The first item of business today is general questions. We start with question number one from Finlay Carson. To ask the Scottish Government what the scope is of the recently announced report on developing the A75 and A77. Minister Humza Yousaf. The south-west Scotland transport study will consider the rationale for improvements to road to rail and public transport, and indeed acts of travel in the key strategic corridors, including the A75, the A77 and the railway corridors to Stranraig and Callyw via Cwmarnock and Dumfries, and we'll have a particular focus on the access to the ports at Cairnryan. It will examine the case for change in relation to transport infrastructure investment. In 2016, while visiting my constituency, the Deputy First Minister pledged further investment in the A75. Indeed, the environment minister at the time declared that in an election pledge there was a clear demonstration of the S&P's commitment to the region. Only last year, the Deputy First Minister said that, to grow the economy and new jobs, we need to improve further the region's transport infrastructure. Yesterday, the transport minister announced to the chamber that the Scottish Government intended to honour the commitments and promises in our manifesto. When will the Government honour that clear commitment to Calyw via Cwmarnock and Dumfries and provide not just another report but substantial investment in the A75 and the A77 that is desperately needed? The Deputy First Minister asked about substantial investment. We have invested £50 million in the A75 in six new schemes, £35 million in four schemes in the A77, and we are going to be investing in the Mabel bypass. Does the member not have even a tad bit of shame that he comes to this chamber week on week, demanding that we spend more while cutting tax to the wealthiest and, in the meantime, when they find time in between making a complete pigsear of Brexit, his Government is robbing this Scottish Government to the tune of £500 million over the next two years? 2. Gordon Lindhurst To ask the Scottish Government how it ensures that the non-domestic rate system is fair to businesses. We are doing everything in our powers to support our businesses. This year, we have reduced a non-domestic rates poundage by 3.7 per cent and funded the most competitive package of rates relief available anywhere in the UK. It is worth around £660 million, including the small business bonus scheme, which will lift 100,000 properties out of rates altogether. We have also gone beyond the recent Barclay review recommendations with new measures to drive investment. In addition to the growth accelerator, which will mean that businesses pay no rates increases for the first year on new and improved properties, we will ensure that every new-build property does not pay a penny in rates until it is occupied for the first time. Further details will be confirmed in the draft budget next week. Gordon Lindhurst I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. The Scottish Government has dealt with only 0.2 per cent of appeals from the non-domestic rates re-evaluations earlier this year. That is just £161 million of the £5 billion worth of appealed re-evaluations in 2017. Does the cabinet secretary have any estimates on the number of businesses that are going to the wall whilst waiting on their appeal to be heard? It really is quite incredible. Gordon Lindhurst—I think that pretty much every other Tory member in the chamber—is totally ignorant of the facts when it comes to non-domestic rates. The Scottish Government does not determine the appeals of business rates. There is a separate and independent due process for that. It is the case that many businesses do appeal the valuation and material considerations are taken into account, but it is an independent process for a reason. I tell you what I will not do. Let us follow what the UK Government has done in this regard, which is to charge for appeals that has caused such consternation south of the border. I do not always quote the Scottish Property Federation or the Scottish Retail Consortium when it comes to non-domestic rates, but it is right when it says that the Scottish Government is ahead of the curve when it comes to reforming our business rates regime. Can the cabinet secretary give assurances to the businesses that qualify for and benefit from the small business bonus scheme, which currently has over 100,000 Scottish businesses, to ensure that we have vibrant town centres and to encourage an environment for start-ups, so that the scheme will continue? I can absolutely confirm that the small business bonus will continue. It is on course to lift 100,000 properties out of rates altogether. Of course, although opposition politicians pretend to care for their town centres, it is the Government that delivers to give them that lifeline in those challenging times. What is more, not only will our package support those properties, I am going to write out to other small businesses who I think might be eligible for the small business bonus. We take the right decisions, we fund our promises and we reach out to support our communities and our business community as well, while the opposition carp from the sidelines. 3. Elaine Smith Thank you, Presiding Officer. I ask the Scottish Government what action it is taking to improve the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid disorders. The Scottish Government's role is to provide policies, frameworks and resources to NHS boards to allow them to deliver services, taking account of national guidance set out by the British Thyroid Association. A clinician's prime duty is to do no harm and in making a diagnosis we expect clinicians to take account of all the evidence presented to them. That will include test results but also to consider each patient's symptoms, circumstances and experiences. We expect all clinicians to demonstrate a patient-centred approach through full engagement and shared decision making on mutually agreed outcomes. That approach is at the heart of all the Scottish Government's policies and in particular the chief medical officer's report on realising realistic medicine. 2. Elaine Smith Thank you and I thank the cabinet secretary for that encouraging response. I was pleased that, in response to my recent debate, there was a commitment to help thyroid sufferers and indeed there has been good news in NHS England as T3 is not being removed from the prescribed medicines list after a successful patient-led campaign. However, we do need a clear answer on T3 here in Scotland, so can the cabinet secretary confirm that GPs and health boards will continue to prescribe this life-saving medicine? 3. Elaine Smith Of course, as T3 is still licensed, it can continue to be prescribed on the NHS and there are no plans to remove T3 from NHS Scotland. Obviously, formularies are set and agreed by local boards based on recommendations from local clinicians, clinical expert groups, the latest clinical evidence and any recommendations that come via the SNP. Of course, it is recognised and I should have paid recognition to Elaine Smith's work on this over a long period of time, but it is recognised that a small proportion of patients do not tolerate T4, which is obviously the mainly prescribed drug, and that T3 use is available as an option and where the clinician is satisfied that this is the safest and most clinically effective treatment option for the individual patient concerned. That is the way that things have been done and that is the way that matters should continue to be done. 4. Joan McAlpine To ask the Scottish Government what discussions it has had with the Irish Government regarding continuing free trade and free movement of people between Scotland and Ireland after Brexit. The Scottish Government is in regular contact with the Irish Government on EU matters. The First Minister met the T-shirt in Dublin on October 5. There was contact at the British Irish Council on 10 November. Last Friday, Fiona Hyslop met the Irish Foreign Minister, the Tarnist chair in Dublin, and I met the Irish Foreign Minister in Cambridge in September on the margins of the British Irish Association. The best outcome for Scotland, which is what people voted for, is continued EU membership. However, short of that, it is essential for jobs, living standards and our economy that we retain our place in the single market and the customs union. That will ensure that the damage from Brexit is minimised and we can deepen the very close economic and social ties between Ireland and EU member and Scotland to ensure a continued freedom of movement between our two countries. I thank the minister for that answer. Does the Government agree that the UK Government's reliance on a shabby deal with the DUP to keep afloat is now risking hundreds of thousands of jobs right across these islands, and it is really time for the Tories to put the public good before their own political survival? I think that we always have to be very careful when talking about the circumstance in Northern Ireland. The Scottish Government has been a long-term supporter of peace in Northern Ireland, and particularly of the Good Friday Agreement. Quite clearly, any actions that damage or imperil the Good Friday Agreement and the balance of powers within Northern Ireland are not helpful, and in that regard, the arrangement with the DUP is clearly a disruptive force in this, but we do seek to try and ensure the very best for Ireland in north and south and to ensure that the difficulties of the past are not returned to and that we do that responsibly and carefully. 5. Rhoda Grant To ask the Scottish Government whether it will provide an update on the situation with people affected by the Salvis and Riddle case. Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, Fergus Ewing The Supreme Court published its judgment in the Salvis and Riddle case in April 2013. The case is now ended. I have to assume that the member is referring to the litigation that has followed on from the Supreme Court decision. Both tenant farmers and landlords are currently engaged in live litigation against Scottish ministers. If that is correct, it is not possible for me to provide an update. I refer the member to rules of standing order rule 7.5 sub-udike sections 1 and 2. Therefore, I am constrained in what I may say about any matter that is the subject of current litigation. 2. Rhoda Grant The Scottish Government had promises to deal favourably with tenants caught up with the Salvis and Riddle case. However, it has not, and that means that the tenants were required to sue the Government. Even when they won their case, the Scottish Government has continued to lay payment and compensation. That is bad enough, but the Scottish Government has obtained a ruling to pursue families of tenants for court costs. When will the Scottish Government honour its commitment to tenants who have already lost their homes and businesses and compensate them fully and order them to allow them to make a fresh start? I think that most of that question is related to a live case. Does the minister wish to make a very brief comment? He may do. The question is almost entirely out of order. Although I cannot talk about any matter that is subject to current litigation, I am able to say that tripartite mediation was previously offered by the Scottish Government on the basis that, if any party wishes to submit a compensation claim against the Scottish Government as part of that process, the Scottish Government would step outside the mediation to consider and, if liability was accepted, it could continue to be part of that process. No parties took up that offer before the tenant farmers lodged their case in court against Scottish ministers, including their associated compensation claims. We have also facilitated, aside from the court action, and we have funded a Scottish Government mediation service between tenant farmers and their landlords to provide a forum for tenant farmers and landlords who wish to engage to discuss and explore the resolution of issues between them. The mediation service lasts until 2018, and we have, Presiding Officer, made up to £13,000, excluding VAT, available for the costs associated with undertaking mediation between those landlords and tenant farmers. I would just conclude by pointing out to the member something of which I suspect she is extremely well aware that the Salverson Riddle case arose because of a flaw in the law, the law that was passed by the previous Labour Liberal Administration, and a flaw in the law that the Scottish Tenant Farmers Association pointed out was such that this administration has effectively been left to pick up the pieces. Thank you, Presiding Officer, to ask the Scottish Government when it last met NHS Fife. The Scottish Government meets regularly with NHS Fife to discuss matters of interest to the people of Fife. I thank the cabinet secretary for that answer. The cabinet secretary will be aware that leaving mouth and parts of Glynottus in my constituency are among some of the most disadvantaged in Scotland. Does she agree with me that the number one priority for NHS Fife and for Fife's health and social care partnership should be providing services that directly tackle health inequalities? I certainly agree that NHS Fife and Fife's health and social care partnerships should be working with partners across Fife to tackle both health inequalities and their underlying causes. For its part, the Scottish Government is focused on addressing the underlying causes, ending poverty, fair wages, supporting families and improving our physical and social environments. We continue to protect the most vulnerable and those on low incomes. To this end, we are investing more than £100 million every year to mitigate the worst impacts of the UK Government's welfare cuts. We are funding things like the Lynx Workers programme, which is right on the front line of the battle against health and inequalities. We have committed to increasing the number of Lynx workers supporting general practices in Scotland. There are now a total of 53 in posts with more being recruited next year, and I am sure that the people of Fife will also benefit from those Lynx workers. Alexander Stewart In September, more than 1,150 people in NHS Fife waited over 18 weeks for treatment, the highest number on record. How will the cabinet secretary ensure that upward trend is reversed as soon as possible? Alexander Stewart should recognise that, despite some of those challenges, NHS Fife's performance on waiting times has been very commendable. Indeed, the work that it has done to improve some of its waiting times is being looked at elsewhere. In Scotland, of course, he will be aware of the £50 million that has been deployed this financial year to make improvements to waiting times of which NHS Fife has received £3.4 million, and the work that is going on led by Professor Derek Bell to reform the way elective capacity is organised to make sure that we can meet the demands and expectations of the population, not just here and now, but into the future as well. Mike Rumbles To ask the Scottish Government what the impact has been on NHS Grampian's patient service record of the figures from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre, which suggests that the board's NRAC funding targets have not been met since 2009, leading to a £165.6 million discrepancy over the period. Shona Robison Well, as I explained last week, NHS Grampian was 3.7 per cent behind its target funding allocation when the NRAC formula was introduced in 2009-10. In a position that I may add that we inherited, the Scottish Government has invested significantly in supporting the boards that are behind parity, and since 2015-16, NHS Grampian has received additional funding of £47 million for the specific purpose of accelerating NRAC parity. We expect all health boards, including NHS Grampian, to meet and maintain national performance targets and standards from the resources provided, as with all boards, we continue to work with NHS Grampian to ensure that public money is being used effectively to deliver better services, better care and better value. Mike Rumbles Now, is the cabinet secretary aware that in the past year—I hope that she is aware—that NHS Grampian, there have been 3,471 fewer planned operations than in the previous year, with the second worst waiting times in Scotland, hundreds of operations have been cancelled for non-clinical reasons, and specialist services to treat veterans have now been withdrawn because of a lack of funding from the board? Is she also aware that the NRAC formula only aims to give NHS Grampian 90 per cent of the funding of the average health board per head of population? It is the lowest in the country. Is she satisfied with this state of affairs? Jeane Freeman We are working very hard with NHS Grampian to make the improvements. Of course, NHS Grampian has received a share of the £50 million in order to make those improvements and are working hard across the whole of the north region to look at how elective capacity is better organised. Mike Rumbles fundamentally misunderstands how the NRAC formula works. The Scottish Government is supporting all boards that are behind parity and is committed in additional £884 million over a six-year period to those NHS boards below their NRAC parity levels. All boards are now within 1 per cent of parity. Given the year-to-year movements in the NRAC target allocations, it would not have been possible to move NHS Grampian or any other board below parity to absolute parity, as that would have had an equivalent reduction in funding for those other boards, including Shetland and Orkney that are above parity. I do not imagine that his Lib Dem colleagues would have wanted me to take that action. The NRAC formula works in a way of gradual movement of those boards below parity. That is a sensible and responsible way in order to allocate funding to the NHS boards. Alexander Burnett Thank you, Presiding Officer. Recently, it has been reported that NHS Grampian spent over £10,000 on a trip to recruit nurses from Australia and commissioned a US delegation to help reduce waiting times. All the while, the health board is having to make £75 million of savings by 2020. Does the cabinet secretary admit that her Government's failure to put in place proper workforce planning has left NHS Grampian understaffed and struggling to meet waiting-time targets? Roseanna Cymru Of course, NHS England has no workforce plan, as Jeremy Hunt revealed just a few weeks ago. I will take no lectures from the Tories about workforce planning. We have expanded our nurse training places to 2,600. I encourage all boards to look at innovative ways of recruiting nurses rather than criticising them for doing so, but let me end on this note. The biggest impact on recruitment in Scotland for nurses, care staff and others is the absolutely reckless Brexit approach that is being taken by the UK Government. Do not come here and lecture us about recruitment to the NHS. The First Minister Thank you. That concludes general questions. Before we turn to First Minister's questions, I am sure that members would wish to join me in welcoming to our gallery the Honourable Dr Darryl Plickas, the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia.


Hello, Yukon 28209, yes, this is Candy Mattson. The National Broadcasting Company presents Candy Mattson, Yukon 28209. What? Why, Myra Fisher, what are you doing here in a department store with your work clothes on? I work here, dear. I'm a wage slave. Well, I must say on you, it looks good. What do you slave at? I'm head of advertising and promotion. Well, quite a spot, hey, girl. No, it was until this morning. Now my neck is in the fire. What'd you do? Forget to proofread one of your head? Nothing so trivial, dear, believe me. But am I glad to have bumped into you? Maybe you'll change your mind when I tell you I've been shoplifting. No, I'm serious, Candy. Could you spare a moment and come on up to my office? Why, sure. And wipe that frown from off your brow. It's wrinkling your makeup. Well, yours would wrinkle, too, if you had a missing Santa Claus helper on your hands. Well, well, now there's a situation, and it almost broke Candy Mattson's heart when someone told her there was no Santa Claus' helper, one Jack Frost. Listen, here she is now to tell you about it. That's right, what the man said. I ran into a deal where we had a missing Santa Claus helper, Jack Frost. The jet with the icicles was supposed to talk to the tiny tots of the brownstone, one of San Francisco's larger and classier department stores. I'd gone down there that afternoon shopping. I wanted a bow tie for my old pal, Inspector Ray Mallard, of the San Francisco Police Department, a bow tie that lit up and spelled Cossack when you pressed the button on the battery. That was when I bumped into this gal, Myra Fisher. We went up to her office on the sixth floor, and she sat me down. She greeted me, too. You think I'm fooling about this Jack Frost thing, don't you, Candy? Well, now look, dear, we all have our little peccadillos, yours just nearly half of them. Well, peccadillos, yours just nearly happens to be a missing Jack Frost. You'll get over it. I refrain from hurling this ashtray at you, Candy, only because of our long acquaintance. Good. Now, listen to me. We've had a Santa Claus helper here for almost a month, and a darn good one. The kids were crazy about him. This morning, he didn't show. Well, you don't suppose Jacky Boy got in the mood and caught the Christmas dinner, do you, the kind that comes in pints? No, he wasn't that sort of Joe. Well, your answer's simple, hire a new one. They're hired through an agency. I call the one we do business with, and they're fresh out of Jack Frost. And I've got to get one, Candy. Otherwise, I come down ten notches in the opinion of the brass. I don't want you to think I'm unsympathetic, Mara, but what can I do? Would you get around? You know people find you somebody, anybody who'll take over the job of being Jack Frost. Well, okay. I'll do the best I can, Mara.  Yeah, one of Santa's dears. Okay, I'll try and find you a Jack Frost, Mara, but don't hold it against me if he turns out to look more like Humpty Dumpty. I went home and looked up the Webster definition of saw. It said saw, easily yielding to pressure. That was me, Candy Matts and Girl Dope. Here I had all my Christmas shopping to do and I agreed to find a substitute for Jack Frost. I had no idea where to start. So I changed into something red and green for a stop-and-go, also for Christmas, and went over to see my friendly advisor, Rembrandt Watson. Rembrandt is a photographer and excellent, too, now that he doesn't have the sherry shivers or the park pauses. He lives on California Street, just kitten rompers from Old St. Mary's with a statue of Sonja Tseng for company in a park next door. Candy, though, how delightful to come in, won't you? Thanks, Rembrandt. Oh, Pat, you're equated with my friend, Thaogenes Murphy, aren't you? Oh, yes, hello again, Mr. Murphy. Well, good afternoon, lad. You look pretty if you needed the last time, I saw you. Uh-oh, here comes the blarney. Young lady, Thaogenes Murphy, the honest Irishman, never says a word. It doesn't mean. Now, how do you think I managed to sell so many used cars that we placed out on Venice Avenue? Because you're an honest Irishman. Oh, you're so right, lad. Incidentally, if you need a good car, I can get you one at a very reasonable Thaogenes. Oh, sorry, I got carried away. I didn't mean to barge in on you like this, Rembrandt. No, be ridiculous, dear. No, don't be. Nothing of it, lad. I'm on my way now. Rembrandt and I were only discussing the situation of the world. And to what conclusion did you come? It stinks. The bottom of the afternoon to the both of you.  Yes, I'm very fond of Thaogenes. What brings you around this way, dear? Jack Frost. Yes. Now, getting on with our conversation, what brings you around this way, dear? Jack Frost. Maybe the needle's bad. Shall we try again? I know how you feel. I reacted the same way myself. I'll give you the pocket-sized edition. The Brownstone department store is without a Santa Claus helper, Jack Frost. He didn't show up for work this morning. I said I'd find him a new one. Well, that's very sweet of you, Dove.  I know of only one character who even remotely looked like Jack Frost. I met him up in Alaska when I was traveling with the USO. Won't do you much good down here, will it? No, that's why I came to see you, Rembrandt. Don't you keep a cross-file on models you've used in photography? As a matter of fact, I do. Here in this little book, let's see. Men, thin, extremely. I have just one, Pietro Tarantello. Would you care for a Sicilian, Jack Frost? In Sicily, yes. Hey, what's that? Where? On that chair next to you. Oh, that's the afternoon paper, dear. Diogenes Leptidae, imagine. Yes, but on the front page. Here's the whole story about the missing Jack Frost on the front page. Ooh, what he got in his Christmas talking. A flood through the head. That's no way to treat Jack Frost. And here's a picture of the guy without his vaults, icicles. What the hem? Looks like he stepped right out of an 1890 Shakespearean play.  I take back what I said. Rembrandt. Divorce yourself from that tone of voice, Candy. I don't like it. Rembrandt, I've got an idea. You usually do.  Can't stand them. You like to talk to people. I have poor conversations. You like to be charming. Lost me charm. Gay?  With the help of a few icicles, Ducky, you're going to be Jack Frost. Rembrandt fought. He argued. He paced the floor. He had the vapors. He fainted. I brought him too. I won the argument. I got my friend Myra Fisher on the phone and informed her that one R Watson would assume the role of Jolly Jack Frost on the morrow. She was delighted. I couldn't say the same for Rembrandt. Then I went home. I was greeted by a sound very much like that of a phone ringing using my keen instinct. I figured it was the phone. It was. Hello, Candy Madsen. How do you do, Miss Madsen? Allow me to introduce myself. Allowed. My name is Burke. Prentice Burke. I'm the first assistant vice president of the Round Stone. Round Stone? Yes. That's the store of some kind, isn't it? Yes. Now, the reason for my call. There has been, shall I say, a rather unfortunate occurrence in our store today. So I read. I need the help of a professional sleuth. You were highly recommended by the head of our advertising department, Miss Myra Fisher. Uh-huh. A thick button. I beg your pardon. No need to. You didn't do anything. OK. Care to talk to me now, Mr. Burke? I'd much rather have you come down to my office, Miss Madsen. This matter is of an extremely confidential nature. I'm your girl, then. Figured to live with you, speaking. How long will you be there? As long as necessary. That's up to you. Very well. I'll be there in half an hour if I can find a place to park. I only had time for a fast change, so I made it from Andescray to Tabu. I sniffed at it and felt I was on the right scent. Then I climbed in my car, drove down Carney Street, waved a crisp single under the nose of a hotel doorman and had my car taken care of. Then into the brown stone and up to Mr. Prentice Burke's office. I flipped a hip past the girl's secretary and walked on in. Burke was waiting for me. That was obvious. I could tell by the expression on his face it was worried look number 12B. How do you do, Mr. Burke? I'm Candy Mattson. Oh, sit down, won't you? Thank you. Now, our subject is what? A man named Jordan. That's on another network. I beg your pardon. Oh, that's right. Now, about this Jordan. Yes, Ralph Jordan, to be exact. Well, that's a relief. For a moment, I thought you wanted to talk about Jack Frost. That's just it. He was Jack Frost. Oh, me and my big mouth. He was working here up until yesterday afternoon. And maybe you read about it. He was found shot today. Yes, yes, I read about it. That's the reason I've called you. Why didn't you have your own store detective's takeover, Mr. Burke? No, no, that would never do. I want no one in the store to know what's going on. Ah, intrigue. Quite possibly. I have reason to suspect that Jordan was killed by someone in our employ. I want to find out who that someone was before the police do and get it splashed all over the front pages. Publicity conscious, eh? Business has been off all year and any bad breaks in the press would hurt us that much more. Maybe you've got a point there, I don't know. I know I have. Okay, I'll take the job. You say you have a suspicion. What is it? Well, nothing tangible. It's just a feeling I have. Oh, that's a big help. Well, I'll mush around and see what I can pick up. I'll bill you tomorrow for my first day's work. It's much easier to sustain a friendship on a daily basis. I left Burke looking as though someone had just called his store a bizarre. It was closing time, so I hefted my way through the crush and retrieved my car from the doorman. The Hall of Justice is right on my way home, so I decided to drop in on my old pal, Mallard. Inspector Ray Mallard of San Francisco Homicide. A nice guy to serve coffee to on Sunday mornings if you could ever lasso him. I never could get strong enough rope. Candy, what brings you around here? I hate to have my Christmas ruined so early. What about that Jack Frost character? Oh, yeah. Poor guy got it good. Where'd you find him? In his apartment over on 17th. He lived near Seal Stadium. Why's he interested, Candy? Rembrandt's a dead ringer for the guy. I still don't get that. The girl who was head of advertising for the brownstone was going out of her head for another Jack Frost. I talked Rembrand into taking the job. Oh, it does sound funny, doesn't it? Bring me up to date, Mallard. Did you get any dope on the killing? Nothing but a 45 slug out of the guy's wall. Ballistics is checking it now. Nothing else? If I did, I should tell you. No, oh, I guess not. This goes beyond just a normal curiosity, Candy. What are you drilling for? Only that I'm worried about Rembrandt. I got him the job. I'm responsible. I wouldn't want anything to happen to him.  Okay, let's forget it. How was about dinner tonight? I've thought this thing long enough. Okay. Uh, Candy. Uh, yes, Mallard. We've known each other a good long time, haven't we? That's right. Ever since the fair on Treasure Island.  Oh, they never seem to last long, no doobie. No. That's why I feel I have every right to ask you a question. Wait, yes, I'd say you do, Mallard. Maybe I'll ask you tonight. No, no, no, go ahead. Now's as good a time as any. Perhaps it is, Candy. You get around a lot. You meet people. Do you know where I can get a couple of tickets to the Rose Bowl game?  I stormed for the door, turned back, stood there, my jaw waggling helplessly. Then I stuck my tongue out at Mallard and left. It was the only thing I could think of doing. Oh, he can make me so mad. But inside half an hour after I got home, I started to laugh. Felt much better. Just as I was puttering around getting ready, the apartment buzzer buzzed. It hadn't Mallard much too early. But I was wrong. It wasn't Mallard. Well, Myra, what a surprise. Do come in, won't you? No thanks, Candy. A friend of mine's waiting in his car outside. He's driving me home. I'm sorry. You can't stay for a moment. It's all my dear. I just brought by to leave this, merely a little token of thanks for getting me off the hook. Oh, Myra, there wasn't any need to do that. Just a few pair of old stockings, dear. Getting me my new Jack Frost means more than you know. Here, please take them. Along with my very deepest thanks. Thanks so much a girl can always use them. Are you all set with my friend Mr. Watson? Oh, yes. He came in this afternoon and filled out his withholding tax and so on. That's very nice. I think you'll find him very efficient, Myra. Oh, what's the matter? Pardon me. I didn't mean to frighten you. Oh, Mallard. Silly of me. I must have jumped a foot. Oh, that's all right. He frightens me too. Myra, I'd like to have you meet Inspector Mallard. Inspector Miss Fisher. How do you do? Oh, fine. Thank you. Now that I've caught my breath, do forgive me, Candy, but I must rush. See you soon, I hope. Tomorrow, Myra, I'll be down to see how my lad's doing is Jack Frost. Thanks for the stockings. Well, aren't you going to invite me in? No, I'm not. Here's my coat right here with our hurry. Come on, let's go. I'm starved. I thought we could have a cocktail here before we left. You saw it wrong. Two tickets to the Rose Bowl. From now on, you earn your cocktails, Mallard. We went downstairs and as I locked the front door, a car was just driving off. It was Myra and she waved. And driving, if these tired old eyes hadn't deceived me, it was Mr. Prentice Burt, Vice President of the Brownstone. Well, oh well, Mallard and I climbed into our car and drove out of the cliff house. It was that kind of an evening. We had dinner and after I suggested we walk a bit. The night was crisp and clear and the evening star was hanging out above the dark waters of the Pacific like an iridescent Japanese lantern. We cut across a little road above Sutro Baths where an old car barn had once stood and worked our way over the cliffs and stood high above land's end. It was exhilarating. Penny, for your thoughts, Andy? Inflation is still here. All right. I get two pennies. Well, I was just thinking, Mallard, when you see a star in the sky, soft water below, feel Christmas in the air, how can there be violence in the world? An age-old question, pal. One I can't answer. I'm too small. Hey, you're cold. I better put my arm around you. Mallard, no. The headlights from that automobile are shining right down on us. Mallard. Danny, what's wrong? Got your flashlight with you? Sure. Also my gun and my handcuffs. Anything else we need? A mortar, maybe? Lights from that car. They shone on something. Down there, under that tree. Oh, Candy, just for once, can't you stop digging up a mystery? Be human? I am being human. Come on, Mallard. See what's under that tree? We scrambled around through the brush, slipped into some sliding sand and rode the crest down to the tree. It wasn't easy to get around some of those brambles, but get there I fully intended doing, because what I saw was red, bright red. You okay, Candy? Nothing that a new pair of nylons won't fix. Shoot the flashlight over this way a bit. Now we're... there. That's it. Now, do you think I'm dreaming things up? What is it? Wait, I hold it up. Well, looks like some kind of a costume. Right. And look, if those aren't blood stains, I'm a Labrador Retriever.  Those are blood stains. How was your boy dressed when you found him? Torn slacks, sweater, shoes, no socks. This was most likely his costume, man. Yeah. Don't move around too much, Candy. I want to have a good look at the ground. Hey, what are you doing down there? Who's that? The police. I'll get up here and don't try any tricks. That's all right, officer. This is Inspector Mallard. Homicide. Oh, sorry, Inspector. That's all right. Stay right where you are. We'll be right up. Now, this is a break, Candy. I want you to drive into a phone. I'll leave the officer here to guard the place. You can go home. I've got work to do here, okay? Yeah, yeah, sure. For once we had dinner before, you had a chance to break the date. This baby was hard to reconstruct. Was the guy knocked off out there at Land's End, or was he bumped off at his apartment, the killer driving way out to the beach and hiding the costume? Only time would tell. I went home, climbed into bed, and logged about eight hours, enough to give me fuel for the next day. In the morning, I went down to the brownstone. The shoppers were already swarming through the place. I spotted a floor walker and strolled over to him. Pardon me, sir. I... I said, pardon me, sir. I'm very busy, young lady. Make it as brief as possible. You do work here, don't you? Of course. You are the floor walker assigned to this section? That is correct. Come to the point, please. Oh, the... Well, I have a good mind to report you. As you wish. As I said, I'm very busy. Now, what is it you wanted to know? The words are like gall in my mouth now, but where do I find Jack Frost? Right over there. In the back, two aisles over. Thank you. Not at all. Very much. All the high-handed characters, people like that, make me steam. I was getting up a full head of dander, but it simmered out before I had a chance to boil over. Because as I rounded a corner, I saw Frosty Boy, or Rembrandt, if you choose, up on his platform, with the cutest little blonde kid sitting in his lap. Well, well, well. Look who we have here. A very big boy. Hello there, son. Oh, Jack Frost. What is your name? Topper. Topper. My, what a fine name. How old are you, Topper? Five-and-a-half. Five-and-a-half. Well, you must go to school, Topper. Which one? Garfield. Garfield. That's a good school. Now, tell me, what would you like to have me tell Santa Claus to bring you for Christmas, Topper? An electric train and a baseball bat, and I like to be in the seals for lefty-old-oo. Well, I'll see what I can do to arrange that, Topper. I'll tell Santa Claus. Bye now. Goodbye. I hope you can make the boy's wish come true. Oh, dual could use him. Candy. I'm so glad you're here, Doug. Look around into the back room for a moment. I've got to talk to you. Aren't you working, Frosty Boy? I got 10 minutes off every hour. I'll take a break now. Look right around there, Candy. Okay. I'll see you in a moment. What's the matter, Rembrandt? Even under those icicles, you look warm under the collar. Yeah. Look at this. Every now and then, one of these mopeds tattles up to me with a Christmas letter in its hand. A little red-headed girl handed me this about half an hour ago. I've been shaking ever since. Let me see. Dear Jack Frost, a word of the wise is sufficient. When you take your lunch hour, keep on going. Don't come back. Otherwise, you'll meet the same fate as your predecessor. Hmm. Just about what I expected. Candy. You mean to say that you're deliberately using me as a sacrificial lamb? Why no means, Ducky. Go ahead. Take your lunch. Then do as the note says. Keep on going. As a matter of fact, why don't you take off now? I'll meet you at your place in about an hour. That's the best news I've heard since Nelson's victory at Trafalgar. I whipped upstairs, reported to Prentice Burke, got my first day's check, and on my way out told his secretary she better get Burke's and smelling salt. Then I went back down on the floor again. Sure enough, there was my boy, the floor walker. I wanted to have a few more words with him. Oh. You again. If you don't mind, I was just up to see Miss Myra Fisher. She wasn't in. Have you seen her down here? No, and what's more, I won't see her all day. She phoned saying she was feeling ill. Most inconsiderate, I must say, during the holiday rush. Yes, I must say. Could you give me her address? She's a friend of mine. I've got to see her. Her address? Well, yes. Write it down here on one of my cards for you. Myra Fisher, 227 F Union Street. There. Thank you. You're so kind. I had all the ammunition I wanted. A check signed by Burke and a card written by the floor walker. His name was Simon Liggett. With that, I ducked into a phone booth and called Mallory. Good boy. This is Candy. What did you find out at Lanzan last night? Couple of very juicy footprints. I give us nothing. Did you make any casts of them? Oh, I sure. Mind if I borrow a couple of them for a few hours, Mallory? Well, I don't see how it'll hurt. Sure, okay. Thanks, Mallory, dear.  I stopped by the Hall of Justice, got the cast of the footprints, shoved Mallory into the car, and then picked up Rembrandt. The thing was only a hunch, but my hunches have paid off, so I never ignore them. First, we went out to an address on Fifth Avenue near Clemente. We got in the back door and went to work. Nothing made sense there. So we drove over to receipt away in the marina. Again, we got in and did some sleuthing. This time, we hit the jackpot. A pair of shoes in the closet matched the casts we had brought with us. Rembrandt, go out in the kitchen and see if this place has any ketchup. I'm not hungry, Doug, but, oh, look, what are you up to, Candy? We've got enough to swing a case here. I'm working for a voluntary confession now. Tell me, what was the position that the jack frost was in when you found him dead? In a chair, like that one. His head slumped down on his chest. Good. Here's the concept, Doug. What are you putting it on? You what? Without the bun or relish, Ducky. Sit down there, will you, Rembrandt? Now, just go limp and let your head hang down. That's it. Now for a little seasoning. Oh, Candy, you're smearing me with this sticky stuff. No, for the sake of art. Oh, still. There. How does he look, Mallard? Well, Candy looks like the same guy, the real thing. Good.  Don't move. Mallard, you duck into that closet over there and I'll hide in here. We've got a good view of the front door from both places. OK? OK. There are times, Candy, when I admit I admire your genius. Genius, genius. Come on, let's hide. The golden shafts of sun splashing in through the window from the ocean slowly turn pink, then purple, and into twilight. A minute ticked on. Once... Bless you, but quiet though, Rembrandt. You'll mess up your ketchup. Five minutes, 10. Then we heard muffled footsteps coming down the hall and a key inserted in the lock of the apartment door. The old fool, I killed. No, no. OK, buddy, that'll be about enough. What? Oh, no. Get him, Mallard. He's ducking. I'll get him. Nice tackle, Mallard. All right, Mack. You're going to remain peaceful. Do I have to give you a little tap? No, no. I'll be quiet. You got me. I did it. I did it to the both of them. I killed them. I killed them. I killed both of them. Both of them? Yeah. Look behind the sofa. The sofa. The girl. The tech cross. The sofa. The sofa. Wait a minute, Mallard. I had to do it. I couldn't. Oh. Oh, Mallard. More trouble, Candy. I killed both of them. I'm glad I killed both of them. Yes. No friend of mine. The late Myra Fisher. The whole thing was jealousy. Not the jealousy of a man for a woman, but the jealousy of a man for a job. Simon Liggett had been with the Brownstone for almost 20 years. He'd worked himself up from the stock boy to a place where he'd been promised the job of head of advertising and promotion. He almost got it. Except at the last moment, Prentice Burt gave the position to Myra Fisher. That had only been two weeks before. He knew that Myra was on a probationary term, so he did everything he could to undermine her. Little things like changing ad copies, sending out false stories to newspapers. He figured that if he could keep the store without a Santa Claus helper, he'd break Myra's back and get the job by the first of the year. He paid a visit to the first Jack Frost and tried to bribe him into quitting, but the guy would have none of it. There was a struggle. Liggett lost his head and whipped out a gun and shot him. He was still in his costume, so Liggett stripped him, put some old clothes on him, drove out to Land's End and ditched his costume. Then he felt sure there would be no Jack Frost the next day. But that's when Myra met me and I talked Rembrandt into taking over. By this time, Liggett was in a frenzy and would stop at nothing. He trailed Myra and Burk to Myra's home, killed her, took her body over to his place and ditched it behind the sofa. The next morning, he wrote a note to Rembrandt and gave it to one of the little girls waiting in line to see him. Fear and envy were taking their toll on the poor guy's mind. I wanted to compare the handwriting, so I had Burk write me a check and Liggett write Myra's address on a card. Also, we had the footprint cast. Between the two, everything pointed toward Liggett. That's when I staged my little parlor charade with Rembrandt playing the part of a corpse. The sight, with Rembrandt's resemblance to the dead Jack Frost, would shatter anybody into a confession. But Christmas, in spite of everything, is a lovely time of year. And there is a Santa Claus. Three of them for me is a matter of fact. Mr. Prentice Burk, who sent me a very nice check for my effort. Rembrandt Watson, who, out of sheer love for the job, went back to playing Jack Frost for all the kids at the Brownstone. And last but not least, Inspector Ray Mallard. He gave me a Christmas sock. Oh, right on my mouth. Just where any well-placed Christmas sock should go. Listen again next week at this same time for excitement and adventure just dial. Candy Mattson and a Merry Christmas to you all. Yukon 208-209. Heard tonight were Helen Cleave as Myra Fisher, Lou Tobin as Prentice Burk, and John Grover as Simon Liggett. Jack Thomas plays the role of Rembrandt Watson and Henry Leff is heard as Inspector Mallard. The program stars Natalie Masters as Candy and is written and produced by Monty Masters. Sound effects were created by Bill Brownell and J. Rendon. Eloise Rowan is heard at the organ. The characters in tonight's story are entirely fictitious, with the exception of the part of Topper, which was played by himself. The resemblance to actual people is purely coincidental. The program came to you from San Francisco. Dudley Manlove speaking. You are tuned for the stars on NBC.


ARTP is an agreement between the Japanese and the U.S. which provides 3rd battalion 12th Marines the opportunity to use some of the premier maneuver areas and training areas throughout Japan. It provides the Marines some different geographical challenges to meet and adapt to. It also provides the opportunity to practice all the other skill sets that we would need in moving forward at the crisis response. We practice embarkation, combat logistics, the essential live fire training that we do here but also field training and combat medicine, maintenance, repair, supply so all the essential functions that keep us moving forward as a battalion we all get the opportunity to do out here as part of the ARTP.


But I think this is good news for my own personal reasons. Rudy Giuliani has filed for bankruptcy. I mean, this is great. Of course, he lost the lawsuit and has been ordered to pay $148 million to the victims of his defamation. This is two poll workers in Georgia. He also has very large legal fees. He also has unpaid taxes. And he's also in the midst of just finished his third divorce, which have all worked to basically bankrupt Rudy Giuliani. Now, you guys, I don't know how many of you have heard my rants about Giuliani. But Giuliani, for me, is one of the most despicable characters in America. And I remember him from the 1980s when he was the district attorney for the Southern District of New York. I remember him going after financiers, going after financiers, leaking into the press in advance so he could get photographed as he would bring them out of their offices in handcuffs. I remember his campaign against Michael Milken. I remember the fact that many of the court cases that he brought were ultimately reversed on appeal. This is the guy that used RICO statutes. Statutes developed to go after organized crime in order to prosecute financiers. Financiers whose lives were destroyed, reputations were destroyed, whose money was confiscated before trial, before they were without the presumption of innocence, and who was ultimately cleared on appeal. This is the Rudy Giuliani who used state power, yeah, to clean up New York. But he was pretty fascist in doing it. And this is the Rudy Giuliani that basically looked like a crazy man in 2020. Really crazy man in early 2021, trying to somehow pretend and convince people that Donald Trump had indeed won the election and the election was stolen from him. This is Rudy Giuliani that looked truly like a madman during those months and created a complete fiction, which was incredibly destructive for this country. And I'm glad to see him broken. I'm glad to see him broken. As I told you, I don't believe in turning the other cheek. I don't believe in forgiveness without reason. I'm not against hate. I despise this man. And I really like the fact that he is broken. All right, it's a just arc for what he has done and where he's been.