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Rob Ford's Toronto

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Paleo_gurl said:
Just surmising here but I doubt Duggie gets starches and/or anything unhealthy to eat at home. His wife and daughter are "clean Eaters" that is to say they eat very low carb diets. His daughter -the lean queen on twitter and instagram is a competitive body builder (and, perhaps, his wife too). A very good friend of mine just had her first bikini competition and Doug the slug was backstage. She said he was "creepy". He tried to strike up a convo with her while she was waiting to be called on stage. Don't know why Duggie needed to be back stage with very scantily clad women of all ages (my friend turned 50 this year).

My guess is the extra LBs come from eating out. I'll leave the jokes about having enough to eat at home to the rest of you. :p
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My wife's aunt is, well, let's just say borderline anorexic. She seems to follow just about every pseudoscientific diet fad, and I'd be surprised if she eats more than 800 calories a day; none of it from fats, refined sugars or any starches beyond potatoes and other root veggies. Her husband is overweight by quite a bit. At home, he only ever eats what she does (she's quite militant about there only being "healthy" food in the house). I'm certain he eats quite heartily and unhealthily when he's out of the house; probably half as much for enjoyment (unseasoned quinoa and steamed carrots be damned) as passive aggressive spite. That said, he's a great guy with a very controlling wife.
 
pattycakes said:
Rob has issued a statement regarding the Globe story. He was just helping the city save money. That is all.
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Of course, the Fords won`t talk about this again because... it`s before the courts. (I like that the denial also has a campaign slogan embedded in it.)
 
Scarberian said:
I don't have the 'Crazy Town' book with me, since I borrowed it from an elitist library. But yes, that seems to be the assessment. The chapter where Kouvalis first came in, it was fairly clear to me that Kouvalis was key in gearing up the camping on a bigger level. Rob and Doug was still thinking door to door battles, credit to Rob's tenacity here with the boxes full of hand written contact list. But the strategic long game may not be on FoFam's radar. Beyond a 'Rob will be merryl, Doug will be premier, Tory may or may not be allowed to be merryl, because by then Rob or Doug will be Prime Minister.' plan.

But that's probably up in hash smoke by now, and I think they're all about the hail mary pass, because that's all they have left. That it got them this far is what kinda worries me.
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yeah, talk about a fall from grace. this family used to have jim flaherty on speed dial, they used to go fishing with the prime minister. they were fancied kingmakers in the provincial elections (at least on the conservative side, who most figured would take the next election anyway). even in rob's first few months in office he rammed through a ton of material and whipped council votes with an iron fist. and now look at him.

you've got to think that the reality is settling in, at least on some level, and the family are starting to realize that they've missed their chance.
 
Good grief.

The mayor also said that after 52 years in business, the clients of his family firm are too numerous to keep track of or to declare a conflict with at city hall.

“We have done business with every single company almost in Ontario‎. We are right around the world,” he said, when asked if RR Donnelley is a client. “I am not part of the business. I am only a principal owner,” Mr. Ford said. “I can’t recall if they’re one of our customers or not – irrelevant. It doesn’t matter.”

Either way, Mr Ford said the public does not have an interest in his family’s personal affairs. “Our business is our business,” he said “I don’t ask you how much money you’ve got in the bank. “
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There is so, so much wrong with this. (Even leaving aside the implausible claim that Deco has done business with almost every company in Ontario and the way Rob's relationship with the family business depends on whether he's promoting his corporate savvy and entrepreneurial spirit or excusing his non-compliance with the Code of Conduct.) I still can't decide if he honestly believes what he's saying because he's simply too stupid to grasp the point, or is lying through his teeth because he knows he's not going to be held to account. I hope that I'm wrong, but I'm afraid that he'll get away with the claim that his private business affairs aren't a matter of public interest when they intersect with his duties as an elected official. Even if Ford himself is gone after October, I worry that letting that narrative stand unchallenged is going to make it easier for the next corrupt politician to blur the lines.
 
I think that SlumDoug may be rattled by a combo of the basic info about Moore and RR Donnely is true plus, after getting the Globe's written questions, he got just enough legal advice to find about what the Globe's lawyers could and would do to him if he sues, including that it likely would be in the Globe's interest to help any ex-employees sued (cutting of SlumDoug's theory that he could scare them with his money).

ETA: Robbie's statement smacks of legal wordsmithing.
 
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The latest from Ivor Tossel, one of the more incisive Ford observers. Ford nation: At its heart, an army of the alienated.

Reminds me of Thomas Frank, from 'What's The Matter with Kansas':

"The backlash…is a crusade in which one’s material interests are suspended in favor of vague cultural grievances that are all-important and yet incapable of ever being assuaged.”

In 'The Wrecking Crew: How Conservatives Rule', Frank also wrote:

"Bad government is the natural product of rule by those who believe government is bad."
 
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tariqata said:
Good grief.



There is so, so much wrong with this. (Even leaving aside the implausible claim that Deco has done business with almost every company in Ontario and the way Rob's relationship with the family business depends on whether he's promoting his corporate savvy and entrepreneurial spirit or excusing his non-compliance with the Code of Conduct.) I still can't decide if he honestly believes what he's saying because he's simply too stupid to grasp the point, or is lying through his teeth because he knows he's not going to be held to account. I hope that I'm wrong, but I'm afraid that he'll get away with the claim that his private business affairs aren't a matter of public interest when they intersect with his duties as an elected official. Even if Ford himself is gone after October, I worry that letting that narrative stand unchallenged is going to make it easier for the next corrupt politician to blur the lines.
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Robbie did name himself as a "principal owner" and used "our", in his own words he just does not just have ties to Deco but that he partially "owns" Deco. It may not be the same, but didn't PM Martin have to divest himself of ownership in his shipping company to his son?
 
this really, really resonates with that article about how ford lacks the capacity for abstract thinking. this is just like the conflict case about coaching - he kept insisting that it was fine because it was all about the kids. that it was fine because he didn't profit from it. that it was fine because look at the long list of schools that have football teams now.

the thought process is so tortured:
-i can't remember
-it's not my business even if i could remember
-it doesn't matter even if it was my business
-it's not relevant even if it does matter
-ok, yes, it IS my business, but it's private
 
expat said:
yeah, talk about a fall from grace. this family used to have jim flaherty on speed dial, they used to go fishing with the prime minister. they were fancied kingmakers in the provincial elections (at least on the conservative side, who most figured would take the next election anyway). even in rob's first few months in office he rammed through a ton of material and whipped council votes with an iron fist. and now look at him.

you've got to think that the reality is settling in, at least on some level, and the family are starting to realize that they've missed their chance.
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Just like in college. The dude who yaks on the couch at the big party is instant dougfood. You fall so far down the ladder even the stragglers look at you and shake a head. Tsk. Like some bad 80s movie.
 
pud99 said:
I think that SlumDoug may be rattled by a combo of the basic info about Moore and RR Donnely is true plus, after getting the Globe's written questions, he got just enough legal advice to find about what the Globe's lawyers could and would do to him if he sues, including that it likely would be in the Globe's interest to help any ex-employees sued (cutting of SlumDoug's theory that he could scare them with his money).

ETA: Robbie's statement smacks of legal wordsmithing.
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another solid theory is that RR Donnelly, who are a global multibillion-dollar company, called doug on the phone this morning and said, "fix this, you idiot."
 
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