[ridenrain]

This is way too sappy but it's worth a laugh.

Quote:

PIANO MAN: Stephen Harper was in the Niagara region for a tourism round table
PM's playing stuns crowd
Grant Lafleche
Sun Media September 4, 2009

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE -- The most surprising moment came when the interview was finished.


After the last question was answered and the room was being cleared, Prime Minister Stephen Harper quietly sat down at the dusty old upright piano pushed into a corner of the theatre.

At first, it sounded like he was just noodling on the keys, not playing anything specific. Just something bluesy. But it was enough to stop everyone in their tracks -- the press and government personnel alike.

This is Stephen Harper after all, not a man exactly known for spontaneity in public.

But there he was, playing ever more earnestly on the piano. He picked up tempo and volume for a few moments, tapping his foot under the piano bench, before turning around to look at everyone watching him.

"Recognize the tune?"

No one said anything for a moment.

"Gimme Shelter," said Sun Media photographer Bob Tymczysyn.

Harper grinned, nodded and said, "Rolling Stones!" and turned back to the piano to keep playing.

The rare flash of the private Stephen Harper came after a one-on-one interview with Sun Media at the Shaw Festival Theatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake yesterday.

Harper was taking part in a round table on tourism with local politicians and business leaders.

He said he recognized the tourism industry in Niagara has had a run of bad luck.

The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were followed by the SARS outbreak in 2003, which were followed by the recession and tougher U.S. security measures at the border. It all resulted in fewer people visiting Canada's tourism destinations.

Harper said the federal government has programs in place designed to boost tourism and help the industry recover.

He pointed to the Marquee Tourism Events program, through which the Shaw festival recently received $2.1 million. The funding is used to promote the festival outside Niagara.

http://lfpress.ca/perl-bin/publish.cgi? ... s=politics

[Curtman]

Tremendous! He'll have his piano career to fall back on after the election.

[EyeBrock]

I'm sure Iggy could just pay some guy to do a very high brow recital in his FRENCH villa.

Like we all have French villas.

[kenmore]

Come now EyeBrock, don't stoop to ridenrains level.. how can you, like he, always put a liberal spin to every story? harper playing the crowd is nothing new however. he has been playing Canadians for years!

[Alta_redneck]

Kenny, if Harper found a cure for cancer you'd be complaining that it took him to long.

[kenmore]

Well actually no... but I wouldn't hold my breath for harper to have a cure for anything... esp. the economy

[EyeBrock]

Ken, I just have an aversion to the rich leading us poor plebs.

It's not a partisan thing, I'm just a working class guy, born in public housing, Dad was a big guy in the Union.
I just don't like the sense of entitlement these rich guys have.

I don't expect them to be poor, but come on, villa in Provence? I'm sure he has a finger on the pulse of the Ford worker in Oakville.
Iggy is slipping in my view.

[Canadian_Mind]

EyeBrock wrote:

Ken, I just have an aversion to the rich leading us poor plebs.

It's not a partisan thing, I'm just a working class guy, born in public housing, Dad was a big guy in the Union.
I just don't like the sense of entitlement these rich guys have.

I don't expect them to be poor, but come on, villa in Provence? I'm sure he has a finger on the pulse of the Ford worker in Oakville.
Iggy is slipping in my view.

Can help what you were born into. Just as you were born into a poor working family, Iggy was born into a rich one. And being of Russian decent, I bet his family had to work their fucking asses off as immigrants to accumulate their wealth, which in my mind is admirable.

There is nothing he could do to win over your heartsbecause of his wealth. He could sell off a prized villa which has been in his family name for 60 years now, and still have the net worth of the place.

Not game on in my mind. If a person doesn't want to be a poor person who's country is run by a rich person, then they better stop bitching and start working... All the way up to being the one who is running the country.

[OnTheIce]

kenmore wrote:

Well actually no... but I wouldn't hold my breath for harper to have a cure for anything... esp. the economy

Perhaps he should dump some money into education for adults. Some would benefit more than others, kenmore.

[EyeBrock]

Canadian_Mind wrote:

EyeBrock wrote:

Ken, I just have an aversion to the rich leading us poor plebs.

It's not a partisan thing, I'm just a working class guy, born in public housing, Dad was a big guy in the Union.
I just don't like the sense of entitlement these rich guys have.

I don't expect them to be poor, but come on, villa in Provence? I'm sure he has a finger on the pulse of the Ford worker in Oakville.
Iggy is slipping in my view.

Can help what you were born into. Just as you were born into a poor working family, Iggy was born into a rich one. And being of Russian decent, I bet his family had to work their fucking asses off as immigrants to accumulate their wealth, which in my mind is admirable.

There is nothing he could do to win over your heartsbecause of his wealth. He could sell off a prized villa which has been in his family name for 60 years now, and still have the net worth of the place.

Not game on in my mind. If a person doesn't want to be a poor person who's country is run by a rich person, then they better stop bitching and start working... All the way up to being the one who is running the country.

Rich people leading us is just more of the same. They know better but have never been there.

It's like having a section leader who's never done basic training. It's a credibility thing with me and it's a long line of of rich Liberals who have been telling us poor people how to live for far too long.

[PublicAnimalNo9]

I don't care about the wealth aspect so much. It would just be nice if Iggy knew more about Canada, other than where it is on a map of the world.

[EyeBrock]

#9,

I just sick of rich plonkers thinking they know best. Get some time in on the shop floor then come back and then tell us what's best for us.

I'm a right wing socialist. I believe our leaders need to earn their positions, not just get it given to them because they went to Harvard or Oxford.

There are plenty of able people from modest backgrounds who could lead us.

[Brenda]

kenmore wrote:

harper playing the crowd is nothing new however. he has been playing Canadians for years!

That is actually pretty funny!

[TattoodGirl]

ridenrain wrote:

This is way too sappy but it's worth a laugh.

Quote:

PIANO MAN: Stephen Harper was in the Niagara region for a tourism round table
PM's playing stuns crowd
Grant Lafleche
Sun Media September 4, 2009

NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE -- The most surprising moment came when the interview was finished.


After the last question was answered and the room was being cleared, Prime Minister Stephen Harper quietly sat down at the dusty old upright piano pushed into a corner of the theatre.

At first, it sounded like he was just noodling on the keys, not playing anything specific. Just something bluesy. But it was enough to stop everyone in their tracks -- the press and government personnel alike.

This is Stephen Harper after all, not a man exactly known for spontaneity in public.

But there he was, playing ever more earnestly on the piano. He picked up tempo and volume for a few moments, tapping his foot under the piano bench, before turning around to look at everyone watching him.

"Recognize the tune?"

No one said anything for a moment.

"Gimme Shelter," said Sun Media photographer Bob Tymczysyn.

Harper grinned, nodded and said, "Rolling Stones!" and turned back to the piano to keep playing.

The rare flash of the private Stephen Harper came after a one-on-one interview with Sun Media at the Shaw Festival Theatre in Niagara-on-the-Lake yesterday.

Harper was taking part in a round table on tourism with local politicians and business leaders.

He said he recognized the tourism industry in Niagara has had a run of bad luck.

The Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks were followed by the SARS outbreak in 2003, which were followed by the recession and tougher U.S. security measures at the border. It all resulted in fewer people visiting Canada's tourism destinations.

Harper said the federal government has programs in place designed to boost tourism and help the industry recover.

He pointed to the Marquee Tourism Events program, through which the Shaw festival recently received $2.1 million. The funding is used to promote the festival outside Niagara.

http://lfpress.ca/perl-bin/publish.cgi? ... s=politics

Thats Awesome!!!

[ridenrain]

I thought it was a really sappy but cute story. It's got nothing to do with anything but it's interesting to see how it's spun. They made a hell of a big deal about Clinton's sax playing and this really is no different.
I actually liked the McKay goes through basic story myself.