Just for Laughs Seinfeld and Elmaleh are surreal — and a sure
Lucinda Chodan: Editor in chief, frequent JFL attendee, Seinfeld fan since The Baby Shower in Season 2.Kevin Tierney: Gazette columnist grew up wanting to be Lenny Bruce. It didn’t work. Instead, his parents whacked him a lot for swearing.OVERALLBB: The biggest anglo comedy star in the world and the biggest franco comedy star in the world teamed up for some high schticking at the home of the Habs for JFL 35’s premier event. Surreal and at times hysterical. And Seinfeld and Elmaleh delivered again — en anglais.LC: A rollicking evening with two of the funniest men in comedy. Evidence of their double-headliner status? The roars for Seinfeld and the full-throated ululations for Elmaleh when they started the show.KT: Maybe it was the hockey fumes hanging in the Bell Centre air that invigorated Seinfeld into as much physicality as I have ever seen, but it was palpable. He is so much fun to watch because he works so hard making comedy seem so effortless. He is by nature a kvetch extraordinaire and he has turned complaining into an art form.THE STARSBB: After a little good-natured haggling, it was deemed that Jerry would open for Gad — which meant we caught all of Seinfeld and, oh my Gad, too little of Elmaleh, who did enthral with tales of going through U.S. Customs on a Moroccan passport with comedian as occupation. Seinfeld was on fire, again elevating his nothingness into an art form.LC: Couldn’t be more different. One born in Brooklyn, schooled in the comedy clubs and conquered American TV; the other born in Morocco, went to CEGEP St-Laurent and conquered Paris. Lucky for us they ended up on the same stage last night.KT: The lads were cute in their mutual opening that ended up with Seinfeld starting. He hasn’t opened for anybody in a while. Gad had his work cut out for himself, because Seinfeld owned the crowd by the time he left the stage.HIGHLIGHTSBB: Seinfeld on everything from alcoholized coffee — “so you can be alert and trashed at the same time” — to Pop Tarts that can never go stale, because they’re never fresh. Elmaleh on his U de Montréal degree in political science — which leads to a degree at Metro school.LC: Seinfeld’s riffs on marriage and living life under “the device dictatorship.” “Our job in life is to buy phones, charge phones and carry those phones around to where they need to be. We are the ‘mobile’ in mobile phones.”KT: Seinfeld’s all-ages act, he virtually says hardly any “bad” words, relies on observation with an amazing range from coffee cups to marriage, children, golf, money, boredom, the post office, voice tones. His delivery tone, in spite of what his wife tells him all the time, is perfect, pointed, funny and never mean.AND ANOTHER THINGBB: The Bell Centre may have its virtues when it comes to hockey or hoops or rock concerts, but a comedy venue it is not and it will never be. Seinfeld and Elmaleh, more than most, benefit from the intimacy of clubs. But even if Seinfeld had to raise his voice a few octaves, they pulled it off — miraculously. All the same, don’t envy any comic having to follow Seinfeld.LC: Early Gad was hilariously topical. He explained why he travels on a Canadian passport when crossing the U.S. Border. Can you imagine turning up with a Moroccan passport and stating that your occupation is “comedian?”KT: Was really looking forward to seeing Gad. Anybody who carries a first name one vowel from the person in charge of eternal damnation has got to be sharp. Seinfeld: just for laughs? Well, there’s money, too. Advertisement Advertisement Facebook Advertisement On Wednesday night, Jerry Seinfeld and Gad Elmaleh performed at the Bell Centre Wednesday as part of the Just for Laughs comedy festival.Here’s what our panel had to say:Bill Brownstein: The Gazette columnist has been covering comedy fest since Mr. Methane let it rip all those eons ago. Twitter LEAVE A REPLY Cancel replyLog in to leave a comment Login/Register With:
Robert Greene has become both a critical favourite and polarizing figure in the documentary world thanks to films like Fake It So Real, Actress and Kate Plays Christine, which have used staged situations to explore the nature of performance in non-fiction. Bisbee ’17, which debuted at Sundance, continues that theme, but is more epic in scope. Greene followed a handful of diverse citizens living in the Arizona town Bisbee who decided to re-enact a suppressed historical tragedy from 100 years prior: when local authorities conspired with mining execs to kidnap more than 1,000 striking workers at gunpoint and deport them to the middle of a New Mexico desert with nowhere to go.April 27, 2:45 pm, Hart House; April 30, 11:30 am, Scotiabank 7; May 4, 5 pm, Scotiabank 3OF FATHERS AND SONSTalal Derki is probably one of the buzzier names with a film at this year’s Hot Docs. The follow-up to his award-winning Syrian war doc, The Return To Homs, picked up the Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema Documentary at Sundance earlier this year. Advertisement United Skates looks at the impact of roller rinks on African-American culture. Facebook LEAVE A REPLY Cancel replyLog in to leave a comment Advertisement
Login/Register With: UNITED SKATESRacism in America is a big topic in documentaries and in the media in general, but first-time directors Dyana Winkler and Tina Brown broach the issue with an unexpected angle: roller skating. Though they’ve been closing down, the venues have been the focal point of underground culture and family-friendly fun for African-Americans for decades. The doc, which was exec produced John Legend, is arriving at Hot Docs following a buzzy premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.April 28, 9 pm, Scotiabank 3; April 30, 1 pm, TIFF Bell Lightbox 2; May 4, 9:30 pm, TIFF Bell Lightbox 1BISBEE ’17 Advertisement Twitter
APTN National NewsDevon Allaire-Bell was murdered in a schoolyard in Surrey, BC on April 24th, 2011. The RCMP is hoping members of the public can help identify the perpetrators, and has released new surveillance video of their whereabouts following the murder.APTN National News reporter Wayne Roberts has the details.
APTN National NewsManitobans re-elected the NDP government in Tuesday’s provincial election.The party brought in four Aboriginal candidates. One of them was elected in Winnipeg’s north-end riding of Point Douglas which is an area that is heavily Aboriginal.APTN National News reporter Tiar Wilson visited the riding ahead of the vote and found a community beginning to wake up politically.Wilson visited the community again, for post-election reaction.
APTN National NewsMontreal is gearing up to deal with its serious problem with intravenous drug users.For years community groups and public health services in the city have been trying to set up safe injection sites similar to what is operating in Vancouver.It was recently announced that four sites will soon be open in the city with the first expected to open next spring.APTN’s Tom Fennario has this story.
APTN National NewsA notable Alberta filmmaker and actress is producing a film about her life.It deals with tackling an issue APTN reported Tuesday out of Maskwacis First Nation in Alberta.They are currently dealing with high rates of suicide.APTN’s Brandi Morin has more.
APTN National NewsAPTN’s Tina House continues her close-up look at what’s at stake with British Columbia’s controversial Site C dam project.
Tamara Pimentel APTN NewsOn the Blood Tribe reserve in Alberta, witnessing an overdose has become a daily occurrence for Dr. Esther Tailfeathers who works at the community’s department of health.“There was one case where one pill of fentanyl was split in four, and four different people shared the one bean of fentanyl,” says Tailfeathers. “All of them overdosed and required more than six vials of naloxone to revive them.“It was horrific for everybody here.”The Blood Tribe continues to deal with an opioid crisis that doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon.In November alone, the health department reported nearly 60 overdoses.Getting her family backLori Eagle Plume visits the Blood Tribe department of health regularly for her suboxone treatment.She has been clean from a fentanyl addiction for almost four years. Her motivation? The thought of her children being released into the foster care system.“Them almost getting taken away from me, it was hard knowing that – either you get help today or if you don’t, we’re going to go take your kids.” she said. “I thought about my kids and I was like, no. Okay I’m going to get help, I’ll do it for them.”Eagle Plume got help in time, but Tailfeathers says parents losing their kids because of drug use is an all too common story in the community.“There’s not a huge safety net for them. We’re so busy concentrating on saving the lives of people who are addicted that we’re not watching the fallout around them and the youth are absorbing a lot of the grief,” Tailfeathers says.“We’re seeing more youth becoming addicted. We had a 13 year old that overdoes in front of our tribal office a week ago.”Eagle Plume says a lot has changed in the community over a short period of time.“It feels like we’re living in the city with the sirens,” said Eagle Plume, “We never used to be like that. When you hear the sirens, you just know what it is.”Tailfeathers says the community has taken major steps to save people from overdoses.Emergency Health Services has increased the amount of ambulances and team members and the Blood Trobe police has more officers.But while lives are being saved, Tailfeather says families have lost their housing to addictions, children are becoming homeless, they’re hungry because they aren’t getting the nutrition they need and many are not attending school.Tailfeathers says 39 per cent of babies from the Blood Tribe are born into neonatal abstinence – a term used when an infant goes through the withdrawl after exposure to narcotics in the womb.“Usually those babies are not released to the mother, they’re released to either to a family member who becomes a temporary guardian or they’re released into the foster care system,” she says.“That’s one part of our populations that we haven’t been paying attention to and we really do need to be concerned.”A possible solution?(Dr. Esther Tailfeathers)Tailfeathers says the root causes of addiction need to be treated – including a faulty health policy.“The prescribing of prescription opioids is part of people getting hooked on opioids – it’s a slippery slope,” says Tailfeathers.“The issue of opioid addictions is basically treating the pain that we have and the trauma that we’ve had over the last century and a half from colonialism, racism.”Tailfeathers says having physicians prescribe a low opioid prescription like Tylenol 3s could be a start to building tolerance.“When they reach a level where it’s not working for them anymore, they seek higher, more potent stuff like fentanyl and heroin from the streets,” she says.Tailfeathers says there’s an option.CBD (cannabidiol), along with THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) is an active incredient in cannabis. But unlike THC, CBD does not produce a “high” feeling.According to Tailfeathers, CBD can be an alternative to pain management but there’s a problem – it’s not eligible for coverage under the Non-Insured Health Benefits of Indigenous Services Canada.“It’s what people are thinking may be helpful because cannabis works on a different pain receptor than opioids do and we don’t see people overdosing on cannabis,” she says.But Indigenous Services says it is not approved by Health Canada.“In order to be considered for listing on the NIHB Program Drug Benefit List, a product must be approved by Health Canada under the Food and Drug Regulations (FDR), have a notice of compliance,” the statement from Indigenous Services says.According to the Canadian Health Food Association, the government needs to sit down and seriously consider offering Canadians a chance to obtain CBD products.“Many Canadians see recreational cannabis as their non-prescription way to access CBD for health purposes and since CBD is a natural substance, we believe it should be regulated and sold as a Natural Health Product,” explained the associations President Helen Long in a statement released in November.Tailfeathers says healing doesn’t stop at the drugs doctors are prescribing, or what the government will or will not license.Overdoses have impacted the economy of the Blood Tribe as well.“It would be so nice if we could be spending all that money that we’re spending on saving lives, if we could spend that on the other end and make this a really nice place to be and actually dealing with the trauma issues that we need to deal with, but we’re not getting there,” Tailfeather said.As Eagle Plume makes another visit to the department of health, she says she encourages others struggling with addictions to seek help.“Coming off drugs was one of the best things because I got my family back. I got my home, It was one of the best things I’ve ever done.”tpimentel@aptn.ca@tamara_aptn
Senator Lynn Beyak has been under fire for racist letters posted to her government-funded website. (APTN file)The Canadian PressThe Senate’s ethics committee is recommending that Sen. Lynn Beyak be suspended without pay for the duration of the current Parliament over letters about Indigenous people she has posted to her website.The committee’s recommendations include that Beyak attend educational programs at her own expense related to racism toward Indigenous people in Canada.The committee’s report also says the Senate administration should be directed to immediately remove five letters from her website if she won’t remove them herself.The Senate ethics committee was tasked with recommending appropriate remedial measures or sanctions for Beyak based on findings from the Senate’s ethics officer.The officer reported in March that the Ontario senator posted letters on her Senate website that contained racist content and therefore breached two sections of a code of conduct for senators.Beyak could not immediately be reached for comment in response to the Senate committee findings.
It’s never been a popular idea in Wild Rose Country, but a left-wing lobby group says introducing a sales tax could help generate the revenue needed in Alberta to maintain public services.Public Interest Alberta appeared with the United Nurses of Alberta, the Alberta Union of Provincial employees and others on Tuesday, to launch its Revenue Reno campaign, which calls for either PST or changes to personal income taxes.We are pleased to announce our latest campaign, Revenue Reno, calling for the provincial government to fix Alberta’s revenue shortage to protect and revitalize our public services. Read our media release: https://t.co/ZU7WNVTcGN #abpoli #ableg #abbudget pic.twitter.com/HXjN3xlbOz— Public Interest AB (@PIAlberta) March 13, 2018“Either way it’s the same people paying, so it’s a matter of how we want to structure that,” said executive director Joel French. “A sales tax has some advantages over personal income taxes in that it’s a tax that’s very hard for people to avoid. With personal income taxes, particularly for wealthy individuals, there are tax write-offs and ways to get around that.”According to the group, every one per cent in sales tax generates $1 to $1.5 billion a year.“HSAA’s members are health care experts who work on the frontlines and know better than anyone that there’s nothing left to cut. The healthcare cupboard is bare. If Alberta doesn’t find a way to create new revenue, frontline public care will have to be slashed and the effect on the work our members do, and on patients, will be devastating. We need revenue reform, and we need it now,” stated president Mike Parker of the Health Sciences Association of Alberta.Public Interest Alberta is encouraging people to visit RevenueReno.ca and speak to their local MLAs about taxes.
DETROIT — General Motors strengthened its pretax profit estimate for 2018 and predicted even stronger performance for 2019 as it executives made a presentation to investors on Friday.CEO Mary Barra also says the company doesn’t foresee any further job cuts through 2020. Last year GM announced plans to close five North American factories and lay off 14,000 salaried and blue-collar workers.The company predicts 2018 pretax profits will be higher than the $5.80 to $6.20 range it forecast in the third quarter. For 2019, it expects that to increase to $6.50 to $7.The rosy profit forecast comes despite declining sales for the company in the U.S. and slowing sales in China. GM also plans to exit several car lines in the U.S. in the coming year.The Associated Press
Council will review the policy on Monday and determine the next steps to update the snow removal policy. The full report being presented to Council is below. Snow removal is a source of financial stress for the City with snowfall amounts being unpredictable, finding the most financially efficient way to move the snow is an asset.
With the 2017 and 2018 budgets exceeding the allocated snow clearing funds due to heavy snowfall. Having the right equipment and system in place is a must to ensure priorities for snow and ice control for streets, parking lots, and sidewalk/trails.
The draft policy that will be presented to Council on Monday identifies priorities for snow and ice control for streets, parking lots, and sidewalk/trails. It also identifies levels of response which are operationalized in the administrative procedure.The draft also allows for the use of contracted services to help with clearing the streets and parking lots. Typically the contractors would work in a residential area, allowing City crews to move back to higher priority areas if required. It also allows for the ability to open a street, to make it safer to drive one – although it is not cleared from curb to curb. Crews would later go back and clear the street from curb to curb. FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – Fort St. John City Council will hear from City staff Monday about a new plan for clearing snow in the City.Staff say the City can’t meet the existing policy directive with current resources. During the last review of the policy in 2010, staff changed to the current procedure that takes much longer to remove snow but doesn’t block residential drives. Before 2010, plow trucks were used to remove snow with clearing completed within one to two days, yet the plows filled peoples driveways.Council asked staff before Christmas to review the current procedure and policy to align the two and to improve efficiencies.
FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – With the East Bypass Road no longer functioning as a bypass road to re-direct traffic around the City and due to the steady residential growth, this requires the renaming of the road to the Northern Lights Drive.The name Northern Lights Drive becomes effective June 26, 2019, which City Council recognizes will require an address change. The City shares while this is necessary, this may cause some inconvenience to affected Property Owners.Recently, the City sent letters by registered mail regarding the renaming of the road to help alleviate the inconvenience, remuneration is available to affected Property Owners by following the steps identified in the letter.If you have questions, contact the Planning and Engineering Department at; 250-787-8150 or email; developmentservices@fortstjohn.ca.
In its update report, however, it says the provincial economy appears to have started growing again in recent weeks, based on rising oil exports by pipe and rail, stronger wholesale and manufacturing shipments and a jump in small business confidence.It also cites an improvement in the jobless rate and positive population growth, along with more upbeat trends in Alberta’s stalled retail sales and housing sectors.The economists stop short of an immediate upgrade in their forecast, however, noting the volatility of regional statistics and the newly elected provincial government’s likely move to restrain spending.“All in all, recent encouraging data have added credence to the view that economic growth in Alberta is gaining some traction,” the report says.“While a continuation in this momentum would set the stage for a forecast upgrade, we remain cautious for now.” CALGARY — Economists at TD Bank say they are looking at upgrading their Alberta growth expectations for 2019 as signs point to a more robust than expected recovery from the effects of extreme heavy oil price weakness in late 2018.The bank suggested in a forecast in June that the province’s economy would grow by a “paltry” 0.5 percent this year and a slightly better 2.1 percent next year.It said the province’s mandated oil production curtailments had worked to strengthen heavy oil prices in early 2019 but business and household spending remained hampered by concerns around medium-term energy investment. The Canadian Press
Mumbai: The Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party Tuesday announced they would contest all 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra in alliance. Announcing the alliance, SP MLA Abu Asim Azmi said the two parties together represent about “85-90 per cent” of the society and provided a third front for people let down by the BJP and Congress. “Secularism is about to end in the country. Those who call themselves chowkidars can go to any length, and peddle lies, to cling on to power,” he alleged. He claimed only the SP-BSP alliance was strong enough to stop the BJP from winning over 5-7 seats in Maharashtra. Attacking the Congress, Azmi said the main opposition party had made Muslims, Dalits and the backward classes “helpless”, as there was no third alternative available for people. “However, after our decision to contest all 48 seats, a third front will be available. We represent 85-90 per cent of society,” he claimed. Azmi said discussions on the seat-sharing formula was yet to begin between the two parties and a committee had been formed to take it forward. The formula would be announced in two to three days, he asserted. He added that no other party had approached them as yet to be part of the alliance. BSP MP Ashok Siddharth alleged the Congress’ policies for Muslims, Dalits and backward classes remained on paper and could not penetrate to the ground level, adding that the SP-BSP will ensure these policies reach the common man. Siddharth said BSP chief Mayawati will address a public rally in Nagpur on April 5 and the party would also request SP chief Akhilesh Yadav to be part of it.
Kolkata: The District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum, South 24-Parganas, has slapped a fine of Rs 10 lakh on the Rabindranath Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences, Mukundapur, and its three doctors whose alleged negligence led to the death of a patient.The consumer disputes redressal forum instructed the private hospital authorities and the doctors to pay the compensation to the family members of the victim within a month from the date of issuance of the order, failing which they will have to bear an interest rate of 8 per cent till the full realisation of the fine amount. Also Read – Bengal family worships Muslim girl as Goddess Durga in Kumari PujaThe victim, Ranjan Sil, a resident of Regent Park area in the city had undergone an open heart surgery way back in 2010. Two years after the surgery, the patient developed a problem in his left leg and eventually he could not move his leg. His health condition deteriorated further and he started having respiratory problems coupled with chest pain in October 2013. He was then admitted to Rabindranath Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences and the doctors prescribed to put him in the ICU. Also Read – Bengal civic volunteer dies in road mishap on national highwayThe doctors in the hospital told the family members of the patient that he had some infection in his chest and some fluid was traced in his chest. They also assured the family members that fluid can be removed through medicines and the patient will recover. The patient was transferred to the general ward without the fluid being removed from his chest. The doctors suggested that the fluids in the chest would be removed through medicines. In the next month, the doctors decided to conduct a surgery extract the fluid. The hospital asked the family members to pay nearly Rs 3 lakh for the surgery. The doctors conducted the surgery on November 5, 2013. A day after the operation was conducted on the patient, his condition deteriorated. On November 7, 2013, the doctors said blood had clotted in his lung and the patient needed to be operated once again. On the next day the operation was conducted for the second time. The opinion was divided between the two sets of doctors where a dialysis would be conducted on the patient as the patient was not passing adequate urine. On November 11, 2013, the hospital authorities told the family members of the victim that the he had died. On January 21, 2015, the victim’s wife lodged a complaint with the District Consumer Disputes Redressal Forum.
New Delhi: “You will never let this country remain in peace,” the Supreme Court said Friday while dismissing a plea seeking permission to carry out religious activities in nine ancient temples situated on the undisputed acquired land adjacent to Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid site at Ayodhya.”There will always be something,” said a bench comprising Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna. The bench was hearing an appeal filed against the January 10 order of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court, which had dismissed the plea seeking its nod to offer prayer in the nine temples there and had also imposed a cost of Rs 5 lakh on the petitioner. Also Read – Uddhav bats for ‘Sena CM’The apex court, while hearing the appeal, told petitioner Pandit Amar Nath Misra to “stop poking” around with the issue. Misra, who is a social activist, had claimed before the high court that authorities have turned a “blind eye” to the initiation of religious activities in ancient temples which are situated on the acquired but undisputed land in Ayodhya since last 25 years. The apex court recently appointed a panel of mediators headed by former top court judge Justice F M I Kalifulla for exploring the possibility of an amicable settlement to the vexatious land dispute. Also Read – Farooq demands unconditional release of all detainees in J&KSpiritual guru and founder of Art of Living foundation Sri Sri Ravishankar and senior advocate Sriram Panchu, a renowned mediator, are the other two members of the panel of mediators. Fourteen appeals have been filed in the apex court against the 2010 Allahabad High Court judgment, delivered in four civil suits, that the 2.77-acre land in Ayodhya be partitioned equally among the three parties — the Sunni Waqf Board, the Nirmohi Akhara and Ram Lalla. On December 6, 1992, the Babri Masjid, constructed at the disputed site in the 16th century by Shia Muslim Mir Baqi, was demolished.
Mumbai: Equity benchmark Sensex rallied about 370 points to scale a record closing high of 39,275.64 as investors’ sentiment got further boost from forecast of a near-normal monsoon and a bumper start of corporate earnings season. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty surged 97 points to close at a fresh high of 11,787.15. Rising for the fourth straight session, the 30-share BSE Sensex also marked its intra-day record of 39,364.34. The rally was mainly driven by financial, consumer durables, auto and oil and gas stocks. Also Read – Thermal coal import may surpass 200 MT this fiscal Top gainers in the Sensex pack were IndusInd Bank, ICICI Bank, ONGC, L&T, Maruti, Asian Paints, Bajaj Auto, Hero MotoCorp, M&M, Kotak Bank, TCS and Axis Bank, ending up to 3.96 per cent higher. On the other hand, PowerGrid, Infosys, Tata Motors and Coal India close up to 0.63 per cent lower. “Market rallied to a new high supported by optimism over quarter earnings and positive global market. A better monsoon outlook from IMD provided relief to investors, who are keen on earnings outcome to accumulate quality stocks despite election led volatility,” Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Financial Services Ltd, said. Elsewhere in Asia, markets in Japan, China and Korea ended on a positive note. In Europe, bourses in Germany, France and the UK were trading in the positive terrain in early deals. Global crude oil benchmark Brent futures fell 0.11 per cent to USD 71.10 per barrel. Meanwhile, the Indian rupee depreciated 24 paise to 69.67 against the US dollar intra-day.
Hyderabad: Retired Supreme Court judge N Santosh Hegde Tuesday said Articles 35A and 370, giving special status to Jammu and Kashmir, are required to be scrapped as they run counter to the rights of other states. He said in 1948 when the Maharaja of Kashmir agreed to merge the state of Kashmir with India, certain assurances were given to the people by introducing Article 35A and Article 370 of the Constitution. Though the wording of this looks like the assurance is “permanent”, in the background in which it was given and the consequential things that have happened in the nation indicate it’s not possible to continue these articles because if Kashmir is an integral part of India, it can’t have a separate status compared to other states, Hegde said. Also Read – Uddhav bats for ‘Sena CM’ “So, in today’s context both the articles are causing a lot of problems for the country as a whole”, the former Solicitor General of India told PTI in an interview. “So, I don’t think it’s possible to continue that article”. He said “today’s situation” requires those articles to be scrapped because certain autonomy given under that Act would run counter to the rights of other states and if Kashmir is an integral part of India, then it must have only an equal status with others. Also Read – Farooq demands unconditional release of all detainees in J&K “I think 70 years have gone by…whatever was the purpose of those articles…according to me, it has served that purpose. Therefore, now it can’t be said that Kashmir is not an integral part of India. Therefore, these two articles do not have any place in the constitution anymore”, the former Karnataka Lokayukta said. Article 370 grants special status to J&K and 35A prohibits outsiders from purchasing land and property in that state. The BJP has in its election manifesto promised to repeal the articles if it retains power after the Lok Sabha polls. Meanwhile, referring to campaigning by political parties for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Hegde, a former Advocate General of Karnataka, said “We have come to the lowest possible standards in our electioneering now”. Hegde mentioned in particular controversial comments made by Union Minister Maneka Gandhi regarding “minorities’ votes” and Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan on his BJP opponent and film actor Jaya Prada. “Politics is in the lowest ebb possible today. I think unless there is a change in the thinking and moral standard of these politicians go up, I think we are in big trouble in the days to come”, he said. Irrespective of political parties, some of their members have gone to such a level that they don’t deserve to be in politics, he said. “And this is not the political campaign India would have expected from its leaders. It’s a very cheap and low level of campaigning, without any moral standards”, he said. “Unfortunately, it’s not confined to only one political party. Every day standard is coming so low, it’s a very sad thing that in a country of values like India, that we have to suffer this”, Hegde said.