Wednesday, April 30, 2003
Stenoblogging the news can become dismally boring after a while. I'll try to find some other things to blog about before I lose my mind.
posted by medys @ 23:27 < link | top | home >
SARS update: Despite the easing of the crisis, the Canadian death toll is now 23.
posted by medys @ 23:15 < link | top | home >
News item: FTC joins states in Internet auction scam crackdown.
"Operation Bidder Beware" takes action against auction fraud, the number one Internet-related complaint recorded by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission last year. According to the FTC's news release: "The Federal Trade Commission and 29 state Attorneys General have launched a law enforcement crackdown targeting Internet auction scams that bilked thousands of consumers out of their money and merchandise."
First spammers, now eBay assholes. This is putting a smile on my face.
posted by medys @ 16:58 < link | top | home >
News item: Virginia enacts toughest anti-spam law.
According to Governor Mark Warner's April 29 news release: "Hard-core hackers and spammers -- who produce the most offensive and persistent e-mail solicitations, actually aimed at crippling servers -- will now be faced with a class 6 felony in Virginia, which carries a prison term of between one and five years and a fine."
"Half the world's Internet traffic passes through the Commonwealth of Virginia, so it is appropriate that we give our prosecutors tools to go after this costly and annoying crime," said Warner. "Before this law, legal action was almost not worth the trouble for prosecutors -- which is no message to send to our Internet industry in its fight against the spam invasion."
You know you have a governor who made millions investing in high-tech when he sends spammers to jail.
posted by medys @ 04:33 < link | top | home >
Congratulations to the Ottawa 67's for defeating the St. Michael's Majors and advancing to the Ontario Hockey League finals.
posted by medys @ 01:22 < link | top | home >
Tuesday, April 29, 2003
Further to yesterday's post: "Cabinet solidarity is there. Mistakes are made once in a while and they are corrected. I've been there, we've all been there," said the prime minister regarding the Sheila Copps-Anne McLellan SARS spat.
"Cabinet solidarity" and "corrected" are nice political euphemisms for "everyone has been told to shut up" and "those responsible have been scolded."
posted by medys @ 23:54 < link | top | home >
News item: Prime minister says pot will be decriminalized soon.
Expect a less than positive reaction from Washington on this issue. Last year, John Walters, Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy -- the U.S. drug czar -- called relaxing marijuana laws dangerous and outdated, and threatened Canada with increased border security if Ottawa went ahead with the decriminalization.
Might I suggest that the czar spark up and smoke a doob before he makes the Canada-U.S. relationship go to pot over pot?
posted by medys @ 23:43 < link | top | home >
SARS update: Now that the World Health Organization is lifting its travel advisory, Ontario and Toronto can focus on counteracting the world's perceptions. Today Premier Ernie Eves announced that the provincial government's SARS recovery strategy will include "a two-year tourism recovery plan...to rebuild global confidence in Toronto and Ontario as world-class travel destinations," as well as other confidence-building and compensatory measures.
Meanwhile, Air Canada and Jetsgo are offering discount -- even free, in the case of the latter -- flights to Toronto, and Mirvish Productions is offering an "It's Time for a Little T.O." package, which includes a ticket to either The Lion King or Mamma Mia!, a ticket to a Blue Jays game, a three-course meal in a top restaurant, and a one-night stay at a luxurious downtown hotel -- all for $125 per person, or $85 without the room. (Regular price: up to $300.)
On the off-chance that anyone reading this is thinking of visiting Toronto, now might be a cheap time to do it. I already e-mailed my American friends to tell them about the deals. (There, I've done my part.)
Also in SARS-related news, Ambassador Paul Cellucci threw out the first pitch at tonight's sold-out $1-per-ticket Blue Jays game and commented on the city's handling of the disease: "Our Center for Disease Control, the CDC, has been here in Toronto. It's been working with the local health officials, the provincial health officials and the federal health officials. They have monitored the situation and they're very satisfied with what's happened here. SARS is contained and they have said it's safe to travel here. We wanted to emphasize that by coming to the game tonight and helping out this great city."
FARK.com's take on the game: "Toronto Blue Jays sell out after lowering prices to $1 dollar to raise tourism. In other news, 40,000 new cases of SARS expected next week in Toronto."
posted by medys @ 23:29 < link | top | home >
Stanley Cup update: Oh my god! Ottawa won in overtime!
Irrespective of my previous comments, I caught the third and fourth periods of Game 3 -- and I'm glad that I did. I don't have any nails left, mind you.
posted by medys @ 22:05 < link | top | home >
Further to the April 22 post: My second impression of the NCIS-focused episode of JAG is the same as my first.
posted by medys @ 20:56 < link | top | home >
Stanley Cup update: I'm not sure whether it was the Flyers coach calling the Senators a "dirty" team after he won the last game, the Philadelphia fans booing the Canadian anthem -- just a little, but enough (at least that's what it sounded like to me) -- or the Flyers scoring within the first five minutes, but I turned off tonight's game. Sorry, Ottawa; I'm a temperamental fan.
posted by medys @ 19:34 < link | top | home >
Further to the April 23 post: In response to U.S. requests, Canada will make available police, corrections, and legal officers to train police forces and judges in postwar Iraq, and will expand the role of its three C-130 Hercules transport aircraft in the region. The military's Disaster Assistance Response Team is also available as needed.
According to the prime minister's news release: "Canada is pleased to make this further contribution to help meet the immediate needs of the Iraqi people. We will continue working closely with the international community to determine how best Canada can help Iraq build a future that is secure and stable."
In case anyone cares, Ambassador Paul Cellucci is pleased with Canada's offer of assistance. "We're grateful for the help that Canada will provide in the reconstruction of Iraq," he said. (God help him if he had expressed anything but gratitude -- he has spent all of his political capital in this country thanks to the war.)
posted by medys @ 18:11 < link | top | home >
Quebec election. Jean Charest, leader of the Parti libéral du Québec, has been sworn in as the province's 29th premier. Congratulations!
posted by medys @ 18:02 < link | top | home >
SARS update: After meeting with a Canadian delegation and determining that all the necessary criteria have been met, the World Health Organization announced that it is lifting its six-day-old travel advisory for Toronto, effective tomorrow. (Insert collective sigh of relief from Torontonians here.) The WHO's decision today drove the Canadian dollar up to a new three-year high.
However, because the WHO's travel advisories remain in effect for Hong Kong, Beijing and China's Guangdong and Shanxi provinces, it's being suggested that Canada exerted political pressure to get Toronto's lifted -- no matter how warranted the lifting was. (We must have threatened Geneva with a maple syrup and poutine blockade.)
FARK.com's interpretation: "WHO says Farkers are safe to go to Toronto again to see topless boobies walking the streets again." There are also some interesting MetaFilter comments.
posted by medys @ 17:41 < link | top | home >
BBC News Country Profiles: "Full profiles provide an instant guide to history, politics and economic background of countries. They also include audio and video clips from the BBC archives." (Refdesk's Site of the Day.)
I usually consult the CIA's latest edition of The World Factbook.
posted by medys @ 04:07 < link | top | home >
Stanley Cup update: It's not really related to the playoffs, but the Ottawa Senators are likely to have a new owner soon. According to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, Toronto pharmaceutical billionaire Eugene Melnyk has reached an agreement with the league and is expected to complete the purchase of the bankruptcy-protected team within a few weeks. The commissioner is convinced that Melnyk, Chairman and CEO of Biovail Corporation, can bring financial stability to the franchise and ensure that it remains in Ottawa.
posted by medys @ 01:24 < link | top | home >
Monday, April 28, 2003
SARS update: The number of cases is dropping in Ontario. The crisis seems to be easing.
A delegation of federal and provincial officials, including Ontario's public health commissioner and health minister, is on its way to the World Health Organization's headquarters in Geneva to convince it to lift its travel advisory for Toronto.
posted by medys @ 23:07 < link | top | home >
No amount of shuffling will help.
"Playing Card Deck Shows Way to U.S. Regime Change." (Via linkfilter.net.)
"Bush Regime Playing Cards." (Via linkfilter.net.)
You knew this was coming the moment the U.S. released its Iraq "Personality Identification Playing Cards" earlier this month.
posted by medys @ 22:53 < link | top | home >
Coronation watch: Or perhaps a SARS update?
Apparently, Sheila Copps thinks it's wise to use SARS to score political points. Today the Liberal leadership candidate criticized her own government, blaming Health Minister Anne McLellan -- a Paul Martin supporter -- for the delayed federal response to the outbreak.
"I think the minister of health has some answering to do for the way she has been absent from the file," Copps told CBC Newsworld. "Nobody saw her, and at a time in a period when people were wanting to hear a strong voice from the government of Canada, she was absent."
However accurate her comments may be, they come across as cheap politics.
posted by medys @ 22:08 < link | top | home >
NBC's Third Watch just toasted Amy Carlson's character, Alex Taylor. Another network hottie bites the dust.
posted by medys @ 21:56 < link | top | home >
Happy birthday Saddam! Well, somewhat less than happy. That's too bad. (Warning: sarcasm alert.)
posted by medys @ 15:57 < link | top | home >
SARS update: The World Health Organization says that SARS has peaked everywhere except China.
In other words, five days after branding Toronto with a travel advisory, the WHO now says the worst is over -- but the advisory stays. The city thanks you.
posted by medys @ 07:20 < link | top | home >
How big is the "USS Voyager" (Intrepid-class starship, Star Trek: Voyager) compared to the "Agamemnon" (Omega-class destroyer, Babylon 5)? If you've ever asked yourself that question, you're a geek and you need to visit 1 Pixel per meter. (Via Blogdex.)
posted by medys @ 07:16 < link | top | home >
SARS update: The Toronto Blue Jays have announced a "strategic strike against SARS" by offering $1 tickets to tomorrow's game.
"This is an opportunity to show that Toronto is a vibrant, healthy and active city that's safe to go to," said Blue Jays President and CEO Paul Godfrey. "We know that there are so many Torontonians that are scratching their heads, wondering how the world can say this is an unsafe place. Nobody's hiding behind a closed door, and the people of Toronto understand that. Now it's their opportunity to demonstrate that. We've tried to make it as easy as possible for them to come out."
posted by medys @ 06:05 < link | top | home >
Look up the word "grotesque" in the dictionary and you'll see a picture of Anna Nicole Smith.
posted by medys @ 05:49 < link | top | home >
Many thanks to dave2002: pitas page for the linkage today. (BlogMatcher, a "program that helps people find weblogs that match their interests and find like-minded blogs," coughed up mine.)
posted by medys @ 04:58 < link | top | home >
News item: Canadian reporter finds documents linking Osama and Saddam.
The three handwritten pages, discovered by the Toronto Star's Mitch Potter in a bombed-out Iraqi intelligence service headquarters, point to a meeting between bin Laden's al-Qaeda terrorist organization and Hussein's regime. Osama's name was clumsily concealed with corrective fluid and ink.
Who says Canada didn't contribute to the war?
Then again, according to The Observer, not only did The Telegraph discover the documents, but they aren't the smoking gun the U.S. and Britain are hoping for:
Representatives from the Mukhabarat are known to have travelled to Kandahar in the late Nineties to build links with al-Qaeda. Most analysts believe, however, that the ideological differences between the Iraqis and the terrorists were insurmountable. The talks are thought to have ended disastrously for the Iraqis, as bin Laden rejected any kind of alliance, preferring to pursue his own policy of global jihad, or holy war. (Via MetaFilter.)
What kind of sick world do we live in where a religious zealot can't get along with a secular despot? (Warning: sarcasm alert.)
posted by medys @ 03:22 < link | top | home >
Sunday, April 27, 2003
Coronation watch: It's time to pay attention to the Liberal leadership race, which will determine the next prime minister in November, to take over when the current one retires in February, 2004.
Former Finance Minister Paul Martin and current Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister John Manley are the heir apparent -- hence the post's title -- and alternate heir apparent respectively. Heritage Minister Sheila Copps is also in the running, but she isn't the heir to anything.
Today Martin launched his campaign with a town-hall meeting in Montreal. "In recent times, a kind of complacency, a certain drift, has set in and we've lost some of the great energy and enthusiasm that Canadians are looking for," he told the audience. (Transcript: Paul Martin Times.)
Martin also wants to repair the Canada-U.S. relationship, which includes supporting President Bush's "son of Star Wars" defense shield. Said CTV News' Craig Oliver: "I think that is something that we would see very quickly on in a Martin government if there is one -- a dramatic change in our relationship with the United States, and it sounds to me as if he is ready to talk to the Americans about a perimeter border, which is very controversial in Canada."
We already know that the American government likes Paul Martin, so that will help a lot. (For that matter, anyone other than Jean Chrétien will help a lot.) Besides, I suspect that Bush, an American oil man with a Texan accent, will get along a whole lot better with Martin, a Canadian shipping magnate without a French accent. (No, that isn't a failing on our part.)
posted by medys @ 23:35 < link | top | home >
SARS update: The Canadian death toll is now 21. The government plans to appeal Taiwan's decision to bar visitors from SARS-affected countries, including Canada. The World Health Organization, meanwhile, stands by its travel advisory for Toronto despite Canada's vocal opposition to it.
posted by medys @ 23:23 < link | top | home >
Stanley Cup update: Ottawa lost Game 2. Damn that Roman Cechmanek.
posted by medys @ 22:05 < link | top | home >
SARS update: The Canadian death toll is now 20.
posted by medys @ 16:39 < link | top | home >
Kuro5hin on the lack of conclusive evidence of the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq: "Weapons, Lies, and the United States."
Was the Bush administration and US intelligence wrong about the whole thing, using the possible existence of illegal weapons as a curtain to shield the real reason for war - (oil, revenge, keeping the American public's worries and fear safely away from the shambles that America's economy, freedom, and environmental policy has become)? (sic)
Actually, yes.
posted by medys @ 15:43 < link | top | home >
Many thanks to Manifesto Multilinko for the linkage. And linkage. And linkage. And linkage.
posted by medys @ 07:05 < link | top | home >
It's not broken -- it's Googlelized. Blogger unreliable? No, really? I'm shocked! (Warning: sarcasm alert.)
(Insert sounds of typing www.typepad.com into address bar here.)
posted by medys @ 06:38 < link | top | home >
ABCNews.com's John Cochran on why Iraq was invaded: "Reason for War? White House Officials Say Privately the Sept. 11 Attacks Changed Everything." (Via Blogdex.)
To build its case for war with Iraq, the Bush administration argued that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, but some officials now privately acknowledge the White House had another reason for war -- a global show of American power and democracy.
I'm not sure what to say. Perhaps "blinding glimpse of the obvious" or "world's worst kept secret" or "understatement of the year" or "no shit, Sherlock" or... Nah, I'll go with a nice, simple "duh."
posted by medys @ 06:37 < link | top | home >
Further to the April 4 post: Now that cross-border tensions have subsided to a certain degree, I've gone back and re-read Mel Hurtig's response to Ambassador Paul Cellucci -- as posted, with permission, at Vive le Canada -- part of his April 4 speech "The Vanishing Country: Is It Too Late to Save Canada?" at the University of Victoria. (Many thanks to Canada Kicks Ass for reminding me about it.)
To be honest, that part of the speech was quite poignant and sensible. A few weeks ago, all I could see were the negative effects it would have on the already-suffering Canada-U.S. relationship. Now I find myself agreeing with a lot of what he said. Go figure.
posted by medys @ 02:18 < link | top | home >
Saturday, April 26, 2003
Further to yesterday's post: Mel Lastman's April 24 interview on CNN's NewsNight with Aaron Brown is raising eyebrows in Toronto. Newspaper articles today included "What the Mel's going on here? Lastman fumbles facts about SARS and city on CNN; Councillor says mayor should have been in quarantine" by the Toronto Star's Paul Maloney, and "Lastman's gaffes hurt Toronto" by The Globe and Mail's Jennifer Lewington.
In fact, the latter's front page featured the headline "Lastman's on-air gaffes add to Toronto's woes" below a large still of Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, taken from a segment called "SARS Attacks!" in which the comedian lampooned the mayor. After running a clip of the CNN interview, Stewart said: "You know, I was thinking of going to Toronto, but I've heard the mayor is kind of a dick. By the way, for more information on Toronto, pick up a copy of the mayor's new city guide, Toronto: What the Hell?"
(Jon Stewart is no stranger to Mel Lastman: at the Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montreal, he made fun of the mayor's infamous "I just see myself in a pot of boiling water with all these natives dancing around me" remark made in June, 2001, prior to a trip to Africa to promote Toronto's Olympic bid.)
I would have thought that the first sentences out of the mayor's mouth in the Aaron Brown interview -- "They don't know what they're talking about. I don't know who this group is. I've never heard of them before." -- would have been a hint that he was off on one of his verbal flights of fancy. Let's face it, it can only go downhill after the guy in charge of Canada's largest city announces that he doesn't know who the World Health Organization is.
Mel Lastman sticking his foot in his mouth? No, really? I'm shocked! (Warning: sarcasm alert.)
posted by medys @ 23:28 < link | top | home >
SARS update: The Canadian death toll is now 19.
posted by medys @ 03:27 < link | top | home >
Friday, April 25, 2003
Stanley Cup update: The first game of the second-round series started poorly for the Ottawa Senators, but they came back from a two-goal deficit to defeat the Philadelphia Flyers 4-2 on home ice. Woohoo! Go Sens go!
posted by medys @ 23:22 < link | top | home >
invisiblog.com: "invisiblog.com lets you publish a weblog using GPG and the Mixmaster anonymous remailer network. You don't ever have to reveal your identity -- not even to us. You don't have to trust us, because we'll never know who you are." (Via MetaFilter.)
Welcome to blogging for the truly paranoid.
However much I appreciate my own online privacy and security, I do think that having Blogger and my ISP know who I am creates a degree of accountability. Being anonymous shouldn't give someone carte blanche to harass people or to break the law -- libel, threats, hate speech, spam, hacking, whatever.
That being said, if anything were to happen to me as a result of my blog, I would jump on the complete anonymity bandwagon immediately.
posted by medys @ 18:19 < link | top | home >
Further to the March 15 post: The Dixie Chicks are fighting back!
The trio posed nude for the cover of Entertainment Weekly, their bodies painted with the contradictory slogans and epithets -- "Saddam's Angels" and "Dixie Sluts" to name a few -- stemming from lead singer Natalie Maines' anti-Bush quip at a concert. The cover, and interview with Diane Sawyer on ABC's Primetime Thursday, are part of their defiant response to the backlash over their antiwar stance.
I'm glad they have the balls (pardon the expression) to stand up for their beliefs in the face of a McCarthyistic chill on free speech.
posted by medys @ 05:22 < link | top | home >
Further to the April 23 post: Is TypePad the Blogger slayer?
Guardian Unlimited's Ben Hammersley on TypePad: "Battle of the blog builders." (Via evhead.)
Guardian Unlimited's Ben Hammersley on TypePad (again): "Bloggers tool up." (Via Six Log.)
Hopefully the new upstart will scare the old upstart into action.
posted by medys @ 04:30 < link | top | home >
SARS update: It's sadly ironic that the farther away you are from the SARS epicenter, the more anxiety and fear there is.
posted by medys @ 03:45 < link | top | home >
SARS update: Health Canada has challenged the World Health Organization's travel advisory for Toronto by sending a formal letter of protest to the UN health agency.
"Yesterday, I was very angry to learn the WHO had issued a travel advisory warning people not to visit Toronto. I was angry because, based on the medical advice of our health officials as well as the advice of the Centers For Disease Control, the actions of the WHO are wrong and irresponsible," said Ontario Premier Ernie Eves. "I am demanding the WHO immediately rescind this advisory because there was no scientific basis for it to be issued."
Interviewed on CNN's NewsNight with Aaron Brown, Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman denounced the WHO and its advisory in no uncertain terms. "They don't know what they're talking about. I don't know who this group is. I've never heard of them before. I had never seen them before. Who did they talk to? They haven't even been to Toronto. They're located somewhere in Geneva. And they haven't talked to us all. They read the papers and sometimes the papers exaggerate. And that's what's happened right here," he said. (Transcript: CNN.)
Previously Lastman had told the media: "I am shocked. The medical evidence before us does not support this advisory. I think they are doing this city and this country a disservice."
Wow. I'm impressed by the WHO's ability to piss off all three levels of government simultaneously.
posted by medys @ 03:33 < link | top | home >
Editor & Publisher's Carl Sullivan on a reporter Denis Horgan ordered to stop blogging: "Hartford Paper Tells Employee to Kill Blog; Should Journalists Give Up Personal Web Sites?" (Via Blogroots: Blognews.)
That is to say, another reporter; last month it was Kevin Sites and Joshua Kucera. The controversy surrounding the former has been tracked by Kevin Sites Mentions. Meanwhile, Online Journalism Review's Susan Mernit -- among many others -- addressed the issue: "Kevin Sites and the Blogging Controversy; CNN war correspondent was told to shut down his popular site, touching off an ongoing debate on blogging as a legitimate form of journalism."
However much I understand the rationale behind it, I think it's hypocritical to order journalists to stop blogging when their well-known colleagues are allowed to accept speaking engagements and interviews where they can seemingly speak their minds -- just ask Bill O'Reilly. It's unsettling when media employment negates personal free speech.
posted by medys @ 02:02 < link | top | home >
Thursday, April 24, 2003
News item: BBC chief attacks U.S. war coverage.
"Personally, I was shocked while in the United States by how unquestioning the broadcast news media was during this war," said BBC Director General Greg Dyke at the University of London Goldsmiths College Journalism Symposium.
"If Iraq proved anything, it was that the BBC cannot afford to mix patriotism and journalism. This is happening in the United States and if it continues, will undermine the credibility of the U.S. electronic news media," he added.
The worst offenders, according to Dyke: Fox News Channel and Clear Channel Communications. (Transcript: BBC.)
posted by medys @ 23:38 < link | top | home >
SARS update: According to a member survey conducted by the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, the province's businesses are hurting because of SARS.
Approximately one-third (32%) of respondents indicated that they have experienced a negative impact from SARS. The top three impacts felt by businesses are: 1) Less business activity 2) Cancelled events and 3) Lost customers. The size of the company did not seem to matter.
SARS is a versatile disease: if it doesn't get you in the lungs, it gets you in the wallet.
posted by medys @ 16:23 < link | top | home >
News item: North Korea admits having nuclear weapons.
A source said Gen. Li Gun, North Korea's representative to the talks in Beijing, China, told U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly "blatantly and boldly" that the country has nuclear weapons and then asked, "Now what are you going to do about it?"
It's a whole lot easier to be ballsy when you have nukes. It also helps when your point man is a guy called General Gun.
posted by medys @ 16:18 < link | top | home >
Toronto Star's Linda McQuaig on President Bush wanting closer energy ties with Canada: "U.S. wants to liberate our energy." (Via Straight Goods.)
The good news is that the Canada-U.S. relationship has found sanctuary in the southward flow of energy. The bad news is that sanctuary feels like being stabbed in the back with a spigot.
posted by medys @ 04:52 < link | top | home >
I love Don Cherry and I'm not afraid to admit it! The bombastic, unabashedly Canadian co-host of Coach's Corner on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada is a much-appreciated sports -- and dare I say, cultural -- icon. Sadly, I get the same reaction to him in Canada that I get to syndicated shock jock Howard Stern in the U.S.: people either admire him or revile him. Opinions about Cherry are so polarized that there never seems to be any middle ground. However, I know where I stand: this Canuck says "Go Grapes go!"
posted by medys @ 02:05 < link | top | home >
Many thanks to Path of the Paddle -- home of the cool tagline "As Canadian as possible, given the circumstances." -- for the linkage in its "Worthwhile Blogs" list.
posted by medys @ 01:59 < link | top | home >
Wednesday, April 23, 2003
Blogger beware! Six Apart, the company behind Movable Type, is introducing TypePad, "a hosted service providing a simple to use, yet full-featured turnkey solution for creating weblogs." (Via Blogroots: Blognews.)
I haven't used Movable Type, but I suspect that the upcoming service will attract a lot of customers unless Dano, the new version of Blogger, is able to fix its ongoing "issues."
posted by medys @ 23:59 < link | top | home >
SARS update: By the way, the Canadian death toll is now 16.
posted by medys @ 15:24 < link | top | home >
SARS update: Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman was "shocked" at the World Health Organization's travel advisory for the city. "I've never been so angry in my life," said the apoplectic Lastman. "If it's safe to live in Toronto, it's safe to come to Toronto," he declared.
"The facts of the matter do not warrant this decision at this time," said Dr. Sheela Basrur, the city's medical officer of health. She added that it was a "gross misrepresentation of the facts" to link China and Toronto given that the disease isn't spreading through the community. Meanwhile, Dr. Donald Low, chief microbiologist at Mount Sinai Hospital, called the WHO advisory "a bunch of bullshit."
Health Canada also rejected the advisory. "The only way to prevent export is to prevent air travel," said Dr. Paul Gully, the Population and Public Health Branch's senior director general. "We challenge the WHO's assertion that Toronto is an unsafe place to visit."
Also in SARS news, Major League Baseball is recommending that players visiting Toronto not mingle with fans or sign autographs. The British Department of Health has also issued travel advice for people traveling to and from Canada's largest city: "Defer travel to areas where there is, or is thought to be, ongoing transmission of infection."
I think Toronto is going to need a good public relations firm.
posted by medys @ 15:06 < link | top | home >
ProBush.com: "President of the United States of America, George Walker Bush."
Its motto, courtesy of the president's speech writers: "I had made it clear to the world that either you're with us or you're with the enemy, and that doctrine still stands." Its current poll: "Let's scrap the United Nations and work on building a new institution based on OUR VALUES!" Its reminder: "If you do not support our president's decisions you are a traitor to our country!"
Some things are just too scary to put into words.
posted by medys @ 14:10 < link | top | home >
You can't go wrong with a beaver and a guy in a bear suit. Kudos to the Canadian Magazine Publishers Association for its "Genuine Canadian Magazine" ad campaign, part of this year's National Circulation and Promotion Program. The television commercial for it was excellent. I just about pissed myself laughing when the guy in the bear suit -- the mascot -- was kicked in the crotch. That and the mumbling beaver chewing a Maple Leaf into a magazine. Hilarious!
posted by medys @ 13:55 < link | top | home >
It's 1 C -- -5 C with wind chill -- and snowing in Ottawa. No comment.
posted by medys @ 13:41 < link | top | home >
Further to the April 18 post: The U.S. has asked Canada to send police or military ground forces to Iraq within 30 days. The government is discussing the diplomatic request; it's considering sending a contingent of RCMP and perhaps the military's Disaster Assistance Response Team. However, Canada's commitments to Afghanistan and to UN peacekeeping missions are likely to preclude sending other ground forces.
posted by medys @ 08:57 < link | top | home >
SARS update: The World Health Organization has extended its SARS-related travel advice to Toronto.
As a result of ongoing assessments as to the nature of outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in Beijing and Shanxi Province, China, and in Toronto, Canada, WHO is now recommending, as a measure of precaution, that persons planning to travel to these destinations consider postponing all but essential travel. This temporary advice, which is an extension of travel advice previously issued for Guangdong Province and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China will be reassessed in three weeks time.
To say that Canada's largest city is facing image problems is an understatement.
posted by medys @ 08:41 < link | top | home >
Montreal Gazette freelancer Lisa Fitterman on when nursing your baby becomes an act of terror: "Breast-feeding in a time of war." (Via Blogdex.)
Deborah Wolfe, a Canadian citizen who was just breast-feeding her son and changing his diaper while en route between Houston and Vancouver, says her "subversive" actions led to her being threatened with detainment, RCMP involvement and legal charges for terrorist action against a U.S. citizen in international airspace while on an American flight during a time of war.
Holy shit. Remind me never to fly Continental Airlines. (Is anyone else getting an Anger Management vibe from this?)
posted by medys @ 02:48 < link | top | home >
American Crusade 2001+ Trading Cards: "President Bush tried his bestest to simplify the picture as Good vs. Evil, but it's still a jumble! Who knew all those crazy Dorkistan countries even existed?! Now The Infinite Jest rides to the rescue with a set of educational trading cards. Fun to collect! Fun to trade! Fun to drain a box of inkjet cartridges!" (Via The Presurfer.)
posted by medys @ 02:13 < link | top | home >
Further to the April 14 post: Visit TheInformationMinister.com and create your own propaganda featuring the former Iraqi mouthpiece. (Via The Presurfer.)
posted by medys @ 02:02 < link | top | home >
Tuesday, April 22, 2003
SARS update: The Canadian death toll is now 15. There are 324 cases across the country, including 136 probable and 125 suspect in Ontario, most in the Greater Toronto Area.
Sadly, Toronto is becoming a pariah and its economy is suffering. Today, Crystal Cruises banned residents from its ships, and although the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention went there to help fight the disease, it has issued an Interim Travel Alert for the city, scaring even more American travelers away.
posted by medys @ 23:10 < link | top | home >
Draft Clark: "A netroots petition asking Wesley Clark to run for President in 2004." (Via linkfilter.net.)
Yes, but where's his blog? You can't be a Democratic candidate unless you have a blog.
posted by medys @ 22:51 < link | top | home >
Ozzy's back! Tonight is the season premiere of The Osbournes on CTV. The Canadian network is well behind MTV in airing the second season, but the trade-off is that the vast majority of the foul language is left un-bleeped. Woohoo!
posted by medys @ 22:01 < link | top | home >
Stanley Cup update: The Philadelphia Flyers eliminated the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals (Series D). Sadly, it wasn't even close: Toronto got trounced 6-1. As Don Cherry of Coach's Corner put it: "That was a disgrace."
The bad news: no "401 series." The good news: no "401 series" -- a team other than Toronto gets to eliminate Ottawa in the second round this year (pardon my pessimism).
posted by medys @ 21:30 < link | top | home >
JAG II? CBS may be creating a spin off of JAG, this time about the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Judging from the NCIS Web site, the "worldwide federal law enforcement organization whose mission is to protect and serve the Navy and Marine Corps and their families" likes the two-part episode of JAG, called "Ice Queen" (tonight) and "Meltdown" (next week):
On April 22 and April 29, JAG will introduce NCIS to millions of viewers. The two episodes of JAG will star Mark Harmon as a veteran NCIS Special Agent who is handpicked by the Director of NCIS to investigate a high-profile murder case while also participating in the arrest and interrogation of a terrorist. Harmon will be teaming with actress Robyn Lively, who plays the role of a former FBI agent who joined NCIS after her brother was killed in the attack on the USS Cole. Actor Michael Weatherly is also featured as a former Baltimore cop turned NCIS agent.
My first impression of tonight's pilot -- if indeed that's what it was -- is that the new show is JAG meets CSI, but with lousy characters.
Follow-up: Navy NCIS premiered September 23.
posted by medys @ 20:33 < link | top | home >
Stanley Cup update: Tonight's Toronto-Philadelphia game will decide who Ottawa faces in the next round. Problem is, I don't know who to root for.
On the one hand: Another "401 series" -- named for the highway connecting Toronto and Ottawa -- would be really exciting and beneficial to both cities. And let's face it, as a Canadian and Ontarian, it's hard not to root for Toronto.
On the other hand: Toronto eliminating Ottawa from the playoffs has almost become a yearly event -- and a depressing one at that. If Philadelphia wins tonight, the Senators won't have the suffer the indignity of choking and fueling the Maple Leafs' superiority complex for another year. They can't succumb to the "401 jinx" if they don't play Toronto.
So I'm torn. Is it okay if I wait until the end of the game to decide who to cheer for? No? Okay, let me think about it. Sigh.
posted by medys @ 17:49 < link | top | home >
Further to the previous post: I created a temporary blog to play around with Dano. My first impression of the "Blogger platform of the future": same features, new interface. In other words: same house, new paint job. I'm thrilled. (Warning: sarcasm alert.)
I'm afraid that I'll only be sold on Dano if it delivers the promised fixes, starting with the archives -- which, in my case, have been broken close to five months.
posted by medys @ 02:13 < link | top | home >
Oh Dano boy, the blogs, the blogs are calling... Dano, the new version of Blogger, is coming soon. (Yes, I know I'm lagging behind the Blogosphere on this.)
Pyra Labs/Google has decided to skip fixing the old Blogger and go straight to creating something with "completely re-designed code." According to the Dano FAQ, the new Blogger will fix, among other things, the missing/mislabeled archives: "Archiving in particular was a troublesome area that's been redone and expanded, so no more misposted archives."
This is great news. However, I'm a little miffed that I had to find out about it via Scripting News (and other blogs) instead of the company itself. What's wrong with letting people know via Blogger, Blogger Pro, Status.Blogger.Com, BloggerControl, or even Google? Pyra's greatest expertise seems to lie with its inability to communicate with its customers, including those who pay for its services -- like me.
posted by medys @ 01:29 < link | top | home >
Monday, April 21, 2003
Stanley Cup update: Toronto won. Game 7 will decide the series.
posted by medys @ 22:52 < link | top | home >
SARS update: What do you call a Toronto doctor listed as a probable SARS case who breaks quarantine to go to a funeral and church service?
"Obnoxious, threatening and belligerent," said Dr. Hanif Kassam, acting medical officer of health for the York region (just north of Toronto), describing the physician's reaction to the quarantine order. The man, who works in the "upper levels" of the health-care system, was symptomatic when he went out into the community over the weekend. He joins a Toronto nurse, who rode two commuter trains while symptomatic, in exposing hundreds of people to the disease.
Personally, I would add the words "fired" and "unemployed" to both of these so-called "professional" health-care workers. No wonder we're having such a hard time getting a handle on SARS: even those who should know better are breaking quarantine. (Insert much eye-rolling, head-shaking, and sighing here.)
posted by medys @ 18:02 < link | top | home >
Lloyd Robertson, chief anchor and senior news editor of CTV News, on the war's effect on the Canada-U.S. relationship: "Reflections on neighbourly relations." (Via Canada Kicks Ass.)
The fog of war is now lifting and we have a chance to pause and reflect on our contacts with our best friend, closest neighbour and largest trading partner. It is a complex relationship but one that should always allow us to exercise our sovereign and democratic rights while respecting the other side for the same reasons.
A nice overview of everything that's been going on.
posted by medys @ 10:17 < link | top | home >
Further to the April 16 post: It's hard to blog when one's spare time is comprised of either coughing fits or sleep.
posted by medys @ 02:24 < link | top | home >
Kuro5hin on the Alberta tar sands: "World's largest oil reserve."
So, American consumers want to boycott Canadian products because of our antiwar stance? Good thing they just got their hands on a new source of crude oil, eh?
Sorry, I couldn't resist some jovial cynicism.
posted by medys @ 01:44 < link | top | home >
Sunday, April 20, 2003
Why kiss babies when you can blog? Between the Howard Dean 2004 Call to Action Weblog -- plus fan blog Howard Dean 2004 -- and Gary Hart: Restoring the American Republic, it appears as though the Democrats have jumped on the blogging bandwagon.
Then again, wasn't it former vice president Al Gore who said, "During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet"? Perhaps a corollary of that is that he, a Democrat, is responsible for the Blogosphere. In that case, it makes sense that the two presidential candidates have made blogs part of their campaigns.
posted by medys @ 03:33 < link | top | home >
Howard Dean on undoing what the president has done: "Bush: It's Not Just His Doctrine That's Wrong"; published by Common Dreams. (Via Blogdex.)
Theirs is a radical view of our role in the world. The President who campaigned on a platform of a humble foreign policy has instead begun implementing a foreign policy characterized by dominance, arrogance and intimidation. The tidal wave of support and goodwill that engulfed us after the tragedy of 9/11 has dried up and been replaced by undercurrents of distrust, skepticism and hostility by many who had been among our closest allies.
I think this helps to add some context to the strained Canada-U.S. relationship.
posted by medys @ 02:33 < link | top | home >
Saturday, April 19, 2003
Stanley Cup update: Toronto lost. No comment.
posted by medys @ 18:16 < link | top | home >
Just a representative sampling...
BBC - Doctor Who Homepage
| The Classic Series
Outpost Gallifrey
| Outpost Gallifrey Recommended Links
Doctor Who Reference Guide
| Doctor Who Links
Gallifrey5
| Recommended Web Links
The Doctor Who Appreciation Society
| Paul Harman's Web Guide
The Doctor Who Home Page
| The Doctor Who WWW Pages
Planet Who
I miss the show. There was nothing quite like it. (By the way, Tom Baker was my favorite Doctor.)
posted by medys @ 05:06 < link | top | home >
Revoke the Oscar: "Revoke the Oscar for Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine which by Academy rules is not a documentary." (Via MetaFilter.)
Not having seen the film/documentary, I can't comment. Then again, I would revoke his Oscar on the basis of his insulting acceptance speech alone. (I don't like the current president and even I hated Moore's anti-Bush rant.)
posted by medys @ 01:53 < link | top | home >
Friday, April 18, 2003
News item: U.S. asks Canada to help in post-war Iraq.
The government is considering how to respond to the request for participation in the "relief, reconstruction and stabilization of Iraq." The prime minister has previously said that this could include sending RCMP officers.
Ambassador Paul Cellucci said that he understands why Canada won't be able to send troops in response to the request. "On the military, we're aware of the commitment to Afghanistan this summer, so we understand that that's a big commitment for the Canadian Forces," he said.
Participation in post-war Iraq -- in addition to the $100 million in humanitarian aid already pledged -- could help repair the damaged Canada-U.S. relationship.
posted by medys @ 23:47 < link | top | home >
The Globe and Mail's Shawn McCarthy on Ambassador Paul Cellucci not staying mad at Canada for very long: "Forgive, forget; it's good for business. Canada's resources help soothe U.S. anger." (Via Manifesto Multilinko.)
It looks like the Canada-U.S. relationship can find sanctuary in the southward flow of Canadian oil, natural gas, and other energy. Perhaps the ambassador should tour his own country and explain the phrase "key source of secure oil supplies" to American consumers who want to boycott Canadian products because of our antiwar stance.
posted by medys @ 23:38 < link | top | home >
Further to the March 26 post: Fleishman-Hillard has released a follow-up to its March 31 survey: "American Consumers Split Over Substitutions and Boycotts of French, German, and Canadian Products; Second "Trade Winds" Survey Finds Some Attitudes Harden While Many Consumers Express Concern U.S. Boycotts Will Backfire; Knowledge of French and German Brands Strong; Americans Say Stock Selections Are Affected."
I'm not sure which is more disturbing: American consumers boycotting Canadian products -- they do realize that Canada is the third largest exporter of crude oil to the U.S., right? -- or 25 percent of them thinking that Molson is German and 37 percent thinking that Labatt's is French. (Isn't the apostrophe a giveaway?)
posted by medys @ 23:27 < link | top | home >
Many thanks to J-Log for the linkage in its "Recommended Sites" list.
posted by medys @ 02:56 < link | top | home >
How exactly does "hilarity ensue"?
1) CNN accidentally exposes obituary mock-ups to the Internet.
2) FARK.com and The Smoking Gun are lying in wait.
3) FARKers expose their own obituary mock-ups to the Internet.
4) CNN blames human error.
Et voilà!
posted by medys @ 01:28 < link | top | home >
Firecrasher: "Dedicated to Melissa auf der Maur."
Because seeing her in the video for Indochine's latest single, "Le Grand Secret," reminded me how beautiful she is.
posted by medys @ 00:57 < link | top | home >
Further to the November 26 post: Another possible sighting of the Home Depot tiling woman, this time in a Milky Way commercial. Woohoo!
posted by medys @ 00:31 < link | top | home >
Thursday, April 17, 2003
Further to the earlier post: Suffice it to say, I'm a tad more worried about SARS spreading to Ottawa now that 450 people have been quarantined in Montreal, a two-hour drive away.
posted by medys @ 23:43 < link | top | home >
Chicago Tribune's Maureen Ryan on blogging versus journalism: "Sites are blogged down in controversy." (Via Blogdex.)
posted by medys @ 22:29 < link | top | home >
Further to yesterday's post: Even if "Comical Ali," the "Iraqi Disinformation Minister," did commit suicide, he will live on in the form of a talking action figure made by Herobuilders.com. (Via FARK.com.)
posted by medys @ 21:59 < link | top | home >
Stanley Cup update: The Ottawa Senators eliminated the New York Islanders in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals (Series A). Go Sens go!
posted by medys @ 21:39 < link | top | home >
Further to the January 1 post: "Hurry! Don't miss your last chance to own Toy Story and Toy Story 2. Disney/Pixar will stop selling these titles on May 1, 2003." Screw Disney's marketing techniques. It should hang its corporate head in shame for beleaguering parents and spreading consumer panic to children -- again!
posted by medys @ 16:54 < link | top | home >
News item: U.S. plans border exemption for Canada.
Ambassador Paul Cellucci told the The Globe and Mail that Washington plans to exempt Americans and Canadians from a law requiring the tracking of all entries to and exits from the U.S. by 2005 -- something the Chrétien government has been lobbying for to avoid impeding trade and tourism. "We still have some more legal work to do, but it looks like U.S. and Canadian citizens would not be subject to the entry-exit," he said.
First Powell; now Cellucci. Did someone spike the water or something? Don't get me wrong -- I like what I'm hearing. In fact, it's a welcome relief (albeit an eerie one).
posted by medys @ 13:19 < link | top | home >
Regarding SARS... I haven't said very much about SARS; just a few updates here and there. I think it's because it's so unusual for Canadians to be experiencing a health emergency involving a communicable disease. In a way, it's kind of surreal -- bizarre even. I think we're all experiencing a degree of incredulity as we adjust to this new reality, which some people are referring to as the 9-11 of viruses.
All I can really say for sure is that I hope that SARS and its economic consequences -- to both the affected communities and to the health-care system -- are contained as soon as possible, that it's scary and unfortunate that Toronto is the North American epicenter of the disease, and that I'm worried that Ottawa's relative proximity to Toronto -- a five-hour drive away -- and the frequency of business- and government-related travel between the two cities means that the capital region is destined to be hit by an outbreak of its own.
posted by medys @ 12:33 < link | top | home >
SARS update: Ontario is reporting 123 probable and 128 suspect cases of SARS, all centered in the Greater Toronto Area. Thirteen people have died. Over 10,000 residents have been ordered into voluntary quarantine since the start of the outbreak, with 1,500 currently isolated. After the incident with the HP employee and other exasperating behavior, health officials are considering using electronic tracking bracelets to ensure that people stay in isolation. Toronto's economy, particularly tourism, is suffering because of the outbreak. With CNN airing CTV reports from the city, even more Americans are likely to avoid it.
Say, aren't the words "ordered" and "voluntary" mutually exclusive? Just wondering.
posted by medys @ 12:09 < link | top | home >
Further to the April 15 post: CNN has changed the theme of its war coverage to "The New Iraq." That's a pretty good indication that Gulf War II is over.
posted by medys @ 12:06 < link | top | home >
Not so happy anniversary. One year ago today, four Canadian soldiers were killed and eight wounded in a friendly fire incident in Afghanistan. The two American pilots responsible for bombing the Canadians are not likely to face court martial.
posted by medys @ 00:20 < link | top | home >
Happy anniversary! On this day in 1982, the Consitution Act, 1982, including the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, came into force.
posted by medys @ 00:15 < link | top | home >
Wednesday, April 16, 2003
Stanley Cup update: Toronto lost. No comment.
posted by medys @ 23:50 < link | top | home >
Further to the April 12 post: It's amazing how being under the weather saps one's garrulousness. (Insert cough here.) At least I'm being succinct. (Insert coughing fit here.)
posted by medys @ 23:41 < link | top | home >
Stanley Cup update: Ottawa won. Yay!
posted by medys @ 21:42 < link | top | home >
Stephanie Matteis, host of Ottawa Citizen City Desk on Rogers Television, is hot. Real hot.
Oops, I slipped into "typical male pig" mode there. My apologies.
posted by medys @ 18:24 < link | top | home >
Further to the April 14 post: Say it isn't so! Our favorite spin man may have committed suicide. (Via The Presurfer.)
posted by medys @ 17:50 < link | top | home >
The Homeland Security Advisory has been lowered to Elevated/Yellow: "Significant Risk of Terrorist Attacks." The Department of Homeland Security reminds you to remain wary of Canadians, particularly golfers -- Darth Ridge wants the green jacket back where it belongs -- curlers, and hockey players. Thank you for your attention loyal citizens. (Warning: sarcasm alert.)
posted by medys @ 15:32 < link | top | home >
Tuesday, April 15, 2003
Powell plays good cop. Is Secretary of State Colin Powell signaling a thaw in Canada-U.S. relations? Today in his Foreign Press Center Briefing he said:
I think where we're going is to a postponement of the visit and we'll schedule the visit a little bit later on in the year. So, we had to cancel this date. We haven't canceled the visit. It's been put off. I hope it will be rescheduled in the early fall period.
Obviously, we were disappointed in the initial Canadian response to the conflict, but I am confident that now that we are in the reconstruction and humanitarian phase, that Canada is in a unique position to provide assistance, financial or other forms of assistance, and I look forward to working with my colleague, Foreign Minister Bill Graham, and I know that the President looks forward to working with Mr. Chrétien as we move into the future.
Canada and the United States are, frankly, inseparable. We occupy this one huge land along with our neighbors to the south in Mexico. And differences will come along, disagreements will come along, but our two nations are bound strongly by common values, by common history and a common lineage, so we will get over whatever disappointments have existed in recent weeks.
Powell's comments were welcomed by Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham, who quoted the "inseparable" line in one of his own speeches. He also said that Canada-U.S. relations are solid and that the president's cancelled trip should not be seen as a snub.
Wow! Has there been a reprieve for the Canada-U.S. relationship? Is Powell playing the governor calling moments before the executioner throws the switch?
posted by medys @ 20:32 < link | top | home >
Saddam gay porn shocker! (Via Blogdex.)
Yeah, right. If this had been true, Washington conservatives would have been all over it: "He's one of "those"! We have to save those poor heterosexual Iraqis!"
Then again, it would have put that Gulf War I-era video of him patting the head of the young "human shield" into context. "Come here, little boy. Come to Uncle Saddam." (No, I'm not associating homosexuality with pedophilia; I'm just doing my best to make fun of the former Iraqi leader.)
Whatever would the Internet do without the Weekly World News?
posted by medys @ 13:30 < link | top | home >
Gulf War II has ended. Mostly. The war part, at least -- and what a whimper it was. In fact, it was so anti-climactic that I missed it yesterday -- day 25 of "Operation Iraqi Freedom" -- when the Pentagon announced the end of "major combat" in Iraq, following the defenders' less-than-impressive last stand in Saddam's hometown of Tikrit. "The regime is at its end, and its leaders are either dead, surrendered, or on the run," said Pentagon Spokeswoman Victoria Clarke; all that's left is "rooting out remnants of the Iraqi regime."
Now the focus is the "new Iraq" and its reconstruction. Kurds, Sunnis and Shiites are meeting to discuss, among other things, the establishment of an interim Iraqi authority. "Gradually, the indications of every-day life are returning in Iraq, and the Iraqis are adjusting to the freedom from the tyranny of the regime," said CENTCOM's Brigadier-General Vince Brooks. (Their first adjustment: looting and lawlessness, including the destruction and theft of priceless antiquities. Lovely.)
Therefore, short of some "pockets of resistance," there won't be any more live videophone feeds from embedded reporters in the middle of firefights. Oh well...
posted by medys @ 10:13 < link | top | home >
Canuck go home! Malaysia has joined Libya in banning Canadian tourists because of SARS.
For additional information about the disease, visit www.sars.gc.ca (courtesy of Health Canada).
posted by medys @ 06:51 < link | top | home >
Well Known Canadians: "Well Known People Who Happen to be Canadian." (Via linkfilter.net.)
We're an insidious bunch, aren't we? Don't worry, we're not a threat. Except Céline Dion. She's a threat to your senses. Our apologies. Please don't send her back.
posted by medys @ 03:57 < link | top | home >
Further to the February 15 post: Some more Genesis lyrics that seem apropos these days, this time from Trespass' "The Knife":
Some of you are going to die,
martyrs of course to the freedom that I shall provide.
No, I'm not obsessed with the band. I'm just on a bit of a classic Genesis kick at the moment.
posted by medys @ 01:18 < link | top | home >
Monday, April 14, 2003
Further to yesterday's post: President Bush will not go to Ottawa on May 5, but will go to his ranch in Crawford, Texas, to meet Prime Minister Howard of Australia on May 2-3. Canada: against the war. Australia: coalition member. Could it be any more obvious? Hello, Mr. Snub!
posted by medys @ 23:13 < link | top | home >
Quebec election. And the winner is...
party (leader): # seats / % of popular vote (rounded)
(with 63 seats out of the 125 needed for a majority)
PLQ (Jean Charest): 76 / 46%
PQ (Bernard Landry): 45 / 33%
ADQ (Mario Dumont): 4 / 18%
Other: 0 / 3%
Finally, my opinion: Yeah, baby! Woohoo! Let me put that in some hockey lingo for soon-to-be-ex-Premier Bernard Landry: Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye!
I couldn't be happier. First of all, in addition to being an eloquent and erudite politician who has the makings of a great premier, Jean Charest is an honest-to-goodness nice guy. More importantly to those of us in the rest of Canada who care about this sort of thing, the Liberal leader a staunch federalist. That means that the vote will stave off the destruction of Canada for a little while longer. Whatever specific reasons residents had for voting the way they did, the election results are ultimately a big "fuck you" to the separatist Péquistes and their dreams of Quebec sovereignty.
Thank you, Mr. Charest! And congratulations!
posted by medys @ 23:02 < link | top | home >
Stanley Cup update: Both Toronto and Ottawa won in double-overtime and now lead their series 2-1. Whew!
posted by medys @ 22:57 < link | top | home >
Quebec election. It's looking very good for Jean Charest: both CTV and CBC are declaring a Liberal majority. There's a ticker at the bottom of the screen -- yes, I'm enjoying my regular Monday-night fare, Third Watch -- and all I'm seeing are the words "Liberal: Elected" and "Liberal: Leading" next to the names of ridings.
posted by medys @ 21:25 < link | top | home >
I stumbled upon Medical Intelligence, a health and medicine talk show on Rogers Television. I kept staring at the screen, asking myself why Jill Hennessy of NBC's Crossing Jordan was hosting a cable access show back home in Canada -- and then I figured out that it was her twin sister, Jacqueline. It threw me off because it's rare that identical twins are both in the media like that.
posted by medys @ 15:40 < link | top | home >
Pentagon Spokeswoman Victoria Clarke has got to learn to dress appropriately. She is speaking to the international press about somber subjects wearing clothing that is anything but. I'm sorry, but a bright pink outfit just doesn't go well with announcing the deaths of soldiers. It's also an eyesore next to a general in a dress uniform.
Then again, I'm no fashion expert; I can barely dress myself.
posted by medys @ 13:41 < link | top | home >
Oh my god. Syria is next? (Even more shocking: Helen Thomas may have been right.)
Allegedly harboring Iraqi leaders. Apparently aiding and abetting terrorists. Supposedly conducting chemical weapons programs. Throw in some American spite towards Syria's opposition to the war in Iraq and you've got the blueprint for another UN-less "liberation."
Pardon my tone, but unless you live in the U.S., you have to have some degree of concern about being the next country in line for "liberation" by the hawkish Republican administration and its dreams of "Pax Americana" or whatever else the folks at The Project for the New American Century are whispering in its ears.
By the way, the "liberation" of Iraq will go back to being the "disarmament" of Iraq as soon as the U.S. gets around to confirming the presence of weapons of mass destruction. (Eleven mobile bio-chem labs have been found buried south of Baghdad, but it will take time to inspect and test them.)
posted by medys @ 13:29 < link | top | home >
Further to yesterday's post: Matthew Fisher has taped some audio reports from Tikrit, Iraq, for CNN. Like yesterday's live interviews, they were quite excellent. I liked the part about Saddam's own soldiers "pre-looting" the palaces before Iraqi civilians could. Among the items taken: "Saddam Hussein stationary, and the collected works of Saddam Hussein -- all ten volumes." I can see why CNN likes his reports.
posted by medys @ 13:17 < link | top | home >
Iraqi Information Ministry: "Welcome to the official English language site of the esteemed Iraqi Information Ministry. Through these difficult times my ministry strives to bring fair and balanced information about our homeland and the events taking place within it. In a world polluted by the propaganda of the pig-dog Bush administration in the USA, we thank you for visiting us today to seek the true picture of events in Iraq." (Via The Presurfer.)
Another site in praise of Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, the Ayatollah of Propaganda (pardon the Shiite Muslim in-joke), who has gone "from Iraqi mouthpiece to Internet icon," as CBS News put it. Or perhaps the "wacky" Iraqi information minister, wherever he may be, would prefer the title of "Web star" conferred on him by Wired News. (Via Blogdex.)
posted by medys @ 11:14 < link | top | home >
Further to the April 7 post: Blogsworth has updated her site and included an e-mail address.
Follow-up: No updates in a year means a long-overdue removal from my blogroll.
posted by medys @ 10:22 < link | top | home >
Quebec election. Yes, it's that time again in La Belle Province. As voters head to the polls this morning, Jean Charest of the Parti libéral du Québec (PLQ) is in the lead (barely) over Premier Bernard Landry of the Parti Québécois (PQ), with Mario Dumont of the Action démocratique du Québec (ADQ) in a distant third.
Although I haven't been following the election campaign, I do have some very strong opinions about the outcome. However, seeing as though the polls are opening soon, I will keep my thoughts to myself so as to not influence any readers across the river. All two of you. If that. As if I had any chance of influencing anyone in the first place. Nevertheless, I'll wait until the results come in after the polls close to express my opinions.
posted by medys @ 07:41 < link | top | home >
LG Electronics is flogging an "internet refrigerator." Because the fridge door is the most convenient place in the world to surf the Web. "Let go! You can get your damn milk after I've checked my e-mail! Shut up and eat your cereal without it!"
posted by medys @ 00:50 < link | top | home >
Sunday, April 13, 2003
Further to yesterday's post: Yes, the snub is a go. The prime minister has confirmed it. However, as expected, Jean Chrétien remains hopeful that the president will make it to Ottawa before he leaves 24 Sussex Drive next February, and is putting a "Bush is busy with the war" spin on it. White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer added to the PM's sugar-coating with his "Postponement of the President's Trip to Canada" statement:
After consultations, the U.S. and Canadian governments have decided to postpone President Bush's May 5 State Visit to Ottawa. The postponement is due to the President's ongoing obligations to help the people of Iraq build a nation that is whole, free and at peace. President Bush and Prime Minister Chrétien look forward to accomplishing these goals that both share.
Does anyone seriously believe that the Canadian government was in on the decision and that this wasn't related to Canada's antiwar stance and the anti-Americanism of Liberal MPs? If so, I've got some swampland in Florida for you.
posted by medys @ 23:50 < link | top | home >
World Curling Championships update: For the second year in a row, and the third time in four years, Canada's Randy Ferbey has won the men's gold medal. His rink defeated Switzerland's Ralph Stöckli 10-6.
This is great news, and certainly helps swallow Colleen Jones' silver medal win. However, I won't get into the round robin stats because, like yesterday, they probably won't make any sense to me.
posted by medys @ 23:35 < link | top | home >
News item: Mike Weir wins at Augusta.
He becomes the first Canadian golfer ever to win the prestigious Masters Tournament.
Congratulations, Mr. Weir! I'll leave it at that because I have the same reaction to golf which a lot of people have to curling: don't play, don't watch, don't care. (The folks are FARK.com do, though.)
posted by medys @ 23:26 < link | top | home >
It's not broken -- it's Googlelized. The last three posts were written in EditPad and posted after the fact because of an extended Blogger/Blog*Spot outage. (Status.Blogger.Com addressed the "serious problem" once it was resolved.)
posted by medys @ 12:09 < link | top | home >
Now that TNT is the only U.S. channel carrying syndicated Law & Order episodes, other AOL Time Warner networks have been airing commercials advertising that fact. I've been a Law & Order fan for many years and was upset when A&E replaced it with Third Watch (although I've since grown fond of that show as well). Problem is, TNT isn't available in Ottawa, a fact I'm reminded of -- quite cruelly I might add -- every time I see one of those commercials.
posted by medys @ 10:35 < link | top | home >
There are EverQuest ringtones. That's just sad.
posted by medys @ 10:35 < link | top | home >
Seven ecstatic families. I've been watching CNN's -- no, I haven't sworn it off since its reporter-bashing -- "breaking news" of the release of the seven U.S. army PoWs in Iraq. First of all, let me say that I honestly thought that the Iraqi military would execute them as a final gesture of defiance. This is one instance where I'm very happy to be wrong. I hope that they're are reunited with their loved ones as soon as possible, and that the remaining six MIAs are found safe and sound.
Anchors Heidi Collins and Leon Harris have been talking to Bob Franken and other network correspondents. Franken had taped the seven with a videophone -- although wasn't allowed to air it live -- as they were being loaded into a plane to fly to Kuwait.
Also interviewed several times by satellite phone was Canadian reporter Matthew Fisher of The National Post (and other CanWest Global newspapers). He just happened to be embedded with a company of U.S. Marines securing an area south of Tikrit when an Iraqi police officer approached the Americans and ushered them to the PoWs -- "a wonderful accident" and "most fortuitous" as he put it.
I was pleasantly surprised at how well Fisher did on CNN; most of the on-air interviews with print journalists I've watched so far have been lackluster. (I suppose that's to be expected given that most of them are fish out of water in the world of broadcast journalism.) I really appreciated his detailed accounts; they were eloquent and poignant -- and a credit to Canadian journalism. Kudos, Mr. Fisher.
posted by medys @ 10:34 < link | top | home >
Further to the April 10 post: Apparently, officials are considering laying charges against the moron who broke quarantine and exposed his co-workers to SARS. That would certainly help curb people's stupidity.
The disease has now claimed 13 victims in Canada, all in the Greater Toronto Area. Please, as always, do not panic. (He says while hacking up a lung.)
posted by medys @ 00:35 < link | top | home >
Saturday, April 12, 2003
World Curling Championships update: Canada's Colleen Jones lost the women's gold medal to U.S.A.'s Debbie McCormick. Final score: 5-3.
Have I got this straight? The first-place rink -- with a 9 win 0 loss record in the round robin -- loses one game the entire championships and gets silver, but the third-place rink -- with a 5 win 4 loss record in the round robin -- wins 60 percent of its games and gets gold? Huh? I think it's time for curling to adopt a hockey-style best-of-seven system for its finals.
posted by medys @ 23:53 < link | top | home >
Snub is a go? It's being reported that President Bush has indeed postponed his state visit to Canada in May because of the country's antiwar stance and anti-American comments made by Liberal MPs.
The prime minister insisted that there hasn't been any word from Washington about the cancellation. The White House won't comment, although some officials have confirmed the reports, saying that although the president's pre-occupation with Iraq is the primary reason, the recent cross-border tensions were a big factor. There is also speculation that the visit will only be rescheduled after Jean Chrétien leaves office next February.
Deputy Prime Minister John Manley could not confirm the reports, either. Instead, he said that it's time for the two countries to put their disagreements behind them. "I think we need to move on," he said. "We've got a series of things that we need to be doing now. That includes the work on humanitarian assistance and reconstruction in Iraq."
That's today's update on the bovine scatology of the Canada-U.S. relationship.
posted by medys @ 23:24 < link | top | home >
Stanley Cup update: Ottawa won. Yay!
posted by medys @ 23:09 < link | top | home >
Remind me to thank whoever it was who knocked me off my feet with that cold or flu bug. (No, not SARS.)
posted by medys @ 23:07 < link | top | home >
It's not broken -- it's Googlelized. The ripple effect of Blogger's errors: Agonist Watch, existential dishwasher, and Blogsworth are just three of the sites I've linked to recently whose permalinks are broken. Referencing their posts has resulted in broken links, the previous post being a perfect example. Sigh.
posted by medys @ 04:41 < link | top | home >
Further to the April 7 post: I have been linked and quoted by Agonist Watch. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? (Either way, many thanks for the linkage.)
posted by medys @ 04:21 < link | top | home >
On M*A*S*H, how come Corporal Klinger's tent is private, but The Swamp -- home to two captains and a major -- has see-through walls? Just wondering.
posted by medys @ 01:59 < link | top | home >
Friday, April 11, 2003
Prime Minister Jean Chrétien: "We have big problems in Zimbabwe. Should Mr. Blair and I go and change the leader there? I don't think so. To go there and change the regime -- it's not my option."
Deputy Prime Minister John Manley: "I think we probably could have done a better job at preparing the U.S. administration for the position that we would take on the war and communicating it more carefully. I think now the issue is how we move on."
That's as close as I'll get to an update on the state of the Canada-U.S. relationship.
posted by medys @ 23:33 < link | top | home >
Stanley Cup update: Toronto lost. No comment.
posted by medys @ 23:15 < link | top | home >
We Love the Iraqi Information Minister: "This site is a coalition effort of bloodthirsty hawks and ineffectual doves united in admiration for Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf, Iraqi Minister of Information (currently on administrative leave)." (Via Blogdex.)
"There are no American infidels in Baghdad. Never!" Propaganda just won't be the same without you. I salute you, sir! (Insert Benny Hill salute here.)
posted by medys @ 19:53 < link | top | home >
The Globe and Mail's Michael Posner on an American network's criticism of a Canadian reporter: "CNN fires shots at CBC's war coverage." (Via existential dishwasher.)
It isn't often that David Halton, CBC television's senior political correspondent, turns up on CNN. But there he was this week, the subject of a derisive prime-time item about how foreign broadcasters -- the CBC notable among them -- were insufficiently on-side about the Iraq war.
On-side? Are you kidding me? Since when do journalists have to be on-side with anything they're covering? Since when do Canadian news organizations have to be cheerleaders for the "liberation" (formerly "disarmament") of Iraq or anything else the Bush administration does? Since when is anyone in the U.S. forced to watch CBC?
What Halton had failed to mention, CNN complained, was the very real possibility that it wasn't Saddam at all -- laughing and joking while the smoke from oil fires burned in the background -- but one of his alleged body doubles.
On the other hand, what CNN failed to mention was that the same CBC newscast carried a reality-check segment by correspondent Neil Macdonald that pointedly raised the issue of the Iraqi tape's veracity.
Do yourself a favor, CNN: go read The Elements of Journalism. Maybe then you'll gain back some of the respect you've lost with your hypocrisy. (Said with an eyebrow raised at Eason Jordon's "The News We Kept to Ourselves" op-ed piece in The New York Times, found via linkfilter.net. As Scripting News' Dave Winer put it: "Technically there's no doubt that Eason Jordan has admitted a major breach of editorial integrity at CNN.")
Oh, and thanks to existential dishwasher for the linkage.
posted by medys @ 16:26 < link | top | home >
It's only a "pocket of resistance" if you're not in the middle of it. If you are, it's "Holy shit! They're shooting at me!"
Silly war euphemisms. Even worse, the acronyms of said euphemisms: "Once the PORs are eliminated, we'll continue the search for WMDs."
posted by medys @ 13:57 < link | top | home >
Thursday, April 10, 2003
News item: Susan Sarandon prefers Canadian war coverage.
The actress and antiwar activist said that Americans are not getting the full picture of the war in Iraq -- only the Bush administration's side of the story. "...if you're outside the country you get a very different perspective on the way things are working," she said. "You get news from around the world."
Isn't that a blinding glimpse of the obvious? It's kind of a given that if you go elsewhere in the world, you get news from...elsewhere in the world. Duh.
Besides, given the Internet, digital cable -- or regular cable for that matter; C-SPAN, for instance, has been carrying CBC's The National -- satellite TV, shortwave radio, and the multitude of other media the citizens of the world's most affluent country have access to, it's a cop-out to say that they're robbed of other perspectives. Those voices are out there, ready to be heard. It's a matter of choice -- and based on the ratings, most Americans choose to watch jingoistic, flag-waving, pro-war networks like Fox News Channel.
It has nothing to do with lack of access to news from around the world; it has everything to do with not giving a shit about it. (Something people of all nations are guilty of.) There's a big difference, Susan.
posted by medys @ 12:39 < link | top | home >
Define "irony." Permanent Mission of Iraq to the United Nations (New York), www.iraqi-mission.org: "Not Available. This Web site is currently unavailable."
Follow-up: Actually, perhaps I should.
posted by medys @ 08:49 < link | top | home >
Define "understatement." Permanent Representative of Iraq to the United Nations (New York), Ambassador Mohammed al-Douri: "The game is over."
posted by medys @ 08:46 < link | top | home >
Another day, another statue of Saddam. This time the U.S. Marines didn't so much topple the statue as unceremoniously blow its crotch out with explosives. They were trying to bring down the whole thing, mind you. No matter; that works, too. Very symbolic, in fact. Personally, I prefer seeing a good crotch-shot (pardon the pun) than an erect structure going limp (again, pardon the pun).
posted by medys @ 08:04 < link | top | home >
You know you're an idiot when... You ignore the SARS quarantine order and show up at work anyway -- with symptoms. That's what a Hewlett-Packard employee in Toronto did, forcing 197 of his co-workers into quarantine. Moron.
Currently, Ontario has 94 probable and 101 suspected cases of SARS, mostly in the Greater Toronto Area, where several hospitals and schools have been closed as a result. Forty patients have been successfully treated, and 10 have died. Wal-Mart is the latest company to suspend travel to Toronto and other affected areas.
posted by medys @ 07:12 < link | top | home >
Speaking of tanks and Iraq, I'm going to go play Battlefield 1942 with the Desert Combat mod.
posted by medys @ 04:31 < link | top | home >
Tanks a lot. After "Operation Iraqi Freedom" -- aka Gulf War II -- I don't think the U.S. Marine Corps and its army brethren will have any trouble maintaining or increasing their budgets for armored vehicles. "More tanks? Like the ones that rolled through the Iraqi desert like hot knives through butter? Like the ones that parked themselves outside of Saddam's palace in Baghdad? Sure! Here's a pile of cash!" Given what happened in the war, the comment I made about tracked vehicles in my January 13 post applies more than ever.
posted by medys @ 04:31 < link | top | home >
Wednesday, April 09, 2003
Stanley Cup update: Toronto won. Ottawa lost. Shit.
posted by medys @ 23:55 < link | top | home >
Further to yesterday's post: The prime minister held a news conference to defend his decision not to join the coalition in Iraq, saying that he doesn't regret opposing a war that wasn't sanctioned by the UN. He also said that Canada can play a significant role in the humanitarian assistance -- starting with $100 million in aid -- and post-war reconstruction of Iraq -- minus the already-stretched thin Canadian military, according to the defence minister.
On the Canada-U.S. front, he said that he wanted to return to the goodwill that existed post 9-11. Unfortunately, I don't think his "we wanted the Americans to win -- we just didn't want to participate" argument on the day that Saddam's regime crumbles -- at least symbolically -- is going to help mend any fences. What will probably help a lot more is the fact that two Canadians died in Iraq: an ICRC worker and a Jamaican immigrant serving with the U.S. Marines.
However, Ambassador Paul Cellucci is still pissed at the Liberal government for its "incomprehensible" directive to the Canadian military in the Persian Gulf to not hand over fleeing Iraqi officials to U.S. forces. Mr. Cellucci, you made your point with your March 25 rebuke. Now you're just beating a dead horse -- and it's getting tiresome. (It's certainly sapping my will to handle you with kid gloves.)
Oh the trials and tribulations of the Canada-U.S. relationship. Sigh.
posted by medys @ 22:02 < link | top | home >
Many thanks to existential dishwasher for pointing out my stenoblogging madness today. What can I say? CNN was on. Blogger was working. The compulsion was overwhelming. I caved in like a statue of Saddam.
Also, I would like to thank her for contributing to my unofficial campaign to turn the word "stenoblogging" into a meme.
posted by medys @ 21:48 < link | top | home >
My apologies for the stenoblogging; the live coverage is just so...surreal. However, blogging like this has become tedious so I'll stop now.
posted by medys @ 10:50 < link | top | home >
The statue of Saddam has been toppled. Iraqi citizens are cheering and jumping up and down on it. Happiness is...
posted by medys @ 10:49 < link | top | home >
The Marines have finally gotten the steel cable around Saddam's neck and are now winching it.
posted by medys @ 10:45 < link | top | home >
The American flag has been replaced by a pre-Gulf War Iraqi flag. CNN is reporting that there was an audible gasp at the Pentagon when the Stars and Stripes were brazenly displayed on the statue. That was the last thing they wanted to see live on Al-Jazeera.
posted by medys @ 10:41 < link | top | home >
Oh oh. The Marines have covered Saddam's head with an American flag. Bad idea. That sort of display of U.S. imperialism -- signifying occupation rather than liberation -- is frowned upon (and against orders). The Arab networks, not to mention those Marines' commanding officer, are going to go apeshit.
posted by medys @ 10:37 < link | top | home >
The statue-beaters have turned to a bigger sledgehammer: a U.S. Marine armored recovery vehicle equipped with a steel cable.
posted by medys @ 10:07 < link | top | home >
Oops. The rope is too short so they're taking turns beating the shit out of the base of the statue with a sledgehammer. That must feel damn good.
posted by medys @ 09:46 < link | top | home >
Iraqi citizens have gathered around the statue of Saddam in Firdos Square and are attempting to get a rope around it to topple it. This is reminiscent of the fall of communism over a decade ago.
posted by medys @ 09:31 < link | top | home >
CNN's Martin Savidge is covering a U.S. Marine firefight at Baghdad University. It's amazing to watch warfare live on television like that. However, if he doesn't stop moving the videophone, I'm going to have a seizure. There's only so many jerky, pixelated images I can handle, no matter how historic they are.
posted by medys @ 09:21 < link | top | home >
Taping the letters "T" and "V" on one's helmet and body armor seems to be de rigueur for some broadcast journalists -- not that it helps much when a tank shell slams into your hotel room.
posted by medys @ 09:13 < link | top | home >
Baghdad seems to falling in a major way. The live feeds, including some rather frenetic -- and headache-inducing -- videophone coverage, is quite interesting from a journalistic standpoint. In some sections of the city, the advancing U.S. troops are swamped with press; it's like every GI has his own personal media entourage.
posted by medys @ 09:07 < link | top | home >
News item: Congo war has claimed over three million lives.
That makes it the deadliest conflict since World War II, said the International Rescue Committee, an nongovernmental organization which "helps people fleeing racial, religious and ethnic persecution, as well as those uprooted by war and violence."
The Democratic Republic of the Congo -- a contradiction in terms if ever there was one -- is screaming for "disarmament" or "liberation" or "regime change" or whatever else the U.S. calls military intervention these days -- much more than Iraq ever did. However, what are the chances of someone in the West taking military action there? (In case anyone's thinking it, the country is indeed an oil exporter, albeit a minor one.)
posted by medys @ 08:46 < link | top | home >
Wired News' Daniel Forbes on a blogger plagiarizing a paid news service: "Noted War Blogger Cops to Copying." (Via Blogdex.)
What The Agonist did was just plain shameful. What's even worse is that he did it to get ahead and to make a name for himself.
Why am I not a hypocrite for saying that?
First: I blog because it's a therapeutic compulsion. (You think I'm stenoblogging the demise of the Canada-U.S. relationship because it's career-enhancing? No, because it pisses me off and I feel the need to write about it.) Blogging also has the fringe benefit of being damn fun.
Second: There are certain journalistic principles I adhere to even though I don't claim to be a journalist when blogging. That includes attributing sources with links. In those rare cases where I can't find a Web page to back something up, I say so. Most of my copying and pasting from the linked sources is in the form of quotes -- things that people have said in public or to the press -- with ellipses added when portions are omitted. When entire passages are quoted word-for-word from the linked sources, I italicize them in separate paragraphs. Occasionally, sentences or phrases (including headlines) from the linked sources end up unchanged, with no italics, mixed in with the text I've composed; they're so succinct or to-the-point that there's not much I could do, or would want to do, to them to make them my own. (I always feel bad when that happens, though, because it takes away from the blog's originality.)
Here's hoping the incident doesn't tarnish the rest of the Blogosphere.
posted by medys @ 06:55 < link | top | home >
Tuesday, April 08, 2003
However much I hate those kitschy Old Navy commercials -- you know the ones -- I can't stop staring at them. They're so damn campy that they're utterly fascinating. That being said, I have never shopped at Old Navy -- parent company Gap, for that matter -- and have no intention to. I must be one those consumers they hate: watch the commercials; skip the stores.
Follow-up: My intentions notwithstanding, I bought three pairs of jeans at Old Navy this year. They weren't advertised, so it's okay...right?
posted by medys @ 23:54 < link | top | home >
All this goddamn Canada-U.S. idiocy is turning my blog into a bloody news regurgitation service. Can't we all just get along? Sigh.
posted by medys @ 23:43 < link | top | home >
Further to yesterday's post: The Opposition motion calling on the government to apologize for anti-American statements made by Liberal members was defeated (165-64) today. "This party, this government and this prime minister will never vote for a motion that casts a chill on the rights and the privileges of the members of government to free speech in this House," said the prime minister.
Meanwhile, a Liberal motion -- which Canadian Alliance Leader Stephen Harper called an "embarrassment" -- intends to show Canada's solidarity with the U.S. Said Rex Murphy on CBC's The National last night: "Had this motion been brought at the beginning of the war, it might have been useful and could have been seen as sincere. Now, it is either a gesture of sycophancy or the lamest of second thoughts. If the government still thinks this war was wrong, they have no right -- no matter how subtly -- to be offering the Americans our congratulations on it."
Jean Chrétien -- who today celebrated his 40th anniversary in Parliament -- said that Canada's decision not to join the war was based on principle and that its friendship with the U.S. has not been damaged as a result. "Our friendship with the United States is far stronger than some of our critics would have us believe," he said. "Close friends can disagree at times and can still remain close friends."
Ambassador Paul Cellucci -- whose March 25 rebuke shook the country -- apparently likes what he's hearing these days. Unfortunately, many American motorists don't feel the same way: they've been harassing Canadian truckers by engaging in highway shenanigans like honking horns, flashing lights, and giving the finger, and by committing rest-stop vandalism like slashing tires, unhooking rigs, and dismantling suspensions. The truckers have also been given more tickets and delayed longer at the border. All this a result of Canada's stance against the war -- as if the truckers are to blame. Sigh.
Yet another day on the thrill ride that is the Canada-U.S. relationship.
posted by medys @ 22:29 < link | top | home >
Stefan Geens on weblogs failing to live up to the challenge of reporting on the war: "The demise of the blog." (Via MemeFirst.)
I think that blogging should not be confused with reporting and that bloggers should not be confused with journalists. Although happenstance occasionally permits us to wear both hats, for the most part, we're amateur pundits adding our two cents to the world's largest op-ed page. We're armchair reporters forwarding, and commenting on, the news that professional journalists produce based on first-hand knowledge (or the next best thing). We're opinionated writers sitting in safety and comfort far away from the events we're writing about.
posted by medys @ 05:51 < link | top | home >
I'm waiting for that guy in the FedEx commercials to go apeshit when his know-it-all co-worker -- Steve Carell from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart -- insults his intelligence one too many times.
posted by medys @ 03:08 < link | top | home >
Many thanks to Mad Mitch for his April 5 linkage.
posted by medys @ 02:30 < link | top | home >
Monday, April 07, 2003
Further to the April 4 post: I'm having fun watching the development of Blogsworth. I hope that I've been of assistance -- with my posts, links, and blogroll -- to the Irish journalist turned novice blogger. Others, including nofear.org, have also linked to her.
On the off-chance that she stumbles across this post, here are some more things to think about: 1) An e-mail address would help. However, given that spambots and idiots are abound, I recommend using a "disposable" account from Yahoo! or some other service. 2) Some of the permalinks aren't working. Blogger is most likely to blame, but don't expect any help from them. 3) Do you want people to rate every post with BlogHop, or just the blog itself?
If I think of anything else, I'll post it. Till then, have fun blogging!
posted by medys @ 23:32 < link | top | home >
Fence-mending? Deputy Prime Minister John Manley met with Darth Ridge today to discuss border issues.
Manley said that long-term relations won't be affected despite Canada's antiwar stance. "Canada and the United States have had our bumps in the road," he said. "But the Canada-U.S. is a relationship for the long haul. It has had highs and lows in the past and will probably have more in the future."
"Thoughtful people realize there will be occasionally a difference of views," he added. "And Canada's perfectly entitled to take that different view."
Meanwhile, the House of Commons is still debating a Canadian Alliance motion tabled on April 2 "to reaffirm that the United States to be Canada's closest friend and ally; hope that the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq is successful in removing Saddam Hussein's regime from power; and urge the Government of Canada to assist the coalition in the reconstruction of Iraq."
The motion also calls on the government to "express its regret and apologize for offensive and inappropriate statements made against the United States of America by certain members of this House."
Ironically, the prime minister is pushing a Liberal motion supporting the U.S., even though his government opposes the war. (Huh?)
That's today's update on the rollercoaster ride that is the Canada-U.S. relationship.
posted by medys @ 22:19 < link | top | home >
Further to the March 15 post: FAMOUSIDIOT.COM: "This site is dedicated to exposing the elitists among us that feel compelled to speak out against the very country that afforded them the opportunity to earn a King's fortune." (Via Attu sees all.)
It includes a list of "other sites that support the cause" -- very useful if you're into this sort of thing. I'm not, but I have a theme going.
posted by medys @ 14:30 < link | top | home >
Just a reminder to the U.S. that these and other UN programmes, funds, entities, and offices are ready and willing to help the people of Iraq:
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR)
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
ReliefWeb
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
United Nations Office of the Iraq Programme - Oil-for-Food
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
World Food Programme (WFP)
World Health Organization (WHO)
War gave birth to the UN and its system of organizations, so now is the time to use them.
posted by medys @ 11:06 < link | top | home >
Yahoo! versus Google. Imitation is not only the sincerest form of flattery, but, according to Yahoo!, the best way to compete with Google, the world's top search engine. Starting today, if you notice any similarities between Google and The New Yahoo! Search, that's the reason why. (Via FARK.com.)
Say, does Yahoo! still make you jump through hoops and wait forever to get a category listing? Just wondering.
posted by medys @ 06:50 < link | top | home >
Further to the previous post: There are now live videophone feeds from embedded reporters showing U.S. tanks sitting outside one of Saddam's palaces in Baghdad. Not only did they tour the palace, but U.S. soldiers rested in some of the rooms. So, what's the Iraqi information minister going to say now? "No, it's a lie! The Americans are not in Baghdad! Those are not Saddam's gold-plated bathroom fixtures!"
Try as you may, minister, you cannot possibly have any less credibility.
posted by medys @ 04:30 < link | top | home >
Are you mad? Iraqi Information Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf is either in denial, insane, or both. He's spouting the most absurd propaganda I've ever heard. It doesn't even rise to the level of frivolity.
During his latest impromptu press conference -- which CNN anchor Anderson Cooper described as "surreal" -- he denied that American forces had entered Baghdad (and made some other patently absurd statements). That despite all evidence to the contrary: Didn't he hear the shooting? Didn't he hear the statue of Saddam being blown up? Didn't he hear the live satellite-phone reports from embedded journalists?
He must be covering his ears when he isn't making nonsensical statements to the media. "La la la la la! I don't hear you! La la la la la!"
posted by medys @ 03:16 < link | top | home >
It looks like the battle for Baghdad has begun. Said a U.S. army major: "The other day was just an incursion. This is for real."
posted by medys @ 01:55 < link | top | home >
Further to the April 4 post: Fox News Channel's Geraldo Rivera has apologized for breaking military rules by revealing U.S. troop movements, saying that he "should have been more careful."
"The review showed that I did indeed break one of the rules related to embedment," he said. "I'm sorry that it happened and I assure you that it was inadvertent. Nobody was hurt by what I said. No mission was compromised."
Inadvertent? He sketched the battle plans in the sand! Is his ego is interfering with his common sense?
posted by medys @ 00:13 < link | top | home >
Sunday, April 06, 2003
Here's what the latest Ipsos-Reid poll says about Canada and the Iraq crisis:
Nationally, equal numbers support (48%) and oppose (48%) the U.S. led military action against Iraq; however, a majority (54%) of English Canada now support war while just 29% in Quebec do; half (51%) of Canadians support offering help to coalition -- six in ten (58%) in English Canada support move compared to 28% in Quebec.
Does Quebec oppose the war because the majority of English Canada supports it, or because it doesn't involve federal transfer money? (Yes, I know, there's a huge cultural divide between the province and the U.S. I just couldn't resist a cynical Canadian in-joke. My apologies.)
posted by medys @ 23:34 < link | top | home >
You know the embedded reporting is close to the action when there's blood dripping down the lens for several seconds, followed by BBC News' John Simpson, injured and missing part of his clothing, stumbling towards the camera while its operator desperately tries to wipe the lens clean.
This after the friendly-fire bombing of a Kurdish convoy -- accompanied by journalists and U.S. Special Forces -- in Northern Iraq. Simpson described it as a "scene from hell" with bodies and body parts lying around him after the bomb hit 10 yards away from the BBC crew. His translator was one of the 18 killed.
posted by medys @ 23:17 < link | top | home >
Further to the March 27 post: Why blog when you can use eBay to make political statements? (Via MetaFilter.)
CompAtlanta: "At the present time we will not accept bids from Canada, Mexico, France or Germany. If you can't figure out why, you shouldn't be bidding anyway. If you need an explanation, call us."
Someone in Ottawa: "This auction is closed to residents of the United States of America, Great Britain, Australia, Spain, and any other country that supports the illegal and immoral war against the people of Iraq. Remember, regime change begins at home."
Welcome to the dueling disclaimers. Sadly, given all the war-inspired rancor these days, more tit-for-tat caveats, whether motivated by politics or economics -- Bryant Durrell of Population: One thinks that CompAtlanta is "just taking advantage of the war for publicity" -- are to be expected.
posted by medys @ 22:34 < link | top | home >
Juno madness! The best part of the 2003 Juno Awards: Shania Twain wearing a Toronto Maple Leafs outfit in the Corel Centre, home of the Ottawa Senators. The booing that ensued was hilarious. (During the evening, she wore costumes representing all the Canadian hockey teams.)
posted by medys @ 22:29 < link | top | home >
Juno madness! Finally, after months of host Shania Twain's commercials, it's the 2003 Juno Awards. I'm doing my absolute best not to stenoblog the live CTV broadcast. What I will say at this point is that, given the energy and vibe surrounding the awards show and everything Ottawa has done for it, the Canadian music industry is doing great these days.
posted by medys @ 20:23 < link | top | home >
Juno madness! I'm watching CTV at the Juno Awards, the red carpet pre-show. It's fun seeing the artists arrive at the Corel Centre and then freeze -- it's -8 C with wind chill in Ottawa -- while being interviewed. Q: "Are you nervous?" A: "No, just cold, man!"
It was surreal when co-host Ben Mulroney (of CTV's etalk|DAILY), son of a former prime minister, introduced the arrival of Justin Trudeau, son of another former prime minister. Only in Canada.
Jeff Healey was right in saying that the highlight of the show was when he was asked which artists he has his eye on. Co-host Thea Andrews (also of CTV's etalk|DAILY) quickly apologized to the blind guitarist for her choice of words and they shared a laugh.
posted by medys @ 19:12 < link | top | home >
Many thanks to Manifesto Multilinko for the linkage.
posted by medys @ 07:14 < link | top | home >
The Telson Spur: "A Way Station for Snark Hunters."
I don't quite grasp the concept of the site, but the author was nice enough to link to me.
posted by medys @ 07:04 < link | top | home >
Karen Bond's "British, Canadian and American Vocabulary." (Via MetaFilter.)
To my knowledge, I have never referred to any Canadian as "Johnny Canuck." God help me if I ever do.
posted by medys @ 05:40 < link | top | home >
Saturday, April 05, 2003
Juno madness! The Juno Awards, Canada's version of the Grammies, are being held in Ottawa this weekend, and the city has gone Juno crazy. Why else would Avril Lavigne be allowed to plant her skater-punk ass in the Speaker's chair in the House of Commons? On the plus side, they're keeping the bars open an extra hour. Woohoo!
Tomorrow night's live broadcast will be hosted by country superstar Shania Twain. Like with every awards show, I hope the presenters and winners keep their political views to themselves.
posted by medys @ 23:30 < link | top | home >
Further to the March 25 post: Antiwar protesters condemned Ambassador Paul Cellucci for his rebuke.
"Ambassador, you have found it necessary to scold us, to be cross with us, and you may even want to punish us eventually," said Shirley Douglas, daughter of NDP founder Tommy Douglas. "Your country has had over 35 wars since the Second World War. We have not chosen to come with you on many of those wars. We did not choose to go to Vietnam. We do not choose to go to the war in Iraq."
"Operation Iraqi Freedom" -- aka Gulf War II -- doesn't bother me. What does bother me is what the war is doing to the Canada-U.S. relationship. Sigh.
posted by medys @ 23:21 < link | top | home >
Further to the April 1 post: There has been an eighth death from SARS in Toronto, and a ninth is suspected. Please, do not panic.
posted by medys @ 23:07 < link | top | home >
FARK.com Photoshop theme: "What if Fox News were around during other historical events?" (Via Blogdex.)
Hilarious!
posted by medys @ 20:05 < link | top | home >
Go Sens go! Congratulations to the Ottawa Senators for winning the NHL President's Trophy for the season's best record, a franchise-high 111 points. Ottawa is the first Canadian team since the 1988-89 Calgary Flames to win the trophy.
Ironically, the team atop the NHL standings still doesn't have an owner.
posted by medys @ 17:47 < link | top | home >
Privacy under fire. On April 2, George Radwanski, Privacy Commissioner of Canada, delivered a keynote speech at the 13th Annual Conference on Computers, Freedom and Privacy in New York City. It was an excellent speech raising many important issues, not the least of which being that "there can be no real freedom without privacy." (The CFP 2003 program page links to the speech's audio files, which include its introduction and brief Q&A session.)
An interesting tidbit: there is no privacy commissioner, or similar position, in the U.S. There is, however, an anti-privacy commissioner in the form of Darth Ridge. (Warning: sarcasm alert.)
Follow-up: Two and a half months later, George Radwanski resigned in disgrace after giving new meaning to the word "lavish" while spending taxpayers' money.
posted by medys @ 05:24 < link | top | home >
Poynter Online: "Media Map of Iraq." (Via MetaFilter.)
See where all the embedded reporters are.
posted by medys @ 04:56 < link | top | home >
Friday, April 04, 2003
Further to yesterday's post: Is Richard Perle backtracking?
A day after the senior U.S. advisor said that Canadians would regret their "lame-duck" prime minister's decision not to back the war and that there would be implications for the Canada-U.S. relationship, he said: "When I said that, I wasn't thinking of suffering consequences....I was thinking of the way in which this war is likely to end -- with the liberation of the people of Iraq -- and Canada will not have participated in freeing the people of Iraq."
That's ironic, because when I blogged about this yesterday, I wasn't thinking that you were a nice guy -- I was thinking that you were an asshole. That's why I called you an asshole instead of leaving it open to interpretation. Do yourself a favor: next time you stir the shit, articulate what you're thinking. Canadians can't read minds, especially when we're being insulted.
posted by medys @ 23:42 < link | top | home >
Further to the March 25 post: Canadian nationalist Mel Hurtig said Ambassador Paul Cellucci was "ill-mannered" and "obnoxious" when he rebuked Canada last week. "Mr. Cellucci, let's be clear," he said. "Canadians do not approve of your bad manners, your grossly undiplomatic behaviour, your lecturing us about defence spending, your warnings about the possible linkage of our opposition to war with your trade policies."
Mr. Hurtig, let me be clear: what do you mean "we"? Why are you assuming that your personal views are those of all Canadians? Let me be even clearer: they aren't. Oh, and if you were such a "nationalist," you wouldn't be assisting in the demise of the Canada-U.S. relationship. Thanks, Mel. Much-appreciated. (Warning: sarcasm alert.)
Follow-up: Hurtig's comments are seen in a new light in the April 27 post.
Follow-up: Perhaps it's time -- eight months and 180 degrees later -- for all Canadians to be nationalists and say what needs to be said about Cellucci and his Washington masters. (They tend not to like us no matter what we do, so we might as well like Canada.)
posted by medys @ 23:33 < link | top | home >
A portion of today's White House Press Briefing with Ari Fleischer:
Reporter: "Yesterday, the U.S. Ambassador to Canada, Paul Cellucci, said that President Bush may have to postpone his state visit to Canada because of his war itinerary. Do you have any more details on that?"
Fleischer: "At this moment, I have nothing to report. As always, if we have something to report, we'll share it."
Reporter: "Also yesterday, Richard Perle said Canadians could well come to regret the decision to stay out of the war against Iraq. Should non-coalition countries expect punitive action from the United States?"
Fleischer: "No, people should not expect punitive action. But the President does think it was a regrettable decision by nations not to join in the coalition. He understands their thoughts, but he is acting for the right reasons. And he's pleased to see how large the coalition is."
How come I don't believe him when he says that?
posted by medys @ 23:15 < link | top | home >
Further to the previous post: CNN's Lou Dobbs Moneyline reported on the rally (video included), saying that support came from an unlikely source given that polls show that a majority of Canadians oppose the war.
posted by medys @ 18:43 < link | top | home >
Further to the April 2 post: About 1,000 people braved freezing rain in Toronto to attend the "Rally for America" organized by Friends of America.
Canadian Alliance Leader Stephen Harper thanked the crowd for "opening your hearts" and "saying to our friends in the United States of America, you are our ally, our neighbour, and our best friend in the whole wide world." He added: "And when your brave men and women give their lives for freedom and democracy we are not neutral. We do not stand on the sidelines; we're for the disarmament of Saddam and the liberation of the people of Iraq."
"Canadians, friends of America, that is who we as Canadians are," said Ontario Premier Ernie Eves. "Our American neighbours, our friends, our colleagues, our allies have always supported us, they've protected us, they've helped us and they've stood by us, and now we should be standing by them."
Here's hoping the rally gets some play in the U.S. media.
posted by medys @ 17:06 < link | top | home >
Blogsworth: "Researching an article on blogging through the medium of the weblog." (Via Biz Stone, Genius.)
"As always, feel free to tell me where I'm going wrong!" People link to you; you link to people -- that's how it works. It's viral. It's memes. It's word-of-mouth. Therefore, do that which involves links, links, and more links: link to someone in a post, create a blogroll, display a BlogSnob ad -- whatever. Links are the lifeblood of the Blogosphere, so validating one's existence there is more the purview of citation indexes than of e-mail.
That's my two cents. Good luck and enjoy yourself!
posted by medys @ 06:19 < link | top | home >
Further to the April 1 post: The Pentagon now says that Fox News Channel's Geraldo Rivera is welcome to go back into Iraq with U.S. troops now that he's learned his lesson. According to Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. David Lapan, he can be re-embedded with a military unit, "as long as it is clear to him and to (Fox News) what was wrong the first time and that it not happen again."
Wow, they're giving that pompous windbag another chance? I would have tossed his ass so hard that it would have skidded to a stop somewhere on the other side of the continent. But that's just me.
posted by medys @ 05:30 < link | top | home >
I just caught Charley Beck -- Sarah Sedgman, actually; she changed her stage name -- on Daytime on Ottawa's Rogers Television. (The previous day's show repeats at 4 a.m. -- and yes, I'm a night-owl.) She's a talented Ottawa singer-songwriter, and a nice person to boot. (I'll expect my standard fee for that review. Please send cash.)
posted by medys @ 05:08 < link | top | home >
Damn all this fucking bullshit with the Canada-U.S. relationship! Look at how verbose it's making me!
(Insert random grumbling noises here.)
posted by medys @ 01:55 < link | top | home >
Thursday, April 03, 2003
It just won't go away, will it? Deputy Prime Minister John Manley said that although the government regretted recent anti-American comments from the likes of Herb Dhaliwal and Carolyn Parrish, it would not support the Opposition's parliamentary motion to apologize for what Canadian Alliance Leader Stephen Harper described as "offensive and inappropriate statements" which were "incredibly stupid" and "truly vile." Manley added that Canada has the right to criticize its friend, and that "given the fact most of the people who made those remarks apologized, it would be better if we stopped repeating them."
He also said that Canada stands by its decision -- one that was "consistent with decades of Canadian policy" -- to not go to war without the UN, but that the country still supports the U.S. "I want it understood with absolute clarity that Canada stands with its friends, even if we cannot engage with them in conflict," said Manley. "We mourn the losses of their sons and daughters in war, we pray with them for a swift end to the conflict -- and, yes, for a swift victory."
Meanwhile, Ambassador Paul Cellucci confirmed that President Bush's May 5 state visit to Canada was still on despite the bad blood, but that it may have to be postponed because of the president's war itinerary. He said that any strain between the two countries would be "short term," and that he understands Canada's position. "We know that there's a lot of Canadians who support the effort for the war in Iraq to remove these weapons of mass destruction and we're grateful for that," he added.
Cellucci also praised Canada for providing more military support than most pro-war countries, even though it's against the war. However, yesterday he said: "It is an odd situation, when two countries are close as we are, that we would be fighting a war and losing men and having prisoners of war taken, not to have Canada with us."
Not to be outdone in the pissed-at-Canada department, Richard Perle, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and influential advisor to the Bush administration, slammed Canada in a National Post interview, saying, among other things, that Canadians will regret their "lame-duck" prime minister's decision to not support the war and that the next one -- either Paul Martin or John Manley (the U.S. is looking forward to either man taking over) -- will have to repair the damage to the Canada-U.S. relationship. He also said that Jean Chrétien and President Jacques Chirac of France deserve each other.
Fortunately for Canada, he doesn't foresee any economic revenge. "I don't believe (the Bush) government is a vindictive or punishing one so I don't see any reason to believe or fear that out of disappointment that we will take some actions that are hostile to Canada," said Perle. "Canada remains a good friend of the United States, but it would be foolish to say we are not disappointed. We are."
Sigh. Just when it looks like things are getting better, some arrogant Republican blowhard has to open his fat mouth. Thanks, asshole. John Manley's right in suggesting that both sides tone down the rhetoric. Anyway, that's today's update on the demise of the Canada-U.S. relationship. Stay tuned for the funeral dirge, brought to you by Richard Perle.
posted by medys @ 23:46 < link | top | home >
Note to self: stop falling asleep with CNN on. Those war dreams are just a little too wacky for me.
posted by medys @ 16:44 < link | top | home >
I forgot to thank Circadian Shift for the link the other day.
posted by medys @ 05:58 < link | top | home >
Hull? Huh? For Americans and non-Ontarians who want to know what Paul Shaffer was talking about on CBS' Late Show with David Letterman when he mentioned Hull, Quebec, in relation to his Spring Break days in Canada, here's the explanation:
Hull -- now called Gatineau after the regional amalgamation -- is across the Ottawa River from Parliament Hill and the rest of downtown Ottawa. (The river is the provincial boundary between Ontario and Quebec.) Traditionally, you went across the river for bars that stayed open later, for the youngest drinking age in the country (18 instead of 19 in most provinces), for beer and wine sold in the 24-hour convenience stores, and for liberal laws and attitudes when it came to strip clubs.
Since then, some of the seedier bar districts across the river have been replaced by government buildings and trendy restaurants, and Ottawa bars have pushed back their closing times. However, non-prudish Gatineau is still the place to go for a relatively unregulated lap dance. It's also home to a big casino, in case you prefer to empty your wallet that way.
Better still, make the two-and-a-half-hour drive to Montreal.
posted by medys @ 00:25 < link | top | home >
Wednesday, April 02, 2003
Rally for America. "Join us for a peaceful rally to show that we love, respect & support our friend, neighbour and ally."
Tonight I saw a television commercial for the "Rally for America" scheduled for April 4 at noon in Toronto's Nathan Phillips Square. (Additional details are available from organizers Friends of America.) At the end of the ad, the two women (organizers? supporters?) featured in it say, "We love you America!"
It's great to see Canada's so-called "silent majority" taking action against the knee-jerk anti-Americanism roaming the corriders of power these days. (Me, I've been using my words to lament the apparent demise of the Canada-U.S. relationship. Not that anyone cares what I have to say.)
Problem is, the SARS outbreak in Toronto (and Ontario in general) is getting worse. Will people be scared away? Will those who show up be given surgical masks? An overreaction, I know, but it would make for an interesting photograph. "We love you America but don't breathe on us if you've been to China recently!"
posted by medys @ 23:22 < link | top | home >
Tonight's distraction from the war: new episodes of Enterprise, The West Wing, and Law & Order. Happiness is...
posted by medys @ 23:15 < link | top | home >
No, I don't like hip-hop. Early this evening, I got a call from a firm conducting a radio survey. I was asked what kind of music and stations I listen to. (It was all fairly innocuous, and I was in a good mood, so I didn't hang up on the woman.) I'm assuming that CHUM Limited is behind it because one of its properties, KOOL-FM 93dot9 -- "Ottawa's best mix of hits and fun." -- was the only station mentioned by name.
My only issue with the survey was the fact that it was being done by an American firm. I have to assume as much because the she asked, among other things, whether I listen to hip-hop and whether I was Caucasian, African-American, Asian-American, or Hispanic. First of all, I made it quite clear from the get-go that I only listen to rock stations, and that my favorite is 101.1 XFM. Secondly, I'm Canadian, so how can I be African-American, Asian-American, or Anything-American?
I didn't say anything at the time because I took her meaning and didn't feel like being an obstinate prick. Still, it left me wondering why a local company -- one that actually knows Ottawa and its media market -- wasn't asking the questions. Oh well...
posted by medys @ 19:08 < link | top | home >
Forbes.com poll: "Best Celebrity Blogs." (Via FARK.com.)
Screw Wil Wheaton. Vote William Gibson.
posted by medys @ 16:30 < link | top | home >
The 2003 winners of the Anti-Bloggies have been announced. Congratulations to The Presurfer for winning "Most Updated Blog."
posted by medys @ 02:36 < link | top | home >
collectiblestoday.com: The Hamilton Collection "Bless This Defender of Freedom" Figurine. (Via Manifesto Multilinko.)
I'm now threatening to buy this for all my friends -- spouses and children included. I'm a bad, bad man.
posted by medys @ 02:31 < link | top | home >
Tonight's distraction from the war: a couple DVDs. I'm not one for movie reviews, but I think it's safe to venture my opinion in regards to Swept Away: it sucked. One of those movies where the director gave up on the whole thing halfway through. Red Dragon, on the other hand, was quite good; a nice prequel to The Silence of the Lambs.
posted by medys @ 01:34 < link | top | home >
Tuesday, April 01, 2003
Further to yesterday's post: The Pentagon definitely wants to oust Fox News Channel's Geraldo Rivera from an embedded position with U.S. troops in Iraq. "We have asked that he be removed and we are working with them to make that happen," said spokesman Lt. Col. Dave Lapan. According to the officer, Rivera's employer had agreed.
So does that mean it's a done deal? It makes no difference to me either way -- I don't have the stomach to watch that "journalist" or his network -- I just want to know what's going on.
posted by medys @ 19:58 < link | top | home >
Further to the February 18 post: I have to admit that there is something redeeming about the Saturn Ion commercial with the carload of twenty-somethings driving through childhood: the woman in the front passenger seat is rather cute. You only see her for a split-second in the television spots, but the movie theatre versions are longer and show her face large as life for several seconds. She's a hottie.
Who me typical male?
posted by medys @ 18:03 < link | top | home >
April Fools' Day. It's below zero and snowing in Ottawa. Yes, the joke's on us.
posted by medys @ 11:31 < link | top | home >
This morning, Citytv's Breakfast Television reported that Barbara Bush, the former first lady -- the "Mother of all Bushes" -- was in Toronto yesterday for an event. She said that she didn't believe that Canada would be penalized for staying out of the war, and that her husband, former president George H.W. Bush, had sent her to Canada with a message: Americans like and respect their northern neighbor.
That was very sweet of her. However, what are the chances that mother and son see eye-to-eye on this?
posted by medys @ 11:31 < link | top | home >
It's not broken -- it's Googlelized. "There are not enough words to thank the people at Blogger for their help and support," wrote now-famous Baghdad resident Salam Pax in his March 24 post.
Apparently, the only way to get help and support from Pyra Labs/Google, even as a paying customer, is to risk one's life blogging from a war zone -- assuming, of course, that the Where is Raed? blog isn't a hoax (pardon my skepticism). I came to this conclusion after yet another delightful evening fighting with Blogger which ended with a headache and a backlog of posts written in EditPad.
I realize that a "publishing server for non-pro has had serious hardware failure," but I'm a Pro user, and it wasn't a publishing problem -- it was a connecting-to-anything-at-Blogger-takes-five-minutes problem.
posted by medys @ 11:31 < link | top | home >
In case you haven't noticed, I'm not one for stenoblogging the war. For starters, I don't make a very good armchair general; I prefer to leave the complexities of war to the experts. What I do know is that war is the ultimate instance of "shit happens." There are bound to be ups and downs for the coalition forces. Sometimes for every two steps forward, you have to take one step back. The fog of war often obscures the truth from both the military and the media -- and therefore, the public.
I could go on and on with metaphors and clichés about the chaos and uncertainty of modern conflict, but instead I'll reiterate my point: chronicling the hourly developments of the war and second-guessing its progress isn't my shtick. I have other things to blog about.
posted by medys @ 11:30 < link | top | home >
Further to the March 27 post: In light of the fourth death in Ontario from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, and its spread to Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, I would like to remind the public that SARS is a provincial emergency and that residents with symptoms should call Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000. That's my public service announcement for the day.
posted by medys @ 11:30 < link | top | home >
I use Tylenol. You know that Advil commercial with the runner who comes home from a marathon and can barely move his legs?
After he walks through the door, his wife (girlfriend, whatever) turns the stereo on and asks him how he did. (This requires a bit of yelling because she stupidly turned on the music before speaking, and didn't bother getting up and moving any closer to him.) After his response, she says, "Well get in here, rocket-man!" in a lustful tone, and then starts applying lipstick.
When I hear that, my first thought is: "Get off the fucking couch and help the man, you lazy cow! He just finished a goddamn marathon! What's wrong with you?" Can you imagine the public reaction if it was a man sitting on his ass and getting horny while his wife struggled at the front door after finishing a grueling marathon?
Ad agencies can be so silly at times.