Cheers& Jeers
Jeers: to an unfair advantage. Last week The Telegram reported that some municipal election candidates in
St. John’s were posting their signs on city property — a distinct no-no, since the signs’ positioning might suggest the city was endorsing those candidates. Days later, some of those signs were still on city property, even after the candidates had been informed of the infraction.
Jeers: to an unfair advantage. Last week The Telegram reported that some municipal election candidates in St. John’s were posting their signs on city property — a distinct no-no, since the signs’ positioning might suggest the city was endorsing those candidates. Days later, some of those signs were still on city property, even after the candidates had been informed of the infraction. Isn’t it funny how much faster election signs always seem to go up compared to coming down? Perhaps it’s time the city start issuing a financial penalty to candidates whose signage is in violation of the city sign bylaw. And the amount could get higher with each day it takes to have those signs removed.
Jeers: to missing the point. There was a lot of chatter on Twitter last week after yet another local journalist — this time CBC’S Carolyn Stokes — was the target of a vulgar verbal slur while she was being recorded live with a guest lakeside during the Royal St. John’s Regatta. By now most people have heard about the FHRITP phenomenon — the explicit sexual phrase that is regularly hurled at reporters as they try to go about their work. Some folks in the Twittersphere seemed to think too much was being made of the incident — perpetrated by a couple of minors, as was later learned — solely because the target was a woman. But male journalists have also been on the receiving end, and it’s also odious when that happens. This is about harassment in the workplace. And it is unacceptable. Period.
Jeers: to job losses. It was another good month in an eight-month positive streak in Canada for job growth, Statistics Canada reported on Friday. According to the Canadian Press, “The unemployment rate fell 0.2 percentage points to 6.3 per cent, a level not seen since October 2008, as the number of people looking for work declined.” Not so, here, unfortunately. In Newfoundland and Labrador, the unemployment rate is a whopping 14.9 per cent, with 5,300 jobs lost in the month of July alone. Also getting the sharp end of that stick? Alberta lost 14,000 jobs last month, while P.E.I. lost 1,000.
Cheers: to keen-eyed passengers. When an airline passenger on a flight from Seattle, Wash. to San Jose, Calif., saw the man sitting in the seat ahead of her typing in large text on a smartphone about sexually abusing children, she surreptitiously took pictures of the screen and alerted the flight crew, the Associated Press reports. Turns out the man had access to a five-year-old and a seven-year-old through a woman he knew who was their babysitter. Michael Kellar, 56, is accused of attempted child molestation and solicitation of a sex crime. Gail Burnworth, 50, was arrested on suspicion of child rape and sexual exploitation of children.