Thanks for the laugh, Karin....
Last Five
1. Why do they leave - Ryan Adams
2. Hex (live) - Neko Case
3. One thing leads to another - The Fixx
4. Stand and deliver - Matt Mays and El Torpedo
5. Somehow, someday - Ryan Adams
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
It's testy out there
Thanks for the laugh, Karin....
Last Five
1. Why do they leave - Ryan Adams
2. Hex (live) - Neko Case
3. One thing leads to another - The Fixx
4. Stand and deliver - Matt Mays and El Torpedo
5. Somehow, someday - Ryan Adams
Lowering the limit
There was some racket last week about the Conservatives planning on listing the names of offenders who committed serious violent crimes who were as young as 14. And charging them as adults. I confess, it's one of those issues that I'm a bit perplexed as to why the prime minister decided to make a big deal out of it by dragging it up in the middle of an election campaign. There are plenty of big issues to deal with in this campaign. And I know violence, especially in places like Toronto and Vancouver, is a concern. But is it that big a deal?
(I would add Nunavut to this list, but realistically, if someone commits a serious crime up here and is charged, everyone in town knows who it is within a day, if not less. So the legislation doesn't make a tinker's damn worth of difference).
But the point is, would it make a difference? Would it deter crime in the slightest? Would it make things actually worse?
There are, I'm sure, some very smart people arguing both sides of that point. But when I was scrolling through some comments on a Globe and Mail story, someone floated up what I thought was a particularly clever idea that I would enthusastically support.
If you're going to start holding people as young as 14 accountable to this level, if you going to start treating and punishing them as adults, well clearly you need to start giving them some of the same rights as adults.
That means lowering the voting age. I think 14 might be pushing it a bit too much, but I would certainly support the idea of lowering the voting age to 16. I think that would prove to be an interesting shift in the way elections are run. The youth vote is traditionally ignored by most campaigns. You'll have some leaders show up on university campuses and speak a few words, but that's about it.
But just imagine if they actually had to start paying attention to people in high school? If when the prime minister floated the idea of tougher standards in youth criminal justice, the same youth that this would impact would have a say. I imagine more time might be spent discussing educational and environmental issues as well. For that matter, it would also get students more interested in political issues and the world around them. Again, all good things as far as I can see.
It would provide an interesting, and mostly positive, shift in the public discussion. Yes, some will argue that at 16 they would be too immature to handle the responsibility of voting. My first counter to that is to tell them to read the feedback section on the Globe's and CBC's websites. If you're going to use immaturity to discount someone's right to vote, I suggest you start subpoenaing their websites for the names of people posting so you can start banning them now before they have a chance to cast their vote and do damage.
Some will take it seriously, some will not. Which means they're perfectly inline with the rest of the Canadian public.
Yes, you have to draw a line somewhere. There has to be a cut-off point for when a person can vote. And people do grow up a lot from 16 to 18. But I don't think 16 is so immature that they can't listen to the arguments and make a decision on which candidate and party would best serve their interests.
So let's see some party float that out there as a suppliment to the discussion on youth criminal justice. I'd like to hear the debate.
Last Five
1. How to save a life - The Fray
2. Feelin' alright - Joe Cocker
3. Blush - The Raveonettes
4. Good is good - Sheryl Crow
5. The last worthless evening - Don Henley
(I would add Nunavut to this list, but realistically, if someone commits a serious crime up here and is charged, everyone in town knows who it is within a day, if not less. So the legislation doesn't make a tinker's damn worth of difference).
But the point is, would it make a difference? Would it deter crime in the slightest? Would it make things actually worse?
There are, I'm sure, some very smart people arguing both sides of that point. But when I was scrolling through some comments on a Globe and Mail story, someone floated up what I thought was a particularly clever idea that I would enthusastically support.
If you're going to start holding people as young as 14 accountable to this level, if you going to start treating and punishing them as adults, well clearly you need to start giving them some of the same rights as adults.
That means lowering the voting age. I think 14 might be pushing it a bit too much, but I would certainly support the idea of lowering the voting age to 16. I think that would prove to be an interesting shift in the way elections are run. The youth vote is traditionally ignored by most campaigns. You'll have some leaders show up on university campuses and speak a few words, but that's about it.
But just imagine if they actually had to start paying attention to people in high school? If when the prime minister floated the idea of tougher standards in youth criminal justice, the same youth that this would impact would have a say. I imagine more time might be spent discussing educational and environmental issues as well. For that matter, it would also get students more interested in political issues and the world around them. Again, all good things as far as I can see.
It would provide an interesting, and mostly positive, shift in the public discussion. Yes, some will argue that at 16 they would be too immature to handle the responsibility of voting. My first counter to that is to tell them to read the feedback section on the Globe's and CBC's websites. If you're going to use immaturity to discount someone's right to vote, I suggest you start subpoenaing their websites for the names of people posting so you can start banning them now before they have a chance to cast their vote and do damage.
Some will take it seriously, some will not. Which means they're perfectly inline with the rest of the Canadian public.
Yes, you have to draw a line somewhere. There has to be a cut-off point for when a person can vote. And people do grow up a lot from 16 to 18. But I don't think 16 is so immature that they can't listen to the arguments and make a decision on which candidate and party would best serve their interests.
So let's see some party float that out there as a suppliment to the discussion on youth criminal justice. I'd like to hear the debate.
Last Five
1. How to save a life - The Fray
2. Feelin' alright - Joe Cocker
3. Blush - The Raveonettes
4. Good is good - Sheryl Crow
5. The last worthless evening - Don Henley
Monday, September 29, 2008
Oooops
"I felt a great disturbance in the Force, as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced. I fear something terrible has happened." - Obi-wan Kenobi
Or, you know, maybe it was the US economy being destroyed. You know, six of one, half dozen of another. It's often hard to tell the differences between big noises to the south when you're this far north.
To think that I would live to see such times. It's going to make that meeting with my investment counsellor that much more interesting next week.
There are times when I think George Bush is Darth Vader's retarded little brother, I swear to God...
Last Five
1. Fingers in the factories - Editors*
2. The dreaming - Kate Bush
3. I'm ready - Tracy Chapman
4. Skinwalker - Robbie Robertson
5. Eventually - Brendan Benson
Or, you know, maybe it was the US economy being destroyed. You know, six of one, half dozen of another. It's often hard to tell the differences between big noises to the south when you're this far north.
To think that I would live to see such times. It's going to make that meeting with my investment counsellor that much more interesting next week.
There are times when I think George Bush is Darth Vader's retarded little brother, I swear to God...
Last Five
1. Fingers in the factories - Editors*
2. The dreaming - Kate Bush
3. I'm ready - Tracy Chapman
4. Skinwalker - Robbie Robertson
5. Eventually - Brendan Benson
Sunday, September 28, 2008
ABC DOA?
So, I'm just curious about something on the ground in Newfoundland.
Judging by nearly every story and piece of commentary I've read on the Canadian election so far, the Conservatives are going to win. And it's looking increasingly likely that they're going to pull off a majority. Now, somehow I'm going to have to make my peace with that. I don't really recall the last time the Conservatives had a majority in Canada being a particularly fun time for me or the country, but 15 years have apparently dulled the memories a bit.
But anyway, it's probably going to be a Conservative majority. Oh, things could change, but it's going to depend on a massive Harper screw-up. At this point, Canadians aren't going to magically discover the charms of Stephane Dion. It's fairly safe to say that as far as the Canadian electorate is concerned, he has no charms. I've already read stories about the Liberals sharpening their knives for after the election. So Dion is doomed. There's nothing he can do about it. There's nothing the Liberals can really do about it at this point. It's been two years, people just aren't warming to him or the Liberals. The only way they get elected is if Harper is found with kiddie porn on his computer. And that's a hard way to base a winning political strategy.
So given that Harper is going to win, what does this do to Premier Williams ABC strategy? Perhaps it makes no difference whatsoever. Maybe the premier doesn't particularly give a damn one way or another.
Now, I thought ABC was a particularly silly strategy....the wisdom of having our province represented in the federal cabinet by someone from Nova Scotia is...? But sure, if you want to use it as a strategy to maybe slap the federal Conservatives around, see if you could get a few concessions (assuming you hadn't just spent the last year in a immature pissing match the prime minister, that is).
But, the Conservatives are going to win. So, do you take your foot off the gas with about two weeks left? I know the premier isn't going to do anything silly like saying he's changed his mind about ABC or even tell people they can go ahead and vote for whomever they want.
But is he going to stop talking about it so much? Are cabinet minister going to stop campaigning for Liberals and NDP in different federal ridings? Is there going to be an easing up? Will ABC drop off the radar?
Probably not. I imagine the premier's ego is exactly that large. And the only two riding where the Conservatives have a shot are Avalon and St. John's East. And given Williams' personal grudges against Fabian Manning and Craig Westcott, you get the feeling he would be trying to sabotage even if they weren't running for Harper.
But hell, I'm curious. Does anyone see a slowing down of the ABC campaign? Or does anyone think it will slow down?
Last Five
1. Lost together - Blue Rodeo*
2. Don't think twice, it's all right - Bob Dylan
3. First day of my life - Bright Eyes
4. Twisted logic - Coldplay
5. Toys - Colleen Power
Judging by nearly every story and piece of commentary I've read on the Canadian election so far, the Conservatives are going to win. And it's looking increasingly likely that they're going to pull off a majority. Now, somehow I'm going to have to make my peace with that. I don't really recall the last time the Conservatives had a majority in Canada being a particularly fun time for me or the country, but 15 years have apparently dulled the memories a bit.
But anyway, it's probably going to be a Conservative majority. Oh, things could change, but it's going to depend on a massive Harper screw-up. At this point, Canadians aren't going to magically discover the charms of Stephane Dion. It's fairly safe to say that as far as the Canadian electorate is concerned, he has no charms. I've already read stories about the Liberals sharpening their knives for after the election. So Dion is doomed. There's nothing he can do about it. There's nothing the Liberals can really do about it at this point. It's been two years, people just aren't warming to him or the Liberals. The only way they get elected is if Harper is found with kiddie porn on his computer. And that's a hard way to base a winning political strategy.
So given that Harper is going to win, what does this do to Premier Williams ABC strategy? Perhaps it makes no difference whatsoever. Maybe the premier doesn't particularly give a damn one way or another.
Now, I thought ABC was a particularly silly strategy....the wisdom of having our province represented in the federal cabinet by someone from Nova Scotia is...? But sure, if you want to use it as a strategy to maybe slap the federal Conservatives around, see if you could get a few concessions (assuming you hadn't just spent the last year in a immature pissing match the prime minister, that is).
But, the Conservatives are going to win. So, do you take your foot off the gas with about two weeks left? I know the premier isn't going to do anything silly like saying he's changed his mind about ABC or even tell people they can go ahead and vote for whomever they want.
But is he going to stop talking about it so much? Are cabinet minister going to stop campaigning for Liberals and NDP in different federal ridings? Is there going to be an easing up? Will ABC drop off the radar?
Probably not. I imagine the premier's ego is exactly that large. And the only two riding where the Conservatives have a shot are Avalon and St. John's East. And given Williams' personal grudges against Fabian Manning and Craig Westcott, you get the feeling he would be trying to sabotage even if they weren't running for Harper.
But hell, I'm curious. Does anyone see a slowing down of the ABC campaign? Or does anyone think it will slow down?
Last Five
1. Lost together - Blue Rodeo*
2. Don't think twice, it's all right - Bob Dylan
3. First day of my life - Bright Eyes
4. Twisted logic - Coldplay
5. Toys - Colleen Power
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Debate results, part II
So, 24 hours later who won the debate? It's a distinction worth mentioning. At the end of the debate, I thought it was pretty close to a draw. No knock-out blows, no gaffes and both men spoke knowledgeably about the issues.
However, 24 hours is a long time in post-debate spin. Both sides have had their partisans out in force, plus there's a veritable ton of media, bloggers and everyone else out there shooting off their opinions. Oh yes, and polls.
So who won? Obama, it appears. FiveThirtyEight has its usual excellent analysis of what happened with overnight polls. While pundits were saying it was a draw or maybe a small victory for McCain, people watching tended to favour it toward Obama. Plus, he seemed to have alleviated the worries of some voters on whether or not he's capable of being president.
The most interesting thing I've seen post-debate hasn't been a fixation on the issues, but on McCain's body language. It was something I noticed a bit last night. He never looked at Obama when they were debating. He had a hard time looking at him even when they were shaking hands. Talking Points Memo, an admittedly pro-Democrat site has an interesting theory - that it might not be condescension towards his opponent, as some thing, but rather an anger management issue. McCain is infamous for his temper and this might be his way of dealing with it. People with anger issues often don't make eye contact with people they're really pissed off with for fear they might lose it.
So that might explain the weirdness involving body language. There also appears to be some interest to see what Saturday Night Live will do this evening. Now, I'm long past think SNL is that influential, but their skit spoofing Sarah Palin a few weeks ago certainly caught fire. If they do one mocking McCain's body language, well, McCain could find himself having lost the PR spin batter despite not losing the debate. Impressive feat, really.
And things don't get any easier. There's the vice-president's debate on Thursday. And it's becoming increasingly evident that whatever love affair the Right might have had with Palin is over and done with. Some are really unhappy. And if you believe this report there appears to be genuine despair inside the McCain camp on how she will do on Thursday, having bombed in both a mock debate and press conference.
I tend to be wary about this sort of thing. Expectations games are being played all the time in debates and they can't possibly get much lower. So if she's not a complete blubbering idiot, then that will be a victory of sorts. Sadly, I won't be able to watch as I'll be on my way back to Newfoundland. But if she does crash and burn, on top of everything else that's happening in this race, McCain might be looking at a slaughter come November 4th.
Last Five
1. Love is a place - Metric
2. Ode to lrc - Band of Horses*
3. A stone would cry out - Sam Roberts
4. Spare parts II and closing - Tom Waits
5. A villa in Portugal - The Pursuit of Happiness
However, 24 hours is a long time in post-debate spin. Both sides have had their partisans out in force, plus there's a veritable ton of media, bloggers and everyone else out there shooting off their opinions. Oh yes, and polls.
So who won? Obama, it appears. FiveThirtyEight has its usual excellent analysis of what happened with overnight polls. While pundits were saying it was a draw or maybe a small victory for McCain, people watching tended to favour it toward Obama. Plus, he seemed to have alleviated the worries of some voters on whether or not he's capable of being president.
The most interesting thing I've seen post-debate hasn't been a fixation on the issues, but on McCain's body language. It was something I noticed a bit last night. He never looked at Obama when they were debating. He had a hard time looking at him even when they were shaking hands. Talking Points Memo, an admittedly pro-Democrat site has an interesting theory - that it might not be condescension towards his opponent, as some thing, but rather an anger management issue. McCain is infamous for his temper and this might be his way of dealing with it. People with anger issues often don't make eye contact with people they're really pissed off with for fear they might lose it.
So that might explain the weirdness involving body language. There also appears to be some interest to see what Saturday Night Live will do this evening. Now, I'm long past think SNL is that influential, but their skit spoofing Sarah Palin a few weeks ago certainly caught fire. If they do one mocking McCain's body language, well, McCain could find himself having lost the PR spin batter despite not losing the debate. Impressive feat, really.
And things don't get any easier. There's the vice-president's debate on Thursday. And it's becoming increasingly evident that whatever love affair the Right might have had with Palin is over and done with. Some are really unhappy. And if you believe this report there appears to be genuine despair inside the McCain camp on how she will do on Thursday, having bombed in both a mock debate and press conference.
I tend to be wary about this sort of thing. Expectations games are being played all the time in debates and they can't possibly get much lower. So if she's not a complete blubbering idiot, then that will be a victory of sorts. Sadly, I won't be able to watch as I'll be on my way back to Newfoundland. But if she does crash and burn, on top of everything else that's happening in this race, McCain might be looking at a slaughter come November 4th.
Last Five
1. Love is a place - Metric
2. Ode to lrc - Band of Horses*
3. A stone would cry out - Sam Roberts
4. Spare parts II and closing - Tom Waits
5. A villa in Portugal - The Pursuit of Happiness
Friday, September 26, 2008
Debate results
Well, they're on TV spinning the hell out of things both on TV and online. And, of course, each side is claiming they won and analysts are giving their take on things.
And in my own small corner of the universe in which no one in the United States likely gives the slightest care about? I really would call it a draw. Both men spoke intelligently and passionately about the issues. Yes, McCain might have more experience and been to more parts of the world, but I think as was ably shown, it doesn't mean he made better decisions with that knowledge.
So will either man benefit? I'm not sure. On the one hand, McCain needed to come out and show he knows what he's doing. After the last week, he's looked fairly incompetent and irrational. So it's good for him that he sounds knowledgeable about foreign affairs.
The bad news for McCain? Obama sounded like he knew what he was talking about just as well. And saying "Senator Obama just doesn't understand" or "Senator Obama is naive" a lot just doesn't make it so when Obama sounded quite reasonable in his arguments.
The other downside for McCain? Foreign policy is his strong point and that debate is now over and done with. Oh, there might be another chance to discuss Iraq in the second debate, a town hall, but most people from here on in are going to care about the economy. And while neither man wowed on that front this evening, you get the feeling the longer McCain has to talk about it, the more uncertain he's going to seem.
Neither man harmed themselves this evening. Given that Obama is up by about three points in most national polls and battleground state polls are swinging his way as well, a no-lose debate is probably a small victory for Obama. He didn't put McCain away this evening, but realistically speaking, that wasn't all that likely anyway.
Next up, the vice-presidential slaughter, er, debate. Interesting the Joe Biden was there for Democrats to give a response. Sarah Palin was offered the chance to respond, but the McCain campaign refused to let her. That's probably the saddest thing I heard this evening, actually.
Last Five
1. My party - Kings of Leon
2. I want to be the boy to warm your mother's heart - White Stripes
3. If I had a $1,000,000 - Barenaked Ladies
4. Easter (comedy) - Bill Hicks
5. We'll never sleep - Rilo Kiley
And in my own small corner of the universe in which no one in the United States likely gives the slightest care about? I really would call it a draw. Both men spoke intelligently and passionately about the issues. Yes, McCain might have more experience and been to more parts of the world, but I think as was ably shown, it doesn't mean he made better decisions with that knowledge.
So will either man benefit? I'm not sure. On the one hand, McCain needed to come out and show he knows what he's doing. After the last week, he's looked fairly incompetent and irrational. So it's good for him that he sounds knowledgeable about foreign affairs.
The bad news for McCain? Obama sounded like he knew what he was talking about just as well. And saying "Senator Obama just doesn't understand" or "Senator Obama is naive" a lot just doesn't make it so when Obama sounded quite reasonable in his arguments.
The other downside for McCain? Foreign policy is his strong point and that debate is now over and done with. Oh, there might be another chance to discuss Iraq in the second debate, a town hall, but most people from here on in are going to care about the economy. And while neither man wowed on that front this evening, you get the feeling the longer McCain has to talk about it, the more uncertain he's going to seem.
Neither man harmed themselves this evening. Given that Obama is up by about three points in most national polls and battleground state polls are swinging his way as well, a no-lose debate is probably a small victory for Obama. He didn't put McCain away this evening, but realistically speaking, that wasn't all that likely anyway.
Next up, the vice-presidential slaughter, er, debate. Interesting the Joe Biden was there for Democrats to give a response. Sarah Palin was offered the chance to respond, but the McCain campaign refused to let her. That's probably the saddest thing I heard this evening, actually.
Last Five
1. My party - Kings of Leon
2. I want to be the boy to warm your mother's heart - White Stripes
3. If I had a $1,000,000 - Barenaked Ladies
4. Easter (comedy) - Bill Hicks
5. We'll never sleep - Rilo Kiley
My prediction
Still some uncertainty this morning about whether or not the presidential debates will go ahead this evening. My prediction is that they will. McCain will say something like "I'm confident enough that a deal is close that I can go down to Mississippi and do the debates and then return to complete the deal."
Which is bullshit, of course. No one in politics or media thinks he's making the slightest bit of positive difference in Washington and more than a few think he's made things worse.
But he really can't give Obama a 90 minute prime time forum to talk about foreign policy and the economy without being their to rebut him. It would be a serious blow to the campaign.
So yeah, he'll be there. Whether or not he'll be in any kind of proper shape to give a lively debate is another matter altogether. He's looked pretty ragged the last few days.
Last Five
1. The twist - Chubby Checker
2. Dumb - Garbage*
3. And your bird can sing - The Beatles
4. The complex - Blue Man Group
5. Sinkin' soon - Norah Jones
Which is bullshit, of course. No one in politics or media thinks he's making the slightest bit of positive difference in Washington and more than a few think he's made things worse.
But he really can't give Obama a 90 minute prime time forum to talk about foreign policy and the economy without being their to rebut him. It would be a serious blow to the campaign.
So yeah, he'll be there. Whether or not he'll be in any kind of proper shape to give a lively debate is another matter altogether. He's looked pretty ragged the last few days.
Last Five
1. The twist - Chubby Checker
2. Dumb - Garbage*
3. And your bird can sing - The Beatles
4. The complex - Blue Man Group
5. Sinkin' soon - Norah Jones
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Tunnel to Nowhere
There's still plenty of time left in this absolutely massive political cycle. There's nearly three weeks left in the federal election, more than a month in the territorial election and 40 whole wacky days left in the US presidential election. So I don't want to name the stupidest thing this cycle because, hey, there's lots of time left. Something stupider might actually come down the pipe.
I mean, today alone we had VP candidate Sarah Palin try to explain how being near an isolated part of Russia counts as foreign policy experience. If I'm the Democrats, I want her explaining that all day long. That's too much fun. There's no way it sounds any more intelligent or reasonable the more she explains it.
And hell, whatever John McCain is up to in Washington may well be the stupidest thing that we're likely to see in quite some time. But the jury is still out on that one.
But for right now, the winner for the stupidest things I've heard so far, goes to Canada. To which we can narrow it further to Newfoundland, and specifically Walter Noel, the Liberal candidate for St. John's East. Because with discussion happening in the United States about the Bridge to Nowhere in Alaska, maybe now is not the time to raise the idea of a Tunnel to Nowhere.
I'm sure the people of Bell Island would argue that they're nowhere, but a tunnel that would sure cost tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars to an island with a population of 2,400, well, it might as well be nowhere. Hell, we can't get a tunnel built from Newfoundland to Labrador and that one almost kind of makes sense (Hey, how is that study going Danny?). This? This is the sign of a truly desperate man who just took a long walk off the edge of a wharf.
There was a time I liked Walter Noel. He's still the subject of one of my all-time favourite photos that I've taken, which would be this one.
Why do I like this photo so much? Because it was taken about a week before the 2003 provincial election. And while the other two candidates that I photographed for that riding profile flashed the big politician smile, this is what Walter gave me...an honest, tired look of a man who knew he was well and truly fucked in that election. And he was. It's an honest look, which is why I like it so much.
However, that lost and the past five years have clearly eaten Noel's mind. A tunnel to Bell Island. Dear God. It's that stupid and crazy I almost wonder what the hell he's thinking.
Fortunately, there's no need to dwell on it too much. Noel has virtually no chance of winning that seat and there are two other far better candidates running in Craig Westcott and Jack Harris. Still, always a bit of a shame to see a half decent man clearly have lost it that badly.
Last Five
1. Clocks - Coldplay
2. I am talking to this flower - Camper Van Beethoven
3. Tonight tonight - Smashing Pumpkins
4. Past in present - Feist
5. Put your hands on me - Joss Stone
I mean, today alone we had VP candidate Sarah Palin try to explain how being near an isolated part of Russia counts as foreign policy experience. If I'm the Democrats, I want her explaining that all day long. That's too much fun. There's no way it sounds any more intelligent or reasonable the more she explains it.
And hell, whatever John McCain is up to in Washington may well be the stupidest thing that we're likely to see in quite some time. But the jury is still out on that one.
But for right now, the winner for the stupidest things I've heard so far, goes to Canada. To which we can narrow it further to Newfoundland, and specifically Walter Noel, the Liberal candidate for St. John's East. Because with discussion happening in the United States about the Bridge to Nowhere in Alaska, maybe now is not the time to raise the idea of a Tunnel to Nowhere.
I'm sure the people of Bell Island would argue that they're nowhere, but a tunnel that would sure cost tens, if not hundreds, of millions of dollars to an island with a population of 2,400, well, it might as well be nowhere. Hell, we can't get a tunnel built from Newfoundland to Labrador and that one almost kind of makes sense (Hey, how is that study going Danny?). This? This is the sign of a truly desperate man who just took a long walk off the edge of a wharf.
There was a time I liked Walter Noel. He's still the subject of one of my all-time favourite photos that I've taken, which would be this one.
Why do I like this photo so much? Because it was taken about a week before the 2003 provincial election. And while the other two candidates that I photographed for that riding profile flashed the big politician smile, this is what Walter gave me...an honest, tired look of a man who knew he was well and truly fucked in that election. And he was. It's an honest look, which is why I like it so much.
However, that lost and the past five years have clearly eaten Noel's mind. A tunnel to Bell Island. Dear God. It's that stupid and crazy I almost wonder what the hell he's thinking.
Fortunately, there's no need to dwell on it too much. Noel has virtually no chance of winning that seat and there are two other far better candidates running in Craig Westcott and Jack Harris. Still, always a bit of a shame to see a half decent man clearly have lost it that badly.
Last Five
1. Clocks - Coldplay
2. I am talking to this flower - Camper Van Beethoven
3. Tonight tonight - Smashing Pumpkins
4. Past in present - Feist
5. Put your hands on me - Joss Stone
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Assorted snark
Apparently one of these days where I read something and a flippant comment immediately comes to mind. Such as...
1. Singer Clay Aiken comes out of the closet. In other news, snow is expected to fall in Iqaluit this winter.
I actually saw Aiken perform when I saw Spamalot in New York back back in April. He was...all right, I guess. I kept think how much more fun it would have been to have seen the show when David Hyde Pierce was in it. Also, there were a lot of women screaming everytime Aiken did something and were lining up to buy things being auctioned off at the end of the show for charity that he had signed. So I think they might be disappointed. Not to mention deeply deluded for quite some time.
2. Is it wrong that the first thought that came to mind when I read that porn star Jenna Jamieson is pregnant with twins was "well, I guess she won't be needing a c-section"?
3. Some people get freaked out by clowns. I'm not one of them, but I do have friends who hate clowns and get the seriously hebbie jebbies over anything to do with clowns. So here's something to deeply freak them the fuck out...a link to a story about a naked clown calander. Yes, people wearing face paint, naked, except for strategically placed...pies. Among other objects.
You know, I don't even want to think about the kind of search results I'm going to get going through this blog now that I've included the words "naked clowns."
4. Nicole Kidman credits special "fertility water" for getting her pregnant. Yes, I think the rest of us call it semen, but if your husband calls it magic fertility water and you believe him, well, good for you.
Those Scientologist sure are wacky.
However, on the off chance there was magic water in Kununurra, I note that it's in western Australia and myself and Cathy will be sticking very much to the east coast. So despite the fact that it looks like quite a nice place, I think we're safe from any magic pregnancies during the trip.
5. Best snarky political quip of the day from the always relaible for snark Maureen Dawd of the New York Times - "Sarah (Palin) speed dated diplomacy on Tuesday."
Edited to add: A search for "naked clowns" came through at 3:47 am last night. So (a) that didn't take long at all and (b) it's best probably not to think about what kind of person is looking for naked clowns at that hour of the morning.
Last Five
1. Hymn of the medical oddity - The Weakerthans
2. Mo ghile mear (our hero) - Sting and the Chieftains*
3. God put a smile upon your face - Coldplay
4. MLK (live) - U2
5. Down in the ground where the dead men go - The Pogues
1. Singer Clay Aiken comes out of the closet. In other news, snow is expected to fall in Iqaluit this winter.
I actually saw Aiken perform when I saw Spamalot in New York back back in April. He was...all right, I guess. I kept think how much more fun it would have been to have seen the show when David Hyde Pierce was in it. Also, there were a lot of women screaming everytime Aiken did something and were lining up to buy things being auctioned off at the end of the show for charity that he had signed. So I think they might be disappointed. Not to mention deeply deluded for quite some time.
2. Is it wrong that the first thought that came to mind when I read that porn star Jenna Jamieson is pregnant with twins was "well, I guess she won't be needing a c-section"?
3. Some people get freaked out by clowns. I'm not one of them, but I do have friends who hate clowns and get the seriously hebbie jebbies over anything to do with clowns. So here's something to deeply freak them the fuck out...a link to a story about a naked clown calander. Yes, people wearing face paint, naked, except for strategically placed...pies. Among other objects.
You know, I don't even want to think about the kind of search results I'm going to get going through this blog now that I've included the words "naked clowns."
4. Nicole Kidman credits special "fertility water" for getting her pregnant. Yes, I think the rest of us call it semen, but if your husband calls it magic fertility water and you believe him, well, good for you.
Those Scientologist sure are wacky.
However, on the off chance there was magic water in Kununurra, I note that it's in western Australia and myself and Cathy will be sticking very much to the east coast. So despite the fact that it looks like quite a nice place, I think we're safe from any magic pregnancies during the trip.
5. Best snarky political quip of the day from the always relaible for snark Maureen Dawd of the New York Times - "Sarah (Palin) speed dated diplomacy on Tuesday."
Edited to add: A search for "naked clowns" came through at 3:47 am last night. So (a) that didn't take long at all and (b) it's best probably not to think about what kind of person is looking for naked clowns at that hour of the morning.
Last Five
1. Hymn of the medical oddity - The Weakerthans
2. Mo ghile mear (our hero) - Sting and the Chieftains*
3. God put a smile upon your face - Coldplay
4. MLK (live) - U2
5. Down in the ground where the dead men go - The Pogues
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Clever, but bad
If I never heard the phrase Great Depression 2.0 again, that would be all right with me.
I mean, it's clever and all, but I want to find the person who coined it and smack the crap out of him. Repeatedly. For many hours.
It is such an odd feeling, continuing on with your life as normal while everyone else is screaming that the sky is falling and that we're all doomed. I don't know if it's the bizarre isolation bubble that comes from living where we do or just the reality of the world these days. We've all been doomed so many times through so many different ways in recent years (Avian Flu, terrorists, Anthrax, giant asteroid strikes, Paris Hilton) that I wonder if the general public just builds up a certain level of immunity towards disaster after awhile.
"The US economy is about to catastrophically collapse! We're all doomed!"
"Cool, is that the new Will Smith movie where he plays a banker with the secret codes that can save Wall Street and jump start the economy? I've been wanting to see that."
I suspect that if the world ever did come to an end, it wouldn't be with a bang or a whimper. It would be with a "WTF? Is that it? Dude, that was lame."
Anyway....
In other amusing things from the growing disaster to the south, I managed to find some mirth in these two things.
First, beware if you get an email from Minister of Treasury Paulson looking for $800 billion. It might be one of those scam emails you hear about. Or even more scary, completely legit.
Secondly, if you think reporters are getting frustrated with the McCain campaign and the almost complete lack of access to Gov. Sarah Palin, take a gander at this lede from the usually reserved AP. It is quite possibly the best lede I've read in ages.
I challenge local reporters to come up with a lede more snarky and dead on than that one.
Last Five
1. I sing the body electric - Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies
2. Spring haze (live) - Tori Amos
3. Fantasize - Liz Phair
4. It makes me wonder - Blue Rodeo
5. The miller's daughter (live) - Spirit of the West*
I mean, it's clever and all, but I want to find the person who coined it and smack the crap out of him. Repeatedly. For many hours.
It is such an odd feeling, continuing on with your life as normal while everyone else is screaming that the sky is falling and that we're all doomed. I don't know if it's the bizarre isolation bubble that comes from living where we do or just the reality of the world these days. We've all been doomed so many times through so many different ways in recent years (Avian Flu, terrorists, Anthrax, giant asteroid strikes, Paris Hilton) that I wonder if the general public just builds up a certain level of immunity towards disaster after awhile.
"The US economy is about to catastrophically collapse! We're all doomed!"
"Cool, is that the new Will Smith movie where he plays a banker with the secret codes that can save Wall Street and jump start the economy? I've been wanting to see that."
I suspect that if the world ever did come to an end, it wouldn't be with a bang or a whimper. It would be with a "WTF? Is that it? Dude, that was lame."
Anyway....
In other amusing things from the growing disaster to the south, I managed to find some mirth in these two things.
First, beware if you get an email from Minister of Treasury Paulson looking for $800 billion. It might be one of those scam emails you hear about. Or even more scary, completely legit.
Secondly, if you think reporters are getting frustrated with the McCain campaign and the almost complete lack of access to Gov. Sarah Palin, take a gander at this lede from the usually reserved AP. It is quite possibly the best lede I've read in ages.
Less than a week after balking at the Alaska Legislature's investigation into her alleged abuse of power, Gov. Sarah Palin on Monday indicated she will cooperate with a separate probe run by people she can fire.
I challenge local reporters to come up with a lede more snarky and dead on than that one.
Last Five
1. I sing the body electric - Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies
2. Spring haze (live) - Tori Amos
3. Fantasize - Liz Phair
4. It makes me wonder - Blue Rodeo
5. The miller's daughter (live) - Spirit of the West*
I love the world
I absolutely cannot explain why we love this ad, but both myself and Cathy do. It's also terribly addictive. We saw it last night and Cathy spent the next couple of hours humming it. Then again, I believe the song is from Guides and Cathy was involved with them for years. So I can see where it would get stuck in her head easily.
I just think it's clever and cool. And I love the bit with the Mythbusters.
Last Five
1. Rainy day women #12 and 35 - Bob Dylan
2. Hard way to fall - Ryan Adams and the Cardinals
3. Belief - John Mayer
4. Emergency Roadside Assistance - Sean Panting*
5. It's a disaster - OK Go
I just think it's clever and cool. And I love the bit with the Mythbusters.
Last Five
1. Rainy day women #12 and 35 - Bob Dylan
2. Hard way to fall - Ryan Adams and the Cardinals
3. Belief - John Mayer
4. Emergency Roadside Assistance - Sean Panting*
5. It's a disaster - OK Go
Monday, September 22, 2008
No sign
I was reading this story about how some Obama organizers were in a minor panic because they were not able to get campaign signs. There was a concern that they were losing the ground game because there were more McCain signs around.
Quinn, whose site is a must read if you're interested in polling during the US presidential election, nicely smacks these people around. Signs make people feel good and give them a nice souvenir, but accomplish little when it comes to getting people out to vote or, you know, actually winning the election.
However, while reading Quinn's amusing post, I had another thought. One of the things I'm absolutely dreading when I get home is the staggering volume of political signs that will be littered everywhere. I imagine when I drive down the parkway I'll have to deal with the usual bullshit of passing one political sign for every second the car is in motion.
But here's the thing, if political campaigns hate signs because they're a waste of money and are a tremendous drain on volunteers' time in ordering and distributing them, then why do so many campaigns go absolutely batshit insane over them? Yes, I understand the weird psychology that goes along with them - that if your opponent has more signs up than you, he or she must be doing better than you are. Retarded, but there you go.
So can I suggest something? It can be at the provincial or federal level, I don't really care. And yeah, sign makers will hate this, but they can fucking deal. A ban on all political signs on public property. In fact, the only place you can advertise is on private property. If an individual wants to stick a sign up on his lawn, go mad. If a business owner wants to put a sign up in her window, no problem. A politician wants to stick a sign up on an island with a stoplight on it, no way.
Less hassle for politicians, a prettier looking area for the electorate and sign makers, well, they'll take a hit. But if it means not having to look at 100,000 signs while I'm home, I'm all about it.
Last Five
1. Talk about the passion - REM
2. Lord, I'm discouraged - The Hold Steady
3. Experiment IV - Kate Bush
4. Suzanne (live) - Tori Amos
5. Paddy's lament - Flogging Molly
Quinn, whose site is a must read if you're interested in polling during the US presidential election, nicely smacks these people around. Signs make people feel good and give them a nice souvenir, but accomplish little when it comes to getting people out to vote or, you know, actually winning the election.
However, while reading Quinn's amusing post, I had another thought. One of the things I'm absolutely dreading when I get home is the staggering volume of political signs that will be littered everywhere. I imagine when I drive down the parkway I'll have to deal with the usual bullshit of passing one political sign for every second the car is in motion.
But here's the thing, if political campaigns hate signs because they're a waste of money and are a tremendous drain on volunteers' time in ordering and distributing them, then why do so many campaigns go absolutely batshit insane over them? Yes, I understand the weird psychology that goes along with them - that if your opponent has more signs up than you, he or she must be doing better than you are. Retarded, but there you go.
So can I suggest something? It can be at the provincial or federal level, I don't really care. And yeah, sign makers will hate this, but they can fucking deal. A ban on all political signs on public property. In fact, the only place you can advertise is on private property. If an individual wants to stick a sign up on his lawn, go mad. If a business owner wants to put a sign up in her window, no problem. A politician wants to stick a sign up on an island with a stoplight on it, no way.
Less hassle for politicians, a prettier looking area for the electorate and sign makers, well, they'll take a hit. But if it means not having to look at 100,000 signs while I'm home, I'm all about it.
Last Five
1. Talk about the passion - REM
2. Lord, I'm discouraged - The Hold Steady
3. Experiment IV - Kate Bush
4. Suzanne (live) - Tori Amos
5. Paddy's lament - Flogging Molly
Sunday, September 21, 2008
No more Sundays
I don't know why I'm surprised, but I confess the news that The Telegram is folding its Sunday edition did catch me off guard. However, it makes perfect sense, really. The Sunday Telegram was never really about making money for the company. Oh, if it did, that would be nice and all. No, the Sunday edition was all about making sure the competition didn't make money. It was brought into existence to kill The Sunday Express and did it's job quite ably (with some assistance). It lingered around long enough to also do the job on The Express and The Independent.
Of the local papers left in town - The Muse, The Current and The Scope - none are going to be competition for the Telegram. They're all niche papers. That's not ripping the quality of either The Muse or The Scope, by the way (I don't care much at all for The Current). They're both good papers, but certainly no threat to The Telegram's circulation or ad revenue. And with no immediate competition, why keep around the Sunday edition?
I am curious if the Sunday Telly was losing money, or not making enough to make it worth the effort. I'm also curious if this will mean any staff lay-offs, either in editorial, sales or production.
You know, I've heard the complaint about editorial copy and direction in The Telegram being influenced by Transcontinental offices in Quebec. And I actually side with the people at the paper annoyed by those complaints. I don't think that's the case. Having said that, I've never liked the way Transcontinental does business. I didn't like what they did to The Humber Log, although it was always a troubled paper. I despised what they did to The Express, which had its troubles but only really started to go down hill after the company bought it. And I'm sure the folks who worked with The Daily News in Halifax might have a few words to say as well about Transcon's business schemes.
Look, I'm not an idiot. I know the newspaper business is in trouble. Circulation numbers are taking hits everyone. I think you're going to see a lot more papers fold over the next decade. Well, those with uncreative publishers who have no clue how to adapt are going to fold.
And I remained to be convinced that Transcontinental is one of the clever publishers. They haven't shown me much of anything so far. They seems far too willing to cut their losses too quickly or have no clue how to make something that might be struggling work.
I come back to the same quote I like to use whenever Transcon does something that kind of annoys me. When The Express and the rest of the old Optipress papers were bought, I asked a friend working with The Telegram what to expect. He said, "you'll love them for the first six months. After that, well...."
Last Five
1. Loose translation - The New Pornographers
2. The town halo - A.C. Newman
3. You're going to quit me - Bob Dylan
4. Riding the flame/Little beggarman - The Flash Girls
5. Save this house - Spirit of the West*
Of the local papers left in town - The Muse, The Current and The Scope - none are going to be competition for the Telegram. They're all niche papers. That's not ripping the quality of either The Muse or The Scope, by the way (I don't care much at all for The Current). They're both good papers, but certainly no threat to The Telegram's circulation or ad revenue. And with no immediate competition, why keep around the Sunday edition?
I am curious if the Sunday Telly was losing money, or not making enough to make it worth the effort. I'm also curious if this will mean any staff lay-offs, either in editorial, sales or production.
You know, I've heard the complaint about editorial copy and direction in The Telegram being influenced by Transcontinental offices in Quebec. And I actually side with the people at the paper annoyed by those complaints. I don't think that's the case. Having said that, I've never liked the way Transcontinental does business. I didn't like what they did to The Humber Log, although it was always a troubled paper. I despised what they did to The Express, which had its troubles but only really started to go down hill after the company bought it. And I'm sure the folks who worked with The Daily News in Halifax might have a few words to say as well about Transcon's business schemes.
Look, I'm not an idiot. I know the newspaper business is in trouble. Circulation numbers are taking hits everyone. I think you're going to see a lot more papers fold over the next decade. Well, those with uncreative publishers who have no clue how to adapt are going to fold.
And I remained to be convinced that Transcontinental is one of the clever publishers. They haven't shown me much of anything so far. They seems far too willing to cut their losses too quickly or have no clue how to make something that might be struggling work.
I come back to the same quote I like to use whenever Transcon does something that kind of annoys me. When The Express and the rest of the old Optipress papers were bought, I asked a friend working with The Telegram what to expect. He said, "you'll love them for the first six months. After that, well...."
Last Five
1. Loose translation - The New Pornographers
2. The town halo - A.C. Newman
3. You're going to quit me - Bob Dylan
4. Riding the flame/Little beggarman - The Flash Girls
5. Save this house - Spirit of the West*
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Northern exposure
Well, that goes to show how out of it I was today. The Prime Minister of Canada swings by the capital for a visit and the first I hear of it is a story on the Globe and Mail website. Not that I would have gone out and seen him anyway. I'm still feeling sick, the weather up here sucked today (flurries, winds around 75 km/h and a wind chill around -6C) and I've met enough politicians in my day that the opportunity to gawk, or mock, one is nothing special.
Still, there are two things worthy of noting by this visit. First, he came up here. As the story notes, he basically blew a whole day on the campaign trail to come to Iqaluit. What does that mean? Well, that he must be feeling pretty good about his chances of landing a majority if he's willing to waste a day to win one seat. And that yeah, he also must be feeling pretty good about his odds of winning Nunavut.
This is also about the only interesting that's happened in the riding since the start of the election. Granted, things tend to be quiet up here during federal elections, but outside a few signs and posters you'd hardly know anything was happening. Most of the signs appear to be for the Liberal candidate Kirt Ejesiak, but I'm not sure sign volume has much to do with anything. Although one of the people living in my building does have a Leona Aglukkaq sign up in her window.
And what's the second thing of interest? Well, Harper's commitment to create a northern regional development agency. This should somewhat familiar to anyone living in Newfoundland as it appears to be somewhat similar to ACOA. What will this mean for Nunavut? Hard to say. On the surface it appears to be at least some attempt at taking northern, and specifically Nunavut, issues more seriously. Whether it leads to any significant improvements in infrastructure, housing, resource development and social issues is another thing all-together.
It'll be worth watching to see if anything more come of it. For that matter, it'll be interesting to see if Dion, Layton or May makes a venture up here in the next three weeks or so. Somehow, I kind of doubt it.
Last Five
1. From me to you - The Beatles*
2. Farewell ride - Beck
3. Getting down - The Kills
4. Walcott - Vampire Weekend
5. Trip through your wires - U2
Still, there are two things worthy of noting by this visit. First, he came up here. As the story notes, he basically blew a whole day on the campaign trail to come to Iqaluit. What does that mean? Well, that he must be feeling pretty good about his chances of landing a majority if he's willing to waste a day to win one seat. And that yeah, he also must be feeling pretty good about his odds of winning Nunavut.
This is also about the only interesting that's happened in the riding since the start of the election. Granted, things tend to be quiet up here during federal elections, but outside a few signs and posters you'd hardly know anything was happening. Most of the signs appear to be for the Liberal candidate Kirt Ejesiak, but I'm not sure sign volume has much to do with anything. Although one of the people living in my building does have a Leona Aglukkaq sign up in her window.
And what's the second thing of interest? Well, Harper's commitment to create a northern regional development agency. This should somewhat familiar to anyone living in Newfoundland as it appears to be somewhat similar to ACOA. What will this mean for Nunavut? Hard to say. On the surface it appears to be at least some attempt at taking northern, and specifically Nunavut, issues more seriously. Whether it leads to any significant improvements in infrastructure, housing, resource development and social issues is another thing all-together.
It'll be worth watching to see if anything more come of it. For that matter, it'll be interesting to see if Dion, Layton or May makes a venture up here in the next three weeks or so. Somehow, I kind of doubt it.
Last Five
1. From me to you - The Beatles*
2. Farewell ride - Beck
3. Getting down - The Kills
4. Walcott - Vampire Weekend
5. Trip through your wires - U2
Friday, September 19, 2008
Pirates
Alas, today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day and I'm home sick with a head that feels about two sizes too large to be contained in my current skull, combined with a wicked sore throat and sneezing. All in all, not very pirate-y feeling. I can barely muster up a half-hearted "arrgh". There will certainly be no looting or pillaging in my current state.
Instead, I encourage my northern blogger brethren to feel free to go on a pirating spree. Go forth and terrify your local communities by wearing an eye-patch, swinging around a cutlass and generally making a massive nuisance of yourself. Besides, isn't it past time you had people in town looking at you even more strangely than normal.
As for myself, I think I might settle down and watch the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy and read "Polly and the Pirates".
It's not a particularly terrifying pirate tale, but the story of a boarding school girl who finds out her mom was a Pirate Queen and hid away a massive secret treasure is amusing enough fare when your brain is a stage up from mush, as mine is today.
Anyway, go have fun. Arrgh and all that good stuff. Drink a grog or two for me.
Last Five
1. When we are together - Texas
2. City of blinding lights - U2*
3. Over my head - The Fray
4. Sleep spent - Death Cab for Cutie
5. Gypsy biker - Bruce Springsteen
Instead, I encourage my northern blogger brethren to feel free to go on a pirating spree. Go forth and terrify your local communities by wearing an eye-patch, swinging around a cutlass and generally making a massive nuisance of yourself. Besides, isn't it past time you had people in town looking at you even more strangely than normal.
As for myself, I think I might settle down and watch the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy and read "Polly and the Pirates".
It's not a particularly terrifying pirate tale, but the story of a boarding school girl who finds out her mom was a Pirate Queen and hid away a massive secret treasure is amusing enough fare when your brain is a stage up from mush, as mine is today.
Anyway, go have fun. Arrgh and all that good stuff. Drink a grog or two for me.
Last Five
1. When we are together - Texas
2. City of blinding lights - U2*
3. Over my head - The Fray
4. Sleep spent - Death Cab for Cutie
5. Gypsy biker - Bruce Springsteen
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Quantum
One of the few new movies coming out between now and the end of the year that is a must see is the Bond flick - Quantum of Solace. Considering how good Casino Royale was, the standards for this one are obviously pretty high. And I even like the title. God forbid you use an unusual word in a movie title.
One of the things I've been curious about is the new Bond theme song "Another Way to Die" mainly because they got Jack White to do it with Alica Keys to help out with the vocals. I give White the big benefit of the doubt on most things simply because the White Stripes played Iqaluit last year. That might not get you a life time pass on producing bad music, but it certainly buys you a lot of extra grace.
The song was up on YouTube earlier today, but got pulled by the label. However, you can listen to it here.
I've only listened to it a few times. So far, it's....all right. I mean, it may grow on me, but it doesn't have the feel of an instant Bond classic. It's no "Live and Let Die" or "The Spy Who Loved Me". On the upside, it is certainly better than the last two Bond songs - "You Know My Name" and "Die Another Day". The last Bond song I really liked was "The World is Not Enough", but I've always been fond of the band Garbage.
What do the rest of you think?
Last Five
1. Simple love - Allison Krauss
2. Fantasize - Liz Phair
3. Yankee bayonet - The Decemberists
4. Wind it up - Barenaked Ladies
5. Still fighting it - Ben Folds
One of the things I've been curious about is the new Bond theme song "Another Way to Die" mainly because they got Jack White to do it with Alica Keys to help out with the vocals. I give White the big benefit of the doubt on most things simply because the White Stripes played Iqaluit last year. That might not get you a life time pass on producing bad music, but it certainly buys you a lot of extra grace.
The song was up on YouTube earlier today, but got pulled by the label. However, you can listen to it here.
I've only listened to it a few times. So far, it's....all right. I mean, it may grow on me, but it doesn't have the feel of an instant Bond classic. It's no "Live and Let Die" or "The Spy Who Loved Me". On the upside, it is certainly better than the last two Bond songs - "You Know My Name" and "Die Another Day". The last Bond song I really liked was "The World is Not Enough", but I've always been fond of the band Garbage.
What do the rest of you think?
Last Five
1. Simple love - Allison Krauss
2. Fantasize - Liz Phair
3. Yankee bayonet - The Decemberists
4. Wind it up - Barenaked Ladies
5. Still fighting it - Ben Folds
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Insurance
I've been on quite a roll with my writing the last couple of weeks. One of those bursts of energy where you have no problem finding something to write about. I could go to a website and find five things I wanted to write about. I always enjoy those bursts, but they're a bit manic-depressive because I know they won't last and at some point the well is going to run dry again.
It's only one day, of course, and tomorrow there might be five things begging to be written about. But this evening, nada. Not even Anonymous hacking Sarah Palin's Yahoo account can really get me worked up. I'd actually feel some degree of sympathy for Palin because hacking an email account is a horrible breech of privacy. Except, of course, it appears the account was set up as a way of Palin and her inner circle to discuss controversial issues without being subject to Alaska's Access to Information legislation. Government emails can be subject to an Access to Information request, but not private email accounts like Yahoo or Gmail. Nice. There goes the sympathy right out the window.
Then there's the notion of an $85 billion bail out of a fucking insurance company is a good thing. I'm still wrapping my mind around the idea that is a good thing. Judging by the stock markets today, so are a lot of other people. As I like to say from time to time, that one is above my paygrade. A lot of very smart people seem to have absolutely no clue what all of this means, except that it's probably going to get uglier.
And that's all I've got. Sad, but true. Plus I feel a cold coming on so the ability to ramble on at length is abandoning me. Maybe tomorrow.
Last Five
1. Tell me a lie - The Fratellis
2. The end - The Beatles*
3. Shape of my heart - Sting
4. I am a rock - Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies
5. Australia - The Shins
It's only one day, of course, and tomorrow there might be five things begging to be written about. But this evening, nada. Not even Anonymous hacking Sarah Palin's Yahoo account can really get me worked up. I'd actually feel some degree of sympathy for Palin because hacking an email account is a horrible breech of privacy. Except, of course, it appears the account was set up as a way of Palin and her inner circle to discuss controversial issues without being subject to Alaska's Access to Information legislation. Government emails can be subject to an Access to Information request, but not private email accounts like Yahoo or Gmail. Nice. There goes the sympathy right out the window.
Then there's the notion of an $85 billion bail out of a fucking insurance company is a good thing. I'm still wrapping my mind around the idea that is a good thing. Judging by the stock markets today, so are a lot of other people. As I like to say from time to time, that one is above my paygrade. A lot of very smart people seem to have absolutely no clue what all of this means, except that it's probably going to get uglier.
And that's all I've got. Sad, but true. Plus I feel a cold coming on so the ability to ramble on at length is abandoning me. Maybe tomorrow.
Last Five
1. Tell me a lie - The Fratellis
2. The end - The Beatles*
3. Shape of my heart - Sting
4. I am a rock - Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies
5. Australia - The Shins
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Assorted silliness
A nice couple of hours out last night in what turned out to be an almost informal gathering of the Iqaluit Blogging Society, what with me, Kate, Elvis and Dooner hanging out for a couple of hours. Despite my statement last night that I was off to go drinking, I didn't. Never have managed to find an alcoholic beverage that I enjoy. Beer doesn't do it for me. I can tolerate red wine or rum and coke, but it's not anything that wows me enough to make me pay the silly prices of alcohol up here.
Oh well, one of these days I'll figure it out.
Anyway, yes, nice time, with people patiently listening to me talk about curling and kindly not slipping into a coma when I talked about the novel. And myself and Elvis are both in agreement on celebrating the day when major record labels will collapse and die because they are no longer needed.
However, I will stick by this curious observation. Perfectly nice weather in Iqaluit the past few days. A few flurries, sure, but nothing serious. Kate lands in town yesterday afternoon. This morning, the ground in Iqaluit is covered with snow.
Coincidence? I don't know. I've suggested to Kate that she needs to return to Rankin Inlet until we can scientifically verify whether or not she's the cause. She seems....unenthused about the idea.
I don't think I can bear to comment on either the US presidential or Canadian elections today. The Canadian election continues to be deeply boring on a national level. Things remain quiet on the northern front, with the only headline from CBC today that the three candidates are travelling. Woo....hoo. And I haven't heard anything fun out of St. John's East in the last couple of days. Boring.
The US election is shaping up to have one of those deeply silly days when instead of looking at the different platforms from Obama and McCain on how to deal with the econmic crisis, there are stories on whether or not McCain is claiming to have invented the Blackberry and that one of his financial advisors said neither McCain or Palin could run her old company.
At least it's not debating whether the phrase "lipstick on a pig" is sexist makes you either a heroic defender of women's right or a complete moron. I should be greatful for minor favours.
Although I guess I should note some improvement on the presidential front, even if it's at the university level. Gil Dalton, MUN's Board of Regents chairperson, will not renew his term. The very least he could do, really, given the damage he did as chair of the Regents. It's not viewed as very serious body right now. Someone needs to step up and do a much better job of making it very apparent the Regents are not in the premier's pocket.
The bad news is, doesn't look like MUN is going to have a president any time soon. Disappointing, if not unexpected.
Finally, Alumni Affairs still hasn't sent me a reason why provincial privacy legislation precludes them from releasing the Board of Regents election results. It's going on about three weeks since I first made the request. I've been patient and tried to work quietly on this, but it's starting to get a bit silly again, I fear.
Last Five
1. What would you say to me, lord? - Hawksley Workman*
2. Lentil - Sia
3. Night moves - Bob Seger
4. Sunday mornings - Maroon 5
5. Naked as we came - Iron & Wine
Oh well, one of these days I'll figure it out.
Anyway, yes, nice time, with people patiently listening to me talk about curling and kindly not slipping into a coma when I talked about the novel. And myself and Elvis are both in agreement on celebrating the day when major record labels will collapse and die because they are no longer needed.
However, I will stick by this curious observation. Perfectly nice weather in Iqaluit the past few days. A few flurries, sure, but nothing serious. Kate lands in town yesterday afternoon. This morning, the ground in Iqaluit is covered with snow.
Coincidence? I don't know. I've suggested to Kate that she needs to return to Rankin Inlet until we can scientifically verify whether or not she's the cause. She seems....unenthused about the idea.
I don't think I can bear to comment on either the US presidential or Canadian elections today. The Canadian election continues to be deeply boring on a national level. Things remain quiet on the northern front, with the only headline from CBC today that the three candidates are travelling. Woo....hoo. And I haven't heard anything fun out of St. John's East in the last couple of days. Boring.
The US election is shaping up to have one of those deeply silly days when instead of looking at the different platforms from Obama and McCain on how to deal with the econmic crisis, there are stories on whether or not McCain is claiming to have invented the Blackberry and that one of his financial advisors said neither McCain or Palin could run her old company.
At least it's not debating whether the phrase "lipstick on a pig" is sexist makes you either a heroic defender of women's right or a complete moron. I should be greatful for minor favours.
Although I guess I should note some improvement on the presidential front, even if it's at the university level. Gil Dalton, MUN's Board of Regents chairperson, will not renew his term. The very least he could do, really, given the damage he did as chair of the Regents. It's not viewed as very serious body right now. Someone needs to step up and do a much better job of making it very apparent the Regents are not in the premier's pocket.
The bad news is, doesn't look like MUN is going to have a president any time soon. Disappointing, if not unexpected.
Finally, Alumni Affairs still hasn't sent me a reason why provincial privacy legislation precludes them from releasing the Board of Regents election results. It's going on about three weeks since I first made the request. I've been patient and tried to work quietly on this, but it's starting to get a bit silly again, I fear.
Last Five
1. What would you say to me, lord? - Hawksley Workman*
2. Lentil - Sia
3. Night moves - Bob Seger
4. Sunday mornings - Maroon 5
5. Naked as we came - Iron & Wine
Monday, September 15, 2008
Is it time to freak out yet?
Much like John McCain, there's a great deal about economic issues I don't really understand as well as I should. However, on the plus side for me, at least I don't aspire to be president of the United States so the only really damage inflicted my lack knowledge on the issue is on myself and Cathy. And not, you know, the entire planet.
This has obviously been one deeply scary 24-hour period. Nothing like watching huge investment banks collapse like, well, since it's that time of the year, giant towers. Things you thought could never fail and then are reduced to rubble in the blink of an eye.
It's some deeply scary shit no matter what your level of expertise on economics and fiscal matters (I take some small, cold comfort in that if I'm having problems grasping the extent of this crisis, then people much smarter than me are also having problems defining its scope). Cathy and I have been chatting about some of these things in recent weeks. With my impending return home, the plan was to meet with our financial advisor, top up our RRSPs and put some more money away for the "house fund."
Hell, we were even thinking about using the house fund sooner rather than later. Given how small our apartment is and the highly unlikely possibility of finding another apartment in town that meets our needs (reasonable size, allows dogs, and where I won't want to kill the neighbours) anytime soon, we'd begun to think about buying a house in Iqaluit at some point next year.
It was, of all things, something in the Scope which said the average house price in Canada in July of this year was a shade over $300,000. Which does put into perspective that the $350,000 to $400,000 for something similar up here is out of whack, but not completely mental, like I've thought for the past three years.
But then you read the news this morning and my first reaction was probably something similar to what my grandparents and great-parents had....that is to find a large pillow or to start hollowing out the mattress.
I know that "this too shall pass", but there is something about giving your advisor, say, $5,000, and watching it magically turn into $1,000 over night that does give you pause. I was talking to my dad the other day, letting him know I was coming home and what was on the agenda. He said investing some money right now would probably be a good idea because the market had probably reached bottom.
Understand, my father is pretty adept at his investments and is considered in my family to be very well off and to have his retirement finances nicely lined up. So seeing him proven this spectacularly wrong in quite so short a period of time does give you some pause.
So I guess we'll see about investing more money right now. Or buying a house.
In the meantime, I'm off to join the recently returned Kate Nova and friends for an alcoholic beverage or two. Drinking seems a sane reaction to the day's events, when you think about it.
Last Five (this is quite the random set of Canadian 80s/90s pop music.)
1. Misunderstanding - Grapes of Wrath
2. Moonlight desires - Gowan*
3. Arias and symphonies - Spoons
4. I will remember you - Sarah McLachlan
5. She kiss away - The Pursuit of Happiness
This has obviously been one deeply scary 24-hour period. Nothing like watching huge investment banks collapse like, well, since it's that time of the year, giant towers. Things you thought could never fail and then are reduced to rubble in the blink of an eye.
It's some deeply scary shit no matter what your level of expertise on economics and fiscal matters (I take some small, cold comfort in that if I'm having problems grasping the extent of this crisis, then people much smarter than me are also having problems defining its scope). Cathy and I have been chatting about some of these things in recent weeks. With my impending return home, the plan was to meet with our financial advisor, top up our RRSPs and put some more money away for the "house fund."
Hell, we were even thinking about using the house fund sooner rather than later. Given how small our apartment is and the highly unlikely possibility of finding another apartment in town that meets our needs (reasonable size, allows dogs, and where I won't want to kill the neighbours) anytime soon, we'd begun to think about buying a house in Iqaluit at some point next year.
It was, of all things, something in the Scope which said the average house price in Canada in July of this year was a shade over $300,000. Which does put into perspective that the $350,000 to $400,000 for something similar up here is out of whack, but not completely mental, like I've thought for the past three years.
But then you read the news this morning and my first reaction was probably something similar to what my grandparents and great-parents had....that is to find a large pillow or to start hollowing out the mattress.
I know that "this too shall pass", but there is something about giving your advisor, say, $5,000, and watching it magically turn into $1,000 over night that does give you pause. I was talking to my dad the other day, letting him know I was coming home and what was on the agenda. He said investing some money right now would probably be a good idea because the market had probably reached bottom.
Understand, my father is pretty adept at his investments and is considered in my family to be very well off and to have his retirement finances nicely lined up. So seeing him proven this spectacularly wrong in quite so short a period of time does give you some pause.
So I guess we'll see about investing more money right now. Or buying a house.
In the meantime, I'm off to join the recently returned Kate Nova and friends for an alcoholic beverage or two. Drinking seems a sane reaction to the day's events, when you think about it.
Last Five (this is quite the random set of Canadian 80s/90s pop music.)
1. Misunderstanding - Grapes of Wrath
2. Moonlight desires - Gowan*
3. Arias and symphonies - Spoons
4. I will remember you - Sarah McLachlan
5. She kiss away - The Pursuit of Happiness
Sunday, September 14, 2008
National Post
Because my weekend couldn't get much stranger....the National Post links here because of the St. John's North battle between Craig Westcott and Danny Williams. Well, technically it's between Westcott and Jack Harris. Maybe even Walter Noel, if you're feeling particularly generous.
But no, it's really Westcott vs. Williams. It'll be interesting when this is all over to take a look at the list of people who will donate money to Harris's campaign, now that I think about it. I wonder how much Williams is good for?
But anyway, I've been linked to by one of the most conservative bloggers in Canada and by a conservative national newspaper all in about 24 hours. Bizarre.
Last Five
1. Words of fire, deeds of blood - Robbie Robertson*
2. Leather (live) - Tori Amos
3. Waiting for nothing - Hot Hot Heat
4. It's over - Tom Waits
5. Silver dove - Jenny Gear and the Whiskey Kittens
But no, it's really Westcott vs. Williams. It'll be interesting when this is all over to take a look at the list of people who will donate money to Harris's campaign, now that I think about it. I wonder how much Williams is good for?
But anyway, I've been linked to by one of the most conservative bloggers in Canada and by a conservative national newspaper all in about 24 hours. Bizarre.
Last Five
1. Words of fire, deeds of blood - Robbie Robertson*
2. Leather (live) - Tori Amos
3. Waiting for nothing - Hot Hot Heat
4. It's over - Tom Waits
5. Silver dove - Jenny Gear and the Whiskey Kittens
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