Dave Trafford's blog

News Hounds Chase City Hall "SQUIRREL!"

With that in mind, I find it interesting that there was more feedback on Jack Layton's Olympian effort to get face time on the Gold Medal Hockey match than there was on the Globe and Mail's brutally insensitive headline about the breast cancer/mastectomy story out of Windsor.

None of the News That's Fit To Print

If I were you, I'd probably get fired for wasting my time surfing the net and checking out stoopid YouTube video links.Lucky for both of us, I'm not you. In my world, all that qualifies as "research" and a tough day at the office!

In the spirit of public service and my personal commitment to you, I present today's highlights for your perusal, (on your own time!)

** SPOILER ALERT!!!....Dutch soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek will take the lead role in "Anna Nicole Smith - the Musical". How tough can it be to play a dead model? Just lie there with your eyes closed. At least you'll be able to see Westbroek lying down on the stage, (assuming she's "true to form";) 

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Thou Dost Say "Huh?" Canada

That's the best news I've heard all week. It would seem that the STANDING PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE WITH NOTHING TO DO BUT WORRY ABOUT BULLSH*T won't be worrying about new lyrics for our National Anthem.

On the one hand, I'm pleased, (if not surprised), that the matter of "gender neutral" lyrics for O Canada has been dropped. On the other hand, it would have been such great fodder for poking fun and ridiculing the clowns on "the Hill".

Oh well.

In the end I'd like to think we all stood on guard for sanity. With few exceptions, (mostly those who flirt with the edges of sanity on the best of days), Canadians thought the whole notion of neutering our anthem was a dumb frickn' idea. And, in typical Canadian fashion, our harshest criticism came in the form of laughter and eye rolling!

How's This for an "UTTERLY AVOIDABLE" Headline?

In radio, we like to talk about "writing for the ear". It's important for a radio writer to be aware of the sound of the story. That not only includes the production elements, (i.e., the natural sound of the story, the "clip" of the news maker, etc.), it includes the sound of the words as they're pronounced aloud. (It's precisely reason why we CANNOT be singing "True patriot love thou dost in us command." Try it. It just sounds BAD...no matter how inclusive it may be!)

Needless to say, we use the SOUND of words in the telling of a story. The copy may be alliterative; it may be strikingly staccato or punctuated by pregnant pauses; it may even be purposefully mispronounced for the sake of a punchline or a pun.

City Hall's No Place For YOU!!

If the real measure of a person is how they behave when others AREN'T watching, what can you possibly say about Toronto City Councillor Paula Fletcher?

There can be no room nor tolerance for Fletcher's disgraceful display in the Council chamber on Monday night. Sadly, her behaviour in front of a live microphone and a rolling camera is merely the tip of the dung heap at Toronto City Council. Her browbeating harangue against "citizen John Smith" (how perfect!) is just another eye-bulging ad hominem ranting example of what passes for "debate" in that chamber. It actually beats Sandra Bussin's embarrassing arrogant behaviour live, on the air with John Tory and Tarek Fatah back in September.

Jack Layoton's Photo Op Cheering Backfires!

I heard Jack Layton on MOORE IN THE MORNING a couple of days after the Olympics wrapped up in Vancouver. There was a range of topics up for discussion, including Jack's health and his fight against prostate cancer, the ongoing developments in Afghanistan and the upcoming federal budget. All this on a morning when we were reporting on an IPSOS REID poll suggesting Jack Layton was the number two choice for PM among Canadians.

But John's first question was all about Jack's "photo op" cheering section taking in the GOLD medal hockey match at Gretzky's on the final day of the 2010 games. If you watched the CTV coverage you saw frequent camera shots of the crowd bar cheering on the Canuck Pucks as they battled the Yanks for shiny shinny supremacy. And every time the Gretzky-cam went LIVE, Jack Layton was the only guy looking at the camera. Everybody else was watching the TV screen, (off to the right of the camera).

How's Your Heavy Medal Hangover?

WOW!

Now that was Super Sunday! "Sid the Kid" managed to not only bring 33 million of us to our feet at 7:20 of overtime, he is now a member of an elite group of Canadians who have marked our memories and history with iconic game winning hockey goals. Sidney Crosby's gold medal winner ranks right up there with Paul Henderson's garbage goal against Vladislav Tretiak in 1972, Darryl Sittler's wide deke around Vladimir Dzurilla in 1976, and the "Gretzky to Lemieux…HE SHOOTS! HE SCORES!" to win the 1987 Canada Cup with 1:26 on the clock.

I took some grief on Twitter when I suggested this gold medal was the ONLY one that mattered. Ya, I know they all matter. I hooted and hollered, fist pumped and fretted for 17 days, just like you as the medal count mounted. But, the early returns suggest 99 per cent of the country watched all or part of the Canada vs USA Men's Ice Hockey Gold Medal game. And I would hazard to guess 100 per cent were singing the national anthem as our flag rose to the rafters in Canada Hockey Place. This game, this gold medal is the only medal that mattered to the entire country.

Help Haiti? That Was So "January's Issue"

I still can't get over the fact that in the time it takes you to order your morning coffee, Port Au Prince, Haiti was crushed, millions were rendered homeless and a quarter of a million people were killed.

Forgive me if I'm telling you something you already know, but less than a month after that killer quake, Haiti's not even near the radar any more. That's not to say we need to dwell on it every minute of the day, but I'm astounded at how quickly we just moved on,

Today, three weeks after the initial quake rocked the richter scale at 7.0, Haitians are walking 20 kilometers to line up for clean water and edible food. Do you suppose the rations take that daily caloric burn into account?

Helping Haiti

The outpouring of charitable support for Haiti has been astounding.

The response in Canada has been overwhelming. As of Sunday afternoon, the Canadian Red Cross had received more than $22 million for the earthquake relief effort.

Astral Media Radio's National HELP HAITI DAY has kept up the pace, with contributions coming in from across the country.

Just imagine if this had happened last year at this time.

Would we have been as responsive? We were awash in financial pessimism and dire economic outlooks. A year ago, the manufacturing sector was gasping for air; the auto industry was on life support; the banks were tightening their credit criteria;and most of us were staring helplessly as our investments seemed to evaporate in front of our eyes.

Things We Learned This Week!

He says he's sorry!

Zakaria Amara just might get his wish.

The mastermind of the "Toronto 18" terror group says he deserves your complete and absolute contempt. (The line starts to the left!)

Good news for Amara. There will be an added bonus beyond loathing.He will be sentenced on Monday for his part in the terror plot that included planned bomb attacks on the TSE and C-SIS headquarters.


So...Who's In Charge?

Apparently, the TTC could have avoided most of the grief that came with the St. Clair Streetcar Right of Way fiasco. But it took an independent review to figure that out.

Let the Race Begin! The First Meaningless Mayoralty Poll's Been Published.

Nothing to report in the Mayoralty campaign. Why would there be? The campaign hasn't even started! We can't even tell you who's running yet.

No substance? No matter. We're already reporting on polls trying to define the "front-runner",(now that Newstalk 1010's John Tory has decided to give the race a miss).

The first one comes courtesy of Angus Reid done for the Toronto Star.

If you just read the top line, you'd think that George Smitherman is going to cruise into the Mayor's chair.

Survey says Smitherman enjoys 44 per cent support. Liberal party strategist Rocco Rossi is the closest declared candidate at 15 per cent. Deputy Mayor Joe Pantalone leads the third tier at 5 per cent, just ahead of Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti with 4 per cent.

Don't Worry. The Guns Weren't Loaded.

A couple of thoughts on the Gilbert Arenas story.

First, a prediction - Arenas isn't the only gun-toting NBA millionaire.

I'm willing to bet this is NOT an isolated incident. His giggly team mates aren't just enablers; they're not just guys looking for affirmation; they're part of a culture that thinks its beyond OK to bring guns into the workplace.

There's been next to NO outrage from the players on his team, (Washington Wizards), and even the most critical of columns on the subject seem to suggest nobody's surprised that an NBA player was waving guns around in the locker room.

Things We Learned This Week. Can You Be Too Honest to Be a Politician?

Here are half a dozen things, in no particular order, that jumped out at me this week.

The World Junior Hockey Championship has lost its lustre.
I love watching "the kids" play for gold, but there was no real drama or engagement in this year's tourney. The Canadian team was far and away the best squad on the ice. So much so, that I caught myself tuning out during games, knowing they were going to win. (I didn't even bother with the Latvia and Switzerland matches early in the round robin.)

Sure, the Americans won gold in Overtime, and they were full value for the sudden death win, but that might have been the only good game I saw. Sure, the New Years Eve squeaker got everybody's Under Armour in a knot, but it wasn't really a game that mattered. A loss for our guys only would have meant, the Canadians would have played one more game on the way to the semi-finals. There was no doubt that Canada would play for gold again.

Do Ya Miss Y-2-K?

The hardest thing to believe with the turn of another New Year is how far we've come as we mark the beginning of the second decade of the third millennium.

Ten years ago, we were breathing a global "whew" of relief, while some were trying to convince anyone who would listen that there was never anything to worry about with all the Y2K stuff. Either way, we all partied like it was 1999 but entered the new millennium without a great deal of fuss or muss, secure in the knowledge that we had faced, figured and survived the unspeakable threat of the number "2" rolling over on the calendar.

The Best and Worst of 2009

Alright! So I'm making a list. But don't get use to it! I'm getting them all out of the way now. It's really a list of lists

Here's my "BEST and WORST OF 2009" in no particular order. (Told you I wasn't really good at the "list thing".)

Best Christmas Gifts:

• The hand-knit scarf from Erin.
• Listening to Dave "noodle" random musical phrases and thoughts on the piano and his fretless Jazz bass.
• A Boxing Day walk with Anne through Edwards Gardens and Wilket Creek.

Best Surprise:

The Ultimate List for 2009

I always think it's funny that we choose the last day of the year to start making lists. We spend a whole lot of time energy and ink making lists of things that happened over the past twelve months, and a little less listing the things we expect to come. Some of us make lists of goals or resolutions. It's not that I'm against planning ahead, I just don't do "the list thing".

My wife, on the other hand, keeps list books - yes, plural. She has books that contain the list of "to-do's" for the house, for work, for Christmas, for travel, for grocery shopping, for meal planning, for fashion needs (wants?), for "ah ha" ideas, for decorating, for the banking, and I honestly think she keeps a list of all the lists she keeps. Anne might be one of the most organized people I've ever met - (one of the many reasons I am grateful to have her in my life!).

It's The Rush Before Christmas!

It's the "Rush Before Christmas"  …and all 'cross the nation,
There’s angst in the air - a low-grade trepidation -

You’re hanging the lights. You're decking the halls.
Spending eight hours a day in the stores and the malls.
Will you run out of money? Will you run out of time?
Will you get through this season or go out of your mind?

At the end of the day, when you're snug in your bed
You’re checklist is running around in your head;
Should you serve turnip? What kind of wine?
Should the tree be a balsam, a spruce or a pine?

With ALL DUE RESPECT...but what the *##$%!! Don?

Wow! Talk about spin.

I can't believe the amount of unadulterated crap that is being thrown around in the wake of the latest Don Cherry storm. The legion of apologists for Grapes is incredible and for all of the tut-tutting and finger wagging over "journalistic integrity", the media folks lining up behind Cherry have been distracted by the sizzle rather than the substance of what has happened.

Even Bill Carroll and Christie Blatchford are focussed on the wrong thing. They think we're upset because Don swore? Really? That's not the story. Nor is it whether Cherry believed "kids would hear" the audio. And in no way is this a question of whether Cherry knew the exchange with radio reporter Colin D'Mello was being recorded. You can hear Cherry's producer ask if the tape recorder's rolling. It's obvious there's a recording device in front of him. And I've got news for you - you don't get that kind of audio quality with a hidden or poorly placed stick mic.

Now I Know What You Give A Guy Who Turns 101!

For those of you who read my last blog installment, the Trafford clan collected this week to mark my Grandfather's 101st birthday.

In it I asked: What do you get for somebody who's turning 101? I think most of you understood the point, (although one reader figured I'm just a cheapskate because I wanted to give Grrandpa my "thanks" for the great gifts he'd given to me.)

Today, I'm sure I was partly right.

My Aunt called after we'd had our midday meal and celebration last Sunday. She'd had asked Grandpa what he liked best about the gathering. He simply said: "The company".

So Whadya Give A Guy Who's Turning 101?!

December 7th is the day we celebrate my Grandfather's birthday. Born Stuart Trafford - eldest son to Teresa and George - residents of Galeta, Ontario, in the Ottawa Valley. Before WW2 began, he would be father to David and daughter Mary was among the first wave of baby boomers. In the 60s and 70s he would become grandfather to David, Kelly, Russell, and Leah; through the 80's and 90's he would become Great Grandfather to Erin, David, Kaitlin and Shane.

But the greatest influence on his life was Bernice Bissell. She was the love of his life. After more than 60 years of marriage, Grandma passed away. She was 90 when she died. Stu was a spry 89 year old but we worried about how he would manage. No need it seems.This December 7th, 2009, Grandpa turns 101. Remarkably, he is the elder of four living generations on my Dad's side of the family. Stu might tire more quickly and he may be slower getting around, but the mind and the memories are still pretty sharp. And even at his advanced stage of maturity, he's not shy about sharing his opinions.

November Ain't What It Use To Be

It's the best news ever! This will be a November to remember! No snow on the ground for the first time since 1937. (That would warrant a double-fist-pump-WOOT! from my daughter. Ah, but she lives in Halifax, where they've already had a pre-christmas dump. Too bad for her, eh?)

And for those of you thinking, this is all about climate change or just some freakish turn in the weather - YOU'RE WRONG.

I am the reason you are enjoying this beautiful, albeit unseasonal, weather so late in autumn. Yup, it's all about moi.

We are snowless in the 416 because I made a late September stop a Home Depot, (shortly after we marked the start of Fall), and I purchased a SNOW BLOWER.

Oprah Over? Over? Oprah?

Don't kid yourself! Oprah may be pulling the plug on her Network gabfest, while we're led to believe it's just going to morph into a cable show.

Don't you believe it!

No siree! You know you it's all a left wing media conspiracy. So, in order to save you all the grief, I think we need to just cut straight to the real, reliable rumours right now!

Oprah's stepping away from the talk show in 2011 - JUST IN TIME TO TAKE A RUN AT THE WHITE HOUSE! (I'll pause here to allow you to "puh-shaw" and roll your eyes). You know there's a team already working on Oprah's campaign.

It Might Have Been the WEIRDEST Anchor Shift I've Ever Done

I can't believe Evelyn Macko and I got through this morning's News run with our faculties intact!

Now the two of us have been doing this job for a long time, so you'd think a pair of veteran Toronto radio news hounds would be able to knit something together that resembled a major market product. On most days, I'd like to think we managed that. But today?

OMG (as the kids like to txt!)

We literally spent the better part of the pre-dawn hours banging our heads against the anchor desk trying to come up with a line-up that made sense. And the mushy remains either highlighted our cerebral genius or the obvious evidence of self inflicted brain damage.

Wow! Where Did The Week Go?

Buckle up folks! You're life is about to make the jump to "hyper-BLURRRR".

It always happens in November. You just managed to coax the kids down from their curtain climb following their annual Halloween sugar rush; you finally got around to sticking the Poppy on your lapel and realize it's November the 12th; and here you are on FRIDAY the 13th getting ready for the Santa Claus Parade on Sunday afternoon.

And that's just the warm-up for the mad sprint to your holy days of family obligations between Christmas and New Year's.

I'm so amped up I'm already writing 2010 on my cheques.

Remembering Sheri

Most of you think of me as a broadcaster, but I actually consider everything I produce on the air and online as "writing". I do a fair amount of it everyday. Sometimes you get the "first draft" when I'm conducting a LIVE interview on the radio. Sometimes it's more packaged, when I've had time to "process the meat" so to speak.

I've written plenty of copy that has been colourful and fun; more that has been dire and dramatic; and a good deal that's got me in some trouble. But today, the copy was the toughest I've had to write in a while.

A Reason to Salute!

Not sure who did it, but it's been done and done properly. Kudos to the folks at the North York Sealtest plant. They've got a brand spanking new Canadian flag snapping smartly atop their flag pole. I saw it on Wednesday afternoon, (one week before Remembrance Day).

What's the big deal?

Well, I took dead aim at them earlier in the week when someone not only flew a damaged flag, they lowered that damaged flag to half staff to honour our war dead - specifically Lt. Justin Boyes: killed by an IED in Afghanistan last week. I went on a bit of rant on air and online. It was a disgusting display!

A Disgusting Display of "National Pride"

I always wonder a couple of things when I see a Canadian flag flying at half staff. I wonder who died. I also wonder if people really understand what that flag means.

It's a time honoured tradition that may be viewed as a sign of mourning or respect for someone's passed away. It may also signal some national distress. In any case, it's a matter of some gravity, especially because we use our national flag to make a very public statement.

It's not unusual to see that demonstrated outside fire halls, police stations, or legislatures. Not so much in front of corporate offices, but there are a few who do so regularly. I have occasion to drive past the Sealtest offices on Lawrence at the Don Valley Parkway, and they prominently fly a Canadian flag on that property. They also fly that flag at half staff to honour our Canadians who have been killed in Afghanistan. That happened this past weekend when the remains of Lt. Justin Boyes were repatriated; they made that long and sad journey along the highway of heroes and down the DVP to the Coroner's Office in Toronto.

The problem is, the flag was badly damaged. A third of it had been ripped off. There was only one red border and the Maple Leaf on the white background. The leading edge was completely gone. There was only the tattered hints of that second red border.The flag flew like that all weekend long.

It was insulting enough that someone purposefully flew the flag in a damaged state. The insult was compounded when they lowered it to half staff. It would have been better to leave the flag pole empty.

It was disgusting display in the extreme.



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The Scariest Thing About the H1N1 Outbreak - Ain't the Flu!

So, what are the lessons we've already learned from H1N1?

• Public Health has proven itself irrelevant.
• Health Ministers, (provincial and federal), have led by incompetence.
• The "system" is such that we rely on the drowning to throw us a safety line.

All we've heard in the past 6 months are assurances about "Preparedness Planning" and the lessons we learned from SARS.

Let's face it - there's been no measure of preparation, planning, or or obvious learning demonstrated by Public Health at any level in this country now that we are WEEKS into Round Two of the Swine Flu Outbreak.

IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD AS THEY KNOW IT

Anne-Marie and Paul Frustaglio never would have imagined a world without Evan.

He was a healthy, active kid; played double A hockey in the GTHL - a proud member of the Minor Bantam Mississauga North Stars.

Twelve year old Evan Frustaglio died in Hospital last night.

You know the story by now. Evan spent the weekend in London with his mates at a hockey tournament. He was feeling lousy on Saturday; went to a walk-in clinic on Sunday; collapsed and died a day later. Toronto Public Health confirms he had H1N1.

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