…. still worth a thousand words ….
Media Maggots and Yellow Journalism
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Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
In 2007, Sidney Lumet directed an intense movie drama titled Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, taken from the ancient Irish toast: "May your glass be ever full, may the roof over your head be always strong, and may you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead."
In a nutshell, it is the story of two brothers caught in a web of deceit, betrayal, drugs, and crime that spirals into catastrophe while they pretend that it's business as usual. In the end, their family is torn apart and justice is meted out, not by the long arm of the law, but by the common man. It reminds me of another story of two brothers caught up in a similar web woven from pathological lies and total denial. They keep telling us that everything is fine and it's business as usual. We keep seeing a train wreck tumbling in slow-motion towards the edge of the cliff.
The movie ended tragically, and I expect the reality show will too.
*****
Skid Crease, Caledon
The Robo-Fine Olympics
BREAKING NEWS – The CRTC has just awarded the first in a series of medals to the winners of the Robocall scandal. There are three participants involved – the Right Wing (composed of the Conservative Party of Canada, the Wildrose Party of Alberta, the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, all associated MPs and MPPs, and RackNine Robocall Services), the Centre (composed of one MP from the federal Liberal Party of Canada), and the Left Wing (composed of the federal New Democratic Party). The current standings are as follows:
Gold: The Right Wing with a combined total of $327,000.00 in fines
Silver: The Left Wing with a paltry $40,000 in fines
Bronze: The Centre with a meagre $2,500 in fines
The fine totals are subject to change pending further investigations and charges by the CRTC. Medals will be awarded by Pierre Poutine in a quiet ceremony during the summer parliamentary recess; unfortunately, like the Senate audit process, the event will not be open to the public. 
Further medals will be awarded following the 2015 federal election, where a complete reversal of the standings is anticipated. However, all parties will have to be "call" tested prior to the awarding of the final medals. Experts have concluded that "using Robocalls during an election is like using performance enhancing drugs during the Olympics – if you are caught, you are stripped of your medals and banned until you prove you are really, really sorry." Stay tuned.
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Skid Crease, Caledon