Photos of a Thanksgiving Visit to Elora, Ontario

On Monday October 11, 2021 (Canadian Thanksgiving), I visited the community of Elora, Ontario in the township of Wellington Centre,  It is located just north of Guelph, about 117.5 kilometres (73 miles) from Toronto by car via Highway 401.  It was the perfect time to enjoy the fall foliage.

Elora is a great getaway destination.  It is known for its 19th-century limestone architecture and its gorge and conservation area.  It is a popular place for camping and hiking.

\

Below is a photo of the 1832 mill, which has been restored to an inn.                                                      

Elora Mill

Below is the Evelyn Restaurant/

- Joanne

Who will play the next James Bond?

If you are a James Bond fan, here is a graphic for you.  It has ben created by Select Car Leasing and it lists the actors who are most likely to succeed Daniel Craig in the role of 007.  I hope you find it informative and entertaining.

- Joanne

007: Richard Ayoade is 65% Likely to Play The Next Bond

Daniel Craig’s time in the 007 tux is coming to an end, following the long anticipated release of No Time To Die.

 

Almost every British actor who has ever played a suit-wearing, crime fighting character has been rumoured to play the spy, but what does data have to say about who should take over?

 

Studying the full series of films and each of the featuring lead actors, Select Car Leasing have created a ‘blueprint’ for a successful Bond actor.

 

The profile has been applied to 50 actors who are each given a percentage match based on age, height, IMDB popularity score and number of acting credits. Using the percentage scores, Select Car Leasing have revealed the actors that best fit the Bond profile.

Top 15 Actor Matches for The Role of James Bond

 

Name	Age	Height	Current No. of Roles	Popularity by IMDB	% Match
Jack Huston	38	6ft 0	47	Top 5,000	80
Matt Smith	38	6ft 0	47	Top 5,000	80
Charlie Cox	38	5ft 10	39	Top 5,000	80
Elyes Gabel	38	6ft 0	29	Top 5,000	80
Harry Lloyd	37	6ft 0	40	Top 5,000	80
James Norton	36	6ft 1	42	Top 5,000	70
Theo James	36	6ft 0	32	Top 5,000	70
Joe Anderson	39	5ft 11	41	Top 5,000	70
Ed Skrein	38	6ft 1	24	Top 5,000	65
Tom Burke	40	6ft 0	64	Top 5,000	65
Toby Kebbell	39	6 ft 0	51	Top 5,000	65
O-T Fagbenle	40	6 ft 0	51	Top 5,000	65
Richard Ayoade	44	6 ft 1	39	Top 5,000	65
Joe Gilgun	37	6 ft	24	Top 5,000	65
Eddie Redmayne	39	5ft 11	33	Top 5,000	65

 

There’s a 65% chance Bond could be played by Richard Ayoade

 

Despite being one of the public’s favourite choices as the next Bond, Jean Page’s youth and lack of acting credits leave him with a 40% Bond match, therefore not even making the top 40. Also rumoured to be taking on the license to kill is quintessentially British Tom Hardy. However, Hardy’s lavish acting credits and popularity give him just a 5% likelihood of being the next Bond.

 

Interestingly, it’s Richard Ayoade that is a better fit to put on the tux, according to Select Car Leasing – listed in the top 15 likely actors to play Bond. The IT Crowd actor is known for his comedy but his filmography, IMDB popularity and ability to wear a suit well leaves him as a 65% match for the next James Bond. 

 

Doctor Who’s Matt Smith is an 80% match for Bond

 

The table is topped by 5 actors all awarded with an 80% match for the Bond title. Amongst them is Elyes Gabel (appearing in World War Z & Game of Thrones), Jack Huston (Boardwalk Empire), Dr. Who’s Matt Smith, Harry Lloyd (from Legion) and Daredevil’s Charlie Cox.

 

Charlie Cox has been relatively absent from the Bond debate – in an interview with The Independent. Cox claims it could be due to being a fairly incognito actor and staying away from social media. Despite this, Select Car Leasing’s data lists Cox would be the perfect actor to pick up the pistol.

 

Former Time Lord Matt Smith is also amongst the top 5 perfect actors to play Bond, but Smith himself disagrees.  Reports say the former Doctor Who star felt he could never be a serious contender to play the British spy – but he would be better placed as one of the villains in the franchise.

Select Car Leasing

Will Justin Trudeau regret this election call?

We are one week away from a Canadian federal election on September 20th.  According to the latest poll on the CBC News website, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals and Erin O'Toole's Conservatives are running neck and neck, with Jagmeet Singh's NDP in third place.  It is unlikely that any party will form a majority government. It appears that the result will be a Liberal minority or a Conservative minority. The seat count favours the Liberals. So, unless something unforeseen happens before the election, we will be left with another minority government.  We'll go to the polls again in about two years if the Liberals form the government, even sooner if the Conservatives come to power.  The NDP may prop up a Liberal government for a while, but it is doubtful that they will support O'Toole's right wing policies.  The Bloc Quebecois is the wild card.

Many Canadians, including myself, are not pleased about an election during a pandemic,  Frankly, I don't think Trudeau has satisfactorily explained the necessity for this election.  He has been accused by the other parties of being opportunistic, of calling a snap election in the hope of getting away with a majority.  Nevertheless, I still prefer a Liberal or NDP government to a Conservative one led by Erin O'Toole.  For me, the biggest issues are climate change, the pandemic, the economy and economic inequality, health care, poverty. housing and education.  I prefer the Liberal and NDP approach to those issues over the Conservative approach.  I believe that the very wealthy should pay their fair share of taxes, as should Amazon and Facebook.  I don't trust Erin O'Toole or his party to take appropriate measures to combat climate change.  O'Toole is wishy-washy about mask mandates to protect against COVID-19.  He will not do enough to support public health care and gun control either.  In fact, he wanted to reverse the ban on automatic weapons.  He changed course when his view was met by much opposition.   

Erin O'Toole

What concerns me is that Maxime Bernier's People's Party of Canada currently has 6.5 per cent of the popular vote, according to the CBC poll tracker.  That is more than the Green Party, which has 3.6 per cent.  The People's Party is unkely to win any seats in the House of Commons, thank goodness, but I find it disconcerting that a party with such an odious platform has that high a level of support in this country.  Bernier has fashioned himself as some kind of Trump North.  It's scary to think that he almost won the leadership of the formerly "Progressive" Conservative Party of Canada.

I am also disgusted that rocks and gravel were thrown at Justin Trudeau at a London, Ontario campaign stop.  That kind of behaviour has no place in Canadian politics.  It is not surprising that Shane Marshall, 25, a former PPC riding official has been arrested and charged with assault with a weapon.

With a week left until the election of 2021, it doesn't seem that much will change in the Canadian political landscape.  Unfortunately, voter turnout will probably be low, and that could favour the Tories.  I never say never because anything can happen.  As the former prime minister of the United Kingdom, Harold Wilson, once observed, "A week is a long time in politics."  Yet, if Canada ends up with another minority Liberal government, Justin Trudeau may wonder if it was all for naught and that he should have waited longer before sending Canadians to the polls.  He may regret his decision, although the deed has already been done.  He's probably regretting it already.

It's also worth mentioning that minority governments tend to achieve more than majority governments. The prime minister is forced to take into consideration the views and policies of the other parties.  This prevents him or her from becoming too arrogant.

- Joanne

A valuable tip for tree lovers

 I found the following tip on Facebook and I decided to share it with Number 16 readers.  If you are a friend of the environment, this is for you.  Please pass it on if you wish.  It's great advice and I plan to follow it myself.  I hope you do too.

"When you eat fruit, don't throw seeds, dry them, put them in a bag and leave them in the car.  When you're on the road, throw them out of the window in areas where there are no trees.  Nature will take care of germination.

In Asian countries like Thailand and Malaysia, they've been practicing it for years and now they have fruit trees everywhere.  

So, let's throw seeds on the earth, not in the trash."

- Joanne