Bits and Pieces About Famous People

• Jim Watson: I am very sorry to see my friend leaving Toronto provincial politics for Ottawa mayoralty politics…but I know he will do as great a job there (again) as he did here. Want to know how old I am? Jim and I met on the first day of class at Carleton THIRTY YEARS AGO – in 1980. We were the class loudmouths, and were naturally drawn together. He has been one of my closest friends ever since. I’d say good luck, Senator, but I doubt you’ll need it. Now, chicken burgers for the whole campaign team!
• Tom Flanagan: I like the learned Calgary professor because, mainly, he tells the truth. (The fact that he has written positive reviews of my books may naturally colour my judgment, as well.) So when Tom says that his former student padlocked Parliament to avoid scrutiny in the Afghan detainee torture scandal, you should know that he is telling it like it is. Count on this statement of fact to show up in a campaign ad or two sometime soon.
• The Aspers: My FB pal Bourrie will be mad at me, but I have to admit that I sort of feel sorry for the Aspers. To see their Dad’s empire divided up in this way, with nary an acknowledgment of what Izzy did (or did for this country), has to be very hard. Warren’s stock tip for the day: don’t invest in mainstream media companies, like, ever.
• The Senators: The legislative ones, not the hockey ones. Diane Francis gets it right in the linked column (I can’t believe I just wrote that): my well-placed Senate sources tell me one of the principal reasons Harper prorogued Parliament was to seize control of Senate committees – particularly Defence, wherein Afghan detainee trouble was likely. Colin Kenny will therefore be out as chair, and Pamela Wallin in – but don’t expect that to change anything. The torture issue isn’t going to go away, Senate musical chairs notwithstanding.