Canadian Rockies: Banff

Lake Peyto, as seen from the viewpoint on the hike to Bow Summit, Banff National Park

Banff National Park.

The last time I was in the Canadian Rockies was in 2016, as part of a trip to the Western Coast of Canada. The Canadian Rockies are a place you want to visit again and again. This time, three years later, opportunity presented itself and I took the chance to visit Banff, Yoho and Jasper National Parks. So much has changed, even in this short time, yet the beauty, majesty and magnificence of the place still remains unchanged.

Banff Gondola and Lake Minnewanka Cruise

The place to start with any Banff trip is Banff Gondola to Sulphur Mountain. I wrote about it in more detail in my last visit. If this is your first time, you must buy the Banff Ultimate Explorer Package. For each item in the package, you can give the time, but you can give it later if you are not sure. I would suggest to do the gondola in the morning, and then the cruise later in the afternoon (5 or 6 pm). You can book the times for the glacier on another day and call one day before to book a timeslot.

You can easily spend a few hours atop Sulphur Mountain. The views are amazing on a clear day, so make sure to check the weather before you go. Even if it's raining, remember the weather can change quickly in a short time.

Do remember that the gondola parking lot can get filled by 11 am. So if you are coming later, you can park in the free lot near Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre, walk to the Elk+Avenue Hotel (about ten minutes) and take a free shuttle to the Gondola. Or you can always try your luck with the parking near the Gondola as someone is usually always leaving.

The Lake Minnewanka cruise is something you may not think is worth it on its own, but as part of the package it's a great hour spent. The tour guides and the captains can be hilarious (ours certainly was!) and it's highly enjoyable - especially when they talk of the Devil's Lake.

There's ample parking so don't worry about driving to the lake cruise boarding area. For an in depth look at the cruise, refer to my post from three years ago.

Vermillion Lakes

These are an underrated and understated part of Banff. Many people miss it, as it's really outside of the town of Banff, and doesn't have a good parking lot but just viewpoints along a narrow road. But you miss it and you have missed a great viewing point. The lake and the mountains can be very scenic, especially during sunset, and more so if you happen to catch a train passing on the horizon.

Surprise Corner, Bow Falls, Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel and Banff Hot Springs

If you drive up (or hike up) to Surprise Corner, this is where you have a jaw dropping view of the magnificent Banff Springs Hotel, the majestic Bow Falls and Bow river, along with a glimpse of the Banff Gondola and its ride to the top, as well as the magnificent scenery all around you.

Unfortunately there was a light drizzle when we went up, so it did make for dynamic pictures, if not very clear. Even then, do remember that no pictures will do the scenery justice. You just have to see it, and absorb it. Try to enjoy your surroundings and forget about taking a checklist of pictures. I wrote in greater detail about Bow Falls on my last trip.

The Banff Springs resort is an iconic hotel and resort built in the heart of the Canadian Rockies. Yes, it's expensive, but it's also something to see. Parking nearby was $10/hour. We parked for two hours and it was more than enough to explore the hotel picture gallery, the famous dining hall, the lobby and other parts of the hotel open to the general public, the various shops inside the resort, along with the grounds and statues outside.

If you are in Banff, you must visit the hot springs. There are many hot springs in and around the Canadian Rockies, and many have been left in their natural state, but in Banff they have taken the hot water and piped it into a pool so people can sit, chill and relax. It can get crowded depending on the time of the day and date you visit, so do check, but even then it's very relaxing to sit in the open air, in waters that are 40C, and the gorgeous mountain scenery all around you.

We were very lucky with the weather. It had been drizzling on and off throughout the day, but the two hours we were in the hot springs the weather stayed dry. As soon as we got out of the pool and started to change to head out, it started to pour again!

Emerald Lake

Now to be very technical, Emerald Lake is in Yoho National Park, not Banff. And Yoho is actually in British Columbia, not Alberta. But Emerald Lake was the only place we visited in Yoho, and it's a short drive away from Banff, so I have included it here.

The rain was gone, the sun was shining and what a beautiful lake it was! Unlike Lake Louise there's hardly any body there at Emerald Lake at that time of the day - we went in the early evening, about 6 pm. You could enjoy the serenity and tranquility of the beautiful lake completely by yourself.

Of course, by 6 pm, the canoe rentals were shut, so if you wish to boat in the lake, you must go earlier (or have your own raft).

If you have no plans to visit Yoho National Park or explore BC, you must still visit Emerald Lake if you are in Banff. It's a must see.

People always ask me how long to plan for a trip to Banff. I always suggest three to four days, minimum. This is enough to complete all the highlights, especially if you are travelling with family (and kids) who do not like to get up at the crack of dawn. Moreover, with four days, you are playing safe with the weather. This is mountain area, so rain and bad weather can always be around the corner. If you only have reserved a day for Banff, and it rains on that day, you are out of luck. Best to plan for at least three days.

Next up: Lake Louise

Kabir Singh - Is Misogyny the Big Problem, or the Fact it's so Popular?

What if I told you Hollywood just made a movie portraying the main protagonist as a racist man who kills minorities for fun and glorifies his act? Would you be aghast that such a movie was made? Or would you even be more alarmed if this movie actually becomes a blockbuster hit?

The movie Kabir Singh sweeping across India (and Canada), and running to packed houses worldwide is the latest blockbuster from Bollywood. According to Indian film-trade analyst Taran Adarsh, the film will “cruise past" the two-billion-rupee mark ($38-million) on its 13th day in cinemas, putting it on track to become “the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2019.” Mr. Adarsh also pointed out on Twitter that Kabir Singh pulled in 175 million rupees "on a working day [Monday]. Most biggies don’t collect that on a [Sunday].”

Those numbers are just for the business it did in India. Kabir Singh has been playing to packed houses in Canada, too. By July 2, the film had collected US$1.72-million in North America, with almost US$600,000 coming from 14 Canadian theatres, according to Weekend Cinema USA, the film’s distributor. On a Tuesday evening in its second week, a 250-seat theatre at Cineplex Yonge-Dundas in Toronto was almost packed, save for the front-row seats. The audience was primarily young South Asian-Canadians, many of whom seemed to be on a date. (Source: Globe and Mail)

Here's some reasons why the film has attracted so much (negative) criticism:

• Kabir Singh, the protagonist, is a medical student with anger issues who often reacts to situations with violence.
• A raging alcoholic and sex fiend, he catches his neighbour admiring his buff body, strides over to her room and almost rapes her at knifepoint.
• He mercilessly hits a student from another college during a football match and claims it to be an act of pride for his college. This is celebrated in the movie.
• He has to have a drink before surgery. His colleagues all cover for him and clean up his mess.
• Women in the movie are treated as "property". He "claims" Preety - his soon to be girl friend, and tells other boys to tease other women and not her, because she is his. All this before Preety even utters a word. This is shown as desirable macho behaviour.
• When his girlfriend displeases him, he slaps her.

Now this is just a small list - there's plenty more in the movie. The (main) problem is not that such a movie was made. Bollywood is known for making misogynistic movies where lecherous and stalking behaviour are portrayed as courting and romantic. Though you could argue this is cinematic liberty of portraying the story of an abusive relationship.

But Kabir Singh is not just a portrayal of a brash and badly behaved man. It also plots the story in such a way that every other major character adjusts for and accepts Singh's flaws and even forgives him. In the end, he emerges a winner and the heroine returns to him. Moreover, his mannerisms and acts are celebrated in the movie.

To me, all of this is troubling, but not troubling enough. The main problem is this - Kabir Singh is now the highest grossing Bollywood movie of 2019.

To me, in this age of secularism and so-called liberal progressive values, if you believe in absolute freedom of speech, then you cannot deny the filmmaker the right to make such movies. Even if he defends beating your girlfriend. It is his right to say what he wants to say.

But it is YOUR right not to support him with your $. Let's face it, if no one went to watch such movies, then such movies would not be made. I chose not to go see Padmavat and Kalank, because I believed they were anti-Muslim movies, or movies that portrayed Muslims in a bad light. I did not want to give such movies my hard earned money. These two were big hits in Modi's Hindutva loving India, so no surprise there.

But Kabir Singh? A movie that celebrates toxic masculinity, beating your loved ones, random acts of violence, rape threats and misogyny - the biggest hit of the year? What it shows perhaps is a sad reflection of Indian society as a whole.

And before we in the West laugh at it, go back to my first paragraph. American Sniper, a movie that played fast and loose with facts about an illegal Iraq War that has taken the lives of more than a million people, was one of the biggest hits of 2014. 

The End of Ertugrul

This Wednesday, after 5 extra ordinary years, an almost perfect television series came to an end with an almost perfect finale episode. Yes, Diriliş: Ertuğrul was over.

Diriliş: Ertuğrul, also known in English as Resurrection: Ertugrul, or simply Ertugrul for short, is a Turkish television serial that has become a worldwide phenomenon. It tells the story of a 13th century Turkish warrior called Ertugrul who, by a series of extra ordinary actions and events, becomes the father of Osman, who in turn will found the Ottoman empire that will rule as a world super power for the next 600 years.

Ertugrul is a straight forward man who loves to fight for justice and truth. He is loathe to compromise on ethics, regardless of the consequences - facts that sometimes lead to conflicts with his brothers and others in his tribe.

The first two seasons sees him emerge from under the shadows of his father and his older brothers, and come into his own. His father respects his ideals and ethics, but his brothers are more practical and less loathe to endanger themselves or the tribe for the sake of justice. It is this schism that leads to Ertugrul heading off with his own followers, breaking away from the rest of the tribe, to follow his own destiny.

Along the way he and his people manage to establish themselves near the Byzantine borders. The Crusaders, the Greeks, and the ever present Mongols are all enemies that Ertugrul has to constantly deal with, along with the troubles of his own people.

The characters that surround Ertugrul are extremely appealing and well fleshed out. Sadly, despite his many enemies, the worst enemy is usually someone close to him who is backstabbing him for petty cash or worldly powers. The show effectively portrays the many layers of such tribal society life and the schemes that go on on a daily basis.

One of the attractions of this show was the presentation of Islamic ideals, values and morals in a very attractive (and entertaining) manner without coming across as preachy and verbose. These people LIVE the Islamic ideals.

Verses of the Quran are mixed along with parables and stories of the pious from whom Ertugrul and his band of heroes draw inspiration from. The story contains a heavy dose of Sufism that was a big influence of the early Ottomans. The plot was, for the most part, riveting and the script well written, particularly seasons 3, 4 and 5. This is when Ertugrul comes into his own as a man, as a leader, and as a power broker.

There's ample tragedy in the series as well. Good people die, sometimes as result of cruelty of their enemies, and other times due to betrayal and a moment of weakness. The story does not shy away from these moments, but sometimes lingers on them.

Each episode is long - almost 2 hours! There's 30 episodes every season. That's 60 hours per season, and at 5 seasons, you have almost 300 hours of Ertugrul. Yet most people who watch it love it, and watch it slowly to make it last even longer. The show is now a cultural phenomenon, watched not just in Turkey but around the world, particularly after Netflix picked it up.

The show has successfully drawn its inspiration from modern times. Just like today, in the 13th century the Muslim world was badly divided, broken, and weak, and seemed to be on the verge of oblivion under Mongol cruelty. Yet along came a hero, chosen by Allah, who led a resurrection. Within a short span of time, these same Muslims were now on their way to conquering Constantinople. It's not hard to see why this show is so popular amongst today's Muslims. It gives them hope.

You will be missed, Ertugrul. Eyvallah!

Why "My Body, My Choice" and Abortion is Infanticide

This is going to be a post about abortion, given the recent wave of laws being passed in the US. Even though my own position is that I would like the government to stay out of it, in the future if a Conservative government were to bring the legislation that abortion is to be banned except in case of rape / incest, health of the mother, or genetic defects of the fetus, I would be fine with it.

I am going to present some statistics that sometimes women (feminists) do not consider. Do you know, for example, that over 3000 children (viable, breathing, living children) are killed in the name of abortion every year? Please read on - this is the logical conclusion of "my body, my choice".

All Canadian data is from Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI). Where needed, US data is from CDC.

1. Canada has around 98,000 abortions / year (2016). This is down from 100,000+ abortions in 2014.
2. Approximately 1 in 5 (20%) of Canadian pregnancies end in an abortion.
3. The most common age for women having an abortion is 18-34 (76%). Breaking it down further, 27% of abortions are done for women aged 25-29.
4. 83% of abortions occur before the fetus is 12 weeks. 3.3% occur after 21 weeks.
5. Only 1.5% of abortions are for rape or incest reasons, and another 2% are for health reasons (mother and child).

These numbers do not include private hospitals who are not required to report data. Now take a look at the above data. What does this tell you?

The overwhelming number of abortions occur due to young women deciding they do not want a baby at this time. This is not rape, this is not incest, this is not health reasons - those are the extreme emotional cases the left wing feminists try to force into the discussion; but their numbers are negligible. The OVERWHELMING number of abortions in Canada are young women deciding nah, I don't want a child at THIS time of my life.

ISN'T that selfish? Isn't that putting your own ego and desires above the moral code of life? YOU chose to have sex; no one forced you - and then your night of pleasure ended in a pregnancy, and now you are decided to kill the baby because convenience. How is that morally ANY different from a farmer in India who decides his wife should get an abortion because the fetus is a girl? HOW?

Take a look at the extreme end of the abortions - the 3.3% occurring after 21 weeks. Science agrees a fetus is viable after 24 weeks. We all know it's a living being way before that. Most religions agree life begins way before that. Yet in Canada, even accounting for rape, health, genetic defects, about 3000 such lives are taken every year. At that far in pregnancy, surgical or chemical abortion is not viable - the lady is induced into labour, and then then child (no longer a fetus) is KILLED.

There is actually a legal debate happening now in the States - a bill that would FORCE doctors to provide care to these children (babies, really) as if they were real, living babies - WHICH THEY ARE! Think about it, if a woman normally went into labour at 24 weeks, the doctors would do everything in their power to save the premature child. Here, the woman is induced to labour, and the resulting baby is then killed. The US law is called "Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act" , and the Democrats (and their feminist patrons) blocked it. This is why Trump will win again. On these moral issues, he is actually on the right side of it (pun intended).

This is the logical end of "my body, my choice" - actual INFANTICIDE that we are condoning when we say we are "pro-choice". As a society, we have already turned away from God. We now condone adultery (consensual sex, one night stands), we condone children out of wedlock (common law), we condone infanticide (abortion) and we are told religion should be personal. So is it any surprise that when the religious right wins elections, they are trying to bring back morality into the law? Yes, the religious right has lots of issues in North America, but on this particular issue, they appear to be on the right (pun, again intended). 

The Top 5 Tintin Books Of All Time

Tintin is the fictional character in the comic book series "The Adventures of Tintin", created by Belgian cartoonist Herge. This week Tintin turns 90 (he was first published in 1929). Despite some accusations of racism and colonial mindset (same accusations hurled at Enid Blyton for some of her work), I have tremendously enjoyed reading these books while growing up. Tintin was my favourite comic book series and as you can see from the picture above, I have all the books. Yes, many are battered and bruised from all the moves I made throughout my life, but these books form an invaluable treasure trove of memories for me.

In honor of Tintin turning 90, here's my pick of the top 5 books from the series.

1. The Calculus Affair

The story follows the attempts of Tintin, his dog Snowy, and Captain Haddock to rescue their friend Professor Calculus, who has developed a machine capable of destroying objects with sound waves, from kidnapping attempts by the competing European countries of Borduria and Syldavia. The story reflected the Cold War tensions that Europe was experiencing during the 1950s.

This book is most often accepted by critics to be Herge's best work. His biographer Peeters would describe it as his "masterwork", and it's not hard to see why. The art work is amazing, very realistic, the mood is like an espionage thriller, with many mysterious incidents, red herrings, comic moments and it all coming together in a fitting climax. I don't remember exactly, but I think this might have been the very first Tintin book I read as well.

2. The Blue Lotus

This was the very first Tintin book that I had purchased as a kid with the pocket money I had saved. This book is a sequel to Cigars of the Pharaoh, although it can be read on its own as well. The amazing thing about this book is how it does NOT perpetuate negative stereotypes of Chinese and Oriental people common at the time to the elites of Europe, but has high degrees of realism, and promotes an idea of brotherhood of humanity and friendship across cultures. This is because Herge got in touch with some Chinese people, and one of them became his closest friend and a great influence on him.

Tintin starts this book in India, where he’s approached by a Chinese visitor who is poisoned as he delivers a message to Tintin. Our hero begins looking for the killer and starts on a journey across Asia, fighting a secretive opium cartel with a long, powerful reach. This adventure has a more realistic, international feel since Tintin is dealing with real-world tensions between the Japanese and the Chinese. Herge actually put some real life incidents prior to the Second World War in the book. It remains one of my favourite books of all time.

3. The Black Island

This is a straight up adventure, mystery and thriller story, with great art work and a tight story line. It starts straight from the first panel, where Tintin sees a pilot crash a plane, offers to help, and is shot. He is then framed and is on the run, and must solve all these incidents and clear his name. This is more of an adventure story, with not much of the detective element - as in Tintin is on the trail of those bad guys while avoiding the bumbling cops hot on his trail - and all the loose ends are neatly tied up at the end. One of the key facts was the nature of the criminals isn't known - as in what exactly are they upto - until the very end.

4. King Ottokar's Sceptre

This one is a very strange book. At first glance, it's about how Tintin becomes involved in a plot to destabilize a fictitious country of Syldavia when the ruling monarch's sceptre goes missing. Tintin has to find this historical relic, with a deadline looming, or else the ruler has to abdicate.

Dig deeper though, and you realize the story is portraying the grim realities of the looming World War 2. The story was published during 1938 and 1939, just as Nazi Germany began to gobble countries (Austria, Czechoslovakia) before invading Poland. Italy's invasion of Albania is thought to have inspired Herge to create Syldavia.

The mosques that appear in Herge's Syldavia are based on those found throughout the Balkans, while the appearance of the Syldavian village, featuring red-tiled roofs and minarets, may have been specifically inspired by the Bosnian town of Mostar.

This is why I love this book. It starts as something small, slowly gets bigger, and before you know it , the story has a huge canvas and there's the threat of war and destruction. The book also introduces the recurring character Bianca Castafiore, and obviously introduced the fictional countries of Syldavia and Borduria, both of which reappear in later stories.

5. The Red Sea Sharks

There's a lot of Tintin stories involving Arabs and the Middle East. Yes, some of it is a bit of a caricature, and some of it the "white saviour" colonial mindset typical of its time. Herge seems to have accurately predicted the trouble the Middle East would be under due to its "Black Gold", and here he portrays a heinous international slavery ring run by some evil Arabs, who are kidnapping pilgrims en route to Makkah.

This is an intensely thrilling tale, but is also more complicated and introspective than most Tintin stories. The slavery aspect makes this a darker story than most, but there are plenty of flashes of humor and more than enough action to keep the tale from being depressing.

And of course: we will see the "end" of Rastapopulous!

Honourable mentions: Tintin in Tibet, The Shooting Star

Unwritten Canadian Rules

What are some of the unwritten rules once you get assimilated into Canada ? Let me keep it to 15. And please suggest more in the comments if you have some!

1. Hold the door for others.
2. Every road trip starts with a stop at Tim Hortons.
3. Take off your hat and shoes when entering the home.
4. The left lane is the passing lane on the highway (except in Toronto).
5. Respect the environment, National and Provincial Parks.
6. Don’t talk about religion or politics unless it’s brought up in a meaningful way.
7. Respect the diversity of ALL cultures, and their relationship to Canadian culture as a whole.
8. Don’t talk down to service workers, blue collar workers and others. Don't talk down to ANY one based on their job alone.
9. Say Sorry and Thank You, even when its not your fault.
10. Try to keep your property clean. Grass well kept. Garbage cleaned up.
11. In an escalator, stand on the right and walk on the left.
12. If you have a powerful snowblower help your neighbours with the mountain of snow left by the snowplow.
13. It is customary to have ten reasons to explain why we are better than the Americans.
14. Know which Hollywood and Broadway actor, actress, director, singer is actually Canadian.
15. Be proud of the fact that we are Canadian and Canada is one of the top places in the world to live in.

Hardik Pandya and Rahul - Hypocritical to Blame Them Only

I hardly ever don't watch Indian Television. I find it full of crap, and the shows that are supposed to be comedy are anything but. I do however follow cricket. So recently I read about how two cricketers went on Koffee With Karan and the Twitter verse erupted on how sexist , misogynist and racist these men all were.

You can read about it on Buzzfeed, News18, and Bollywood Hungama, amongst others. Now, interestingly at first Buzzfeed actually published an article on how hilarious, vibrant and open the interview was. However, since the Indian feminist Twitterverse started to rant about the episode, Buzzfeed suddenly decided to be "woke" and criticize the episode as well.

Here is where I find the whole ranting of the Indian viewers hypocritical, especially the feminists (yes, I have no love lost for them).

1. The guys talked about sex and women as if they were conquests.

Well, blow me down with a feather! If Pandya and Rahul were "conquering" women, what were those women doing? These ladies followed the cricketers around, and if they slept with them, proudly bragged about the sex to their friends.

"I slept with that cricketer!"

If you have to blame one side for sleeping around, what about the other side? Why do women get a pass for being sluts? It is a hypocritical attitude.

I am not defending the guys. I find this culture of one night stands and just sex for the sake of pleasure without any strings attached abhorrent. Yet it has become the culture of the day. If so, why blame only the guys. The women weren't forced to do anything, so why should they get a pass?

2. Pandya was called a creep for watching women "move" in the clubs.

Now, once again, the double standards. You are at a club. Men are watching women. Women are watching men. And I guess some men are watching men and women are watching women. Yet only one of these is offensive. Why?

Once again we ignore the materialistic, YOLO, pleasure seeking culture of the modern youth and focus on "wokeness" where a man should never admit he is checking out a woman.

3. Pandya was also called out for appropriating black culture.

Now I am never one who agreed into this "appropriating" bullshit, be it Halloween costumes or otherwise. If Kim Kardashian wants to put on a Princess Jasmine costume, I don't see it as an affront to Arab and Islamic culture or appropriating what have you.

This is what Pandya said.

"I like to watch and observe how they (women) move. I'm little from the black side so I need to see how they move."

Now if you were to ask an average person three things they know about Black culture, they will tell you hip hop, booty shaking women in said hip hop videos, and basketball. Some may add a gangster culture. bling or low slung jeans.

So my question is, if it's offensive to identify "black culture" with "women moving", then perhaps rethink that whole booty shaking women in music videos? Pretty much it seems that's all that is glorified in black culture music. Or stop referring to themselves as "from the hood".

The articles (and the Twitterverse) are long and there are many more issues. However I have no patience to go through ALL of them. Suffice it to say that it takes two to tango, and if you find these cricketers' behaviour uncouth, unbecoming of a gentleman, and a bit like a 'fratboy', remember there's women who are going along with them specifically because of this. Criticize them too, and you have a point.

Otherwise, take a chill pill.

On Dina Tokio Taking Her Hijab Off

It's her own effing business!

Top 10 How To Know You Are An Adult

TOP 10 ADULTING skills every person looking to marry should have

I am now at the age where people ask me to find someone for their younger brother or sister, or in some cases children. Must be my grey hair. In trying to arrange such things, I discovered a few facts.

Young people, particularly from our community, are incredibly immature, naive and clueless, and yet thinking about marriage. Now I am a big proponent of people marrying young, but you also have to have some level of adult-giri.

1. You should not be running to your parents for every single thing. Be prepared to be an adult and have some responsibility. This goes especially for brown girls and guys. Most of them have lived cocooned lives under the strict "protection" / prison of their parents, and have no clue how to live on their own. This mentality takes a lot of adjusting.

2. You should be able to make three decent meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner. No, I am not saying you have to be a chef of a five star restaurant, but at the very least you should know how to make tea, an omelette, rice, some meat item. This is actually basic survival. If you were dropped off in a strange city on your own in a fully stocked house, can you live? And no, frying frozen nuggets do not count.

Women sometimes get insulted when asked, "can you cook". The correct answer to it should be, "Yes, and also, can you?"

Many guys who live on their own in university can cook to a passable degree. But if a guy is living at home with his parents, you MUST ask him this.

3. Be clean and tidy. Not only is this part of the faith if you are Muslim, but you need to not be a slob. Especially boys - your mother is not going to do your laundry forever. Take the clothes and put in the washing machine. Tidy up after you eat. Clean your bathroom (you need to know how). Learn how to iron. I still can't iron properly, but if needed, I can press a shirt and pair of trousers.

I am not certain how you ask someone how clean and tidy they are, but a good clue is their car. If you get into their car and it's dirty as hell, ALL THE TIME, it's a good bet they are a slob. As a tactic, just ask them how often they wash their car.

4. Budget. If you are not paying off your credit card every month, or you go on expensive vacations ALL the time with no savings, you need to back off. No one on Instagram that is commenting on your nice bags is going to come lend you 3000$ when you suddenly need it. In two years after your graduate your student loan should be paid off. Live interest free. If that means a cheaper, second hand car, that's what it is.

Have you ever gone grocery shopping? Start doing it regularly. You need to know how expensive is a head of a lettuce, a pair of lemons, tomato on the vine, bunch of apples, a pound of meat etc. Dollar store can be your friend, but not for electrical stuff.

Guys sometimes get insulted if asked how much they make. Don't. The correct answer should be a range, along with how much as a percentage of your earnings you try to save every month. Also if the girl is working, she should be ready for the question as well. What's sauce for the goose, etc.

5. Plan your wedding. This goes especially for kids that leave everything to their parents. DON'T. If you feel like you are not adult enough, don't get married. If you are going to get married, plan your wedding. That includes how much should be the expense, how many people you want to invite, the venue, the date etc. Each and every detail. This shows you are willing to take responsibility.

This goes especially for girls. Most of them are only focused on the dresses or the dance rehearsals, leaving the burden of the planning to the parents.

DON'T.

This is your first big test of adulthood. Remember point 1.

6. Learn how to host people and how to have fun and make friends. This is much more for ladies as our society puts this responsibility on you. You should be prepared to receive guests in the house at any time. Yes, in Canada people SHOULD call, but sometimes they don't. Also, look at point 3.

7. Have a 5 year plan. This is a must. If your prospective person does not have a future outline of a plan, where they want to be career wise, family wise, or education wise, RUN. A person who is coasting through life, or is aimless and has no focus, is unlikely to be a good partner in life. They make good friends, not life partners.

8. Watch the news. You MUST know what is happening in and around the world. I am not saying be updated on the latest activities of each and every incident, but have a general idea. You MUST be able to string an intelligible paragraph on current events.

ANYONE watching only Indian serials, especially when you are in your 20s, is someone you want to RUN from. There is NOTHING good that comes out of Indian media except an Aamir Khan movie every now and then.

Bonus: If someone says their favourite all time show is "Friends" - it's a good sign.

9. DRIVE. Learn how to drive. Seriously. What's the matter with you? Especially if you are a guy. Just. Learn. How. To. Drive.

10. Hobbies. You MUST HAVE HOBBIES. I really don't know what to say if you say your favourite past time is sleeping or watching TV. Those don't count. Play some sports. Read some books. Travel. Hike. Cook. Develop some interests.

Those are my top adulting skills that I think any young man and woman must have. What do you think?

Homosexuality, Minority and Human Rights, and Islam

India's Supreme Court today has recognized gay sex, and has deemed that it is no longer a "criminal offense". Despite opposition from India's Hindutva movement and religious conservatives, especially in the vast rural heartland, this decision is from the nation's highest court and is the final say on the matter.

As someone who has lived in Canada for the last two decades, and where gay marriage was legalized more than ten years ago, it's interesting to see the evolving nature of how various countries (and communities) deal with homosexuality, from desire to practice. Just this week, in Malaysia two lesbians were caned for engaging in sex in a car in a public space. Meanwhile, there is a huge concentrated push in North American Muslim circles to accept not only feminism, but LGBTQ as legitimate causes to get behind.

While politically this is in large part due to the pro-left stance of many Muslim organizations (especially in the USA), with the right actively demonizing Muslims, but it is also due to general trend in greater acceptance of LGBTQ behaviour and causes. In light of all of this, let's see how it plays out in various angles.

Religion

From a religious point of view it is very clear what is Islam's (and any major religion's) stance on homosexuality. You can "re-interpret" it any way you like, the story of Prophet Lut (known in the Bible as Lot, peace be upon him) is pretty clear. His people were engaged in the sin of homosexuality, and Allah punished the whole community who were engaged in this "evil and unnatural act", sparing only Prophet Lut and his followers. The parable, and the conclusion, is pretty clear.

Or, is it?

Remember, that Islam has a core stance of basic dignity and rights of all peoples, and differentiates it from promoting homosexuality and the actions associated with it. Allah has given humanity a choice, as mentioned many times in the Quran, and man exercises the choice in either following the laws of the Quran or going against them.

So being gay is not a sin in itself. It is a desire of the body, and a temptation of the nafs. What is a sin is when you act on that desire. This is clear from numerous source in religion, and in particular the story of the wife of the soldier during Caliph Umar's time who wanted to commit adultery but didn't. Many other stories and incidents make it clear that desire itself is not a sin. For someone who is gay, we Muslims do not need to debate on nature vs nurture. It is enough to know that you may have these tendencies - it doesn't matter how it developed. What matters is whether you act on it.

And what if you act on it? Again, from numerous source in how Islamic law is applied, especially during the early Caliphate, we know that only public manifestations of the act were punished. What you do in your private space is left between you and Allah, and many times Allah has said He will forgive those sins that the sinner does not publicize. This is the crux of what happened in Malaysia.

So from an Islamic point of view, it is clear: homosexuality (just like incest) is an unnatural desire and should never be acted upon. If someone has those tendencies, they need counselling, love, understanding and guidance. And if they fall into sin, repentance and forgiveness.

Minority and Human Rights in Political Sense

That is theory. Now let's go to the practice. 

We are living in Canada. An officially secular state where no religion (in theory) has supremacy (even though Christianity has a privilege) and where same sex marriage is legal and same sex relations are normal. We are expected to support LGBTQ rights around the world and advocate for same sex marriage everywhere. In that scenario, what should our stance be?

To me, people complicate the situation far more than it needs to be.

Weed is becoming legal in Canada soon. It doesn't change the fact I personally will not do it, or that it is haram in Islam, or that I won't encourage my kids to try it, or that I will accept an imam in my community saying it is OK. We have a personal practice of our religion, aided by our community, and then we have a code of conduct in Canada as a whole. it is the same with same sex relations and homosexuality. 

We will never advocate violence against those with different beliefs. If tomorrow someone wants to argue that incest should be legalized (it's still a crime), we wouldn't advocate violence against that individual. If that person is our colleague or student, it doesn't change the working nature of that relationship. We still have rights on each other as community members. Just because we do not accept one aspect of that person's sexuality, it doesn't mean we do not love or accept that person for who he or she is.

The Question

Lakum deenukum waliya deen. To you your religion, and to me mine. Live and let live.

I am officially neutral on same sex marriage. I have no strong feelings either way on this. In Canada it's a done deal, a finished debate. But it's not a finished agenda, is it?

Now it has become that if you do not condone, or promote this way of life, you are a bigot. You are someone who promotes hatred. If you do not attend Pride Week you are a hatemonger. Why? Why can't you accept my beliefs on this topic, just as you ask me to accept your way of life?

That is now the next question.

In Favour of the PC Sex Education Curriculum Move

I actually don't mind the PCs reverting the sex education back to 1998. This is because:

 1. It fits in with what the majority of the voters want. Initially when brought in 2015, only 50% of the voters had a favourable view of it, and equal number was opposed. The opposition has only grown.

As per Globe and Mail, 50% of Ontario opposed the new curriculum. Given that Raymond Cho won a bielection in Scarborough with PC party promising to change it, and then Ford won the main election promising to change it, you can assume that more and more people are opposed to the new curriculum. We cannot just say ALL of Ontario are fools who are misinformed. People in general do not like the new curriculum and think it is too far out left.

2. I don't mind them teaching about consent and being aware of consent. No one should abuse anyone, especially a minor. Kids need to be taught these boundaries and to report any untoward behaviour. This needs to be kept in any new curriculum.

3. I don't think kids need to learn about gender fluidity at grade 4. At grade 4 you are pretty sure you are a boy or a girl. You don't even question it. Gender fluidity is more of a modern concept - a bit of social engineering from Wynn. Kids should go to school and learn math and science, and not come home thinking am I a boy or a girl.

4. Ditto about masturbation. Why does a grade 5 need to know about this? Maybe at grade 8 or 9. And even then, our society teaches us masturbation is healthy, and there is no warning given in the sex ed curriculum about the dangers of pornography. Grade 6 students being taught that “exploring one’s body by touching or masturbating is something that many people do and find pleasurable” is absolutely horrendous to teach at that age. Let parents be the judge of when the kid is ready and teach accordingly. And any curriculum that does not preach about the evils of pornography is catering to only one side of the issue.

5. Our sex ed curriculum comes from the view that any sex is good - here is how to do it safely. Whereas the moral point of view that sex should be with your married spouse whom you love is not taught because that is "too religious" and better left to parents. Why? If one view can be taught, why not other? i.e. Abstinence? That is after all being COMPLETELY safe.

6. The previous government says parents were consulted. When? Where? I don't remember any school notices or circulars given out widely when McGuilty first introduced (and then backtracked) and then when Wynn imposed her social engineering views on us.

The government has to be more transparent. When the majority of the province's parents oppose it - that means the parents they chose can NOT be the proper sample.

7. In Grade 1 (that's 6 year old kids) they wanted to teach body parts openly in the class. What is the need for that? This is better for later grades.

I agree there was SOME good in the 2015 curriculum. Sexting, gender based violence, consent, homosexuality was addressed. Those need to be re included in any new changes. But the 1998 one isn't so bad as people are making it out to be. We are a conservative society. Let us not try to use government to do sexual social engineering at a grand level.

World Cup 2018 - Final Predictions

And then there were two.

Well, in fact there's still four. But Belgium and England are going to play in a meaningless 3/4 place match. Ironically when they first played their group match, it was almost meaningless, and now they are in the bronze medal game, it's the same. Except this time we might get to see their first choice teams battle it out. After my semi final thoughts, I have reached the final maintaining my 100% record of not being 100% in my predictions, so here are my crystal ball musings for the final games.

Belgium vs. England (3/4 place)
Winner: Belgium

I really wanted England to win against Croatia. And they almost did. But suddenly after the equalizer, it seemed as if they just switched off and it was back to 2014 Euro. They just did not have any organization. Kind of how Bangladesh has managed to turn the clock back to the 2000s in their recent campaign in West Indies.

What I said in the semi final still holds.

What England lacks as opposed to France is quality. They have one or two good players but nowhere the quality of France or Belgium.

Sometimes the team that is worse comes out winner in the 3/4 game as the other, better team is so dejected at not playing in the final. But I expect Belgium to be fully focused in the game and make England pay.

France vs. Croatia
Winner: France

I fully expect France to lift the World Cup trophy on Sunday. Their team has just gotten better and better as the tournament progressed. In the semi final game, at the beginning Belgium was ALL OVER France but then France just turned it up a notch and bossed the game. You have to kill off the game when you have your chances, and both losing semi finalists didn't do it. France just gets better as the game goes on, just like Croatia, but their reserves are a better quality. They have the perfect blend of youth, experience, talent, and luck. And they would want to make up for losing the Euro final at home two years ago.

Having said all of this, even if Croatia manages to pull an upset, it will be richly deserved. Croatia was involved in some of the best games this World Cup and I hope the final continues that trend.

My Problem with the #metoo Movement

Let me just say straight off the bat that I am not an ardent feminist. Too often feminism today is used as a cudgel to spread hatred against men, organized religion and the clergy, as well as promote rampant deviant sexual behaviour and norms. I am a feminist when it comes to equal pay for equal work, equal legal rights under a secular legal system, and a workplace free from unwanted sexual harassment. However, too often nowadays feminism is much broader than that, and encompasses such radical ideas (such as #SlutWalk or female imams for mixed congregations) that it is impossible to say "I am a feminist". Especially when they provide blanket support to the #meToo movement.

Now the #meToo movment has had a lot of positive impact. It's hard to deny that sexual harassment occurs, and has occurred, especially in  highly competitive industries such as entertainment, media and politics. While harassment by definition targets both genders (such as the famous Kevin Spacey case), the overwhelming number of times it is the male perpetrator against a female victim. The #meToo movement has brought out these cases in the public and made it easy for women to report such advances, as well as brought on awareness. That is a good thing.

However, there are serious problems.

1. All women who allege harassment are speaking the truth and their allegations are to be believed.

There is a concentrated effort to say that ANY women who alleges certain harassment allegations is speaking the truth (because why would women lie) and therefore MUST be believed. Why would a woman come out with these "troubling incidents" if it wasn't true? Pardon my French, but what sort of legalized weed are you smoking?

The best example of this nonsense was during the celebrated Jian Ghomeshi trial. Even though Ghomeshi was legally charged and then legally acquitted of ALL five charges, rabid feminists still insisted that we MUST believe the women who came out with claims of non-consensual sex against him. EVEN though the court of the land found him not guilty. Even though the defense lawyer was able to prove inconsistencies in the witness's statements. Even though there were records of the alleged "victim" saying she loved what was done to her, after the incident. In an ironic twist, these same radical feminists turned on his lawyer Marie Henein - a female - for daring to take on the case and defend her client. You know, doing her job. Apparently the right to choose only goes so far.

Women lie. Women can lie. Take the case of Patrick Brown. The poor guy was all set to become the Premier of Ontario when two unproven allegations derailed his career overnight. His own political party, besotted with lust for power, turfed him. Then it turned out one of those cases had a glaring dishonesty, and now the whole thing is in front of the courts.

No one should be immediately believed when they bring forth a case of sexual allegation. Rather, everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty. The burden of proof is, and should always remain, on the accuser.

2. A woman should be able to remain anonymous when she makes the accusation.

Take the case of Aziz Ansari (and more on that in the third point). I am no fan of Aziz Ansari. I don't find him funny, I don't find him relevant and I hardly watch any of his shows. I also hate the fact that he is presented as a "true good liberal Muslim" and anyone who is not like him is a fundamental extremist. Anyone who drinks alcohol, has premarital sex, and presents those things as proper and not Islamic cannot be a good Muslim.

Yet, his career threatened to unravel when someone (called "Grace") wrote an article, anonymously, accusing him of sexual harassment. Almost overnight he was embroiled in the scandal and lucky for him it unraveled quickly enough. But again, you say that the accuser should be known so the accused can publicly defend himself (or herself), and then you will be accused of "victim shaming". Whatever that means.

I understand there is sometimes reasons for concealing the name of the accused, especially if the person being accused is in a position of power. However, this is only in case of an investigation (either from work's HR or from the legal prosecution). After the investigation is over and a charge is made, the name of the accuser and the accused should be a matter for public record. There should be no trial by media. Which brings me to my final point.

3. A bad choice by a woman is not a sexual harassment.

If you consented to it, without there being pressure of losing your job or life or something similar, it cannot be sexual harassment. Take the same Aziz Ansari case. It was a first class example of a date gone wrong (if it's true), but it's not sexual harassment. If he asked for something, and you gave in, you can't say he forced you. If you had said no, would he have harmed you? If not, then it's on you, not on him. Yet the #meToo movement ignores this vital aspect.

Another thing it ignores is that women are conscious, thinking individuals who are adults making their own sexual choices. Take the celebrated Nouman Ali Khan case, for example. Let us say it's true, and for argument's sake let us assume the scholar did marry (and then divorce) many women.

Did he force those women into marriage? Did he threaten those women's livelihood or life if they did not marry him? Did they not willingly start an affair with him, or exchange sexually graphic messages and texts? Are they not equally guilty?

All of this is of course if you believe the story, for argument's sake. Yet the feminists will say no, only the scholar is guilty. Why? Something called "spiritual abuse". Whatever the fudge that means.

Completely ignored is the fact that just as people can be attracted to beauty, they can also be attracted to power. Whether that power is political, economical, or the flowering oratory of a preacher who commands the attention of millions, is irrelevant. If people feel an attraction towards a preacher because of his position, that is not "spiritual abuse". That is giving in to your momentary desires and lust, and then later regretting it and trying to blame the guy, calling it "spiritual abuse".

IF it's true. Till now we have no idea WHAT the specific allegations against Nouman Ali Khan is or WHO even are the accusers. But feminists will tell you it doesn't matter, just believe these unknown, unnamed women who are "hinting" at something. So a man's career and life's work must be ruined, because, feminism. #meToo.

World Cup 2018 - Semi Final Predictions

So it has come down to this. After 32 nations, only 4 remain. These 4 teams each have two games left. They will each will play the semi final, and then depending on the result will either play the meaningless third fourth match, or the all important once-in-a-lifetime final.

You can take a look at my quarter final predictions. I correctly managed to predict three out of the four semi finalists. So here are the semi-final lineups.

Belgium vs France
My pick: France

Everyone is talking about Belgium finally fulfilling their promise and being the favourites. Me? I am still not convinced. Brazil had a high number of chances against them and that result could have easily been 5-2 win for Brazil rather than a 2-1 loss. Belgium is weak in the back and France just oozes quality. Sure, Argentina scored 3 against them but no other team has come close. France has just gotten better as the tournament has progressed and I think they will defeat Belgium.

England vs Croatia
My pick: England

What is different about this England team? Not only are they a young team, but compared to previously star studded English teams this bunch seems to actually enjoy the world cup and each other, playing with fun without pressure. We all thought Sweden would give them a tough game but they bossed that game. Sweden hardly ventured out to score, and when they did, they found a resilient goalie in the English nets. When has that happened? What England lacks as opposed to France is quality. They have one or two good players but nowhere the quality of France or Belgium.

Croatia is a good team but their focus is their midfield - which is amazing. They are also a resilient team that somehow has found a way to win. Whenever they went behind they quickly equalized. This is actually a tough game to call. I am going to give it to England just because I am supporting them, so I want to watch the game and cheer on both my team and my blog!

World Cup 2018 - Quarter Final Predictions

So I had a 50% success rate in the Round-of-16 predictions. Which means analysis aside, I could have just flipped a coin - this is s a great example of the science of probability. Now let's get to the last 8 teams standing.

France vs. Uruguay
Winner: France

This is like the irresistible force meeting the immovable object. Offense vs Defence. This is very hard to call as the teams are almost equally matched. France has a great selection of fast, young strikers while Uruguay has a pair of experienced and exceptional strikers. Where Uruguay has the edge is their miserly defenders. Now will France have the key to pick the lock? I think so. They responded well to the pressure of going behind against Argentina with magical strikes. Their confidence must be sky high.

Brazil vs. Belgium
Winner: Brazil

Now I support Brazil. Yet I am afraid of this one team - Belgium. A team that knew that winning their last meaningless group game would land them in the tougher bracket and yet they had the guts to go for it. A team that went behind 2 goals in a knock out game, with 20 minutes to go, and still emerge victorious. A team that is full of talent.

So why Brazil? People forget that their defenders only allowed one goal so far. This is not the Brazil of 2014. They look good and are good (even Neymar's acting skills deserve an Oscar). You need something special to defeat a team like Belgium and I think Brazil has it.

Russia vs. Croatia
Winner: Croatia

Whenever I think of Russia in 2018 I am reminded of South Korea in 2002.  A host nation making an unexpectedly deep run in the tournament, "supported" by the referees and pure luck. Yet I think with the advent of VAR, most of the refereeing in the tournament has been pretty good. So I think Russia's luck will run out against Croatia. Spain really defeated themselves. Passing the ball around (1000 passes!) with no meaningful shots to show for it. Croatia knows how to go for the kill.

England vs. Sweden
Winner: England.

One word (ok two words. New England. This is a different England team. I don't know if the cup's coming home, but I know they look good. Yes they only scored 1 non fluke goal in open play. Yes they are dependent on set pieces and Harry Kane. But luck seems to be smiling on them at the moment.

World Cup 2018 - Round of 16 Predictions

So the group stages are over, and the knockouts begin tomorrow. Before I give my Round-of-16 predictions, let's see how I did over all with my group stage predictions.

Group A (predicted): Uruguay, Egypt; (actual): Uruguay, Russia

To be honest, I made the Egypt prediction before Mo Salah got injured in the Champions League final, so he was a non-factor for Egypt's first game. He managed to score in the games he did play, so one wonders what would happen had he been 100% fit. Then again, Egypt lost to Saudi Arabia. How do you manage to do that? And what the heck happened to Russia?  Home advantage, wow.

Group B (predicted): Portugal, Spain; (actual): Spain, Portugal

I think no one imagined the resistance that Morocco or Iran would provide but in the end you have to score goals. That was their weak point - finishing.

Group C (predicted): France, Peru; (actual): France, Denmark

I had originally said Peru despite Denmark's great strikers, and in the end it would come down to that missed penalty for Peru. Had they scored that, they would have gone through.

Group D (predicted): Argentina, Croatia; (actual): Croatia, Argentina

Hard to believe, but Argentina was as bad in the league stages as they were in qualifying. They only managed to qualify for the knockouts with a last gasp victory. I thought Messi would be a factor, but their defense was practically no defense.

Group E (predicted): Brazil, Switzerland; (actual): Brazil, Switzerland

Group F (predicted): Germany, Mexico; (actual): Sweden, Mexico

Well, what can I say. I at least got the second position right!

Group G (predicted): Belgium, England; (actual): Belgium, England

Group H (predicted): Colombia, Senegal; (actual): Colombia, Japan

So, as you can see, overall I did pretty OK with my predictions. Now let's come down to the knockouts that begin with the Round of 16.

Argentina vs. France

Winner: Argentina.

Yes I am going against convention and form, but Argentina has got out of a pressure cooker situation and I believe they have enough in the tank to shock France, who has looked pedestrian even in their victories.

Uruguay vs. Portugal

Winner: Portugal

One man cannot win you the trophy, but if that one man is Christiano Ronaldo, he already has the Euro in his pocket. He is playing well, and his team is responding. Uruguay has not conceded any goal so far in so many matches, so this might come down to a magic moment. Or penalty kicks.

Brazil vs. Mexico

Winner: Brazil

Mexico's 32 year old curse of being knocked out in the first stage of the knock outs will continue. Brazil simply has too much class and talent to be pipped at the post by Mexico.

Belgium vs. Japan

Winner: Japan

I would like to say "Thank you Japan, for coming. Please go back to making Toyotas and Hondas".  But I think Japan has a ridiculous talent as a team for seeing the big picture and not panicking, and being ultra cool about it. I know Belgium is super talented, but sometimes you need luck and discipline. I think Japan might just, might just, pull off the upset here.

Spain vs. Russia

Winner: Spain

Russia's merry adventure will come to a screeching holt. They faced ONE quality team and were blown away. Now they will face Spain.

Croatia vs. Denmark

Winner: Croatia

This is pretty hard to call as both teams boast excellent talent, rigorous discipline and a similar style of play. Croatia just has the extra oomph in their mid field.

Sweden vs. Switzerland

Winner: Sweden

Boring game. Who cares. Probably 1-0 or 0-0 to penalty kicks.

Colombia vs. England

Winner: England

Haha. You gotta hand it to England. They lost so they could win. Be a Baazigar. Let's see if it works out for them. They tried the same thing last Euros and got knocked out by Iceland. This time though, England look to be good. Very good.

Brooks Farm - Good Day Out with Kids

As summer is here and the weather is gorgeous, we are always keen to find out things to do with kids outdoors, even if it is Ramadan.

So what if it's hot and we can't drink, we can take the kids out for a picnic. Summer is something rare here and we had a good stretch of nice weather in May.

One of the places we took the kids out was to Brooks Farm. It's about half an hour drive up north, and the farm has a lot of activities for kids.

You can meet with some animals, take a wagon ride on the vast estate, go fruit picking (starting mid June), climb on to fire trucks, or jump in vast haystacks.

 
There's zip lining (for kids!) and even a mini water/splash park. Of course the most fun was jumping on the giant trampolines!

So do check it out. It's just a short drive from anywhere in Toronto.

Address: 122 Ashworth Rd, Mount Albert, ON L0G 1M0
Site: brooksfarms.com

Did dumping Patrick Brown cost the PCs?

I am the perfect undecided voter.

I like the local Liberal candidate in my riding, but I am extremely unhappy with the Liberals (or, as I call them, Lieberals). McGuinty (well, McGuilty) looked straight into our eyes and said there will be no new taxes, and then proceeded to levy a health "premium". And did our healthcare increase as a result? No! Our eye care went away, and then our hospitals are reduced to "hallway medicine". When Wynne came, we thought we would be spared from the scandals, but no. Mismanagement and extremely left wing policies spurred the deficit on. Spending money like it's going out of style is never a prudent fiscal policy. So it would be extremely unlikely I would vote Liberal.

So let me consider the NDP. With the mismanagement of Bob Rae still fresh in our minds (anyone remember Rae days?), the NDP had a chance to turn the leaf. Instead, their policy calls for a dubious buy back of Hydro shares that is fantasy (to be polite). Subsidized daycare for all? Why? It would be a boondoggle for the ages. And who knows how much my taxes would go up under them.

So let's take the PCs. Under Patrick Brown, I would have gotten roughly the 'good' parts of the Liberal policies, such as protecting the environment, having a sustainable wage, and commitment towards transit spending. Brown also spent a lot of energy making the PC party very diverse and broad. He was the first one to honour Bangladeshi Canadians and make a Bangladeshi night at Queens Park. It is not a stretch to say I probably would have voted PC had Brown been the leader.
Brown knew that people liked most of what the Liberals were doing, but not the Premier. So he offered change, but not too much change. And that is why he was popular. And that is why the NDP is now popular.

Now comes Doug Ford. A man with no plan. No way to know how he will pay for all of his outrageous promises. A man who likes Donald Trump (less said about him, the better). A man who is running for job as Premier without knowing basics of how laws get passed in this province. A man who proudly says in a debate "we have to protect our own" when talking about a program to ship immigrants to the north. A man who nixed the badly needed LRT plan in Scarborough (remember Transit City?). If not for the Fords, Scarborough would have had proper transit by now. This man now wants to run our province and he couldn't even run a city. So how can I vote for him?

 So I am back to square one. And like me, how mant supporters did the PCs lose when Patrick Brown was set up and sabotaged? Who knows. Maybe it will be a moot point come election night. But boy, if it turns out the PCs get far less than what they expected, wouldn't it be fun?