Bob Rae

I have never voted for a liberal, but if I lived in Toronto Centre (Rae's riding) I think I just might.

I have always liked and more importantly respected the man. I even liked him during the Rae days as that plan allowed me to keep staff on instead of having to fire them. He strikes me as a decent human being who perhaps has never received the recognition that he deserves.

Within weeks of being elected as Premier of Ontario his was being vilified by the business press and within months his support from the unions also was in doubt. He had the bad luck to be elected at a time when the economy was quickly going down the toilet and in spite of the fact that he did more to reduce the provincial expenditures than any other premier before or since, he has been tarred with the belief that he was a big spender who drove down the economy.

He has a long record of looking for compromise and of doing not what is best for him politically - but what he thinks is best for the party and the country.He didn't quit when Dion got elected nor did he cause problems when Ignatieff managed to assume power without being elected.  He stayed on, he was effective and supportive. He remain committed to the party.  I never saw any comment of his that suggested that he did not support his leader 100%.

Bob Rae's decision to be the interim  leader of the Liberal party demonstrates his commitment. I think that there can be no doubt that he wanted to be the Liberal leader and try to become Prime Minister. By agreeing to be the man who will try to rebuild the party he has taken that possibility away from himself. Which is a pity.

We need politicians who can consistently demonstrate that politics can be an honourable profession. We, the public, need to know that there are people who see public office not as a chance to get ahead or to achieve power but rather as a chance to serve the people.

Bob Rae provides a powerful counter balance to Stephen Harper. Canada needs such a person.

How to make a soccer ball

For the last six or so years I have helped my granddaughter make her birthday pinata. Last year, because I couldn't get up there early enough to work on it, I made her a soccer ball here at home without her help. It wasn't quite round - but it was close enough. This year when I asked her what she wanted - she said soccer ball again.

Another soccer ball would not have been my first choice. They are a bit complicated to make but not that creative. After all how hard can it be to make a round pinata with only 2 colours?. The answer is - surprisingly hard. The first problem is that round balloons ( used to provide the shape) are not really round. They are more like fat pears. So you need two "round" balloons each covered with paper mache about two thirds of the surface. I find  a couple of coats are needed. DO NOT [PUT THE BALLOONS OUT IN THE SUN TO DRY. Why you ask - 'cause the sun warms up the air inside the balloon, the balloon expands and tears the paper. Then you have to start over. Don't bother to ask me how I know.....

Once the paper mache is dry, cut the balloon and let the air out. If you are lucky, the balloon will separate from the sides and you can pull the rubber out and throw it away. You then have to make the two ends fit together- hopefully with a bit of careful cutting and trimming - they form an almost round shape.

Using masking tape and paper mache seal the seams. White paper towel makes a nice texture on the completed ball. I usually cover the completed ball with white tissue paper.

Now comes the fun part. Traditional soccer balls are made up of hexagons and pentagons. (look up on the Internet how to draw a pentagon - it is not that hard) You must make sure that the side on the pentagon is the same length as a side on the hexagon. How do you know it is the right size you ask. Great question. My answer is that I don't know. I just used trial and error until it looked right.

Use red (or any other colour) tissue paper for the pentagon, draw with a water proof marker the hexagon shapes and you are done.

Sounds pretty easy to me. Here is a picture.

Another hint - be careful of how many layers one applies. I think there is a fine line between making it rigid enough so that it keeps its shape and not making too thick. I may of this year used too many layers. Thinking about bringing up gas for the chain saw.