. . . Clarkson's recent jaunt through Russia, Finland and Iceland set us back $5.3-million, five times the original reported costs. And that's not even counting the $307,000 paid by the Defence Department for use of a military Airbus.
But the tab is so egregious -- and the trip itself so utterly self-indulgent and useless -- that even Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham has cancelled the proposed second leg of her Nordic boondoggle. [. . . . ]
Clarkson's haughty attitude is best illustrated by what happened when discontent about the trip boiled over into a Commons committee last fall. She thought nothing of cavalierly dispatching her secretary and press secretary -- at a cost of $17,000 for two business-class tickets between Ottawa and Finland -- to interrupt their boondoggle just long enough to drop by the committee for an hour to praise their boss, before heading back off again to rejoin Clarkson et al. in Finland.
The trip to defend Her Haughtiness to the Commons committee came at her behest -- compliments of hard working taxpayers. Queen Adrienne can be so generous with other people's money. NJC
As for Clarkson herself, her response to demands from elected politicians -- those low-life scoundrels who dared question her omnipotence -- was to declare that "I am above politics,"
And "WE ARE NOT AMUSED!" (Queen Victoria speaks for the Canadian taxpayer. ) NJC
[. . . .]Even if Clarkson is "above politics," she is certainly not above living high off the hog on your money. When she took the job in 1999, she promised to restore an air of "elegance" to the vice-regal office.
Apparently "elegance" isn't cheap. It included an immediate $2,400 to restore an organic garden for herself and her husband, John Ralston-Saul, both of whom -- as befits both their station and attitude -- naturally prefer organic meals. Then there was the $29,000 dining room carpet, $1,300 for 10 pairs of snowshoes, $7,700 on drapes, and more than $2,000 to reupholster two sofas. And so on.
Previous articles on Canada's own royal jelly and entourage:
Update: Adrienne’s Junket based on some information gleaned from biographies of those accompanying the GG on her taxpayer-funded tour. You decide whether this was good use of public money -- or simply a grand tour for assorted members of the GGs circle. There is another article as well, Adrienne's junket
Yeager's children call her a gold digger but then, undoubtedly she will affect their inheritance. Today, you need a pre-nup! I must say, she is considerably younger--by 30+ years--and better looking than the guy she married -- the one who had "the right stuff" -- but there is no accounting for taste. NJC
OTTAWA - The federal government quietly froze millions of dollars in advertising contracts with Media/I.D.A. Vision this week after the Auditor-General raised concerns about questionable commissions the company collected under the sponsorship program, a senior federal official confirmed last night.
[. . . .] Media/I.D.A. Vision is the government's "agency of record"-- meaning it buys and places all government advertising on television and in newspapers and magazines across Canada. The huge contract is coveted by many Canadian firms.
Opposition MPs also questioned yesterday whether the Surete du Quebec should be investigating part of the scandal following the revelation that SQ officers received money under the program.
[. . . .] The Auditor-General's report said the government signed $435-million of advertising deals signed through Media/I.D.A. Vision since 1998, making the government among the country's top advertisers. However, her report noted bureaucrats had failed to audit the $435-million in deals and had no idea whether taxpayers received "the best possible prices."
Ms. Fraser's report also singled out two commissions the firm received totalling more than $54,000 for moving sponsorship funds from one government agency to another to hide the source of the funds, schemes opposition MPs labelled "money-laundering."
Media/I.D.A. Vision has retained Peter Clark, a Toronto-based lawyer at Heenan Blaikie, and is in discussions with senior Public Works officials to allay concerns officials have about the Auditor-General's report and continuing contracts.
Did/Does Jean Chretien not work for Heenan Blaikie, among many concerns with which he is associated -- or was it PET? Perhaps, I am mistaken. NJC
WHO Polio Immunization Drive for Africa
The WHO is attempting to eradicate polio from the world, specifically from Africa. Unfortunately, the Muslims in northern Nigeria see it as an American or Western plot.
But fears mounted last year after Datti Ahmed, a Kano physician who heads a prominent Muslim group, the Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria, said polio vaccines were "corrupted and tainted by evildoers from America and their Western allies." ... "We believe that modern-day Hitlers have deliberately adulterated the oral polio vaccines with anti-fertility drugs and contaminated with certain viruses which are known to cause HIV-AIDS," . . . (Herald Online, SC -- Health)
Re-read that. He is a physician? Where did he train? That led to another article: Polio spread by distrust, fear Feb 10, 2004
Fears mounted last year after Datti Ahmed, a Kano physician who heads a prominent Muslim group, the Supreme Council for Shariah in Nigeria, declared that polio vaccines were "corrupted and tainted by evil-doers from America and their Western allies.". Subsequent tests initiated by the Nigerian and South African governments proved the vaccines were free of all harmful substances, officials say. (Houston Chronicle -- Health)
and to this summary of another:
Team Seeks Reassurance on Polio Vaccine, Feb 06, 2004
"We want all the stakeholders to see for themselves and be convinced about whether or not the polio vaccines are safe," Lambo told The Associated Press. Lambo will be on the team, along with representatives of state governments and religious organizations including Jama'atu Nasril Islam, among the nation's most influential Muslim groups. (Newsday -- Health)
Can you believe this? Do they get no education about the world outside their borders? What century are they in, anyway? Isn't the UN full of people from the Third World in positions of influence? Or does it just seem that way? Could the Nigerians not check with Islamic Libya or Syria, whichever is on the Security Council this year? NJC
A "whites-only" scholarship set up as a prank by Republican students at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island has ballooned into a cause celebre, with basic American themes such as race, equal opportunity and freedom colliding. The application form for the scholarship deftly parodies the language of similar documents for black, Hispanic or American Indian students seeking financial help for their education. "In 100 words or less, write why you are proud of your white heritage and explain what being white means to you," it read. "Must attach recent picture to confirm whiteness. Evidence of bleaching will disqualify applicants." [. . . . It] earned a rebuke from the Rhode Island Republican Party for its "racist overtones."
I can think of a few job advertisements we could parody here. Can you?
