Mob Rule 1, Civil Rights 0

California's Supreme Court has upheld Proposition 8, the controversial, democracy-endorsed constitutional amendment barring gay marriage. And by "democracy-endorsed" I mean a whopping 52 per cent! Of people who voted! Which is like 40 per cent of the population! So that's at least a couple thousand people in a state of 30 million!

(UPDATE: Actual research has determined that 6,322,732 Californians voted in a way that is consistent with being a homophobic coward and snivelling bigot, while 5,796,637 voted for tolerance and, by extension, sunshine, rainbows, love and goodness. Also, the state has over 38 million residents and, um, actually, had a record-breaking near-80 per cent voter turn-out in November 2008. Not 40 per cent. Cough.)

So anyway, this sucks if you're gay and Californian. Or if you don't think the masses should get a vote on the very personal choice of who is allowed to marry whom.

Full story in the LA Times, here.

Divorce and adultery remain legal, of course, so the married "family values" bigots pushing this discrimination are free to bang their congregations/secretaries/interns. And hey, since we're all angry anyway, here's a link to a news story on one random hypocrite homophobe's messy personal life. (The Stranger) I'm going to go out on a limb here and say a lot of the most agitated opponents to same-sex marriage have serious personal issues that they're dealing with by parading their prejudices around in public. Psychiatry, people! It can help!

Meanwhile, gay marriage is legal in Saskatchewan. And, since 2005, in all of Canada. No thanks to the well-documented opposition of one odious political /minority government (New York Times). So if you're gay and in California, move here! Our booming economy needs workers and we even provide free universal health care to Canadian citizens (and we love recovering Americans!). As for winter, well, uh, maybe it's better you not ask about that.

Ethics 101

Received word the other day that a new website has been launched in Montreal to promote ethical business practices in areas like the environment, labour relations and sustainability. It relies on case studies drawn from around the world. So far, 75 or so have been compiled. The goal is to add more as other examples of businesses behaving in an ethical manner are uncovered--assuming such entities actually exist (ethipedia)

Rosie's alternate top six

1. Meet the Regina Pats' latest fall guy. (Leader-Post)

2. Mr. T. At Wrigley Field. Singing. Hide the children. (Total Pro Sports)

3. Access Communications explains why CTV's Save Local TV campaign is full of it. (CJME)

4. The Regina Chamber of Commerce is pressuring for a nuclear reactor the same way a spoiled brat is screaming for a pony for Christmas (CJME). In lieu of a big long post about how the Regina Chamber of Commerce is made up of people with no business sense at all, I introduce you to our latest Type-O-Wiener winner's blog (SaskBoy).

5. About a week ago, the U.S. government made a big splash about arresting guys who were going to launch terrorism acts against Jews in the New York area. Turns out that not only the whole plot was bunk, but the main informant made his statements so the FBI could pay for his health insurance. (NY Daily News via Crooks and Liars)

6. Iggy doesn't like the EI program that the Liberals created, and Stephen Harper thinks people who lose their jobs are whiny sucky-babies. Prepare for another Thanksgiving election. (Globe and Mail)

Six In The Morning

1 CITY HALL LOVES THOSE CONDOS More condo conversion approvals. I like condos too, and there are lots of situations where condo conversions are fine. (Case in point--the Warehouse District's Brownstown's overhaul a few years back. Lovely!) But come on, this looks out of control. Where are the rental units in the city centre? Come to think of it, where are the new condo developments in the city centre? Do elected officials make decisions for this city or do property developers? I guess the answer to that is obvious, isn't it? (Leader-Post)

2 NOM NOM NOM The Governor General cuts out and eats a raw seal heart. How can you have the guts to eat a raw seal heart but not have the stomach to allow our democratically elected parliament choose its prime minister according to the wishes of the majority of its members (see: last fall's coalition debacle)? (Toronto Star)

3 BIG DAY FOR GAY MARRIAGE Speaking of democracy, the legality of California's Proposition 8--the democratically-passed constitutional amendment barring gay marriage in the state--will be ruled on by the California Supreme Court today. (LA Times)

4 I CAN HAZ ELECTION? Count Iggyula says he can "foresee" one in the "near future". Perhaps he's using his vampire powers? Seriously, dude looks like Dracula. (Globe And Mail)

5 MIND THOSE MISSILES North Korea is sure doing its best to freak everybody out/piss everybody off. (The Guardian)

6 NOW THAT'S LOYALTY Little slow on this one, so apologies. Last Friday Regina MLA Sandra Morin endorsed NDP leadership candidate Dwain Lingenfelter--after the Waterhengate scandal tainted his campaign (but he was cleared! wail supporters). (Leader-Post)

This Week at City Hall

Monday, May 25
Crime Prevention Advisory Committee (12:15 pm)
City Council (5:30 pm): After a long absence from council meeting lineups, the condo conversion is back in full force. Three are being considered this evening: 2151, 2153 and 2163 Hamilton Street.

Things are getting even more convoluted of late. The city is working with developers to impose a requirement that 75% of units in newly condo'ized buildings remain rental suites. The city even has proposed legal agreements with the developer of the Hamilton buildings that'll impose a reporting requirement on them (in which they have to prove they're abiding by the agreement) and penalties if the number of rental suites drops. This has all been done in light the city's 0.5% vacancy rate. Lawyers for the developer are balking at the 75% requirement now that CMHC has released numbers stating the current vacancy has risen to a whopping 1.2% and is expected to escalate to an unimaginably lofty 2% sometime next year. The lawyers will argue tonight that because the rental market has returned to pre-2008 levels (that hearkens way back to last year) they shouldn't be treated differently than developers from back in those days.

That city council probably shouldn't have been approving all those condo conversions back in 2008 when the vacancy rate was 1.5% seems to be immaterial to these lawyers. (City policy says they shouldn't approve conversions if the rate is under 3%.)

Also on the agenda, a review of the RPL's audited financial statements; external financing recommendations for the general capital program and for water and sewer utilities; and recommendations around the 2009 general and utility capital debenture bylaw.

In short, council should be an interesting affair tonight and I can't make it, dammit! So if anyone reading this does go to council tonight, feel free to post your thoughts in the comment section for this post. I'd be curious to hear what goes down.

Tuesday, May 26
Development Appeals Board Hearing (5:30 pm)

As always, you can download full meeting agendas and reports on the city's website.

Saturday Morning Cartoon

Last night I was out with a few Regina comic nerds, talking comic nerd stuff and doing a comic nerd jam. One of the nerds is a polylingual French prof who likes Japanese manga. Anyway I remembered at some point that my first exposure to anime (the TV equivalent of manga) was on French CBC in the late '70s. I was (pathetically still am) unilingual so I couldn't understand the show but it sure as hell looked cool to my 12 year-old eyeballs. And in the 13-channel universe kids had to take cartoons where they found them.

This Japanese show was about a one-eyed space bandit who stands around on the bridge of his cool-looking (and part wood!) star-battleship, and broods. And broods more. Unlike western entertainment, the Japanese understand the power of stillness. And brooding. Lots of brooding.

So I asked my friend Sylvain about it (he'd know! He's French!) and he told me this cartoon is Space Pirate Captain Harlock, and it's a classic. The Wikipedia entry is here.

Happily the introduction to the French-dubbed show--the same version 12 year-old Steve would've seen--is on YouTube. Instead of Space Pirate Captain Harlock, it's called Albator, probably because it makes a catchier theme song. (Actually Wiki says it was to avoid confusion with beloved Tintin character captain Haddock but I'm skeptical.)

Here it is, happy Saturday morning!

To Our Disappointed Readers

It's my job to write the Friday Six In The Morning and, uh, it's Friday and it's 20 to five and I haven't written it yet. And now I have to go drink. So it's not going to happen. Boo me.

I'll make up for it with weekend posts, I promise*.

As you were!

*lies!

American Idiots

I did an article on this six or seven years ago in prairie dog. With all the on-line music sources out there now, it's probably not as big a deal as it was back then, when Wal-Mart had the clout to shut artists that didn't meet its "moral" standards out of many small and mid-size retail markets. Still, the policy remains a pretty lame trampling of artistic freedom in our society. (InMusic)

R.I.P.

Sad news in the world of architecture today. (Vancouver Sun)

New Dog!

Cover by Dakota McFadzean

The May 21 prairie dog is being distributed throughout our fair town as I'm typing this. I think it's a pretty swell issue and I think you should pick it up. Here's an overview of the articles that actually are worth your precious time.

THE BEST LIBRARY IN THE WORLD the Regina Public Library's plan to renew/rebuild/rework the Central branch is underway, but details aren't settled yet, so it seemed like a great time for prairie dog's writers to rant about what they'd like to see in a reinvigorated downtown branch. To toot our own horn, I think we've gota pretty darn good little starting point for this public discussion, here. A must-read for fans of public projects and for anyone who thinks we should dream bigger dreams.

THE NDP'S NUCLEAR SCHISM No surprise here but the provincial NDP has a tricy path to walk on the little matter of nuclear reactors. Going into the leadership convention, candidates range from robustly anti-uranium to "well, let's study it and base decisions on facts" coyness. Stephen LaRose penned this feature on a topic that's one of the big fault lines in the party.

DELAY OF PLAN The downtown plan has been delayed so that "stakeholders" can go over it with a fine-toothed comb. Maybe this is all right. Or maybe, just maybe, this is a nefarious maneuver to weaken the document. Paul Dechene is suspicious, though not yet alarmed.

ALSO: Conway on how scumball politicians have poisoned democracy, Dyer on the disaster that is the West's Afghanistan policy, Suzuki on endangered species non-laws, Beatty on the Dunlop's current show and Castillo on Angels and Demons because he couldn't get into an early showuing of the new Terminator flick. Plus News Quirks, Street Wear, Queen City Confidential, Typo Wiener, CD reviews, Margoshes on a golf course restaurant, News Briefs, 14 days of event listings and more. Pick it up! Oh--and send your comments to feedback@prairiedogmag.com. Our letters page has been a little light lately. So sad!