaks my heart to see Daniel Dale's name dragged through the mud like that. Right off the top the guy calls him a perv - just puts it right out there - even though all of the details upon which that claim is based are false and the mayor has admitted as much.

It's just so cruel and so wrong to put a decent guy on a level with "that" kind of person in any way.

But now it's taken on a life of its own.

Can't that page be taken down? Can't the owner be forced to remove and retract all that crap?

 

[atodaso]

So in the thing where Ford said he was giving Renata money for Christmas---did he inadvertently reveal more about how their relationship works than he intended? Why doesn't she have access to the family finances? Is that why she can't leave? Seems to me it raises a lot of questions.

Good point - it irked me as well but I hadn't considered the full implications of the statement until hearing you put in these terms. It certainly does cast yet another shadow on the depths of the Ford's dysfunction.

 

[JWBF]

Misogyny has been on the table since all the domestic violence calls to the cops.

 

[dt_toronto_geek]

Nunziata by herself was quite bad enough. (I hope some of her colleagues had a few sharp words for her afterwards. And I hope the same goes for those city staffers who were joining in on the "fun.") But as far as I could see, the rest of them were doing nothing but nervously shuffling around with their thumbs up their butts, looking distinctly shell-shocked while Mayor Peter Griffin was acting up. As usual.

I didn't think the whole music/dance shenanigans was all that bad a thing, I thought it was kind of fun - especially if it was under "normal" circumstances where the late-night shows wouldn't be making fun of it. If nothing else someone should lead a 'stretch break' every hour or two for five minutes, sitting for those long periods of time is really unhealthy.

 

[Long Island Mike]

The Rob Ford Dance Party: Dancing to Vince Guaraldi and the "Peanuts" theme...

Somebody needs to put the Charlie Brown Christmas dance music under that. 'Tis the season, after all.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=YBPcoI4OE9Y

L: I agree with you after noting your post and link - Vince Guaraldi's "Peanuts" jazz music fit the bill here...

It is almost hard to believe that the original "Peanuts" animated special "A Charlie Brown Christmas" is 48 years
old at this point...it premiered in 1965...

LI MIKE

 

[CanadianNational]

Who hired that band and who paid for it?

I'd rather councillors had lunches so meetings could get done more efficiently.

 

[hper]

Not suprising. Those of his ilk never think of the future for voters' investments, just corporate sponsership. Remember Harris' sale of the 407? A short term sale for a fraction of the cost to pay for some other "efficiency". In the current? Hudak and his corporations, his short term sales to pay for transit. Sounds not unlike the Ford brothers and subways, "P3!-P3!-P3!" while they did nothing, and expected others to do their jobs... like Woodbine Live.

Tim "I know, let's sell the furniture!" Hudak has never met a stupid idea he didn't like. His endless 'White Papers' are like an 'I buy your jewelry' leaflet left under your wiper (yeah, yeah, white paper, wiper, ha-ha or not so much). Still, this is a guy who actually has the authority, through party rules, to say yea or nay to a Dougster run in provincial ward 2. Aaaand...he'll let it happen 'cuz the Other Doug is on him like stink to shit to make it so. Ferget them P3s, we need us some 6 Sigma! Fortunately, Tim's personality deficit almost renders him moot. He would, as premier, be a disaster for T.O.

 

[TJ O'Pootertoot]

So in the thing where Ford said he was giving Renata money for Christmas---did he inadvertently reveal more about how their relationship works than he intended? Why doesn't she have access to the family finances? Is that why she can't leave? Seems to me it raises a lot of questions.

I just thought (per some of the other discussions here) that it's very common for him to give money to, you know, the women he has "relationships" with.

As for the dancing, I also don't think it's a huge deal. I was wondering if they were still turning their chairs when he spoke but the fact is they did that when he was still really the mayor and they were in the process of stripping him. Now he's stripped so it's not necessary. He's just a guy.

The dancing is absurd but, really folks, it was some reggae singer trying to get the holiday spirit going in the council chamber. It wasn't about FORD. It wasn't Ford's band or something. So, Nunziata danced with him. It's not like anyone here previously regarded her as a hero. Councillors were up and dancing because it was the thing to do and we all got a chuckle out of it.

There's a lot of serious stuff that's been at play, and will continue to be, but I don't think this is part of that.

 

[Acrossthewater]

I didn't think the whole music/dance shenanigans was all that bad a thing, I thought it was kind of fun -

I agree dancing is loads of fun but in this case it was not the time. Rob Ford had just made a non-apology to Daniel Dale. (I believe) A young man who will have to explain this incident for the rest of his life as it will come up if he ever looks for other work in later years. Rob showed no remorse. He was probably in a drunken or drug stupor that night and doesn't recall any of it anyway but he tried to ruin Mr. Dales life.

They looked like freaking fools, Rob and his at work mommy, Nunziata.
Yes I realise it's small potato(e)s compared to the other crap he has done but he really should be out of there...I am sick of him, sick of others in council going along with him and I don't even live in TO.

Enough already. The Ford boys should be ignored at all times.

 

[kbdid]

I agree dancing is loads of fun but in this case it was not the time. Rob Ford had just made a non-apology to Daniel Dale. (I believe) A young man who will have to explain this incident for the rest of his life as it will come up if he ever looks for other work in later years. Rob showed no remorse. He was probably in a drunken or drug stupor that night and doesn't recall any of it anyway but he tried to ruin Mr. Dales life.

I agree that the timing was bad for gettin' down, but please, while I feel Ford's entirely guilty of libel, Dale is a journalist who's been widely vindicated by other journalists on this front, I don't think he's going to have to explain anything about this to future employers, unless for some reason he wants to work for a member of Ford Nation.

 

[adma]

Dunno why this hasn't been posted yet--Jonathan Goldsbie's eyewitness account of the Rob Ford family Xmas party; definite grist for reflection and discussion
http://nowtoronto.com/news/story.cfm?content=195952

 

[OSS 117]

Dunno why this hasn't been posted yet--Jonathan Goldsbie's eyewitness account of the Rob Ford family Xmas party; definite grist for reflection and discussion
http://nowtoronto.com/news/story.cfm?content=195952

I got anxiety just reading that. It sounds like the creepiest party since Dennis Hopper got Dean Stockwell to sing In Dreams into a trouble light in Blue Velvet.