http://www.640toronto.com/Blogs/MikeStaffordsBlog/Home.aspxMike Stafforden-usCopyright 2012, CFMJ-AMThu, 17 May 2012 02:17:14 GMTTue, 24 Jan 2012 22:50:34 GMT1http://emmisinteractive.comBruins goaltender Tim Thomas was a petulant, immature clown to refuse to meet Obama in the White House for the traditional meeting of the mutilmillionaire sports twits with the President. He's also a stated fan of Glen Beck, who is to political discourse what the Cookie Monster is to predicting the share price of the snack food industry. I thought it would be a good topic to ask whether Thomas, who I respect for his goal skills, was being a little dramatic for his boycott of the White House appearance and his ridiculous Facebook post on why he refused the honour.  No biggie.  Take some calls, have some fun, move on to car topics and all the idiotic stuff I do to entertain and get through the show. Nope.  The tin foil hat brigade who lack work were still up from the overnight.  Other "faithful" listeners emailed and brayed their ...http://www.640toronto.com/Blogs/MikeStaffordsBlog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10340711stafford@640toronto.com (Mike Stafford)http://www.640toronto.com/Blogs/MikeStaffordsBlog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10340711Tue, 24 Jan 2012 22:50:34 GMTI don't for a moment believe that Jo-Ann and Gaetan Champagne cheated to win the New Year's Eve Lotto Max $50,000,000 jackpot.  But they'll have to wait a month and a half (what's the interest on that?) to collect their cheque becaue until October, they owned a convenience store in Hawkesbury and Jo-Ann continued to work there until she won the money last Friday night. The ticket wasn't purchased or confirmed at their old business, in keeping with OLG regulations for so-called "insiders"...people who are in the business of selling lottery tickets. Still, this is getting insane.  I am a math moron but big number theory is a fascinating science.  I do appreciate odds and we can all live paranoid-free lives by understanding that, in the case of children being abducted and killed by strangers, your child is 25 times more likely to die in your vehicle than by "stranger ...http://www.640toronto.com/Blogs/MikeStaffordsBlog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10331998stafford@640toronto.com (Mike Stafford)http://www.640toronto.com/Blogs/MikeStaffordsBlog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10331998Thu, 05 Jan 2012 01:03:13 GMTDATELINE: 12/18/11 #### DPRK News Agency  ***BULLETIN*** #### ##### ###### -Pyongyang, N.K.: Special.  OBIT/KJ-il SUPREME LEADER DEAD AT HUMAN AGE OF 69. The entire planet has been shaken with the news of Kim Jong-il's earthly departure some hours ago.  Known by and for his many devotional titles: "Supreme Leader", "Dear Leader", "Our Father", "the General", "Generalissimo", "The Silver Fox", "Frankie Two-Times", "Barry From EastEnders", "Mr. Sarcasm" and "Smoopie", Kim Jong-il died doing what he did best, rearranging the magazine stand at his Glorious Corner Store on Silverthorne Blvd. in Pyongyang. Born unto the human race on February 16, 1942, "The Master Plaster from Ancaster" was the product of his sire, Man 'O War and his dam, Ain't She A Dickens.  The heavens took note of his acqusition of human form by bringing the Koreas bountiful harvests and touch-tone dialing.  As a child, "The Thrilla From Manila" ranked in the top ...http://www.640toronto.com/Blogs/MikeStaffordsBlog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10328383stafford@640toronto.com (Mike Stafford)http://www.640toronto.com/Blogs/MikeStaffordsBlog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10328383Tue, 20 Dec 2011 01:42:47 GMTThe headline wasn't even close to "WAR" in September, 1939, but the Toronto Star's declaration on its front page today that it will take Rob Ford to the wall is definitely a shot across the bow. Mayor Ford doesn't talk to the Star nor should he.  But he should allow staff to release all relevant city business information to Star reporters.  To not do so is just being a dick. The Star is pissed that Ford has shut its people out of the info loop at the City Hall press office.  Ford is pissed that the Star threw every resource it had to keep him from becoming Mayor.  And we all know how well that turned out.  And there's the matter of the football coaching abuse story that probably wasn't true.  Ford announced intent to sue and then dropped it.  It's been chillier than a retired couple's bedroom ever since ...http://www.640toronto.com/Blogs/MikeStaffordsBlog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10320234stafford@640toronto.com (Mike Stafford)http://www.640toronto.com/Blogs/MikeStaffordsBlog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10320234Thu, 01 Dec 2011 19:32:59 GMTYou gotta love the organized labour movement.  Such dedication.  Such opportunism. Cops arrive pre-dawn at St. James Park for the inevitable removal of the sane, and not so sane, Occupy protesters.  There's not a riot shield or baton to be seen. It's the anti-G20 scenario.  There's the odd hippie or two jumping up, trying to convince the dwindling occupying "force" that the Armaggedon is at hand. Instead, it's about as routine and boring as anyone could have hoped for.  A few trespass tickets, a bit of theatrics from the temporarily arrested and a weird scene where a cop spokesman and Occupy mouthpiece exchange pleasantries to the media about how cooperative the whole rousting has been. Then, as Harry Shearer doing Vin Scully would say on The Simpsons, "Here come the pretzels".  But they were not the tasty, salty treats.  It was Ontario's organized labour force...you know, the same people who ...http://www.640toronto.com/Blogs/MikeStaffordsBlog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10317631stafford@640toronto.com (Mike Stafford)http://www.640toronto.com/Blogs/MikeStaffordsBlog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10317631Wed, 23 Nov 2011 19:43:12 GMTPremier Dad, faced with budget hell and an inability to stop lying about relocating gas-fired electricity plants or to stand up to the public sector unions, is looking at ways of recovering the estimated one BILLION dollars in unpaid traffic fines languishing in the system. Taking on "Smokey" Thomas and OPSEU would be too difficult and the power plant vote buy is ancient history and was worth the seat that kept them close to majority.  So it's time to attack the freeloaders driving on the province's roads with suspended licences. I have little sympathy for the people who've been ticketed.  I was caught doing 118 KPH on the 401 on my way to work at 4:30 AM one October morning in 1990.  I didn't pay the ticket and my licence was suspended.  Fortunately, I'd returned the car on lease and lived in the city and didn't have to drive to ...http://www.640toronto.com/Blogs/MikeStaffordsBlog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10311578stafford@640toronto.com (Mike Stafford)http://www.640toronto.com/Blogs/MikeStaffordsBlog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10311578Wed, 09 Nov 2011 19:51:52 GMT'Twas the night before All Saints and all thro' the cityThe children were adding more treats to their kittyDressed up in the costumes that matter these daysThey showed their compassion in so many ways One dressed in a burka to show that she's coolWith hiding her face in a way that is cruel Another diverse child made do with a hatWith buttons that spelled out: don't hate me, I'm fat The caring assemblage on my porch did arriveWith pamphlets that warned me of teen suicide They demanded the chocolates with fair trade credentialsAnd all of the Greenpeace and hippy essentials One child dressed like Batman was shocked to discoverHis suit smelled like pinot, no thanks to his mother The candy is gone now, it's was taken by strangersWho warned me of razors and subsequent dangers Next year I will keep my ...http://www.640toronto.com/Blogs/MikeStaffordsBlog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10308109stafford@640toronto.com (Mike Stafford)http://www.640toronto.com/Blogs/MikeStaffordsBlog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10308109Tue, 01 Nov 2011 01:22:58 GMTPeople who live in glass houses, etc.  I'm not going to, as I'm often accused of doing this, rush to Rob Ford's defence simply because I work at AM640 radio.  I've got no skin in Rob's game.  I liked his ideas and I did vote for him but only because the rest of the race looked as appealing as sour milk poured into a cup of tea. I think Rob's a personal disaster as a politician.  He can't communicate, he runs away from rather than toward a camera and his history of lying make him highly suspect as somebody who can run the fifth largest city on the continent.  I get that. It's pretty clear by now that the Ford philosophy is meant to be distributed through Doug.  Rob's a PR disaster....he just doesn't have the ability to get the message across unless it's written or YouTubed. But this CBC ...http://www.640toronto.com/Blogs/MikeStaffordsBlog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10306849stafford@640toronto.com (Mike Stafford)http://www.640toronto.com/Blogs/MikeStaffordsBlog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10306849Thu, 27 Oct 2011 19:19:32 GMTI'm not a huge fan of Rick Mercer but I just watched one of patented rants from The Rick Mercer Report. In less than 90 seconds Rick nails it when it comes to teen bullying.  Cut the crap with the "It Gets Better" campaign targeting teen sexuality and depression.  Find out who's bullying and make them accountable. Mercer points out that 300 Canadian kids a year kill themselves.  Not every one of them was gay but many of them were.  Popular culture through icons like Gaga and "Glee" have tried to make accomodation for kids who, while gay, may be inactive sexually but carry the attitude, the affected speech and the creative style that stereotype gay men (this never seems to be much of an issue for gay teenage girls). The schools send in the grief councillors, create projects involving posters and glib slogans; the administrators and the teachers and ...http://www.640toronto.com/Blogs/MikeStaffordsBlog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10306373stafford@640toronto.com (Mike Stafford)http://www.640toronto.com/Blogs/MikeStaffordsBlog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10306373Wed, 26 Oct 2011 21:36:06 GMTThe online tributes to Steve Jobs have been stunning.  People who wouldn't know a system call from a function key are making the emotional leap to compare Jobs to Edison, Henry Ford or, gasp, John Lennon. Steve Jobs sold computers and tech like his hated adversary and former Apple CEO John Scully sold sugared water when he ran Pepsi. And he did it extremely well.  Actually, he didn't sell computers very well.  Jobs himself suggested that Apple get out of the personal computer field when he returned to the company in 1997.  He was precient; those bland beige boxes, tarted up with colours like "Bondi blue" as Apple appliances, were doomed to take the backseat to smart phones and MP3 players. There is a legion of Apple cultists who truly mourn the passing of the company's face.  I get that.  I've spent many hours enjoying books that chronicle the history ...http://www.640toronto.com/Blogs/MikeStaffordsBlog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10297955stafford@640toronto.com (Mike Stafford)http://www.640toronto.com/Blogs/MikeStaffordsBlog/BlogEntry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10297955Thu, 06 Oct 2011 19:14:18 GMT