Going to hell, apparently

So I saw this picture online of a sign outside a church in Ohio and, you know, wanted to whack my head off of something. Because Ohio is a big swing state in the US elections and if this is the mindset kicking around there, then I have cause for despair...



Now, I'm not a big purveyor of big pop songs. I rarely listen to commercial radio anymore, but I did manage to hear that song "I kissed a girl" by Katy Perry a few times. Did nothing for me, but I understand I'm not exactly the audience for that song. Still, this strikes me as a tad harsh. You're a 17-year-old girl, you kiss a girl and you're going to hell? Harsh, dude.

You know, I thought when I read the comments from the pastor that I would get depressed and once again wonder what the hell is wrong with the United States and, in particular, Ohio. Then I read the story. And yeah, it's infuriating. But the thing that made me feel good were the comments by Equality Ohio. Which was, "that's fine, we have plenty of churches in Ohio that accept gay people. They've just made it easier for gay people to know where not to bother."

A mature and reasonable answer to something as petty as this. Bravo.

Anyway, here's something silly to cheer everyone up, because there seems to be some grumpiness among the northern bloggers. I blame the dawning reality that it's going to be -40 again in a few months making everyone cranky. Anyway, here are some elderly ladies singing the Sex Pistols "God Save the Queen."



Last Five
1. Buffalo - Kathleen Edwards
2. Stand down at sundown - Matt Mays and El Torpedo
3. Expo '86 - Death Cab For Cutie
4. My mathematical mind - Spoon
5. Leather (live) - Tori Amos

Suddenly, I'm intrigued

No sooner do I bemoan anything interesting happening in the federal election than two things pop up on the radar that have caught my eye. Granted, both of them are happening in Newfoundland and not at a national level, but still, it's a start.

First there was the news that Ryan Cleary is trying to land the NDP nomination in St. John's South/Mount Pearl. That alone would have bought me some amusement. Until recently, Cleary was editor of The Independent, an interesting, but flawed weekly in St. John's. It folded and I guess Ryan was looking for something to do, so he figured why not federal politics.

It would have been intriguing to follow for any number of reasons. First, Cleary has spent many, many hours ranting against how unfairly Canada has treated Newfoundland with more than a hint of a suggestion that Newfoundland would be better off on its own. Now, I have special contempt in my heart for Newfoundland nationalists, who I consider the most delusional and stupid breed of creatures inhabiting the Newfoundland political landscape. So watching Cleary trying to say nice things about Canada in an election campaign would have been amusing.

The more cynical might believe that Cleary is running in the hopes that Premier Danny Williams might throw his support behind him. For those outside the province who read the blog and are baffled by Newfoundland politics, well, join the club. The premier has entertained the genius notion of creating the ABC campaign - Anybody But Conservatives. Yes, the premier is a conservative, but that's a small matter. Williams is upset because Harper took the unprecedented historical move of lying to a premier.

Instead of growing up and getting on with it, or guilting the prime minister for this move, Williams launched his own little jihad from his home base. He is hoping to not only convince all Newfoundlanders, but a chunk of Canadians that they should listen to a Newfoundland premier and not vote for Harper. Because, after all, who knows better about the political concerns of Ontarians, for example, than a Newfoundland premier.

If Dalton McGuinty pulled the same stunt, most Newfoundlanders would feel insulted. But never underestimate my countrymen's ability for self-delusion. Playing politics has always been an artform in Newfoundland; Williams is now the Picasso of it. You're so blinded by the supposed brilliance of the work that you fail to notice it really doesn't make any kind of sense.

Anyway, Cleary. Who was also going to be amusing on one final level because local reporters, for the most part, loathe him. He at least partially built The Independent by taking shots, often cheap ones, at his competitors in the local media. Cleary has always had a healthy ego and chip on his shoulders. I realized that quickly enough when I worked with him briefly back in '95. But if this is any indication, he's going to be in for a rough ride. Consider that the warning shot.

But the absolute best news is that my former colleague and still very good friend Craig Westcott has decided to run for the Conservatives in St. John's East.

Now, under ordinary circumstances, I'm not the biggest fan of the Conservative Party in the world and over the years I have many reasons for coming to that conclusion. Hell, I have many reasons this election to be distrustful of the party. But Westcott running for them....this is genius. It's madness as well, you understand, but it's also genius. There's always been a fine line between the two and this dances right on the edge. But if you have to elect a Newfoundlander who absolutely will not be bullied or cowered, which so often seems to happen, then I can't think of a better person.

Craig could die and go to hell, meet the devil and tell him to go fuck himself. He's as close to fearless as I've met in a reporter and person. I've no doubt - none - that he would make a fantastic MP. He would also likely inject some much needed colour from the Newfoundland caucus, something that has been missing for years. My regret is that I can't vote for him. But I will send him a cheque and nag family and friends to vote for him.

However, it makes St. John's North that much more interesting. It's one of the most deeply conservative ridings in Atlantic Canada, which would seem to favour Westcott. But Williams hates Westcott for the many critical stories he's written about the premier over the years. Deeply and seriously. Plus, Williams good friend Jack Harris is likely going to run for the NDP in the riding.

See, all I need was some good drama to go along with my politics. It helps it go down easier. Now, I wonder if anything interesting will happen in Nunavut in the election?

Last Five
1. Battle of who could care less - Ben Folds Five
2. Come calling - The Cowboy Junkies
3. Fix me now - Garbage
4. Snowy night - Figgy Duff
5. Save the population - Red Hot Chilli Peppers

Wrong

Just an absolutely reprehensible decision. Realistically speaking, the Green Party has no chance of winning the election. But the Bloc has no chance and realistically neither does the NDP. And yet, there they are.

However, they do have have an MP in the House and routinely hit around 10% in national polls. They will also have candidates running in most federal ridings. That counts as serious enough for me to be included in a national debate.

I might not vote for them even if they could manage to get a candidate in Nunavut. But that doesn't mean I think they should be excluded or that they shouldn't get their chance to debate on a national stage.

And really, I don't care for the notion that the leaders don't want Elizabeth May in the debate, so they won't play if she's included. Jesus....is it politics or Cathy's grade 4 class? You decide.

Last Five
1. Exhibit 13- Blue Man Group
2. Famous last words - My Chemical Romance
3. It's been awhile since I was your man - Matthew Good
4. A legal matter - The Who
5. Gotta serve somebody - Bob Dylan

Election a go, but who cares?

So as most people know, a federal election was called today. Which ought to be prime red meat for any blogger with an interest in politics.

And yet, it's been hard for me to get interested. I suspect it will be hard to keep my level of interest up for most of this campaign. Why? Several reasons, I suspect.

Part of the reason is that any Canadian election will pale in comparison to what's happening in the United States. In terms of drama, in term so the stakes involved, what's happening in the United States blows away the stakes in the Canadian election. I don't get any sense of urgency or necessity for this election. It's pure politics, not over any grand debate or fight for the future of the country. Plus, I get the sneaking suspicion not much will really change.

Barring a collapse from one of the parties, it will be a minority government at the end of this election. It will either be a conservative one or, less likely, a Liberal one. Does it really matter much if a few seats change one way or another? That's why it's hard to be interested.

Then there was the second reason that became clear when I was talking to my father this evening. That this is the least inspiring group of political leaders that I can recall in my life time. Oh, there have been plenty of awful, bland and useless political leaders before. Each party has had their share. But I don't think there's ever been such a concentrated gathering of mediocre in a federal election in my lifetime.

Harper looks like the Joker sans green hair and make-up. Dion is an absent-minded and particularly clueless poli-sci professor. Layton looks the kind of arrogant git you try and fend off if you're in a bar when he's hitting on you. And May....I don't know. I'm impressed enough with how far she's managed to take the Green party, given how raw and new it is to big league politics. But it's still hard to take her or the party seriously.

So yeah, I need something to get me worked up over this. It is important. As I've said, I haven't really decided who I'm going to vote for. Hopefully one of the parties steps up and shows me something special. Or at least something to amuse or infuriate me. Because right now, this election is about as exciting and interesting as drying paint.

Last Five
1. Some unholy war - Amy Winehouse
2. Well, well, well - Rocky Dawuni
3. Missed the boat - Modest Mouse
4. I taught myself how to grow old - Ryan Adams
5. Two hearts - Ryan Adams*

Comparisons

Like most people, I love The Daily Show, however it's not often the show actually has me laughing and pumping my fist like I did last night. And yes, the anti-McCain documentary was funny ("A maverick who crashed his plane not once, but five times."), but it was the clip below that got me going. It takes some of Bush's 2000 RNC acceptance speech and runs it as a comparison to what McCain said on Thursday.

Let's just say the similarities are kind of eerie. If the Democrats had any brains, they'd buy this spot and run it as an ad everywhere.

Watch and enjoy. Or be terrified. Whichever...



Last Five
1. Streams of whiskey - The Pogues
2. Who are you? - The Who
3. Mother's little helper - The Rolling Stones
4. The first inside - Bob Seger
5. One - Vampire Weekend

Back in the Muse

Well, I never thought I'd see my name back in the Muse, but there it was in this week's editorial. Thanks Kerri, that was amusing.

I haven't talked much about the Board of Regents recently and there are a couple of reasons for that. First, it was apparent that I was coming off as a poor loser and that wasn't something I wanted. Secondly, I was talking with officials at the university and didn't feel like yelling at them while they were making what I believe is a genuine effort to get the results out. I don't think there's a conspiracy theory to hide the results of the Regents election. I think they are genuinely trying to figure out how to release them within the confines of the government's privacy legislation.

I'm still not 100 per cent sure how privacy legislation impacts the release of the results, but I'm expecting to see the exact reason why shortly. Once I know why, I'll mention it.

By the way, as should be apparent, the results can't be released because one or more people who ran opposed it. I'd love to know who that individual, or individuals, are but I'm guessing that's not likely. However, I will say this....you, sir or madam, are a wanker.

Anyway, back in the Muse....that made my day.

Last Five
1. Bixby canyon bridge - Death Cab For Cutie
2. Inside and out - Feist*
3. Jacksonville - Sufjan Stevens
4. Fired - Ben Folds
5. Waltz (Better than fine) - Fiona Apple

Homeward

And now a step back from US politics...well, for the moment anyway. God only knows when the story about why Palin's husband's ex-business partner suddenly felt the urge to try and get his divorce papers sealed yesterday will break out...

Anyway, I mentioned before that I might be going back to Newfoundland in October and now I can confirm that. I land late on October 2, fly out early on October 12 to Ottawa where I'm hoping to catch up with an old friend and her new daughter, then back up here on October 13, with a day to spare so I can vote in the federal election.

There are several reasons for the trip home now. It would have been nice to do it over the summer or over Christmas, but for logistical reasons that wasn't possible. I'd like to see my parents. It's been suggested that I might want to see my grandparents since if I was planning on waiting (the original idea might not have seen me back in St. John's until Christmas 2009), well, they're both over 80 and have had some health problems in recent years.

Also, I have to deal with my comic books. As some might recall, I'm a collector and I have lots. How many? Best estimate puts the total around 10,000. They're currently sitting in boxes in my father's basement. Last time I was home he had bottles of homemade wine stored on top of them. So yeah, something needs to be done about that.

That means going through the collection, tossing out stuff that is too damaged or absolutely worthless (The Godzilla vs. Charles Barkley? Pretty sure I can lose that one) and getting it reorganized and put into new storage boxes. Which is a bit of work. Cathy has her concerns about my ability to do this as she rightly points out that I tend to get distracted (Cool, my Garth Ennis Hitman run....ooooh, my Ostander/Mandrake Spectre run, etc....). But as I only have a limited amount of time to get them reorganized and moved to a new storage place, I'll just have to bear down.

The other thing, of course, is that it would be nice to see some friends while in town. So if you're around town and would like to meet up for a drink, meal, etc, drop me a line and we'll try and arrange something.

It'll be nice to get home again. And really, fall has always been my favourite time in St. John's. It's when the city looks its best.

Of course, it dawns on me that I'll be there in the middle of the federal election campaign, so my beautiful city will be plastered with gaudy campaign posters and signs. sigh

One good thing about Iqaluit, we're not likely to see many campaign signs and posters. At least I didn't during the last election. Then again, the election was held in January, I believe. Not many people want to be out putting up signs in -40. So maybe it will be different for an October election. Here's hoping it won't be. There is something to be said about the idea of elections with no signs...

Last Five
1. Start me up - The Rolling Stones
2. Hungry like the wolf - Reel Big Fish*
3. If I ever lose my faith in you - Sting
4. Blacklisted (live) - Neko Case
5. If Venice is sinking - Spirit of the West

Levi Johnston's 2008 so far...

How Levi Johnston life has been going the past five months.

Bonus - My hot girlfriend is finally ready to go all the way. Wondering if we need to use condoms or if she should be on the pill or something, but not sure. They should seriously have a class about that in school or something.

Uh oh - Hot girlfriend tells me she's pregnant.

Not Good - Informs me that religious beliefs prevent her from "taking care" of the problem. But the pre-marital sex was all right, though. Aw man....

Bad - Her mom is governor of Alaska with a popularity rating over 70 per cent. She knows how to shoot a rifle and gut a moose. Her popularity might actually go up if she kills me. Could be in serious trouble here.

Maudlin - Sitting at home looking at old myspace page. Laugh ironically at section where I say I don't want any kids. Consider deleting it, but fuck it, it's not like anyone reads myspace anymore.

Depressed - Residents in Wasilla snicker behind my back that I'm the dumb bastard who knocked up the governor's daughter. At least it can't get any worse than this.

Shock - Just heard on radio, hot girlfriend's mom is now vice-presidential candidate. Soon, whole world will know I knocked up her 17-year-old daughter. God hates me.

Shock and awe - Have just read online I'm getting married. This can't be happening. I'm, like, a sex god. And a good hockey player. And now I'm getting married at 18? Harsh, man.

Suspicion - Palin family wants to make up after unfortunate incident where Todd Palin tied me to the back of his ski-doo and drove at high speeds for several hours after he found I got his daughter pregnant. Invite me to come to Minnesota and hang out with them for the week. Told that Minnesota Wild might be interested in meeting and perhaps drafting me. Not sure I trust Palins anymore.

Truly fucked - Greeted at airport by, like, hundreds of cameras. Everyone has these weird, forced smiles. Some old dude takes me aside. Smiles. Whispers to me that he's going to be the next president of the United States. And that if I fuck it up for him he will show me what torture techniques the Vietcong used on him when he was a prisoner of war for five years. Old dude creeps me the fuck out, man.

Drugged - Woke up several hours later. Last thing I remember is getting in limo. Told a device has been implanted that zaps me anytime a camera is pointed at me when I'm with hot girlfriend, I mean, wife-to-be, and I'm not smiling.

Doomed - Dragged to hockey arena filled with old white people. Minnesota Wild nowhere to be seen. Fuck. Given suit to wear. Repeated blasts of electric current makes me smile for four hours straight. In agony. At one point, handed Sarah Palin's new baby, Trig. Told to look like an ecstatic and eager father-to-be or Secret Service will kick the shit out of me later.

Revelation - I think I might vote for that Obama dude in November. He seems nice.


I know some people might things it's cruel or mean to go after the kids like this. But honest to god, after the roiling disgust I had at watching what seemed like every member of the Palin/McCain family get to have their 30 second photo op with Trig at the convention last night and then watching Sarah Palin drag the poor kid up on stage in front of 30,000 screaming Republican lunatics....

Roger Simon hit it pretty well on the nose. You drag the kids out to promote yourself, you don't get to go on your high horse when the media uses them to criticize you. Live by the sword...

And as for Johnston, the guy should be a safe sex PSA. Seriously, Planned Parenthood should approach him. I assume the poor, dumb bastard just wanted to get laid like most normal 18-year-old males. Now look at him.

"Hi, I'm Levi Johnston. Like many teenage boys, I didn't understand the implications of not wearing a condom when having sex. But instead of a disease I've managed to knock-up the daughter of a vice-presidential candidate and face vast public scrutiny that is ruining my life. Many people in the US think I'm a dickhead. So remember, always wear a condom. Because you just never know..."

Last Five
1. The simplest thing - Hey Rosetta!
2. Brick - Ben Folds Five (swear to God)
3. If I'd been the one - 38 Special
4. Dawn Anna - Ron Sexsmith
5. Name without a face - Ron Hynes*

Future political commentary

Palin fact of the day: Her minister in Alaska had David Brickner, the founder of Jews for Jesus (I remember seeing their posters in New York in 2000 and laughing, thinking they couldn't possibly be serious. Yes, yes they are) give a guest sermon two weeks ago, which Palin attended, saying that attacks against Isreal were God's punishment for them not converting to christianity. Her regular minister said, no kidding, that just because she attended that particular sermon, doesn't mean she believes what Brickner says. Given what Obama went through earlier this year with his reverend, that's almost funny.

Jews, meanwhile, are about as thrilled with this revelation as you might expect.

Anyway....

So, an interesting way to start your morning is to walk out of the apartment, run into your next door neighbout, exchange the usual morning pleasentries and then have him say, "Oh, by the way, I'm really enjoying your blog."

"Ummm, urrr...thanks."

"By the way, if you were wondering, you can never go wrong with more blog posts involving Steven Harper being zapped with a cattle prod."

Well, never let it be said that I don't give the people what they ask for. I mean, I hated the ad at first and that terrible, rictous smile that Harper had at the end. I used to lunge for the remote to flip the channel. Since that the mental image of Harper being zapped off-screen to produce that Joker-like look (some white paint, green hair...hmmmmm) is firmly in my head, it's much more pleasant to look at. Now I just lunge for the remote to hit the mute button.

In fact, I've used it once or twice to help me drift off to sleep. Now, I imagine for many of you, the last image you want in your head is you drift off to sleep is of Harper. However, I normally try and imagine something to help relax me before going to sleep and really, the thought of Harper being zapped with cattle prods oddly does fill me with a sense of calm. It's quite soothing, actually.

This is also as good a time to clear up a few political commentary matters for the weeks ahead. As other northern bloggers have noted, there's the US election, a soon to be announced Canadian election and Nunavut will hold its third territorial elections in late October.

So to be clear, I'm going to keep commenting on the US election because its deeply fascinating to me. I have a clear Obama bias, so keep that in mind.

I will probably comment on the Canadian election. I hate pretty much all of them and will treat them all with contempt. But I think I hate Harper a little bit more, so he might get zapped a bit harder. I honestly don't know how I'm going to vote, so it will be curious to see if any of them can muster up something that interests or impresses me enough to get me to sway in their direction.

I'm not going near the Nunavut elections with a 20-foot cattle prod. I think it's a fairly open secret that I work for the GN. And yes, the argument could be made that as a citizen of this country and territory I have the right to express my opinion if I choose.

And I'm choosing not to. It's not worth the all-but-inevitable racket just to satisfy my urge to shoot off my mouth.

So if people think less of me for that, I'll just have to deal. It's been amply proven already that Nunavut bloggers who shoot off their mouth on Northern matters can occasionally run afoul of their employers. And as there is no Nunavut Bloggers Union (and, in fact, I believe some unions have told people who have gotten in trouble with their employers for blogging to shut up, apologize and remove any offending posts) I'll just err on the side of caution, thanks. Politicians are touchy enough at the best of times, let alone when they're running for their political lives.

Besides, any time I get the urge, I'll just write about curling or comic books. That always makes the readers happy.

Last Five
1. Rosalita (Come out tonight)(Live) - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band*
2. Shut up and let me go - The Ting Tings
3. The luxury (live) - The Tragically Hip
4. Bright end of nowhere - Matthew Good
5. Walk on - U2

And I thought I liked to complain

Palin was a member (or at least supporter) of the Alaska Independence Party...

Dear God.

Anyway, something other than US politics.

I found this story about the federal government kicking in about $36 million to improve the quality of high speed internet in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Now, I imagine most northern bloggers are jumping for joy. We all have our internet horror stories. About connections dropping out for days on end, about speeds dropping down so slow in feels like the website is walking up to the arctic and taking its sweet time about doing it. That internet is too slow, with too many limits for the exorbitant price we pay.

So yeah, bring it on. Send the check up. I know it's probably a blatant attempt to buy off northern voters, but I'm not that worried as it will likely make no difference. I can't speak for the NWT, but the odds of Nunavut swinging from Liberal to Conservative in the next federal election is pretty damn small.

However, my mistake, as usual, was to start to read the comments. There were the complaints about fattening up already rich telecommunications companies, that the money should have gone to improving other aspects of northern living, that other areas of Canada aren't getting their fair share of money and that the internet is inherently evil and destructive to northern youth since it bring evil information from the south that corrupts them.

sigh...

Yes, I would prefer it if telecommunications companies didn't get lots of federal funding, but that's the way it works sometimes. And really, if I have to wait for Northwest Tel to improve internet services out of the goodness of their hearts, I will be an old, old man.

Don't even get me started on whether the North gets its share of federal funding, because it doesn't. There ought to be lots more money for a whole host of desperately needed programs. This is a start. Be happy we got it, but not content that it's enough. But for christ sake, don't go whining about how the money should have went somewhere else instead.

And as for the people saying the internet is evil and some how the cause of social problems in the north, you're absolutely right. Clearly there were never any problems in the north before the advent of easily accessible internet. What could I possibly have been thinking....

We have money. It might actually make things better. Why can't people just be happy about that? Just for once....

Last Five
1, The sharpest thorn - Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint
2. Erie Canal (live) - Bruce Springsteen*
3. The stone (live) - The Cheiftains
4. You have placed a chill in my heart - Eurythmics
5. If it feels good, do it - Sloan

Presidential reality TV

I swear to God, I mean it, I swear to God I sat down with every intention of not writing another blog post about Gov. Sarah Palin. Because I really don't know if anyone reading this blog cares all that much about US politics. Palin could be the equivalent of curling, for all I know.

But when you get stories like this, then you have to throw up your hands and give up for the moment. Because you know you're in the middle of something truly special and historic when a vice presidential campaign, in an attempted to squash scurrilous rumours that your fifth child is not actually yours, but your 17-year-old daughter's, by saying that's impossible because she's currently five months pregnant.

Oh dear God....

In the past 72 hours I've begun to wonder if Fox gave McCain a shitload of money to make him pick Palin as his VP nominee just so they can film a reality TV show about it. You know, the adventures of a wacky northern governor and her family as they're thrown into the national spotlight of a presidential campaign. Sit back and watch as crazy hijinks ensue as they try to deal with being way, way, way over their heads.

Obama has rightly said that people should back away from the story and that what happens with the Palin family shouldn't make a difference about her ability to possibly be vice president. But it does call into question, once again, McCain's judgment. He should have known how big of a distraction this was going to be. He's been around long enough to know better. This circus atmosphere just distracts from the issues and the job of trying to become president. Instead, everyone wonders what other weirdness is going to happen next.

Campaigns sometimes give an idea of how the administration will do (Bush's was a ruthless efficient smear machine with an evangelical engine. And for about five to six years, that's how his government functioned). Obama's campaign, for the past 18 months, has been a smooth, logical, efficient machine that has run with few hiccups. Given what's happened with McCain in the past 72 hours, you'd swear someone tossed sand in the the engine.

The Canadian election campaign is going to be awfully dull in comparison. Especially if Harper keeps producing God-awful commercials where he smiles at the camera and I wonder if someone off-screen is zapping him with a cattle prod to produce that hideous look on his face. You know, that look that passes as an empathizing smile....

Tomorrow, something not on the US election. Although at the rate things are going with Palin, God only knows what tomorrow will bring.

Last Five
1. Na na na na na - Kaiser Chiefs
2. Pamela's waltz - Kelly Russell and the Planks*
3. Five days in May - Blue Rodeo
4. Plans for the boys - Mark Bragg
5. I will follow (live) - U2

WGB

For those of you not from Newfoundland, this will not be a big deal. However, those of us who grew up in the 80s, the news that there will be a Wonderful Grand Band DVD set is a pretty big deal. It was a massively popular show in Newfoundland, featuring Greg Malone and Tommy Sexton (Who went on to do CODCO) doing the majority of the comedy and with Ron Hynes, Sandy Morris and the rest of the band doing music.

How big was the show? At its height, whenever an episode aired, something in excess of 70 per cent of the tv sets in Newfoundland were tuned in. When they released an album in 1982 Living in a Fog, it was only outsold by one record in Atlantic Canada that year. You might have heard of it - Michael Jackson's Thriller.

So yeah, they were gods in Newfoundland at that time. The biggest thing going.

So I'm thrilled that a DVD set will be coming out at some point in the future, presumably sometime next year.

However, I have a question. And not to get all Stephen Harper here on arts funding, but did the provincial government really need to give $10,000 towards the project? I mean, if it were a loan or they were becoming a business partner in the project, I'd understand. They'd get their money back. But this is a grant. So other than getting a "Thanks Danny" somewhere on the cover, they're not getting much for the investment.

I understand giving grants to projects where its important, but there's the risk that it won't make any money. But it's an arts project and they have an importance that goes beyond just dollars and cents. Or that by giving that money, a project that otherwise might not get off the ground will and it will have some economic impacts.

But this DVD set is going to make a fortune. I'm not exaggerating. I don't even know the complete costs of getting the transfers done, the packaging finished and the marketing completed. I don't know how much they're going to sell it for. But I know they're going to sell not thousands of copies, but tens of thousands of copies. Hell, hundreds of thousands of copies is not beyond the realm of possiblity. Lots and lots and lots of people are going to get this for Christmas or a birthday or what have you.

If there's every such a thing as a sure bet, that this DVD set is going to make money is one of them. So I don't really understand the province kicking in money. Bank loans? Investors willing to kick in the cash? Then again, arts funding has always been one of those things I haven't always completely understood. I'm not saying it's bad; I'm saying that sometimes the logic and reasoning can be a bit confusing.

Now, if the province wants to kick in money to get Secret Nation put out in an affordable DVD formation (the National Film Board doesn't have a copy for sale for home use, but does for schools, libraries and businesses. Oh, and it's $60. WTF?) I'd be all about that.

In the meantime, I'll be reserving my copy of the Wonderful Grand Band as soon as it comes out. Even with the government funding.

Last Five
1. Army dreamers - Kate Bush
2. What you did to my girl - The Pursuit of Happiness
3. Old time sake - Kathleen Edwards
4. Dragon - Tori Amos
5. Rude awakenings - Dropkick Murphys

It's a fine line...

So I got one out of two right. And hey, I said it was going to be Governor Pawlentry and instead it was Governor Palin. I got that it was a governor whose last name started with 'P'. That's got to count for something. Give me a 1.5 out of 2. I take some comfort that the number of pundits who boldly predicted that she would be the one, instead of just suggesting she had an outside chance, could easily be counted on one hand.

I don't know about this choice and I suspect it's too early to tell, not that that's stopping pundits everywhere from shooting off their mouths. The gambit runs about what you would expect. Those on the right love the fact that she's a woman, pro-life, an NRA member, attractive mother of five who led an anti-corruption campaign. Those on the left point out that not even two years ago she was mayor of a town about the size of Iqaluit, has zero foreign policy experience, is a pro-life "zealot" (opposes abortion in cases of rape and incest), is in the middle of a small corruption flap, is questionably ready to lead should John McCain drop dead in the next four years (distinctly possible) and is this, in fact, little more than a crass attempt to try and lure disgruntled Hillary Clinton supporters to John McCain.

That last point seems to be a main selling point. We'll see if if works. Among the funnier shots was in a comment section of a commentary I read earlier today - "I know Hillary Clinton, I voted for Hillary Clinton. Governor, you're no Hillary Clinton."

It all depends what happen in the next couple of weeks. Running a state of 600,000 people is one thing, trying to survive a US presidential campaign, surely one of the most grueling and fierce challenges on the planet, is something else entirely. Maybe she charms the hell out of everyone and is a game changer. Maybe she bombs, unable to handle the leap to the big times.

My initial opinion? Well, pardon the baseball analogy, but it's like a baseball club in a tight race and they need a fresh arm to get them through the stretch. So they reach into AA league and grab a fresh face with a great arm. If they had left him alone for another couple of years, give him a chance to build up his arm, gets used to professional hitting and develop his pitches, there's little doubt he's going to be a star. But they're desperate now, so into the spotlight he goes.

I like baseball and I've watched enough of it to know that 80 per cent of the time the big league hitters light the rookie up like Christmas eve. And certainly I think that's the case with Palin. She's had an impressive start to her political career, but she's awfully green. And yes, the same could be said about Obama, but he's had 18 months to develop who he is and what he stands for on a national stage. She has two.

The odds are against her. Badly. But every now and then, one of them comes up and throws a no-hitter. Maybe that's Palin. I guess September, and the vice-presidential debate with 30+ year senate vet Joe Biden in October, will tell. But I think they pulled her out of the minors way too soon.

However, I do agree on one point that's cropped up online. What does this pick say about McCain? This story says he met her one time and spoke on the phone with her once before offering her the position last week.

When Obama made his choice, he spent months vetting and meeting all the potential candidates, including campaigning with them. He made a careful, considered choice. McCain picked someone he met once six months ago, which is a bit rash no matter which way you spin in.

Certainly it wouldn't require much of a stretch to view how each man picked his vice-president would be indicative of how he would react as president. I'm an Obama fan, that's true. But even if I wasn't, how McCain made his choice would cause me concern. I suspect I won't be the only one.

As one Republican operative said at the end of the above story - “There is a fine line between clever and stupid.”

Yup...

Last Five
1. You don't understand - The Raconteurs
2. Slipped jigs - Kelly Russell and the Planks*
3. Blinded by the light (live) - Bruce Springsteen
4. Lion's jaws - Neko Case
5. Black star - Radiohead

Dorset prints online

Like many bloggers, I'm a Statcounter whore. I probably check entirely too often (about a half dozen times a day) to see how many people are visiting the blog, where they're coming from and so on. I've actually been pretty happy this month because my stats are way up. I have no idea why, but for August an abnormally large number of you are visiting here as opposed to going out and enjoying the sunshine.

I do not know, but I'm glad you're around.

Anyway, without fail the thing that cracks me up is the search engine keywords that run through the blog. I keep threatening to do a best of the week, but always manage to forget. But some of the highlights currently listed include "Brokeback Mountain Bastard" (I get a lot of searches with bastard in them, go figure), "Lyrics for me and you and a dog named Boo" (guess why), "big curling rolls" (not my kind of curling, I suspect), "Colleen Power endorsement" (I endorse Colleen's music whole-heartedly) and "regent resolts" (a bit of a typo. And no, beyond the top 6, I have no idea of the results.)

But the one I've been seeing an awful lot of lately is "Cape Dorset Prints". And hey, I understand that. There's a big demand for them. And regular readers of the blog will know we managed to land a print last year with Jen's help. And if I get home in October, I look forward to seeing it for the first time in its frame. I understand it's huge. In its frame it's about five feet tall. So we're going to need some serious wall space for that one.

However, for those of you searching for your own Dorset print, you will be happy to know that the 2008 collect is available for viewing online.


Our reaction? Well, it's always hard to get a an idea of how good a print is just by looking at them on a laptop screen, but there are a few we'll be curious to take a closer look at. A couple by Kenojuak Ashevak ("Grand Entrance" and "Long Necked Loon"), and a couple by Ningeokuluk Teevee (Cathy likes "The Brothers", I like "Bull Walrus" and we're both interested in "Snow Geese Return").





Will we get one this year? I'm not sure. Last year we saw two we really, really liked and that was such a rare event as we have very different tastes in artwork. For example Cathy's favourite is Monet's "Water Lilies".












My favourite painting is David Blackwood's "Fire Down on the Labrador". (A good friend of mine's father has a signed/numbered print which I have constantly threatened to steal). There's a bit of a void between those two.


So getting another Dorset print depends on if they wow us both when we see them in person in October, which is when the show is normally held in Iqaluit. It also depends on the size. We can't really get another print the size of Teevee's "Owls in Midnight."



You know, if you love art there are a lot worse places in the world to live than here. A lot worse....

Last Five
1. So nice, so smart - Kimya Dawson
2. Let it rain - OK Go
3. Calling Elvis - Dire Straits
4. Long way home - Supertramp
5. Smoke baby - Hawksley Workman*

Different MUN stories

And now a small diversion from what has been suggested to me as an unhealthy obsession with MUN and the Board of Regents election I give you a post that features not one, but two stories regarding MUN. And in neither case do I shit on them. The first is amusing, the second considerably less so.

Story number one is about how more than 100 students getting ready to attend classes at MUN next week will not find themselves staying in their dorm rooms like they thought, but instead at a Holiday Inn.

Now, when I originally heard about this, I was trying to figure out how much this was going to cost MUN. I figured about 50 rooms for about two weeks at around $100 a room per night is around $70,000. Yes, you might think the hotel would give a discount for a bulk rate. But then, would you give a discount knowing the havoc that 100 freshmen university students are going to cause your hotel? I'm surprised they're not being charged a premium.

And yeah, they're likely all first year. From speaking to some friends on campus, something like 70 per cent of res students are first years. So, 100 17-18 year olds, possibly away from home for the first time, in a hotel for a couple of weeks. What could possibly go wrong?

However, the story also doesn't touch on a couple of other things. First, while I was all set to praise MUN for doing the right thing in putting the students up in a hotel rather than sticking them in a gym somewhere, odds are they're not paying for it. The contractor probably is since they blew the deadline.

Secondly, $70,000 is still a lowball number. The story doesn't explain how they're going to be fed. Will they still eat on campus at the cafeteria or will they be given a per diem of some kind for those few weeks? If so, that ups the costs considerably. And then there's the matter of how they get back and forth from the Holiday Inn to the university. That's not a short walk. It's doable, but not pleasent if the weather is bad. So are they being given bus passes (is there even a direct bus route from the hotel to MUN?) or is a shuttle being hired to ferry students back and forth several times a day? Again, more costs.

Not to mention damage to the hotel. There is no way that many students over that length of time do not damage that hotel. Add another couple of thousand there.

So yeah, those two weeks are easily going to cost more than $100,000, I should think. Can anyone find fault with my math?

The second MUN story is the passing of former president Dr. Leslie Harris. One of the comments in the CBC story is that he's practically the model of what you would want in a university president. It's hard to argue with that point.

I only met him a couple of times and in passing, but he always stuck me as an intelligent man who cared deeply about the issues important to him - the university as a whole, the fisheries and Newfoundland. He was a scholar and a gentleman, the kind not often seen much these days. As such, I mourn his passing and offer my condolences to his family. It's a loss not just to the university but also to the province.

Last Five
1. Who do you think - Interpol
2. Where did you sleep last night? (live) - Nirvana*
3. Good to me - Brendan Benson
4. Universe and U - KT Timstall
5. Run for you life - The Beatles

Cheer up

We're down to the second last day of summer vacation for Cathy. Oh, she's been in the school on and off since last Friday, but it's been more to help organize the library and tidy up her classroom a bit. She's been able to pick and choose her hours. If she didn't feel like going in until 2 p.m., no one was going to say anything to her.

But Wednesday marks the first official day when she has to be at the school by a specific time and can't leave until a specific time. She doesn't get the kids until Tuesday.

So there is a lingering air of sadness in the Chateau today. Least kids get depressed at the notion of going back to school, take some comfort that teachers aren't in a much better head space during the last days of summer either.

I've tried cheering Cathy up a bit. I found this great story yesterday about an Italian priest wanting to create a beauty contest for nuns. Cathy had the habit of grabbing me and pointing out different kinds of nuns when we were in Italy (think "Punch Buggy" but with nuns). And lord knows there were enough varieties. Not just in shape, size and age, but they kept wearing different habits. If we had thought of it earlier I imagine we would have kept a photo record of them.

But now I'm hearing the priest who was planning the contest is calling it off after getting a lot of grief from his superiors. And nasty emails. Oh well.

So I'm still poking around and trying to find things to cheer her up a bit. If you can think of anything, by all means, post it here. A Happy Cathy is a good thing.

Oh, and this isn't to cheer Cathy up, but more for those addicted to US politics. And even then, only for the hardcore. If you ever wanted to understand what the two campaigns are talking about when it comes to taxes, especially Obama's, then this is likely as clear as you're going to find. It is long, but completely worth it if you not only want to understand his tax policy, but also to read something rare - excellent policy based journalism during an election campaign. I should frame it. This might be the last time I read something like this for awhile.

I haven't been watching the Democratic convention mainly because that many talking heads would likely break Cathy's sanity. But I will try and catch Obama's speech on Thursday. I'm curious to see if he can pull it off, despite all the high expectations.

Last Five
1. Leaving so soon - Keane
2. Just the way you are (live) - Billy Joel and Elton John
3. Everything must go! - The Weakerthans
4. Paranoid monkey blues - Mark Bragg*
5. Live the life you're dreaming of - Sloan

No results

I've read the story in the Telegram yesterday and apparently I've managed to avoid embarrassing myself. My main concern was that I was going to sound like a poor loser, but I think I managed to avoid that. Well, at least so far.

That's because I'm not 100 per cent ready to let the bull go yet. Oh, I have no illusions of getting elected to the Board of Regents this year. That ship has sailed. But I am genuinely curious as to why the results can't be released because of privacy legislation concerns. I've contacted Alumni Affairs and asked for clarification, which they promise they're going to send me. I wouldn't presume to speak for them, but if I can read between the lines it sounds like they might be a bit annoyed as well.

I'll give it until Wednesday or so, just to see if they actually get permission from everyone. But I highly doubt it. Between people away on vacation and not checking their email and people who may genuinely not want the results released for one reason or another I doubt they will get them all to consent.

Now, I'm not prepared to go so far as WJM and attribute this all to a grand Danny conspiracy. I just want someone to explain how an open and free election cannot have the final results reported in public. I'll listen to what they have to say. And if it still doesn't make sense, then I'll contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner and get them to look into it.

Why go through all this hassle when it will make no difference at all to the final results? Mainly because I'm curious. But also because I don't think privacy legislation should be used as a reason to not release election results.

By the way, given how much noise was kicked up about the Regents and the presidential search I would certainly hope some enterprising reporter picks up this story and starts asking some questions. Because this is weirdness to me.

Oh, and if I might be a touch bitter for a moment, I read Rex Gibbons and John Hogan's responses to what the Regents should do regarding the presidential search and wanted to hit my head off something solid.

"I wouldn't comment on what the premier should or shouldn't do - that's not my role and that's not the board's role...." - John Hogan.

"I'm not going to comment on it at this stage. I'm going to wait until I'm fully briefed on all the issues, including that one." - Rex Gibbons.

Bravo lads. I can tell right now you'll be fighting for MUN's academic independence from outside interference right to the last.

Last Five
1. Your long journey - Robert Plant and Allison Krauss
2. Faraway land (live) - Allison Krauss and Union Station
3. Crippled inside - Widespread Panic
4. Humble me - Norah Jones*
5. What if - Coldplay

Ceremonies

So by my reckoning today is the third anniversary of our arrival in Iqaluit. Cathy has a year on me my virtue of her year in Rankin Inlet. But yeah, three years ago we hit Iqaluit.

And my first impression? What the hell had I gotten myself into? It was a cold, gray day when we hit town. And there is a bit of culture shock when you first land. But hey, we've adapted quite nicely. I was debating even bothering to mention it today. When we first came up to Iqaluit we were all about the five year plan. We would stay for that long and then evaluate whether or not we were going to stay.

We've pretty much made that decision already to stay beyond five years if the place will have us. Something might come up that makes us leave. But if we have our way, we plan to be here for many years to come.

The other thing that happened today is we attended a celebration of life for one of Cathy's former co-workers. Cathy taught with Liz for more than a year before she was diagnosed with breast cancer. And man, she fought that about as hard as I've ever seen anyone fight cancer. But if there was ever a disease that seemed to be out to get someone, I think it was this bout of cancer. It never seemed to let up or give her a break. And I think in the end, there's only so hard you can fight for so long.

I never knew her that well, but Cathy was close to her and took it hard. Cathy taught Liz's boys for each of the last three years. So it's been rough. But the ceremony today was nice and it was good to see a large crowd show up.

Last Five
1. Miss teen wordpower - The New Pornographers*
2. Honky tonk woman - Rolling Stones
3. Songs of love - Ben Folds
4. Runnin' down a dream - Tom Petty
5. Fly me to the moon (live) - Frank Sinatra

So what happened with the Regents results...

So, why didn't I say more about what happened this morning? Because I needed some time to calm down. I was pretty pissed off this morning. And it had more to do than just losing the Regents election.

It all started with an email from a Telegram reporter wanting to know about the Regents election and its impact on the presidential search at MUN. I responded that until the results were known on Monday it didn't make much sense to talk about it.

That's when he sent me the link to the press release announcing who the winners were.

To put this in some perspective, when I ran and lost in 2005 I did get an email essentially thanking me for running, but that unfortunately I didn't get enough votes to be one of the six representatives on the Regents. This came out before the results were known to the general public

In 2008, I find out I lost by a reporter emailing me a link to a day old press release.

So yeah, I was upset at losing. Because I thought I ran a decent campaign and lots of people were telling me they voted for me and that I stood a real chance. And like anybody who has ever run for anything, you start listening to these people and ignoring your more cynical instincts. You begin to think you have a chance. And then you lose and it really sucks. And this was just for Board of Regents at MUN. If nothing else I have a greater empathy for people like Simon and others who throw their hat into the ring for elected office.

But, you know, they don't find out they've lost through a press release.

So I was very pissed off that happened. So I then did two things. One I'm glad I did, one I strongly suspect I might regret.

The first was that I emailed both Alumni Affairs and MUN communications and expressed by extreme displeasure that this is the way that I, and other candidates, were finding out the results of the election. And that it was pretty unprofessional.

To their credit, they got back to me pretty quick. MUN communications emailed and said they understood why I was mad. The director of Alumni Affairs called me both at work and at home to apologize and explain what happened. Basically, it was a communications glitch on their part. That shouldn't have happened and they were taking steps to make sure it didn't happen again in 2011. An email should have been sent out yesterday to people who didn't get enough votes.

That's fine. Trust me, I understand communications glitches. I accepted the apology. But yeah, if I had put up a post this morning, the blog would still be smoldering I was that mad.

Which brings us to the other thing I did this morning that might have been a mistake...I spoke to the reporter. You don't speak to reporters when you're that mad, I know that. Because you will say something stupid that you will regret. Or you don't make your point as coherently as you might like. But I did it anyway and God only knows what is going to show up in the paper tomorrow. Hopefully nothing too stupid, but I wouldn't count on it. And if it's really stupid, I'll just have to deal with it.

One other curious thing about the election...I know my results and I'll say what they are. I finished 21st out of 39 people running. I got 169 votes. Which, I admit, is a touch disappointing. I was hoping for a bit better. But when I asked for the complete results, they're not giving them out right now. Why? Well, let me quote from the email I received this afternoon.

In the interest of transparency and accountability, we would very much like to publish the results of the election (name of candidates and number of votes) on the Alumni Affairs and Development Website. However, privacy legislation dictates that we need the permission of all candidates involved in order to do so. Therefore, we are requesting that you please notify us no later than Tuesday, August 26th if you are willing to allow us to publish your results.

Is that, or is that not, the strangest bloody thing? You need the permission of all the candidates to put up the results? I mean, if you're running you would think it's a given that the results will be published. I don't understand what privacy legislation has to do with this.

The sad thing is, I almost guarantee you they will not get unanimous consent. Someone will object. The person who finished last. Maybe a politician embarrassed by their numbers. Someone will have a problem. Which is too bad. The results should be published. If you don't want people to know how many votes you got, you shouldn't have run in the first place.

I really hope they will be. But don't be surprised when they're not.

Last Five
1. Now and always - David Gray
2. Trampled rose - Robert Plant and Allison Krauss
3. There goes God (live) - Crowded House*
4. Bleed like me - Garbage
5. Sand in my shoes - Dido

Board of Regents results

Well, at it's most basic, I lost.

If you want to know who won the Board of Regents elections, you can go here.

I'll have more to say about this, possibly later this evening or tomorrow. I've already made one mistake today, and that was talking to a reporter with The Telegram when I wasn't really in the proper mental head space. Putting anything more up on the blog until I'm in the right frame of mind would be a mistake.

However, I will say this. The best part of this whole experience has been everyone who swung by the blog, dropped me an email or signed up for my Facebook page. To see that much support and to realize I have that many friends is tremendous and means the world to me. So if you voted for me, thank you. And I mean that sincerely.

Last Five
1. Man-sized wreath - REM
2. The ghost of you lingers - Spoon
3. New goodbye - Hey Rosetta!
4. What's my age again? - Blink 182
5. Ain't got you - Bruce Springsteen*