What I can quite believe is that this guy was naive enough to actually believe any of that horseshit about Warren Buffet.
It just proves, once again, that the French have it right. Or more specifically, Honor de Balzac had it right...
"Behind every great fortune is a great crime."
Could someone please explain to me, slowly and in short words, exactly how these bailouts are anything but corporate welfare?
And since that's clearly what it seems to be... if companies get to run for the safety of the welfare state, shouldn't we all have that option.
8.05.2009
8.04.2009
I'm Not Joking
If anyone's conducting a science experiment out there, we have a pound of margarine that's been sitting around the office in a less than air-tight container for almost three years now that you can have.
Did The Owner Of A U.S.-Hired Security Company Working In Iraq Murder Employees?
According to this doozy of an article in the Nation, a sworn affidavit, the answer is "maybe". Even if that's not the case, there's all sorts of horrible stories about Blackwater (the private security company hired by the United States to provide soldiers for Iraq) in this article. Yikes.
Rosie LaRose’s Top Six This Fine Morning …
1 OH WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNING … I don't know anything that would cheer a person up more on a day such as today than a photo essay of public and private fallout shelters from around the world. (Good Magazine)
2 AND THAT'S THE WAY IT IS? IF WALTER CRONKITE WERE ALIVE TODAY HE'D TURN OVER IN HIS GRAVE … Apparently, nobody's doing much fact checking at the Old Grey Lady (The New York Times) any more. All those typos or mistakes in a 700-word career retrospective. (The Guardian)
3 ALL THE NEWS WE FIT TO PRINT … Well, you know how we ragged on here about Harper and Wafergate? Well, the Irving family owns the Telegraph Journal. And they also own major shipyards in Saint John. So, can one connect the dots between an announcement by the DND that we're buying a whole bunch of ships, to be built by Canadians (The Galloping Beaver) and the Telegraph Journal's grovelling backtracking of the story? (Telegraph Journal) I know, Warren Kinsella, (Warren Kinsella) trying to determine policy differences between the Cons and Iggy's Liberals is as hilariously exasperating as watching a Calgary Stampeder fan trying to determine his a$$ from a hole in the ground, but it's clear that Harper's attempt to shut up the remaining parts of the Canadian media who refuse to sing from the Conservative songbook is a bit more brazen than usual (A BCer in Toronto).
4 CHRIS GETZLAF? WHO? Fire the coach! Shoot the quarterback! Kill the cheerleaders! Burn down Taylor Field and sell the ashes to the Indians! Oh … wait … (YouTube). I know you were to carry the pitchforks and I was to bring the torches, but we'll have to wait a week. (TSN).
5 MISS TEEN-AGE FREE LOVE '69 SHE AIN'T ... maybe 20 years from now somebody is going to think she's political material (Leader-Post) just like ... 0h, God, no ... (YouTube).
6 ANY WAY OUT OF HERE? Two more Canadian soldiers were killed in Afghanistan last weekend. (Globe and Mail) In lieu of any real ideas from anybody else about how we're going to get out of that mess, may I present to you the Round Mound of Sound (The Disaffected Liberal).
Folk Festival Countdown: Basia Bulat
Here's a video by Basia Bulat, an up-and-coming folky, rootsey singer with a great voice and terrific songs. I saw her open for Final Fantasy (AKA Owen Pallett) at the Exchange a couple years back and she was great. I think you will like her.
Bulat, a Torontonian, will play the Folk Festival mainstage Friday evening at seven but if for any reason you can't make it she's also playing an open-to-the-public show on Sunlit Stage 2 (north end of Victoria Park) Saturday afternoon at 3:15. Presumably her CD and T-shirts will be available in the merch tent should you feel inclined to support her capitalistically.
Bulat, a Torontonian, will play the Folk Festival mainstage Friday evening at seven but if for any reason you can't make it she's also playing an open-to-the-public show on Sunlit Stage 2 (north end of Victoria Park) Saturday afternoon at 3:15. Presumably her CD and T-shirts will be available in the merch tent should you feel inclined to support her capitalistically.
8.03.2009
Ayatollah Endorses Election Loser; Tel Aviv Mourns Murdered Gays
Mahmoud Amadinejad is officially approved as president of Iran and they're shooting gay people in Israel. Good golly, I sure wish I lived in a country run by religion.
FIRST, IRAN. Today, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei endorsed Amadinejad as the country's president (Globe And Mail). This of course follows an election widely viewed as a sham, which led to massive protests, and arrests and lethal crackdowns by the regime. Obviously, this all kind of sucks.
On the bright side, much of Iran's "establishment" boycotted the endorsement ceremony. Two former presidents and two presidential candidates were no-shows, once again demonstrating the country's political elite is badly, badly divided. And that's a good sign for everyone who likes ordinary Iranians and is rooting for them to throw off the shackles of superstition, hatred, fear and repression you always get with theocracies.
The way I see it: the reason Iran's power elite is split because the illegitimate election has undermined the legitimacy of Iran's entire ruling class. It's not just Khamenei and Amadinejad whose political careers/influence is at risk--their idiot shenanigans have undermined the whole system and that's no good for the (naturally, all-male) fancy-pantses who benefit from that system.
By over-reaching their power, which they did when they (probably) faked the results of the June 12 election, Iran's rulers pissed off a country full of people well-known for their tyrant-tossing skills. Maybe nothing will happen this month or this year, but Iran's religious regime has revealed itself to be phony and hypocritical--and Iran is one country where people won't put up with that shit.
Amadinejad will be sworn in as president on Wednesday. Iranians aren't gonna like it. If you're in Iran that day, wear a helmet.
(By the way, I love the photo with the Globe And Mail article I linked to--Amadinejad has that same smug yet slightly puzzled expression George Bush always had when he was having some poor country bombed. What a fucker.)
ISRAELI GAY SHAME I don't know what to say about the masked and/or helmeted lunatic/sissy who's afraid of gay people who walked into a youth centre and shot 15 people, killing two, this weekend. But Israeli's gay community is, quite reasonably, blaming religious bigotry and smears for inciting violence. You can read the basic story here and a commentary here (Aljazeera, Guardian). Religion and righteousness inspiring violent behaviour in Israel? Wouldn't be the first time.
FIRST, IRAN. Today, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei endorsed Amadinejad as the country's president (Globe And Mail). This of course follows an election widely viewed as a sham, which led to massive protests, and arrests and lethal crackdowns by the regime. Obviously, this all kind of sucks.
On the bright side, much of Iran's "establishment" boycotted the endorsement ceremony. Two former presidents and two presidential candidates were no-shows, once again demonstrating the country's political elite is badly, badly divided. And that's a good sign for everyone who likes ordinary Iranians and is rooting for them to throw off the shackles of superstition, hatred, fear and repression you always get with theocracies.
The way I see it: the reason Iran's power elite is split because the illegitimate election has undermined the legitimacy of Iran's entire ruling class. It's not just Khamenei and Amadinejad whose political careers/influence is at risk--their idiot shenanigans have undermined the whole system and that's no good for the (naturally, all-male) fancy-pantses who benefit from that system.
By over-reaching their power, which they did when they (probably) faked the results of the June 12 election, Iran's rulers pissed off a country full of people well-known for their tyrant-tossing skills. Maybe nothing will happen this month or this year, but Iran's religious regime has revealed itself to be phony and hypocritical--and Iran is one country where people won't put up with that shit.
Amadinejad will be sworn in as president on Wednesday. Iranians aren't gonna like it. If you're in Iran that day, wear a helmet.
(By the way, I love the photo with the Globe And Mail article I linked to--Amadinejad has that same smug yet slightly puzzled expression George Bush always had when he was having some poor country bombed. What a fucker.)
ISRAELI GAY SHAME I don't know what to say about the masked and/or helmeted lunatic/sissy who's afraid of gay people who walked into a youth centre and shot 15 people, killing two, this weekend. But Israeli's gay community is, quite reasonably, blaming religious bigotry and smears for inciting violence. You can read the basic story here and a commentary here (Aljazeera, Guardian). Religion and righteousness inspiring violent behaviour in Israel? Wouldn't be the first time.
Six in the Morning
It's a wacky weather edition of Six in the Morning! Happy summer!
1. "ACT OF GOD" ENDS COUNTRY MUSIC FEST: A sudden windstorm blew through Camrose Alberta on Saturday, just as the first of the evenings headliners were about to take the stage at the Big Valley Jamboree. The winds were so powerful they smashed the main stage, killing one person and injuring dozens more. In the wake of this tragedy, the Jamboree was canceled. (Globe and Mail)
2. BC ABLAZE: A heat wave affecting much of British Columbia is responsible for one of the most widespread outbreaks of forest fires in history. While the record-breaking heat finally broke late last week, temperatures are hovering in the high twenties and a significant rainfall still hasn't hit the typically sodden coast. Fires remain a worry, then, as the hot summer has left forests tinder dry, and, thanks to a pine beetle infestation worsened by years of warmer-than-usual weather, thousands of hectares of BC are covered by dead trees. (Globea and Mail)
3. DEAD SEA DYING: While it is being considered for inclusion on a new list of the world's seven wonders, the Dead Sea is evaporating at an alarming rate. Thanks to over-eager irrigation off the Jordan River compounded with years of drought, the famous body of water is shrinking at the rate of a metre a year. (Globe and Mail)
4. MONARCHS LATE AGAIN: For the second year in a row, monarch butterflies came to Canada later than usual and in such small numbers that insect fanciers are worried. (CBC)
5. SPAIN ABLAZE: The Spanish prime minister ended his holiday early to inspect forest fire damage on the Canary Islands. Thanks to sizzling hot temperatures and high winds, southern Europe has seen a marked increase in forest fires. Spain and Greece have been the hardest hit. (Yahoo News)
6. CLIMATE CHANGE DENIERS IMPERVIOUS TO REASON: After Globe and Mail columnist and CBC personality, Rex Murphy, let loose with a tirade against climate change, Desmogblog points out that he has a habit of spouting such myopic nonsense. Meanwhile, Murphy's science hero, Ian Plimer, is chickening out of a chance to debate Guardian science columnist, George Monbiot. This despite the fact that it was Plimer who challenged Monbiot to the debate in the first place. Turns out, Monbiot was willing to accept the challenge to a public debate on climate change only if Plimer accepted his challenge to respond in writing to the serious charges about misinformation in Plimer's book, Heaven and Earth. That was apparently a little too daunting a task for the author. On a related note, Monbiot writes about climate change deniers whining that they're being censored despite being unable to provide a single example of that happening, while at the same time, there are numerous examples of legitimate climate scientists being muzzled by climate change deniers. (Dog Blog, Desmogblog, Guardian)
1. "ACT OF GOD" ENDS COUNTRY MUSIC FEST: A sudden windstorm blew through Camrose Alberta on Saturday, just as the first of the evenings headliners were about to take the stage at the Big Valley Jamboree. The winds were so powerful they smashed the main stage, killing one person and injuring dozens more. In the wake of this tragedy, the Jamboree was canceled. (Globe and Mail)
2. BC ABLAZE: A heat wave affecting much of British Columbia is responsible for one of the most widespread outbreaks of forest fires in history. While the record-breaking heat finally broke late last week, temperatures are hovering in the high twenties and a significant rainfall still hasn't hit the typically sodden coast. Fires remain a worry, then, as the hot summer has left forests tinder dry, and, thanks to a pine beetle infestation worsened by years of warmer-than-usual weather, thousands of hectares of BC are covered by dead trees. (Globea and Mail)
3. DEAD SEA DYING: While it is being considered for inclusion on a new list of the world's seven wonders, the Dead Sea is evaporating at an alarming rate. Thanks to over-eager irrigation off the Jordan River compounded with years of drought, the famous body of water is shrinking at the rate of a metre a year. (Globe and Mail)
4. MONARCHS LATE AGAIN: For the second year in a row, monarch butterflies came to Canada later than usual and in such small numbers that insect fanciers are worried. (CBC)
5. SPAIN ABLAZE: The Spanish prime minister ended his holiday early to inspect forest fire damage on the Canary Islands. Thanks to sizzling hot temperatures and high winds, southern Europe has seen a marked increase in forest fires. Spain and Greece have been the hardest hit. (Yahoo News)
6. CLIMATE CHANGE DENIERS IMPERVIOUS TO REASON: After Globe and Mail columnist and CBC personality, Rex Murphy, let loose with a tirade against climate change, Desmogblog points out that he has a habit of spouting such myopic nonsense. Meanwhile, Murphy's science hero, Ian Plimer, is chickening out of a chance to debate Guardian science columnist, George Monbiot. This despite the fact that it was Plimer who challenged Monbiot to the debate in the first place. Turns out, Monbiot was willing to accept the challenge to a public debate on climate change only if Plimer accepted his challenge to respond in writing to the serious charges about misinformation in Plimer's book, Heaven and Earth. That was apparently a little too daunting a task for the author. On a related note, Monbiot writes about climate change deniers whining that they're being censored despite being unable to provide a single example of that happening, while at the same time, there are numerous examples of legitimate climate scientists being muzzled by climate change deniers. (Dog Blog, Desmogblog, Guardian)
8.02.2009
The Fantastic Wes Anderson
I must have had a deprived childhood because I don't think I've ever read any of Roald Dahl's children stories. I've read his twisted murder short stories like Lamb to the Slaughter but I must confess I've never read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach or Fantastic Mr. Fox. One of my favorite director's Wes Anderson (Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Darjeeling Limited) has decided to make a stop motion animated movie out of Fantastic Mr. Fox. It looks very cool, different and very un-kids movie like. Which is a good thing in my opinion.
8.01.2009
Saturday Morning Cartoon
This week saw the release of Green Lantern: First Flight, the first feature-length adventure of the Emerald Crusader. It comes hot on the heels of news that Canadian-born Ryan Reynolds (CBC)-- one-time paramour of You Can't Do That on Television star Alanis Morrisette--has been cast as test pilot Hal Jordan, the man with the verdant vim. We'll see, I guess. Reynolds is best known for wearing a fat suit in the only Regina-shot movie featured in Roger Ebert's book Your Movie Sucks. On the other hand, the film is being directed by Martin Campbell, who also directed the best two Bond films of the last 30 years as well as the pilot episode of my all-time favourite TV show, Homicide: Life on the Street. So who knows how this movie will turn out.
Interestingly, Gil Kane, the original artist on the 1959 sci-fi revamp of Green Lantern (there was an earlier magic-based GL during the 1940s), based the character's look on Paul Newman.
Here's the 60s Filmation version of Green Lantern, which is pretty close to the Green Lantern comics of that era and probably miles away from what we'll see in the upcoming Ryan Reynolds movie. Pity.
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