Wideleft

I was thinking about this idea yesterday. I think the CFL and CFLPA should agree that anyone who gets ejected from a game, must submit a pee test immediately. It's one way to get longer suspensions and it might make some of the roid ragers like Marino think twice about their lives.

Don't forget the holding call on the Bomber 9 with 1:17 to go in the game against Chungh. As a seagull flies over the Lions' 42 yard line.

It's as much a realization that the Bombers aren't going to go unbeaten instead of thinking they don't have a chance to win this Saturday. But that's just me.

Jamal Morrow

I have 3 strikes - not 2. If I have any strikes left, I'll take Rhymes.

1. Legs - Great all-around performance 2. Wilson - So quietly effective 3. Demski - Hope he recovers quick 4. Jefferson - Clutch when it really mattered. HH - Jeffcoat for blowing up Van Zyl in the first half. HH2 - Whoever decided to leave Collaros in when they were inside the 5. Our goal line approach has been far too predictable. HH3 - Bighill's hit on Dunbar. I had to take Robaxacet after that and I was watching the game on TV.

Dustin Nelson is quickly turning into Rod Black. He is either not paying attention to what's on the field or has vision problems because he seems to be getting players and plays wrong increasingly with each game he calls. Just do the freaking play by play and don't be afraid to interrupt Suitor with that play by play when Suits is rambling.

I have 2 strikes, by the way (Rasheed Bailey in Week 1 & Duke Williams in Week 2) James Butler

I have a $700 suit, but it only maybe gets used for weddings or funerals which are fortunately few and far between. Not going to wear it just because it cost too much.

Zach Collaros, Winnipeg Blue Bombers From underhand flips to Brady Oliveira in space to an immediate connection with Greg Ellingson, Collaros was his usual cool, playful self in Week 1. It’s easy to forget now that Collaros has two Grey Cup wins and 20-starts under his belt with the Blue and Gold. However, watching him battle against former Hamilton quarterback Jeremiah Masoli was reminiscent of Ticats’ training camp from nearly a decade ago, where the two former teammates would each run an offensive unit with their unique and successful styles. For Collaros the order of the day was attacking Hamilton in the middle of the field. After so much discussion about getting the ball to the edges and throwing vertically to the short side as a result of the hashes getting a readjustment this off-season, the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player in 2021 used his veteran savvy to go counterculture. Picking apart Ottawa the way he’s always done to opposing offences, maneuver the pocket with great ease and take the ball where the defence leads him. https://www.cfl.ca/2022/06/14/ferguson-week-1-target-chart-analysis/

Surprised this hasn't made it here yet:

For all the hand-wringing about the backfield, it's pretty fair to say that Masoli was dialed in. It's pretty impossible to defend perfect throws (although I admit some receivers got so open, they didn't need to be perfect).

Duke Williams

Male conservative voters will generally give a pass to incompetent conservative male politicians to own the libs. If the incompetent conservative politician is an attractive female - similar pass. Heather's in trouble.

Not sure if you skipped past this a page or two ago, but it bears investigation. https://deanblundell.com/news/nathan-jacobson-plymouth-brethren-church-asked-me-to-take-out-justin-trudeau/

Kyrie Wilson is going to be an All-Star this year and it's overdue - he is a big-time player. So impressed by Dru Brown and the coaching staff to show confidence in him that I didn't have. Legs came through when it counted. Happy honker to my PVR that allowed me to fast forward after a few smoke breaks during the Dru drive to make sure the Bombers won before I rewound to watch the last 3 minutes a couple of times... All is well in One Great City.

Turns out Rose was hot garbage in the 2nd half too. I get the feeling he was trying to play 2 different positions when he should have been concentrating on one. Not worried about him at all. Dru Brown was awesome in the frying pan. Total respect for him.

I'm guessing Rose told himself during halftime that he can't rest on his laurels. Love the guy and predict he gets 2 picks in the second half.

Rules state that food and water need to be evened out with shooters.

It isn't necessarily a matter of choice. "Meeting ex-Brethren is like rummaging through a box of broken toys. Each one is missing some piece of themselves emotionally. All the ex-Brethren have children, parents or siblings within the Brethren who refuse to see them. When you leave the Brethren — or are kicked out — you’re dead to them. Your kids won’t acknowledge you. If you should encounter them, they will glass themselves off, not even meeting your gaze. Your parents will glass themselves off from you. Your friends will glass themselves off from you. Have your grandchildren over? You never will. They will be told you are evil. You’ll also lose your job because Brethren work for Brethren-owned companies. I interviewed about a dozen former members who spoke on the condition of anonymity. They admit to being afraid of the Brethren. Almost every one of them had been "withdrawn from" — an innocent sounding term until you hear it so often it takes on a chilling cast. None of the ex-members I spoke to had been withdrawn from for vice or a venal sin. They were withdrawn from for questioning the doctrine, the leadership or a leader’s words. They were withdrawn from because they associated with non-Brethren or were caught with forbidden technology."

Excerpts from Bill Redekop's 2014 article (not sure if it's paywalled): *It's a long read! The closed-door church Inside the secretive and strict Plymouth Brethren sect in Manitoba The Plymouth Brethren discourage interaction between their followers and outsiders, and the church encompasses all aspects of social and professional life for its members. Critics say it has gone from being a Christian sect to full-blown cult. By: Bill Redekop Posted: 1:00 AM CDT Saturday, May. 10, 2014 STONEWALL — Quietly, and out of earshot of Winnipeg, Stonewall had its own mini "British Invasion" a decade ago. Newcomers from England started to descend on this town just north of Winnipeg that has historically been a limestone quarry and agricultural service centre. They bought homes, started businesses, built a church — all the usual stuff. Stonewall councillors were pleased their town was chosen by the English-speaking immigrants. Local residents were charmed, as North Americans tend to be, by how the newcomers snapped off their words with British accents. But residents soon found there was something different about the newcomers. They didn’t want much to do with the townsfolk. They wouldn’t socialize with them, other than a few words on the street or in a store. It wasn’t long before local people started to regard them as "standoffish," as one Stonewall resident put it. In time, the community learned the newcomers were from the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church (PBCC), a religious sect that practises "separateness" from the rest of society. The two-metre-high iron fence around their church attests to that. It’s one of the few physical barriers. Most Plymouth Brethren barriers are social. They won’t eat in the same room as non-members, including in restaurants. Brethren are not even allowed to visit the homes of non-Brethren, or "worldly people." They don’t go to the cinema, the theatre or sporting events. Plymouth Brethren are sometimes thought of as a British version of Hutterites, without the colonies. Both are conscientious objectors to military service; neither group votes; both forbid television and radio in their homes. The Brethren forbid computers with anything other than email functions and some business software, and all their computers and programs are purchased from a Brethren-owned company. Plymouth Brethren also maintain a dress code, but not one as rustic or obvious as that of Hutterites. Brethren women are required to wear ankle-length skirts, long hair and some kind of head covering — it used to be a kerchief but now is often a ribbon. The attire is urban, individualized, and becoming less strict to the point where women are now seen wearing designer clothes with hem lines climbing to knee level. PHIL HOSSACK / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS A seven-foot-high steel fence surrounds the Plymouth Brethren Meeting Hall in Stonewall. Men dress business casual. They keep their hair short and are clean-shaven — not even sideburns are allowed. While that doesn’t sound like it would set the men apart, it does. "They are conspicuously well-scrubbed," said a Stonewall resident who has had dealings with the Brethren. This "new" Christian sect has actually been in Manitoba since the 1880s. The Stonewall group was only the most recent wave. Plymouth Brethren are also in Winnipeg (Charleswood) and the village of Woodlands, not far from Stonewall in the Interlake. It’s a group that shows quite remarkable business acumen. The Plymouth Brethren bought up half of Stonewall’s industrial park upon arrival, and immediately set up a cluster of companies. But attempts to learn more about the sect and interview its members showed how it has managed to stay under the radar. BRETHREN’S BUSINESS IMPACT There are a remarkable number of Brethren-owned family businesses in Manitoba for a religious sect of just 450 members. The Free Press counted at least 25 small businesses, and there are undoubtedly more. It’s not clear why members of the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church are so successful in business. That companies can receive interest-free loans through Brethren might be part of the answer. Business is a big part of being a Brethren today. Virtually all Brethren work for companies owned by Brethren families. However, PBCC doctrine stipulates that companies stay small. Winnipeg companies owned by Brethren members include Acure Medical Equipment, Officescape, and Central Dental Supply Ltd., all owned by John Haldane; Applifast Inc.; Insign Architectural Signage; Chemwest Supply; Van Extras; FRS Group Inc.; Acure Safety; Insta-Foil Specialties; Acculift Airmax Inc; Excel Interiors; Meditek; Western Enivronmental Canada, and NP2 (an advertising agency). In Stonewall, Brethren own at least half the industrial park off Highway 67. Like elsewhere, they do not belong to the local chamber of commerce because that is forbidden. Stonewall companies include Accent Group; Mitybilt Products Inc; Paragon Securities; Arrow Specialties; Lakeland Group and Universal Business Team. Woodlands-area companies include Northstar Enterprises and Arrow Farmquip, and North American Rail Products Inc. is next door in Argyle. Plymouth Brethren don’t believe in a church hierarchy. There is no formally designated church leader, such as a salaried priest or pastor, so when I called recently to request an interview, there was no official spokesperson — and no one who felt comfortable speaking for the group. After about a week of phone calls and numerous referrals, two Brethren men finally agreed to be interviewed — then each cancelled as the interviews neared. Both said they were too busy. Negotiations continued. Dates were submitted for interviews. I explained my mission was merely to write about a unique immigrant group outside the city, which was entirely true. Upon request, I forwarded a list of questions. Despite all the negotiations, I was ultimately turned down. All of this took place over a period of three weeks. Ex-Plymouth Brethren members later told me I was being played; strung along until I tired and perhaps gave up on the story. I fared little better making cold calls to businesses run by Plymouth Brethren in Stonewall. Everyone said they were too busy to talk. At the fifth business I visited, Charles Deayton, at Universal Business Team, which provides consulting and training services to businesses, said he had been expecting me. Word had traveled quickly that a Free Press reporter was making the rounds. Deayton was candid yet considerate. He basically told me I had the proverbial snowball’s chance in hell of getting an interview with a member of the Plymouth Brethren. "We don’t want to be all over the newspaper," he said. A colleague beside him was more curt. "We’re not interested. We’ve got work to do. Thanks for coming." All of which is not to imply the Plymouth Brethren here are bad people. They are good and productive community members, most people say. Their businesses have been major contributors to the tax base of Stonewall and provide jobs for many non-Brethren as well as Brethren. When I googled Universal Business Team, I learned it has offices in 19 countries, mainly assisting other Brethren businesses. But I also saw Universal Business Team is the subject of criticism from a group called PEEB, People Escaping Exclusive Brethren, or "leavers," as they call themselves. (Exclusive Brethren is another name for the most isolationist branch of Plymouth Brethren, which is the one practising in Manitoba.) A website run by the ex-Brethren also popped up: www.wikipeebia.com. It contained lengthy testimonials from leavers and it included a pull-down window listing "confirmed suicides" of former Plymouth Brethren members. That was my first red flag. Another red flag was the Plymouth Brethren private school in Stonewall, Sterling North Academy. The grades 3-12 school employs a full complement of certified public-school teachers — but none are Plymouth Brethren. Why would a group that arrived over a hundred years ago not have at least some of its own teachers? There are dozens of Hutterites with university degrees teaching across Manitoba. Plymouth Brethren got their name because their first assembly was in the English port town of Plymouth, more famously known as the departure point for the pilgrims who settled in the United States in the early 1600s. The Plymouth Brethren formed in 1830 as a breakaway sect from the Anglican church. As so often happens with religious groups, the Brethren thought the main church was becoming too worldly, and set up a doctrine of separation from the world. Another core belief among Plymouth Brethren is the "rapture." Some historians believe the concept of rapture was even started by the PBCC and later adopted by evangelical groups in the United States. The rapture is judgment day, when God will supposedly sweep up to heaven only the true believers — there are about 46,000 Plymouth Brethren worldwide — and destroy the rest of the planet’s seven billion people in a great conflagration. Edward Pearce Langrell, the first of the Plymouth Brethren to arrive in Manitoba, settled in Woodlands in the 1880s. He was acquainted with John Nelson Darby of Ireland, the founder of the Plymouth Brethren. Langrell became the first principal at Warren Elementary School. Today, there are 15 Langrells in the Woodlands phone directory. Plymouth Brethren are now headquartered in Australia, which has about 15,000 members. A similar number resides in Britain, and New Zealand also has a sizeable population. A year ago, six big bus coaches full of Brethren from Australia and New Zealand visited fellow Brethren in Manitoba as part of a cross-country tour. Even though Plymouth Brethren have been in Manitoba for well over a century, primarily in Winnipeg (Charleswood) and Woodlands, they have surfaced in news stories in the Winnipeg Free Press only about 10 times. By comparison, the Free Press runs about 10 stories a year on Hutterites. One of the stories was about a Brethren protest against having to join unions in Manitoba (1972); another was about members in Vancouver not wanting their children subjected to computers in schools (1990s). There were also two curious wire stories out of London, England, dated 1964. The stories concerned then Brethren leader Jim Taylor Jr., who had left London ahead of schedule for the United States amid denunciation from the British Parliament, the British press and even the Methodist Church for breaking up families. The stories described the Plymouth Brethren as a "small, very strict, secretive nonconformist sect" that abides by a strict interpretation of this Biblical text: "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers." One British MP produced a list of 60 families that he claimed had been split up by the Brethren. A British woman claimed her husband left her after 31 years marriage because she bought a radio and television. While the Brethren have always practised separation from the rest of society, they were more mainstream prior to the 1960s. Then, Taylor Jr. started to put his stamp on things. The Brethren have their own pope-like figure, called the Man of God. Taylor Jr. served in that role from 1959-70. He had a predilection for making up rules. It was Taylor Jr. who introduced the hard-line doctrine of separateness, starting with banning members from eating and socializing with non-members. The rules included everything from banning men from wearing shorts (thy naked, spindly legs are an abomination, presumably) to who should take out the garbage (that falleth to the husband, naturally). One decree from Taylor Jr. was that Brethren farmers could no longer live on the same property as their livestock. Since the Brethren near Woodlands were largely cattle ranchers, the edict triggered a small housing boom there. Brethren farmers to this day must commute to their farms. EXCLUSIVE BRETHREN DON’TS Appearance Don’t cut your hair (female) Don’t have facial hair or long hair (male) Don’t wear shorts (female & male) Don’t wear trousers (female) Don’t wear make-up (female) Don’t wear any other colour of shirt than white on Sunday (male) Don’t smoke, chew tobacco or chew gum At home Don’t use or own radios or television Don’t go to the movies, theatres, shows or concerts Don’t eat in a restaurant or go to bars or pubs Don’t own a computer, digital camera, mobile phone, cd player or MP3 player that is not purchased from the EB Don’t read books written by immoral authors, or novels unless they are approved by the EB Don’t own remote-controlled toys or any electronic gaming system Don’t listen to pre-recorded music by non-EB Don’t live on a farm Don’t have in-ground swimming pools at the home Don’t rent or own condos, apartments or a house that is joined at any wall Don’t share sewers or driveways with neighbours Don’t have pets Don’t go to the beach unless it is not crowded Don’t have a heart transplant Don’t watch firework displays In business Don’t be employed by non-EB Don’t work in non-EB homes Don’t rent space or anything to non-EB Don’t own shares of non-EB company Don’t go to non-EB schools if there is an EB school in your city Don't belong to a professional association (nurses, lawyers, etc), union, or any other outside organization Don’t sell products that you cannot use (cigarettes, contraception) Don’t stay in a hotel or motel Don’t vote or run for public office Don’t go to university With people Don’t have a cup of tea or eat with your non EB neighbours, parents, siblings or children Don’t have friends outside of the EB Don’t kiss or date before marriage Don’t plan to marry unless you have permission Don’t be gay or lesbian Don’t marry outside of the EB, or outside of your race Don’t divorce unless for fornication Don’t use contraception (no matter how many children you have) Don’t have an abortion Don’t be involved in competitive organized sports Don’t visit graves of the deceased often Don’t miss daily church meetings Don’t question EB rules

The Plymouth Brethren Church story has a Manitoba element (and it's not new): NEW Manitoba Government Gave $50 Million to Companies Linked to Secretive Religious Sect COVID-19 contracts worth tens of millions of dollars went to businesses linked to a secretive sect that operate out of the same building by Emily Leedham, Prairies Reporter June 9, 2022 Manitoba’s government gave nearly $50 million in emergency COVID-19 contracts to a group of businesses linked to a controversial and secretive religious sect. Other businesses linked to the little-known sect have received significant sums of money elsewhere for similar contracts, including millions from Doug Ford’s government in Ontario and over £2 billion for PPE contracts in the United Kingdom. The Plymouth Brethren Christian Church, also known as the “Exclusive Brethren,” is a small and reclusive religious sect with only 50,000 members around the world, mainly in the UK, Australia and New Zealand. In Canada, they are believed to have fewer than 10,000 members. The PBCC were the subject of a recent CityNews documentary that brought to light disturbing allegations from former members detailing how they were cut off from friends and families under the PBCC’s “doctrine of separation.” The PBCC disputes these claims and denies it is a “cult.” In a previous statement to PressProgress, the PBCC explained: “We are not secretive, but we are often misunderstood.” Many brethren are also linked to a global network of “3,000 family businesses” affiliated with the church’s “Universal Business Team,” which provides “advisory and group buying services.” According to public records, Manitoba’s Ministry of Central Services gave four businesses linked to PBCC members six emergency contracts totaling $49.8 million for medical equipment and supplies. These six contracts accounted for 12.5% of Manitoba’s Ministry of Central Services initial $400 million COVID-19 emergency budget in 2020. A number of those businesses were previously identified in a 2014 Winnipeg Free Press investigation as being linked to PBCC members. ICYMI — A look inside the secretive and strict Plymouth Brethren sect in Manitoba by @BillRedekop: http://t.co/10WNMFEXka #longreads Central Dental Solutions, a Winnipeg-based supplier of dental equipment owned by PBCC member John Haldane, received 3 contracts totalling $37.5 million for emergency products and services from the Manitoba government. Acure Safety & First Aid, whose President is PBCC member Leonard Cavenagh, received two emergency contracts worth $11.44 million. Meditek, whose General Manager Chris Samuels is a PBCC member, is listed as having received one emergency contract in April for $780,000. Cavenagh and Samuels are both listed as directors of a Winnipeg-based trust established to purchase property for the purpose of “gospel preachings.” Central Dental, Acure Safety and Meditek are also all listed as tenants, along with a a handful of other PBCC-linked businesses, in a two-story building located next to Winnipeg’s airport. Two additional Manitoba government contracts worth $70,759 were awarded to a BC-based oil company called Klondike Lubricants, whose founders are both PBCC members. According to the Government of Manitoba’s records, the oil company was given a $38,400 contract in early April 2020 for medical instruments and equipment only two weeks after Manitoba declared a state of emergency and most of Canada had entered its first pandemic lockdown. The brethren-linked oil company was awarded a second $32,359 contract in May 2020 to provide the Government of Manitoba with soap and hand sanitizer. (more: https://pressprogress.ca/manitoba-government-gave-50-million-to-companies-linked-to-secretive-religious-sect/ )