More Notes From Underground

Browser Wars

2008-07-12T23:45:00.000-04:00

I’ve been quite happy with Firefox the last while, but now I’m going to give Opera a shot. This post was written on Opera. So far my impression is: similar… but different. Internet Explorer is still in last place.

Moving...

2008-07-10T23:32:00.003-04:00

This is it I reckon, I'm going to be pulling the trigger on moving this blog over to Wordpress. In the past while I have been using WP and I quite like it. I will continue to cross-post for a while, but this is fair warning to start updating bookmarks and the like. The new address will be http://mnfu.wordpress.com which is somewhat easier and faster to type I think. Bear with me as I get all the links, widgets, et cetera switched over.

Silent Complicity

2008-07-10T07:33:00.004-04:00

The more we learn about Omar Khadr, the more it becomes apparent just how badly Canada has messed this one up. Now this morning we learn that our government knew that Khadr was being mistreated but that Stephen Harper isn't going to do anything about it. I guess he wants to look "tough" in front of his Washington pals. Or something. This is the man that came to power on the slogan "stand up for Canada" and yet once again he'll sit on his hands when real courage is required. Even Australia and the UK, often considered the two most steadfast US partners in the war on terror, have brought their citizens home from Guantanamo. Now it's our turn. Bring Khadr home. If the evidence warrants it, give him a fair trial in the Canadian justice system. No torture, no kangaroo courts, no legal limbo, no bullshit.

Happy Canada Day!

2008-07-01T00:52:00.001-04:00

Take it away, Foster Hewitt:

Up Next: bin Laden on the Dilapidation of Lower Manhatten Landmarks?

2008-06-29T12:56:00.002-04:00

Why would anyone get Mike Harris to write a report on what's wrong with Toronto?

All Your Content Are Belong to Us

2008-06-09T12:05:00.003-04:00

Michael Geist links to a Canwest article suggesting that consumers may lose digital content they have already paid for under provision in the new copyright bill. It's truly disturbing to see how deep in the pocket of special interests Jim Prentice really is. This bill appears set to give them everything they want.

I know the Liberals are backing away from voting down bills these days, I guess reckoning that they can just reverse things when they get into power again, but damn it, they better stop this one!

Things to not say when you represent Oshawa

2008-06-08T11:35:00.003-04:00

The CAW is stepping up its protest in Oshawa. I remain doubtful that they can get GM to change its mind though. On the other hand, if I were Jim Flaherty, I'd be extremely worried about my seat in parliament come the next election. His whole line about not investing in Ontario is really going to hurt him. The GM workers seem to quote it to everyone. Payback's a bitch, Jim.

BuzzKill

2008-06-06T12:13:00.003-04:00

It looks like Buzz Hargrove got nothing from his meeting this morning with Rick Wagoner and the GM brass. I'm not sure what the solution is in a situation like this, I mean fewer people are buying big trucks - and that's a good thing, unless of course, you build big trucks. What stinks here though is the fact that GM seems to have suddenly realized this just two weeks after concluding a contract negotiation with the CAW. It's hard to imagine that GM was bargaining in good faith - and if they honestly had no idea what was happening/going to happen to the truck market in the US given the credit crunch and the evaporation of the new home industry (contractors are one of those groups that legitimately need trucks), then they are business-illiterate.

I can see why GM would have to shut down the Oshawa truck plant (and I can only imagine how painful it will be for the workers affected), but as for their recently concluded labour agreement, they must have been lying or stupid.

Making Music Suck

2008-06-05T11:27:00.004-04:00

This post from Saskboy didn't exactly warm my heart. $500/download? Isn't the legit cost of a song ~$1? What's the logic here? That I've made 500 copies and hidden them somewhere, that I've let at least 500 other people download it? On what basis is such an assumption made?

I think someone ought to start asking every MP that supports this kind of legislation about their own iPods and hard drives. Is everything on there legit? Can you prove it? What about your kids, what are they listening to, and more importantly, where did they get it?

Carbon Tax!

2008-05-17T07:55:00.003-04:00

If it means a cut in income taxes I wouldn't mind. My car is pretty fuel efficient and the fiancee doesn't drive so we wouldn't likely add a second a vehicle. In other words, I'd probably come out ahead in this game.

From a strategic point of view, I think Scott is right too, the grits might as well go down fighting. It would certainly toughen up Dion's image if he took a bold policy stance.

Supporting the troops?

2008-05-17T06:54:00.003-04:00

This is one more thing to put in the "Worst President Ever" file for George W. Bush. He gave up golfing... to support the troops.

Welcome to the Occupation

2008-04-29T09:58:00.002-04:00

It might seem like a relief for Canada's soldiers in Afghanistan that the US Marines are sending a contingent to southern Afghanistan. Except that the Marines have an agenda of their own there:

"General Dan McNeill, the U.S. Army officer who currently commands the 40-nation NATO coalition fighting in Afghanistan, said in an interview that he hopes Canada and other nations will adopt U.S.-style tactics and doctrines, including lengthier deployments for soldiers, harder-line opium-poppy-eradication strategies and the use of military forces in reconstruction and humanitarian work."

Lengthier deployments? I don't imagine a lot of our soldiers are clamouring for that. And poppy eradication? When are those drug war ideologues in the US military and government going to realize that nothing makes a farmer hate them more than the destruction of his livelihood? If you want to fight the Taliban, try to keep the main thing the main thing.

What happened in Toronto this weekend

2008-04-28T16:07:00.003-04:00

A nice summation (HT):

Bob Kinnear, the union boss, has achieved the unique feat of being hated by his members, the city at large, and every major political party in the province. Way to go, Bob.

Shit.

2008-04-25T23:58:00.003-04:00

It turns out that the TTC unions have turned down their deal and will strike as of midnight. Says the Star:

"Unionized transit workers were notified by electronic voice mail late Friday evening that they were not to report for their shifts effective at midnight."

That should make Monday morning interesting for me if something isn't done.

Robots vs. The Homeless

2008-04-25T10:52:00.002-04:00

Some frustrated bar owner in Atlanta has built a remote-controlled robot to chase away homeless people and others he deems troublemakers. If you read the article it turns out he did this after the police told him he couldn't walk around with an assault rifle to protect the dive bar he bought a number of years ago.

Question: what did he expect when he bought a dive bar?

How to kill any recruiting drive

2008-04-24T22:25:00.002-04:00

Some on the right in the US, in the midst of saying they want to support the troops, are also trying to restrict their access to, ahem, adult magazines. Give me a break.

The Rational Perfection of the Free Market

2008-04-24T10:39:00.003-04:00

Nah, it's all testosterone. At least in securities trading they say. So does this mean we have to start testing traders for steroids? I can just imagine all these guys on Bay St. getting needles in their backsides so they can make some hot deals.

Bernier the Bumbling Imperialist

2008-04-22T10:36:00.003-04:00

According to an article in The Toronto Star, the Afghans were going to can the governor of Kandahar until Maxime Bernier opened his big mouth. Aside from our general maltreatment of First Nations, Canada has never really chosen to act as an imperial power. If we can't handle this sort of delicate manipulation of the local scene, that's one more reason we shouldn't be wasting blood and treasure in Afghanistan.

Dodging (Transit) Bullets

2008-04-21T08:20:00.003-04:00

No TTC strike this morning. Lucky. Yesterday I put slick tires on my old mountain bike to make it a bit more ridable should I need it as a commuter. (An aside: Actually I should have done this some time ago as I just don't do a lot of trail riding. There's really no good reason not to use this bike around town.)

Should we make the TTC an essential service? On the plus side for commuters, it would mean no more strikes. That said, binding arbitration is usually more expensive. Yes this could be a good deal for the TTC's workers, but it may mean that we have less money to expand service et cetera. Moreover, I do not know that the TTC is an essential service per se. It's massively inconvenient not to have it, but teacher strikes, garbage worker strikes, and others are also massively inconvenient.

Useless Idiot

2008-04-17T10:57:00.003-04:00

This is too funny! I really cannot get over quite how stupid Charles McVety really is. I mean there are activists who are grandstanding, brash, in-your-face, what have you - and yes they come off as idiots, but they make their point. Every time I've seen McVety try to make a point, he usually actually undermines it. His attempt to engage Richard Dawkins is more embarrassing, but this was still pretty bad.

Attacks up in Afghanistan

2008-04-10T10:51:00.002-04:00

Can we set aside the nostrum that this means that the insurgency is in its "last throes" and accept that it's a bad thing for Afghanistan and for our troops there.

Beijing's Downward Spiral

2008-04-10T10:31:00.003-04:00

British PM Gordon Brown is now saying that he will stay away from the opening ceremonies. The reality is that it appears that this event will be a public-relations fiasco for the Chinese government.

Alternatives to an Olympic Boycott

2008-04-09T10:23:00.003-04:00

I have no idea if this would work, but it would absolutely send a message if it did. What if, for the duration of the Olympics, Canada legally changed its flag to incorporate the flag of Tibet (maybe put it in a corner). All our athletes would wear this, every time we won a medal everyone would see it. We could even get other countries in on this. It doesn't punish our athletes like a boycott would either.

Just one idea...

Punish the Victim

2008-04-09T10:13:00.003-04:00

This story is astonishing - a women has been jailed to ensure she testifies against her (allegedly) abusive boyfriend. Compounding the irony, one of the charges against her boyfriend is forcible confinement!

Picking Sides

2008-04-06T15:17:00.002-04:00

I've sort of been quiet around here for the last little while, I'm wondering whether it's time to pick a side. I like this non-partisan thing, I really do - I never have to justify some stupid thing said by a party official or cringe over one or another aspects of a party's platform that I don't really like. But maybe I'm giving up too easily as well. I get to complain but I don't know if I'm good for much else. More on this to come...

Orwell versus The Financial Post

2008-03-29T16:49:00.004-04:00

George Orwell on the word "fascism" some six decades ago:

"The word Fascism has now no meaning except in so far as it signifies "something not desirable."

A Financial Post headline on Wednesday:

"Earth Hour's soft fascism."

It's nice to see that some little nuggets of wisdom simply do not change with the times. I look forward to the day when fascism is even more meaningless. "Oh, it's raining out, how fascist!"

This is conservative?

2008-03-29T12:00:00.004-04:00

Red Tory is saying how some on the right are planning to turn on all their lights for Earth Hour. If you want to try to make positive associations with the word "conservative" you might say things like "prudent" - not something I'd associate with driving up your electric bill for the sake of annoying people who, frankly, won't pay attention to you anyhow. We'll all be having candlelit dinners while you gun your dishwasher, washing machine and whatever else you like.

None of this tonight

2008-03-29T10:50:00.001-04:00

Here's Kraftwerk with Neon Lights:

Mr. McGuinty, Tear Down this OMB

2008-03-28T10:13:00.006-04:00

This story makes me so angry. The local community does not want a big box mall, the mayor does not want it, the local city councillor does not want it, local architects and politicians oppose it too. Why does the province allow the unelected, undemocratic Ontario Municipal Board override these types of concerns.

Very quickly, no one should support the OMB:

The Left-Wing Case Against the OMB:
The OMB is so pro-development that concerns such as community and the environment are often overlooked in its decisions.

The Right-Wing Case Against the OMB:
The OMB is a government bureaucracy that centralizes decision making.

There is no good reason to keep this body around unless you are in the developer lobby. The province ought, especially in the case of larger cities, to remove the OMB's power of veto over local decisions.

Shorter Jim Flaherty

2008-03-25T21:23:00.002-04:00

Ontario is teh stupid!

Now why, oh why, doesn't Ontario move to support the Conservative Party?

Choking on the Katorade

2008-03-24T14:44:00.003-04:00

Just as I'm easing back into more regular blogging after a vacation I see that the dear leader of the Brain Dead Animal posse has put this little gem up. I don't have too much more to say than what's been said, Cherniak nails it here and here, Saskboy does a number on her here, Dr. Dawg reflects a bit on the utter stupidity of it all here, and with all that, I can only add that I know exactly what would have happened over at the BTs if a high-profile lefty blogger had made a bizarre, somewhat elliptical comparison between political opponents and Nazis under a title stating that the Nazis weren't responsible for the Holocaust.

How to lose friends and alienate people

2008-03-24T11:13:00.002-04:00

For the talk that Conservatives (large and small-c) make about decentralization and leaving things out of the hands of the federal government, Jim Flaherty sure seems meddlesome. According to the National Compost he's going to discuss his "expectations" for the Ontario budget. Oh really, gee Jim, as I recall, we didn't elect your party last time out so we don't really care around here what you think.

I have an idea, Jim Flaherty, why don't just lay out there and declare your intention to run for John Tory's job? I have a hunch that's why you're really doing this.

Freedom of Speech Attacked

2008-03-20T12:22:00.003-04:00

Some of you may have heard that people whose lawns had Liberal signs on them had their cars vandalized during the recent Willowdale byelection. These attacks involved slashing tires and carving "L" into the side of the vehicle with a key. Having grown up in Willowdale and having had a family member there affected by this, it is extremely disconcerting to me (for the record, said family member isn't even a Liberal supporter, the landlord put the sign there).

This sort of act seems designed to intimidate people into not expressing their political views - i.e. it is an attempt to circumvent their free-speech rights by causing hundreds of dollars of damage to their property. If I was still living in Willowdale this kind of thing would certainly make me think twice about putting out a campaign sign and it certainly falls into a different category than, say, just defacing the sign itself.

If this happened to me it would certainly make me a lot more upset than if I was just, say, asked some questions by a civil servant.

British Comedy Explaining the Markets

2008-03-19T13:30:00.001-04:00

This is pretty much what has happened in the past couple months (via):

and

What I'm doing on vacation

2008-03-17T19:08:00.001-04:00

As described by Robin Williams:

Rock On

2008-03-16T14:17:00.001-04:00

I'm still on vacation (yes, this could be considered gloating). Here's Kevin Drew and Broken Social Scene:

Enjoy.

Rock On

2008-03-14T22:13:00.002-04:00

I'm on vacation, so here's some more music, this time it's Bishop Allen, Corazon:

Enjoy

Harper's Wonderful Precendent

2008-03-14T01:22:00.002-04:00

Darren McEwen points out that if Harper is going to sue for libel, there are certainly no shortage of others that could do likewise.

Rock On

2008-03-13T01:13:00.003-04:00

Josh Ritter, Girl in the War:

Thanks to Deb for cluing me into this guy's music.

Two Seats Over

2008-03-12T22:25:00.003-04:00

Sadly we have lost another soldier. Right now I'm in Sooke, BC, even further removed from Afghanistan, physically speaking, than when I'm at home. On the flight out here there was a soldier just a couple seats away from me. Generally Canadian Forces travel in green - at least when I've seen them out and about, this guy was in khaki though. I wondered where he had been, was he coming back from the great Over There. I don't know. The people we lose are for the most part only as close as another anonymous air traveler. I suppose that depersonalizes war, we can feel bad for a soldier when they die, but we are not left with that dull ache that their families will probably never fully exorcise. Instead we see our men and women in uniform as, at best, someone in the same general vicinity as we are.

Outta Here

2008-03-10T11:14:00.001-04:00

I'm going to BC for a week to see the family. Posting will be, uh, I'm not sure what it will be, but I won't have to shovel anything for a bit!

Atoning for my movie-watching sins

2008-03-09T11:04:00.004-04:00

My not being able to get into the Godfather has caused a fair amount of comment critical of my movie taste, and fair enough, I know it has quite a few passionate fans. It will stay that way I'm sure unless Coppola decides to make some ill-conceived prequels like the maker of a certain other 1970s-originated trilogy.

I think my problem is that I've not sat down and properly given the thing my full attention. I figure that it's problematic that I've never seen it from the beginning and have therefore been unable to figure out who everyone is. I mean, I know who the actors are, but unless, say, Robert Duvall's character is named "Robert Duvall" and is supposed to be a Hollywood actor, or he's reprising a role he had in another movie, I don't know who he is supposed to be. That said, at this stage I should stop offering excuses, I will attempt to watch the whole film from start to finish on DVD (assuming Blockbuster has it in stock). The other problem I think for me is that it's always on TV and once something breaks for commercials, frankly I'm gone. My viewing habits are like this: A bit of Godfather, a bit of Gordon Ramsay yelling at someone, Robot Chicken, The Simpsons (if it's a good one), some checking BBC World Service, seeing what "real" situation the directors have set up for Gene Simmons this week, some... wait, was I watching some kind of 1970s mafia film?

Perhaps it would be better if I had been old enough to see it, or alive, when it came out in theatres. I suppose I could have rented it before, but when you go to the video store, who recommends renting The Godfather anyway? I mean, what kind of idiot hasn't seen The Godfather in its entirety anyway? I know enough to fake it at parties, "oh yeah, Godfather, greatest movie, toll booth, horse head, offer that cannot be refused, Brando, Coppola, star-studded cast, day of my daughter's wedding, lots of man-kisses." Everyone can fake it, but, you know, I'd prefer not to. Of course taste is so subjective, it is possible that I watch the thing and not enjoy it too. What happens then, should I watch for the mob with pitchforks and torches? Will IMDb no longer load on my computer? Will I feel guilty that my favourite movie made by any Coppola right now is Sofia's Lost in Translation? (It's in my top-three overall as well, don't hate, I had a Scarlett Johansson phase.)

Tax Credit Thought Experiment

2008-03-08T18:44:00.003-05:00

Religious groups currently get support from the government in the form of various tax exemptions. What if a secret committee of the Heritage ministry had to vet religions to make sure that they weren't offensive to people who may have been appointed merely out of patronage. What do you think of that, Chuck McVety?

Time Wasters

2008-03-08T16:06:00.001-05:00

Now that I'm on vacation, this is going to gobble up a shameful amount of my time!

Beating a Dead Horse

2008-03-08T08:25:00.004-05:00

Stephane Dion, go directly to an election, do not pass Go, do not collect $200, do not abstain from confidence motions. A mediocre budget, Cadscam, Brodiegate, what does it take? Does Stephen Harper need to defecate on the flag in the middle of the House of Commons while giving the finger to a Mountie? What? The Bloc and the NDP are ready, your own people have grown impatient. You can bring down the government, Stephane, as Rob Schneider says, you can do it! I've sort of sat on a progressive fence for a long time now, but damn it, I'm so tempted to explicitly join the NDP or the Greens in large part to register my dissatisfaction with this foot-dragging and equivocation.

From the Obvious Department

2008-03-04T06:40:00.002-05:00

The Conservatives have won Alberta's provincial election. I'll remember this the next time someone from the West complains that what keeps the federal Cons out of majority territory is that Ontarians are reluctant to try a different party. Yeah, right.

A Confession

2008-03-02T22:08:00.003-05:00

I just cannot get into the Godfather. It was on TV again tonight and I just can't find it in myself to sit through the whole thing. I've seen bits and pieces but never the whole film. I admit that the toll-both shoot-up was pretty cool, but the rest just seems to be a lot of talking and silent misery and on and on. What am I missing here?

Charles McVety is an Idiot

2008-03-02T07:53:00.002-05:00

A while ago I called Charles McVety a "professional embarrassment to religion" and today I see that Red Tory has found the clip I had in mind when I uttered those words. Here's McVety making a complete and total idiot of himself:

Will Ezra Levant Stand Up for Young People Fucking?

2008-02-29T07:00:00.003-05:00

Small and large "C" conservative types have been crowing about how they are the true champions of free speech because Ezra Levant was asked some questions or something. Now we find out that the Conservative government is trying to play state censor with the film tax credit. As the Globe & Mail story points it, professional embarrassment to religion, Charles McVety is taking credit for this stupid new move. Movies like Martin Gero's Young People Fucking would probably get a harder look from the new McVety censorship panel.

So where are you conservative champions of free speech? Stand up and be counted!

Chuck was no cad, man

2008-02-29T06:41:00.003-05:00

The story coming out now about the bribe allegedly offered to Chuck Cadman to bring down the Martin government back in 2005 looks bad for the Conservatives to say the least. The explanation offered up yesterday by Tom Flanagan and Doug Finley seems, well, hard to believe. It was well known in 2005 that Cadman was very seriously ill with cancer, at some points it was unclear whether he would be well enough to make it into parliament for the vote. Why then would Flanagan and Finley offer to help Cadman with a riding nomination? Cadman died within a couple months of the vote, I cannot imagine that 1) Flanagan and Finley didn't appreciate or couldn't find out how serious Cadman's condition was, and 2) that they really thought that his priority at that point was to win another election given his health.

Harper, Flanagan, and Finley, I call bullshit.

Budget 2008: Transit No One's Asked For

2008-02-27T06:36:00.002-05:00

Jim Flaherty has earmarked money in his federal budget for a rail link from Toronto to Peterborough. I live in Toronto and I have family in Peterborough and in neither place can I recall there being a great clamouring for this rail link. I'm sure it's only a coincidence that this link would run through Flaherty's riding. This is of course something to remember when the Cons talk about how they are sound fiscal managers et cetera.

Brightening Up

2008-02-26T21:39:00.001-05:00

I decided that I'd had things around here the same way for long enough. I'm going to try out a nice white background. I also tried to clean up the sidebar a bit, it was getting cluttered. Tell me what you think.

Stop me if you've heard this one before

2008-02-26T17:25:00.003-05:00

Shorter Stephane Dion: This government sucks, but we'll support them anyhow. When is this routine going to change? What will trigger an election?

Dirty Tricks

2008-02-26T06:37:00.002-05:00

There are pictures circulating of Obama doing, well, what politicians do when they travel, dressing up in traditional garb. If this is what Obama's opponents have, well it's truly pathetic. Once Obama shrugs off all of these attacks by the Clintons, I suspect he'll be all that much more prepared for McCain.

Who Loves Dictators?

2008-02-25T06:57:00.003-05:00

It all depends on the dictator, but they all have their supporters. What's inexplicable is how Mark Steyn has tried to suggest that it's only liberals that get behind dictators. Really? Why then did Jonah Goldberg write such a loving eulogy for Augusto Pinochet? Why did Reagan send his buddy Don Rumsfeld to kick it with Saddam in the 1980s? Those are two examples off the top of my head, the fact is, I don't see dictator support as a liberal quirk.

You Can't Stop What's Coming

2008-02-25T06:34:00.003-05:00

And so long as what's coming are several awards for a great film, that's fine by me. Seriously, you need to see No Country for Old Men. It appears that there are more Cormac McCarthy adaptations coming, let's hope that they are as good.

Real Life

2008-02-24T19:52:00.001-05:00

Sorry for the shortish posts, life's been busy.

Don Quixote de la Tory

2008-02-24T19:45:00.001-05:00

I think that ought to be John Tory's new nickname, because trying to stay on as leader of the Ontario PCs looks like it's going to be quixotic for him. Those that want him out have not shut up since the review. He's in trouble.

Not Exactly A Ringing Endorsement

2008-02-23T22:44:00.002-05:00

John Tory got only 66.9% of the vote at the Ontario PC convention in London. In my mind there's the distinct possibility that this could lead to a protracted power struggle. It doesn't seem from the reports that Mr. Tory is ready to go quietly into the good night. Will the 2011 Ontario election be a contest between a Liberal government that may be starting to look a little shopworn and some Mike Harris clone? I'm starting to think that's a very likely scenario.

A Prediction of the Bush Administration

2008-02-23T11:18:00.003-05:00

Looking back as the Bush era enters its final year, I reread this article from The Onion, it's sadly prescient. A sample:

"During the 40-minute speech, Bush also promised to bring an end to the severe war drought that plagued the nation under Clinton, assuring citizens that the U.S. will engage in at least one Gulf War-level armed conflict in the next four years."

Like I said, prescient.

Warning: White Guy

2008-02-22T06:57:00.002-05:00

If you haven't seen this, it's disturbingly correct for me at least.

John Tory's Moment of Truth

2008-02-22T06:37:00.002-05:00

This weekend is it for Tory, he's got convince the Ontario PCs that he ought to be leader or a leadership race will be triggered. I'm not a PC and I didn't support Tory for premier last fall, but I kind of want him to stay on. Have a moderate, reddish tory leading the PCs means that the politics in this province are not shifted to the right. The risk here is that the PCs will select another Harrisite to run the show.

The Holiday Class

2008-02-21T06:49:00.002-05:00

This week Ontario held its first Family Day but it did so with a hefty bit of controversy. A number of employers decided that their employees did not need the day off - partly because they already had other holidays above and beyond what the law requires. Still John Tory insisted that it was unjust that some people didn't get the holiday.

I have news for John Tory, lots of people don't get a lot of holidays. I've done time in the service sector and that includes working my share of holidays. More and more stores are quietly making the move to stay open on every holiday possible. Now there is talk of letting every store in downtown Toronto stay open every day but Christmas. The reality is that there is an entire class of people - retail workers - to whom holidays simply do not apply with any reliability. Most malls still close on holidays, but restaurants, grocery stores, cafes and others stay open. Now there is the possibility that even the malls will be open.

Shopping on holiday is convenient I suppose, unless you work retail. In that case I guess you're supposed to thank your lucky stars that you get an extra shift. The Star article says that unions haven't said much, but how many retail workers are unionized? John Tory may have been upset that lots of people didn't get Family Day, but there are lots of people who don't get a lot of days off.

A Sad Day for Toronto Cyclists

2008-02-20T19:26:00.002-05:00

Duke's Cycle has been lost to a six-alarm fire. I remember my first time in Duke's, I was volunteering in a bike repair program run out of a Presbyterian mission just down the street. I can't remember what it was, but I know they gave us a good deal on the tools. Since then I've had many good trips to that shop. The front wheel on my bike was built by Duke's staff. This sucks.

Rock On

2008-02-19T21:36:00.000-05:00

Radiohead:

Psst, We Don't Need Musharraf

2008-02-19T06:19:00.002-05:00

Why does the West prop up Musharraf? Well, we're told that he's the only thing keeping al Qaeda from having a nuclear weapon. But is he? It appears not if you look at Juan Cole's breakdown of Pakistan's election:

"Bottom line, the Pakistani public has demonstrated a dislike of extremism, including religious extremism, awarding a plurality of seats in the national legislature to secular parties and the rest to right-of-center parties, but roundly rejecting the fundamentalists."

If the election results are any indication, neither Pakistanis nor the West need Musharraf.

Delaying the Inevitable

2008-02-18T10:28:00.002-05:00

Here's another bit of tiresome boilerplate on why we ought to support the Afghan mission indefinitely. Once again "the left" is accused of not caring about the Afghans. In the world of the mission's supporters "care" = indefinite, unconditional support for Canadian military presence in the worst part of Afghanistan. Nothing I've read about Afghanistan makes me think that we can fix it in five, ten, or twenty years. Others have tried, lots of them. I'm sure that our troops are well-intentioned and I hope they've been well trained and well equipped, but in the end I wonder if this mission is akin to having them stand on the beach and tell the tide to go back. This is not Germany in 1946 or something. Until I see a great deal of evidence to the contrary, I reserve the right to be skeptical about this mission's chances as it's currently configured.

The following takes place between Antonin Scalia and his Tivo box

2008-02-18T10:06:00.003-05:00

Last week Antonin Scalia said that torture is okay by the US constitution so long as it's for interrogation purposes as opposed to punishment. Others have been quick to point out that this is another case of Scalia watching too much 24. I'd like for interviewers to find out what other ideas Scalia has gleaned from TV. Perhaps we should issue ugly sunglasses to all government counter-terrorism agencies, they can take them off and put them on at appropriate moments - this gets results:

We could also buy them talking, self-aware automobiles:

Don't worry, the TV says it works!

Yesterday

2008-02-18T07:59:00.001-05:00

I didn't post anything, because I decided to try ice fishing. More to come today.

Paper Planes go Straight to Hell

2008-02-16T11:35:00.001-05:00

Why haven't I heard this before? M.I.A. samples The Clash, enjoy:

Happy Fuddle Duddle Day

2008-02-16T11:27:00.002-05:00

According to the CBC this is the day that Trudeau mouthed, err, something at the opposition.

What we need is post-apocalytic chaos

2008-02-15T06:27:00.004-05:00

To the editors of the National Post:

I read Kate McMillan's column yesterday and I was somewhat disappointed. Kate has proposed that what this country really needs is a famine. But what is a famine really? I mean the Great Depression was really only a few degrees away from a famine and all these old people these days, they don't stop whining. I'm very disappointed by Kate's half-measures. What we really need is a complete and utter post-apocalyptic social breakdown, like in The Road.

The characters in that book aren't a bunch sissies looking for government regulations to explain stuff for them. If someone causes them trouble, do they call the police? Of course not! There aren't any! Instead they use some individual initiative and a sidearm to solve their problems. Nothing toughens people up like knowing that there are roving gangs of cannibals and death cults everywhere. And really, what's a roving gang of cannibals but a mixture of hunger and a bit of entrepreneurial spirit?

I eagerly look forward to you publishing this, National Post. If you aren't interested in this work, I can also try to come up with some tasteless Holocaust pranks.

Ron Paul

2008-02-14T22:06:00.002-05:00

I don't imagine that I'd actually vote for Paul, but I want him to stay in the campaign if he's able to continue showing up McCain in this fashion:

Happy Valentines

2008-02-14T06:43:00.002-05:00

This is for the fiancee:

A Man I'd Never Want as Premier

2008-02-13T19:21:00.002-05:00

Crazy highway-blocking idiot, Randy Hillier is contemplating a run at leading the Ontario PCs. He'll make Mike Harris look like Bill Davis I bet.

Richard Gwyn's False Choice

2008-02-13T06:45:00.002-05:00

In a column yesterday, Richard Gwyn claimed that the real choice over the Afghan mission was over whether we become an "isolationist nation" or not. I'm tired of being presented with this mission in these sorts of terms. Opposing, or even questioning this mission has more to do with practical realities than it does with whether or not someone is an internationalist or not. It would be nice to help Afghanistan but I remain convinced that we simply cannot make a lasting, meaningful difference. When the last of Rick Hillier's fancy heavy lift transport aircraft take off from the Kandahar airstrip I have no good reason to believe that the country will not deteriorate again and almost immediately. Maybe I'm too cynical, but this is what I get from looking at the history both of Afghanistan and of decolonization.

In Good Taste

2008-02-12T06:49:00.000-05:00

Apparently Kate McMillan of Brain Dead Animals made up a tasteful image of her motorcycle VIN written on her arm to simulate the tattoos that the SS put on Holocaust victims. Since I have a day job that does not revolve around the computer, it's sometimes difficult to pick up on these weird little blogosphere flare-ups. The takeaway from this little story is how much bullshit it is to hear some right-wing groups insist that conservatives are all the greatest friends of Jews/Israel. I suppose for some this coalition is sincere but overall I suspect that, like all ethnic politics, this sort of arrangement is a marriage of convenience.

Edit: To be fair, I should note that a wide cross-section of conservative bloggers have distanced themselves from Kate's idiotic stunt. But as JJ asks, what if Robert McClelland had done this?

Why one running mate will matter more than all others

2008-02-11T20:44:00.000-05:00

There's a significantly better chance that McCain will die in office than any other candidate. It's macabre to say so, but inescapable all the same. Even if he lives through his hypothetical term(s), McCain must surely have the greatest risk of being otherwise incapacitated in office. Who McCain picks as a VP nominee will matter.

Anonymous Vs. Scientology

2008-02-11T06:38:00.000-05:00

Dressed up in masks like those from V for Vendetta a bunch of Scientology critics surrounded the Toronto headquarters of L. Ron Hubbard's religion yesterday. This seems to have been built off of the video warning issued on YouTube a while ago:

The Torontoist article I link to above mentions that Tom Cruise was deliberately kept from public eye.

Endangered Species: East Coast Conservatives

2008-02-10T08:21:00.000-05:00

Now I don't doubt that there may always be East Coast conservatives, but as for Conservatives? After Harper calling the people of the region a bunch of lazy gets, the royalties fiasco, the Casey kerfluffle and Peter MacKay hugging the neighbour's dog it's no surprise that something like this would happen.

I was sort of among those who originally saw Elizabeth May's run at Central Nova as quixotic. The way things are going, it could prove to be visionary.

Apologies

2008-02-09T18:45:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the outright laziness today, I was going to write up something about Rowan Williams' comments and possibly some of the more asinine reactions to him (Lorne Gunter says that it's okay for Orthodox Jews to have their own set of laws, but we just can't trust the Muslims in the same way).

What to fight an election on

2008-02-08T06:41:00.000-05:00

The opposition looks ready to go to the polls over Afghanistan and/or the pretend medical isotope crisis, but now Harper's attack chipmunk, Peter Van Loan and Rob Nicholson are issuing an ultimatum that the senate pass the crime bill or that will trigger an election on March 1st. I'm not surprised that Conservatives want to run on their mediocre crime bill, it's a right-wing staple to talk about being "tough on crime" whilst scaring people with tales of violence and lawlessness. The problem is that this kind of thing often works.

All the more reason to trigger an election now.

Israel Gets a Free Ride

2008-02-07T06:42:00.001-05:00

When it comes to the lives of Canadian soldiers, it appears that they are (rightly) worth a great deal when in Afghanistan, but not so much when they are in Lebanon and bothersome to the Israeli Defense Forces. The story that's come out the past couple of days seems to indicate that the UN observation post where Maj. Paeta Hess-von Kruedener was stationed was reporting Israeli war crimes. As for the investigation, Israel has refused to cooperate - despite Harper's assurances to the contrary.

Why is it that Israel can kill our troops with impunity? No one is called to account, no is made to testify. Harper has deliberately shifted our Middle East policy to be more explicitly pro-Israel, and what do we get for it? Nothing. No matter where one's sympathies lie in the Middle East, surely one should expect some kind of accountability for this kind of action.

Snow Day

2008-02-06T06:19:00.000-05:00

Another really bad storm is hitting Toronto this morning. I'd like to remind everyone that one of the symptoms of global warming is weather extremes. I better not see any deniers writing today about how all this snow "disproves" global warming. Lorrie Goldstein, I'm looking at you.

Stupor Tuesday

2008-02-05T22:39:00.000-05:00

I'm watching CNN in the background, but I'm not sure what the point is of watching these things live. I don't think we'll know anything substantial about what has happened until tomorrow morning.

Our National Shame

2008-02-05T06:45:00.000-05:00

The Toronto Star has another story about absolutely appalling conditions on a reserve, in this case a police station has to be shut down because it "lacks running water, uses 'medieval locks' and relies on a wood fire in a 170-litre drum." Elsewhere the article mentions police officers living in motel rooms due to a lack of housing.

Canada likes the label "tolerant" and frankly we're a bit smug about how we never had Jim Crow laws or apartheid - we're not conquerers with designs on an imperial system. Sometimes I'm guilty of thinking this way too. Until we decide to do something meaningful about the way we've cached too many first nations groups on economically useless land with little in the way opportunity, we really should wonder why we feel so proud about ourselves.

How Much Trouble Is Ontario In?

2008-02-04T06:46:00.000-05:00

The Star has an editorial about how the Ontario government is going to have quite a time crafting a budget. I think it's only a matter of time before something like Dutch disease will set in here. What does this mean for Southern Ontario as an economic zone? Should we all start looking at the want ads and the real estate sections of the Calgary newspapers?

Corporate Censorship

2008-02-03T10:52:00.001-05:00

What would you say if a large, bureaucratic organization forced an individual out his or her job for publishing material that some might find offensive? It seems that, for Mark Steyn, it depends on whether this organization is a private corporation or a government. Witness this from his column on the infamous Danish cartoons:

"Back in Jutland, the cartoonists had originally accepted the Muhammad assignment in order to test the boundaries of freedom of speech in Denmark. And they failed only insofar as the episode tested freedom's boundaries not in Denmark, where nobody has been prosecuted; nor in the U.S., where CNN's craven straddle artfully finessed the issue; nor in France, where the sole editor to publish the cartoons was subsequently fired by his boss, as is a private employer's right;"

Oh okay, so a private company can censor, got it. What about a government? Not so much:

"No, the Western jurisdiction in which the Danish cartoons have most comprehensively demonstrated the constraints on free expression is our own decayed dominion: only in Canada have the commissars of the state launched an official investigation for the alleged "crime" of publishing the cartoons."

Keep in mind that, as disagreeable as you may find the complaint against Levant, all Ezra had to do here was answer some questions, he has incurred no financial loss and, if anything, has greatly enhanced his public profile. This is Ezra's wardrobe malfunction. This French guy (who Steyn cannot even be bothered to name) lost his job over this. But, no big deal, that's an employer's right - to censorship.

If the government censors someone, that's a crime to Steyn, but if a private enterprise does this, that's okay. Wonderful, nice to see another right-wing champion of free speech in action.

Where I'll be tonight

2008-02-02T08:19:00.000-05:00

There's a free Weakerthans show at Nathan Phillips Square tonight! Rock on:

The Sleeper Issue of '08: 1980s Kitsch

2008-02-01T14:57:00.000-05:00

If you had told me back in 1988 that the political endorsements that would make the news would be those of Chuck Norris, Hulk Hogan, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, I imagine that I would have said, "AWESOME!"

That's because I was a ten year-old boy in 1988.

Seriously, why are the fake superheroes of the 1980's so culturally relevant? Who will Sylvester Stallone endorse? How did McCain get Arnold's endorsement anyway? I imagine that there was a conference call that went something like this:

Arnold: This is good, but what is best in life?
Mitt Romney: The open steppe, fleet horse, falcons at your wrist, and the wind in your hair.
Arnold: Wrong! John McCain! What is best in life?
John McCain: To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of the women.
Arnold: That is good! That is good.

Actually, that may have also been the conversation that earned McCain's Giuliani endorsement too. What about Obama and Hogan? Will Hogan offer to let Obama use this as his campaign song:

I can only hope so.

Congratulations Nunc Scio!

2008-02-01T14:52:00.000-05:00

The winner of the Non-Partisan Blog category is Nunc Scio, well done. All of the blogs in the finals for the Non-Partisan category were excellent and to be honest, I was just happy to be included in a group like that.

Black-Focused Schools

2008-02-01T09:59:00.000-05:00

Dalton McGuinty has come out as an opponent to the Toronto District School Board's plan for black-focused schools. I'm not sure what his reasons are - the article isn't clear - but I have some concerns of my own. I suppose I should preface these concerns by saying a couple things: Yes I know there are other alternative schools in Toronto, but perhaps these concerns apply to some of the other alt schools out there. I also know that the dropout rates in the communities in question are unacceptably high and any attempt to do something to change this situation is at least laudable in its intent.

That said, here's what worries me. School teachers are, even in a place like Toronto, still disproportionately white. Presumably a black-focused school would attract (whether deliberately or just by its nature) a large chunk of our already scarce population of black teachers.

By creating a school that celebrates our city's diversity we may inadvertently drain some of that same diversity out of the rest of our schools.

Silly

2008-01-31T21:06:00.000-05:00

I've sort of developed a grudging respect for Daimnation as a conservative site that isn't run by nutjobs - they are conservative but I sense that they are not insane. Some of that respect chipped away with this post about the debate over black-focused schools. There are sensible reasons why one might have misgivings about Toronto's plans for an Afrocentric school - I was going to post something along those lines. Fears that this will somehow open the door to a publicly-funded, er, madrassa is not one of them. Seriously guys.

Stephen Harper's campaign song

2008-01-31T06:34:00.000-05:00

I really hope that opposition decides to do the right thing and knock off this government sooner rather than later. The disturbing tales of the civil service keeping track of opposition MPs just adds another level of sinister to what Harper is doing.

This is an opaque, paranoid government run by a bunch of Harperite drones. In that light, I present to you the campaign theme song for the Conservative Party: Radiohead's Paranoid Android!

Your Last Chance to Show Some Love!

2008-01-30T06:35:00.000-05:00

This the last day of voting for the Canadian Blog Awards. I'll mention one more time that this blog is up for Best Non-Partisan Blog. It's all over at 11:59PM PST.

Harper Stands Up for Boeing

2008-01-29T22:20:00.000-05:00

It looks like we are signing another contract with Boeing, this time for a bunch of helicopters. I remember when these sorts of purchased were actually scrutinized. Apparently now the Defence department just buys stuff and we'd all better shut up. Because of the war. Or something.

One Thousand Times the Acceptable Risk

2008-01-29T17:53:00.000-05:00

Linda Keen's testimony strikes me as far more credible than Gary Lunn's posturing about how he was saving lives by ignoring the warnings of the nuclear safety commission. My impression is that it is utterly shameful that this woman has been fired. Once again it's apparent that this is the Conservatives' moment of weakness.

M. Dion, Mr. Layton, bring down this government!

Stephen Harper, he's one thousand times the acceptable risk.

Don't let the door hit you in the ass

2008-01-29T06:46:00.000-05:00

That's the sort of sentiment that I sort of feel is emanating from many corners of the US after Bush's last State of the Union address. Here Juan Cole marshals his arguments against Bush one last time. Meanwhile, BAGnewsNotes remarks on Bush as a sort of eternal fratboy. The sense of fatigue that people have from this man's time as president is palpable. I suppose that someone somewhere down the road will attempt to rehabilitate his reputation.

Good luck.

Eric Margolis on the Manley Report

2008-01-28T17:43:00.000-05:00

There's a number of areas where I disagree with Eric Margolis, but when he talks about Afghanistan, I tend to believe that his personal experience in the region gives him the credibility that merits me paying attention. What does he think about the Manley report? I'll put it mildly by saying he's not impressed. Read his reaction here.

Making the Internet Suck

2008-01-28T06:50:00.000-05:00

Michael Geist has a column in the Star today about attempts to "lock" the internet down. Since the people who want this kind of thing are media content providers, you don't tend to hear a great deal about this in the media content that they provide. It's being considered quite seriously elsewhere in the world, Geist points to the continent:

"More recently, French President Nicolas Sarkozy unveiled a plan that would mandate country-wide ISP filtering of copyright infringing content. Although a similar pan-European proposal was defeated earlier this month, few believe the issue is dead, particularly given the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry's claim last Thursday that 2008 will be the year of greater ISP responsibility."

This is an alarming, statist solution to concerns over intellectual property rights. Once we start filtering for copyright, the state will have an incredible apparatus with which it may monitor internet content. The temptation to block all manner of other content will be immense. The implications for our freedom of expression from this are surely greater than anything that can be mustered by the Alberta Human Rights Commission. I'm not sure why I haven't seen libertarian-oriented conservatives aren't screaming about this issue. (If you are a libertarian conservative and you have been, tell me and I'll link to it.)