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JuicyLesson 255: Music from Dylan’s “Visions of Johanna” … Real Fear and I Don’t Know About Loathing This Poor Fucker of a Ford … He’s Baaack …

Bob Dylan does some pick in’, picking excellently his way through this live version of “Visions of Johanna”. Talented guitar work, acoustic, that is, by M. Dylan. Enjoy it.

Whisper Lyrics, “Visions of Johanna”.
Do you understand his words?

Toronto Mayor Ford exits rehab

Rob Ford: ‘I’m ashamed, embarrassed and humiliated’; pledges clean living

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Toronto Mayor Ford exits rehab, says was in ‘complete denial’.
By Cameron French

TORONTO (Reuters) – Toronto Mayor Rob Ford said on Monday he had been in “complete denial” about his drinking and drug use before entering a rehabilitation clinic two months ago, and admitted that his struggle against substance abuse will never end.

Ford made comments as he returned to city hall and rejoined a re-election campaign where he is running in second place, according to a recent poll. He took leave on April 30, saying at the time he needed to deal with an alcohol problem.

“For a long, long time I resisted the idea of getting help. Like a lot of people dealing with substance abuse, I was in complete denial. I had convinced myself that I did not have a problem,” Ford told reporters, at points appearing to fight back tears.

“Substance abuse is a very, very difficult thing to overcome but I will keep battling this disease for the rest of my life.”

Ford said staff at the rehab facility, which is a two-hour drive north of Toronto in the cottage-country Muskoka region, forced him to confront “personal demons” and saved his life.

The mayor entered rehab after months of denials that he had a substance abuse problem and nearly a year after a media report surfaced that he appeared in a video smoking crack. He became a global media sensation after he admitted that he had smoked the drug while in a “drunken stupor.”

Several other recordings emerged of the mayor ranting, slurring his words and making crude comments, including one in which he made lewd remarks about rival mayoral candidate Karen Stintz.

Ford, who did not take questions from the media on Monday, singled out the city councillor in his comments.

“To my fellow councillors and especially to Karen Stintz, for my hurtful, degrading remarks I offer a deep-felt apology for my behavior,” he said.

Ford has been under investigation by Toronto police over the past year after his name popped up in a drug probe. Police did not immediately return a call seeking an update on the investigation. Exasperated by his antics, the Toronto city council stripped Ford of much of his power last fall and handed it to Deputy Mayor Norm Kelly, who stood in for the mayor during his time in rehab.

Even so, and despite Ford’s absence from the campaign trail, polls show he is still very much a factor in the mayoral race ahead of the October election. A poll released last week by Forum Research showed Ford at 27 percent, trailing front-runner Olivia Chow at 34 percent, and leading John Tory at 24 percent. The numbers are similar to poll results from April, before Ford went on leave. First elected mayor in 2010, Ford has maintained a cost-cutting “respect the taxpayer” mantra that has resonated with many suburban voters. He often paints himself as a champion of the suburbs against downtown “elites”.

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TORONTO, CANADA – JUNE 30: Amin Massoudi (C), Communications & Media Relations for Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, allows selected media into the mayor’s press conference on Fords’ first day back to work after taking part in a rehab program June 30, 2014 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This is Ford’s first day back after receiving treatment for about two-months at a substance rehabilitation center and is scheduled to address a small group of media later in the afternoon. (Photo by Brett Gundlock/Getty Images)

My comment on this: very good job, looks better but still. Two months is not nearly enough to deal successfully with the challenges evident in Ford’s behaviour in the year or so leading up to his “escape” to cottage country rehabilitation.

He is saying the right things, I’ll give him that, about his having been totally in denial and apologies were definitely in order and, once again, Ford talked a good game on Monday upon his return to work. But talk is cheap..

I don’t belive that Ford will stay out of trouble, maybe he will do, for a couple of months, but he is bound to end up in the shit again. Only a true idiot would actually vote for this guy. He would be facing a monumental challenge even if he wasn’t living under a microscope. Rob Ford is a public figure and, so far, has chosen to remain so, and as a result he will be living in a fish bowl, as it were, until he is defeated in a mayoralty election or leaves politics for another or other reasons.

This type of thing, that is life as a sort of celebrity-politician, will allow for his every move, from here on in, to be analysed and mercilessly torn apart by news-people, political commentators, and the like. As I have already said, Ford would be facing a huge challenge, even if he was free to deal with it, in private, with the help of professionals and his family; however, this “mayor in name only” has once more demonstrated that he doesn’t have a clue either about when to quit or what it’s gonna take to really beat this thing. Too bad. So sad.

Please fuck off, Ford, give us some peace. You were an amusing distraction but that’s all over now.

And speaking of politics in Ontario, there were three federal bye-elections there on Monday. Good news for the Trudeau Liberals – does that sound funny/strange/weird/too young to say …?

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Liberal Adam Vaughan celebrates his by-election win in the Trinity-Spadina riding with party leader Justin Trudeau at the Steam Whistle Brewery in Toronto on Monday June 30, 2014. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Vincent Elkaim

WORLD CUP

“Independent from the fallout and the contradicting declarations that have surfaced during these past days, all of which have been without the intention of interfering with the good performance of my national team, the truth is that my colleague Giorgio Chiellini suffered the physical result of a bite in the collision he suffered with me.”

Above is the supposed “taking of responsibility” by Luis Suarez for his having taken a bite out of Giorgio Chiellini, resulting in a four-month ban for Suarez and significantly contributing to Uruguay’s ouster from further World Cup play by virtue of it’s having lost, having been shut out by Columbia. Doubtlessly, Uruguay would have had a much better chance with Suarez in there rather than brooding in Montevideo, the Uruguayan capital.

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What Suarez should have said was “I apologize for having bitten Giorgio Chiellini and I promise that this will never happen again.” What he did say was this: ” …the truth is that my colleague Giorgio Chiellini suffered the physical result of a bite in the collision he suffered with me.” What!? Man. What a jerk, great futbol player or not.

Action from Argentina’s 1-0 win over Switzerland in Tuesday’s early game. Thereby, the Argentinians advance to the quarter-finals, the Round of 8, as it were, and will face the winner of the match between the Americans and Belgium, in a game presently knotted at nil and headed for extra time.

It will be Argentina vs. Belgium Red Devils, the latter having just bested, and I mean “just”, the United States, in extra time, by the score of 2-1.

I finally got both game winners right on Tuesday, as Belgium and Argentina, my picks, both won. My record after the Round of 16: 5-3. No games until Friday when Brazil faces Columbia and France plays Germany. I’ll make my picks in a day or two.

Argentina vs. Switzerland, Tuesday 07/01:

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Above and Below: SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – JULY 01: Angel di Maria of Argentina scores his team’s first goal in extra time during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Round of 16 match between Argentina and Switzerland at Arena de Sao Paulo on July 1, 2014 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

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Below: Messi and Angel di Maria celebrate what turned out to be the game winner.
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Peace out.

1 Comment

  • Matthew Friedman says:

    Good job again Jerry quite an expansive lesson. Great Dylan clips! Couldn’t understand a word he says but it sure comes across. You are completely right about Ford. The guy is a great piece of entertainment but an embarrassment for Canada. It will be fun to see what happens to him. He takes the pressure off of the clowns down here.

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