Sunday 29 April 2018

Press Corps Dinner Bombs

Trump Gets It Right This Time 

I was looking forward to the annual Press Corps dinner / roast last night. The one featuring Obama with Trump in the audience was great. That is to say Obama was great - Trump not so much.  What a letdown this year. Trump stayed away again. In hindsight I don't blame him. It sucked big time and that is not fake news.

Things started OK but the current president of the group, nice as she seems, was not a great speaker. She appeared to lose her place a lot. The remarks and awards were sincere enough but the agenda, if there was one, was completely disorganized throughout. There should have been a professional MC to keep things flowing and on track.

Unfortunately I was watching CNN at the time and they oversold the guest speaker, Michelle Wolf. The CNN anchors also suffered from poor dinner scheduling. I lost count of how many times they said that Michelle would be coming on in "Just a few minutes!" I was beginning to think she had cancelled.

As it turned out perhaps she should have. This guest was horrible. Any stand-up speaker who relies heavily on the "F" bomb and other vulgarities in a vain attempt at humour is a failure from the outset - in my opinion. That was matched only by her far too personal attacks on various attendees.

It is very difficult in any of these "roast" situations to strike a balance between poking fun and hitting well below the belt. It takes class to accomplish this. Wolf had none.

Shame on the Press Corps. Their members deserved a lot better. The worst thing - you played right into DT's hands.

The Brewster

Saturday 28 April 2018

Incel? What a Crock

Hell Hath No Fury Like a MAN Scorned 

Before the horror that recently unfolded on Toronto's Yonge Street North, I had never heard the term "Incel". Now that I have, as a man it leaves me speechless. There are so many things wrong with looking for any rational "motive" for what this animal did that I don't know where to begin.

It reminds me of "Road Rage". Please! Every time people demonstrate totally unacceptable and often illegal behaviour someone invents a new name, disorder, or syndrome for it. In the case of so-called Road Rage I have seen guilty women as well as men. They don't usually punch each other out on busy streets but their driving and anger can be just as unacceptable.

Does that mean that we will soon see sexually frustrated women annihilating people in as violent a manner as they can muster out of sheer rage against men? I seriously doubt it. They would have far more reason to do so than most men given the disparagement that women have traditionally experienced socially, at home, in religion, in the workplace etc. However can anyone imagine a female slaughtering others just because she isn't getting any?

Some things never change. For the most part if a woman of any age won't go out with a man there is usually a good reason for it. The same goes for losing interest in him or saying no to sex. Frequently he is just a jerk. On the other hand men think nothing of saying NO to even dating a woman based upon physical appearance alone. Will such spurned women start shooting soon? I hope not.

This is a male problem guys - time we started facing up to it. If you hear another guy talking spitefully about a woman just because he struck out engage him in dialogue. Share an experience when you were rejected as well. Try to gauge just how angry he is.

Who would have thought that the old slang term getting "Shot Down" would some day be so poignant?


The Brewster

Tuesday 24 April 2018

Florida Judge's Despicable Behaviour

Tasmanian Devil Judge

The recent video we saw of a female Florida judge chewing out a young girl at the other end of a video feed was outrageous. 

I don't know all the circumstances surrounding this but I don't have to. What I saw was behaviour that was totally unwarranted towards anyone but a misbehaving hard criminal or arrogant lawyer or prosecutor in her courtroom. I saw neither.

It almost looked as though she was auditioning for yet another "reality" court program (as if we need another "Judge Suzy Q"  Jerry Springer wannabe show.) 

Her early retirement was appropriate. If she just got up on the wrong side of the bed now is her chance to stay there for a long sleep.

The Brewster


Wednesday 18 April 2018

They Don't Make'm Like Barbara Bush Any More

Now THAT'S a Lady

Just like your grandmother (at least those in my generation); Angela Channing on Falcon Crest (Jane Wyman); or Kate Lawrence on Family (Sada Thompson), this was a lady who exuded respect, control, and grace from you or any of her family members.

I was very impressed with the tributes I heard last night after her passing. Most of us did not know Mrs. Bush but now I have much more of an appreciation for the person. When I saw footage of her husband's inauguration her eyes were just glued to him the entire time like the adoring wife she was.

However she managed to walk a line somewhere between the '50s stereotype housewife like June Cleaver and the '60's burn your bra feminists apparently not taking static from anyone lightly. She supported her husband throughout all of her endeavours and I suspect her husband would have done the same in return.

There will no doubt be some great documentaries or specials to follow. I hope I don't miss them. They were probably the ideal American Dream couple.

The Brewster

Saturday 14 April 2018

Space and the Cosmos - The Great Equalizer

COSMOS: the world or universe regarded as an orderly, harmonious system

The above is a real definition. Having just viewed a recent video of a live broadcast between the space station and Queens University featuring Dr. Drew Feustel, it represents a tragic irony.

What I saw and heard was a magnificent example of astronauts from the United States, Canada, Russia and many other nations all working together in perfect harmony in that fascinating unknown - the Cosmos (or Space). What I heard was awe inspiring.

Yet here on this tiny spec we call Earth in that Cosmos, those same nations or their leaders can't get along and even scheme to destroy each other. Both Russia and the USA have cooperated to shuttle each others scientists to and from that station. Surely there is a lesson here. If they can be colleagues up there, why can't their political leaders at least get along down here?

Such thoughts inspired the following:


With mortal sight we do behold
This awe inspiring vision.
Mysteries of our sky unfold

Immaculate precision. 

A home away from home we share.

Depending on each other.
When we return how will we fare?
Will I still call you brother?

We share this vast celestial sight.

It casts on us a spell.
We fear our heads of state just might
Change Earth to living hell.

As we observe these planets far

In this communal space,
Are we being judged from distant star?
Have we used up our grace?

If our great leaders would agree

To take a turn up here,
As one team they soon would see
That trust surpasses fear.

There will come a time when we

Will have to conquer space.
Cooperation will be key
To live beyond this place.