Here’s a link to an American news story about a Down’s Syndrome young man who loves to sing.  He loves to dress up in a suit and tie like President Bush and sing the Star Spangled Banner.

Things to note:  Check out the articulate intro of the woman who did the story.  That’s “articulate” as in “not articulate”.  Also, do you find, as I do, that when they come back to the three at the news desk after the piece, that the other woman is particularly patronizing when she exclaims that the guy is “Precious!!”. I really don’t like the whole “isn’t it cute, he sings as if he’s normal” kind of vibe from the news people.  Finally, I would pay a million dollars (and obviously go into debt doing it) if the mother (I assume she’s his mother) in the piece had said: “Well, by the way he looked and the way he sounded, we knew quite early that he was Down’s Syndrome, which is fine.  But when he said he adored President Bush, well, then we knew he was retarded.”

Seeing how two comedians put their names forward this year to run in provincial politics on PEI, I thought it would only make sense for me to do the same.  Therefore, I am officially announcing that I am running as an independent in the election of May 28.  I haven’t filed any papers, and my budget is zero dollars (see how much money I’ve already saved the People of PEI?), and my PR will be nothing more than this website, but I think I have a pretty good chance of winning my riding.  I don’t know, yet, who’s running against me, or, in fact, which riding I am actually in, but I am confident.  And considering that my name won’t be on the ballot, you have to realize just how confident I’d need to be to think I can win.
Yes, I’m that confident.
By the way, I’m running for the newly formed (by me) Bridal Shower
Party.  All gifting can be forwarded to my home address.  I’m
registered at Canadian Tire and Afternoon Delight.

But I realize that I cannot run on just my good looks.  I need some political substance behind the political sexiness that is Rob MacDonald.  Therefore, in the coming weeks you can look forward to reading some of my campaign promises here on the old blog.

Here’s my very first campaign promise:

I promise an ER in every home.

Long enough has this island of a hundred and some-odd thousand people suffer through the impatience of driving more than 5 minutes to get to an emergency room (kudos, by the way, to my campaign writer, me, for coming up with that clever “patience”/”hospital” play on words).  If I get elected, I will do my darnedest to put forward a bill or a proposition or whatever-the-legal-word-is that states every home on PEI be equipped with a fully-functioning emergency room of its own.
Each ER will come with its own doctor and nurse (both would be live-in) staff (3 doctors and nurses per home = 8 hour shifts).  How can you afford so many doctors, you ask.  Good question.  My plan is to Pay More Doctors Less (they are already saving on room and board, right?).  The doctors and nurses can easily supplement their healthcare wages by contracting out for odd-jobs around the house for when they’re not on-duty.  It will be up to the home-owners and healthcare practitioners to agree upon an hourly wage they think is fair.  Personally, I’d suggest $9 / hr for manual labour chores such as shoveling a driveway of snow.  Slightly less for daily chores such as doing the dishes.  Tell you what, I’ll do up a pamphlet with a list of my suggested wages for specific chores.
Single-dwelling homes will have one full staff of doctors and nurses.  Duplexes may share a single in-home ER facility, but the number of healthcare workers employed in the duplex must be doubled.  Apartment buildings can have one ER room per floor, but again, the number of healthcare workers must be increased so that there are 3 doctors and nurses available for every 3.4 persons living on each floor.

This plan will be a long-term solution to the healthcare problems that the Island has faced for decades.  Also, it will be a short-term boon to the construction industry on PEI, as every house will have to be out-fitted for an emergency room.

There you go:  An ER for every home.

Stay tuned to this website for future campaign promises.

Technorati Tags: PEI, election

Seeing how two comedians put their names forward this year to run in provincial politics on PEI, I thought it would only make sense for me to do the same.  Therefore, I am officially announcing that I am running as an independent in the election of May 28.  I haven’t filed any papers, and my budget is zero dollars (see how much money I’ve already saved the People of PEI?), and my PR will be nothing more than this website, but I think I have a pretty good chance of winning my riding.  I don’t know, yet, who’s running against me, or, in fact, which riding I am actually in, but I am confident.  And considering that my name won’t be on the ballot, you have to realize just how confident I’d need to be to think I can win.
Yes, I’m that confident.
By the way, I’m running for the newly formed (by me) Bridal Shower

Party.  All gifting can be forwarded to my home address.  I’m

registered at Canadian Tire and Afternoon Delight.

But I realize that I cannot run on just my good looks.  I need some political substance behind the political sexiness that is Rob MacDonald.  Therefore, in the coming weeks you can look forward to reading some of my campaign promises here on the old blog.

Here’s my very first campaign promise:

I promise an ER in every home.

Long enough has this island of a hundred and some-odd thousand people suffer through the impatience of driving more than 5 minutes to get to an emergency room (kudos, by the way, to my campaign writer, me, for coming up with that clever “patience”/”hospital” play on words).  If I get elected, I will do my darnedest to put forward a bill or a proposition or whatever-the-legal-word-is that states every home on PEI be equipped with a fully-functioning emergency room of its own.
Each ER will come with its own doctor and nurse (both would be live-in) staff (3 doctors and nurses per home = 8 hour shifts).  How can you afford so many doctors, you ask.  Good question.  My plan is to Pay More Doctors Less (they are already saving on room and board, right?).  The doctors and nurses can easily supplement their healthcare wages by contracting out for odd-jobs around the house for when they’re not on-duty.  It will be up to the home-owners and healthcare practitioners to agree upon an hourly wage they think is fair.  Personally, I’d suggest $9 / hr for manual labour chores such as shoveling a driveway of snow.  Slightly less for daily chores such as doing the dishes.  Tell you what, I’ll do up a pamphlet with a list of my suggested wages for specific chores.
Single-dwelling homes will have one full staff of doctors and nurses.  Duplexes may share a single in-home ER facility, but the number of healthcare workers employed in the duplex must be doubled.  Apartment buildings can have one ER room per floor, but again, the number of healthcare workers must be increased so that there are 3 doctors and nurses available for every 3.4 persons living on each floor.

This plan will be a long-term solution to the healthcare problems that the Island has faced for decades.  Also, it will be a short-term boon to the construction industry on PEI, as every house will have to be out-fitted for an emergency room.

There you go:  An ER for every home.

Stay tuned to this website for future campaign promises.

Technorati Tags: PEI, election

It’s not canceled yet, but I want to be the first to have written that headline when the show “Thank God You’re Here” does get canceled.  Which it will.

I’ve talked about it before, about how I didn’t like the season’s second show, which was the first show I’d seen.  I have since watched every episode so far, and I can now say with absolute certainty that I do not find the show enjoyable.  If I watch any more it will only be because I have a weak spot for seeing others perform improv and secretly comparing how I’d imagine I’d perform in their stead.  I always think I’d do better.

The problems I have with the show, now that I’ve seen it a few times, are the same ones I had before.  The segments that don’t include actual improvising are deadly boring.  Anytime David Alan Grier is on the tv screen is wasted time.  Having Dave Foley judge is pointless and tiring and wastes more time.   Now that I’ve seen a number of improvs, and see that it never veers from the “fill in the blank” type of improv, it’s become a pretty tedious entertainment.  The celebrity guests are, for the most part, not very good at improvising.  Of course, they aren’t really allowed to improvise because each scene demands that all involved in each scene follow a pre-arranged point-to-point-to-point set of setups designed solely so that the celebrity guest can fill in the blanks.
Improv is at its funniest when the unexpected happens.  This show does not encourage the unexpected to happen because the scenes are too structured.  The only times I found myself even slightly amused were when something unexpected happened and everyone in the scene had to react to it.

I do not like this show.  Not in the least.  I watch it, though, because I hope beyond hope that finally it will get it right.  But I thought the same thing about Sanjaya, and he didn’t end well.

So, let me be the first to say it:  “Thank God You’re Canceled!”

Check out this “caught on video” clip of Woody Harrelson pleasuring himself:

Woody’s Best Work

I’m not going to bother with much of a review, because, really, who cares?

Melinda – Too old looking.  Sings with professionalism, but lacked heart last night.  Safe, though.
LaKisha – Didn’t think it was a good song for her.  Also, she’s got to stop giving that “Oh no you di-int!” look of anger when she sings.  It’s worked for a few songs now, but not with Conga.  She’ll be safe, though.
Chris – I thought he was awful.  The judges didn’t.  Likely safe.
Haley – I thought she was awful. So did the judges.  Not safe.
Phil – I always think he’s awful.  Don’t like him.  Not quite safe.
Jordin – Not as good as she’s been in weeks past.  Good enough to be safe, though.
Blake – The best of the night.  But still, not really all that great.
Sanjaya – Everyone’s talking about how good he did, but really, he wasn’t all that great.  His lower register notes were way off and weak.  It was his best performance, but have you seen his other performances? He’ll be safe.  He’d be safe even if he sang terribly, though.  Stupid fans.

Most everyone didn’t “get” the Latin thing.  They all sang pretty white.

J-Lo was fairly innocuous as a guest.

Haley will be going.  Don’t know who the other “bottom three” will be.  I’ll say Phil and Chris.