Ain't It The Truth

I ran into Rob Ford last week. It was while I was co-chairing two-and-a-half days worth of meetings at the centrally-located and reasonably priced Cambridge Suites Hotel on Richmond Street East in downtown Toronto. I was on a break. Everyone was going out for dinner after the meeting and I needed to find a cash machine.

Just as I stepped off the elevator on the ground floor, a short, stout, grumpy-looking guy came in through the hotel lobby doors. He was headed for the elevator. I was headed for the door and we were on a collision course. We were about a metre apart when it dawned on me who he was. I stepped out of his way and he zipped by me without so much as an "excuse me."

*****************************************************************************

All of the above two paragraphs is absolutely and completely true - except for the part about Rob Ford.  And the bit about stepping out to get some cash.

But, the passage has a certain truthiness about it.

*****************************************************************************

When I was out for dinner during my two-and-a-half days of meetings this past week, I heard the following story, the details of which I have changed to honour my pledge to the Crown while still retaining some truthiness. 

Many years ago, a senior researcher working for the Department of Ice Cream got a call from someone working for a person of high political office. The person wanted some facts from the senior researcher to use in a speech. The person said, "I need some figures showing the increase in ice-cream related deaths due to increased ice cream emissions." 

The researcher replied saying, "I can't really give you what you're looking for. It's actually the case that ice-cream-related deaths are decreasing because ice cream emissions are going down, and have been for some years now."

"Well," said the person working for the high-ranking politico, "It doesn't have to be true."

*****************************************************************************

When not at meetings for half my work week, I am leading my team on a search for truthiness. 

I have this project now because some criticisms have arisen in the press about a long-standing program. The powers that be (PTB) would like some facts to prove the criticisms are not true. 

In this case the criticisms are untrue and there is a quick and easy way to say so. 

But the PTB feel they need something with a greater ring of truthiness. So phalanxes of researchers, engineers and analysts are being marshalled to build a better factoid because the simple truth won't do.

*****************************************************************************

It has been a bit more than two years since Molly went on to her next reward. It's true I still miss her.

  Thanks for reading! Have a great week!

Karen