Browser Wars

[Cross-posted at mnfu.wordpress.com]

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...

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

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!

Take it away, Foster Hewitt:

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

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

All Your Content Are Belong to Us

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

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

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

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!

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?

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.