Take Two Aspirins And Read The Leader-Post In The Morning

Today the Leader-Post printed a couple of articles specifically (I suspect) to raise my blood pressure. Lucky fucking me.

First, there's this piece on Saskatchewan Conservative MP MauriceVellacott's opinion that it's just peachy how women in Saskatoon have restricted access to abortion.

The article's fine but Vellacott's views (which are of course not the Leader-Post's fault) are loathsome.

I'll say it for the one zillionth time: there's nothing wrong at all with being opposed to abortion. But when you're an elected lawmaker pushing your old-fashioned, sloppy-sentimental, anti-science and frankly medieval moral values on normal 21st century people who don't agree with them for good reasons (i.e. women's rights supercede fetal rights and when you make abortion illegal women die and in any case a fetus ISN'T A BABY you manipulative, fact-twisting propagandha-spewing dicks), you are a thug.

Unless I'm profoundly mistaken Maurice Vellacott opposes all legal abortion, period. He's an extremist. That's fine for him personally but it's disgusting that he's trying to push this junk on the rest of us.

(Fume!)

Much worse is this opinion column by climate change unbeliever Lorne Gunter stating that global warming is a fraud.

I don't understand why the Leader-Post is printing it when anthropogenic warming is a near-universally accepted scientific fact. Would they print articles arguing the sun revolves around the earth? Would they print articles saying the earth is flat? Would they print articles saying cigarettes are safe? No they would not. They'd dismiss those as the raving of crackpots.

Yet they'll print this crap. It's ridiculous.

(You know who accepts global warming? NASA. The United Nations. Most scientists. You know who doesn't? Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh. Case closed.)

More on how Lorne Gunter is full of crap here. And here. And here. (Desmog Blog)

And here's a terrifying article in the Guardian on the consequences of decades of climate-change denial propaghanda.

Our civilization is threatened and the Leader-Post is running junk opinion columns by deluded ideologues. It's inexcusable and you should tell them so. You can send letters to the editor here.

ROSIE'S TOP SIX

THIS IS GOING TO GO OVER WELL … As the Liberals look like they’re about to China Syndrome, (Canadian Press) more dingbats are climbing out of the Conservative woodwork. First, a Nova Scotia MP claims unemployed Haligonas are lazy no-good bums, (Halifax Chronicle Herald) then Saskatoon area MP Maurice Vellacott takes a page from the Brad Trost playbook. (Star-Phoenix)

SUCH A WISE INVESTMENT The 80,000 seat Pontiac Silverdome, former home of the Detroit Lions, was built for $55 million when it opened in 1975 (Wikipedia). Last week, a Canadian property developer bought the stadium and the 122 acre lot on which it sits for $583,000. He was the highest bidder. (Toronto Star)

SARAH PALIN HAS FANS WHO LIKE HER BECAUSE … UMMM … at least you can understand where Miley Cyrus and Jonas Brothers fans come from. (HuffPo)

I BET THE INVESTIGATING OFFICER IS BALD … RCMP bust some guy selling lots and lots of knock-off hair curling irons. (CBC Sask)

MORE ON THE GRIT SPLIT? Norman Spector isn’t exactly known for his progressive views so anything he writes with an Liberals-look-bad tone is suspect. But if La Presse and Chantal Hebert are saying that the wife of the former Liberal leader is angry enough to join the NDP, (Globe and Mail) then it’s a good question as to why the English-language media in Canada didn’t pick up the same story from the same original source.

ANOTHER DAWG BLOG TO RECOMMEND Why isn’t a Calgary white supremacist arrested for allegedly planting a bomb not considered a terrorist? (Dawg’s Blog)

Pick of the Day: Royal Wood

In his preview of this Regina Folk Festival Concert Series gig in our Nov. 19 issue Rosie suggested that there wasn't likely to be a stampede of people heading to the Exchange tonight to catch Royal Wood. Having seen him back-up Canuck chanteuse Jill Barber at the same venue last November I have to disagree. That night, Wood won over the capacity crowd with his folksy charm and between song banter. Expect more of the same tonight when he takes the stage following a back-up set by Halifax-based bluegrass/folk artist Rose Cousins.

As Rosie also noted in his article, which he wrote despite a failed attempt to secure an interview via the Toronto-based singer/songwriter's management, Royal Wood is his real name. I can believe it. In fact, we used to have a sales rep in the office named Royal (as in the bank, he used to joke, or a royal pain-in-the-ass) Watson. True, Royal Wood stretches the bounds of credibilty a bit more than that, given that "wood" is a slang term for an erection. Nonetheless, he's a top-notch performer. To prove my point, here's the video for his song "Juliet" (YouTube)

Yeah, Right

If Sarah Palin's new biography was called Going Commando I might have considered buying it, or at least requesting a review copy from the publisher, but alas it isn't. Here's some analysis on how things have gone for her so far on her book tour through the U.S. Midwest. (YouTube)

This Week At City Hall

Monday, November 23
City Council (5:30 pm): Hot on the heels of the Rider's big finals win, Chris Szarka will be making his first appearance as a city councillor tonight. As will John Findura who didn't play in yesterday's game, but who was out for the recreation infrastructure funding announcement two weeks ago, so I got to shake his hand and chat with him a bit and he seems a nice guy, so you should come out to council to see him too.

Ahem.

Aaaaanyway, big items on tonight's agenda include rec infrastructure funding, an airport tax exemption bylaw, and the city manager's contract. That last item -- which includes an approximately $49,000 raise for city manager Glen Davies -- might raise some eyebrows. (L-P has it covered here.) Be interesting to see how discussion develops.

The complete agenda can be downloaded on the city's website.

Six in the Morning

1. STOLEN EMAILS POINT TO CLIMATE CHANGE CONSPIRACY???!?!? A big controversy erupted over the weekend when it was revealed on Friday that climate change deniers had come into possession of some emails between climate scientists -- 6MBs worth. They date back to the mid nineties and the climate liar crowd -- the Friends of Science (who are no friends to science) and their friends -- are crowing that this is smoking-gun proof that there's a conspiracy to suppress science that contradicts the consensus view that the globe is warming, people are the cause and the consequences could be very serious.

Problem is, there is no such smoking-gun proof in all 16 years worth of email. Worst they were able to come up with is scientists maybe being a little insensitive upon the death of a prominent climate change liar and one off-hand reference to a data-handling method as a "trick." Beyond that, nada.

For coverage on this check out Desmog Blog here and here, Deltoid here and here, and a nice satirical take on it here.

2. WHO CARES IF CANADA DAWDLES ON CLIMATE CHANGE? Well, Canadians, for one. (Globe and Mail)

3. HARPER RESPONDS TO TORTURE CHARGES WITH BULLYING: Last week, a respected Canadian diplomat, Richard Colvin, told a House of Commons committee that senior government officials were aware of the fact that Afgani prisoners were being tortured avter being turned over to local authorities by Canadian forces. He claims even people in the PM's office knew about the charges. He's a pretty reliable source and as a consequence the ruling Conservatives have responded by trying to smear his reputation. Rick Salutin calls this Canada's Abu Ghraib scandal. (rabble.ca)

4. DION'S WIFE TELLS IT LIKE IT IS? Mrs Dion posted a scathing message to Facebook (and cc'ed the Globe and Mail) saying that the Liberal party is falling apart and won't recover. (Globe and Mail)

5. WHEAT BOARD LEAK: Apparently the Canadian Wheat Board shared personal information about grain farmers with companies that buy and handle grain. (Globe and Mail)

6. PEOPLE ACTUALLY PAID MONEY TO WATCH THIS??? Apparently, the latest New Moon pictured shattered some box office records over the weekend. (Rotten Tomatoes)

B.C. Backlash

Big night in Vancouver tonight as the province's artistic community assembles to protest the recent 92 per cent cut in funding imposed on the arts by the Campbell government. Yeah, you read that right. Ninety-two per cent. (Globe & Mail)

Pick of the Day: Mind the Gap!

I wrestled a bit with the piece I wrote on Mind the Gap! for the Nov. 5 issue of prairie dog. When I dropped by the Dunlop's main gallery the week previous, I had every intention of doing a more conventional review that would recount how the curators Amanda Cachia and Jeff Nye had travelled the highways and bi-ways of Saskatchewan in search of talented young artists, talk a bit about their purpose in doing so (to dispel the notion of Saskatchewan as a cultural wasteland where nothing much happens), then briefly discuss the work of a couple or three artists in the show.

I took a quick look at the exhibition, then fell into conversation with the gallery facilitator. I was born and raised in Saskatchewan. Unlike thousands of my contemporaries who fucked off once they were done university, I never bailed on the province. Instead, I stuck it out through thick and thin. There are things I like about Saskatchewan, obviously. I wouldn't have stayed here otherwise. But there are plenty of things that drive me nuts. The facilitator and I talked about how it was an interesting moment in Saskatchewan's history. Until Rod Gantefoer's Nov. 19 budget update anyway, and its projected $1 billion shortfall, the province had been on the economic upswing. No longer was it a poor sister of Confederation. But at the same time, over the last 20 years or so, there had been a definite shift to the right in political thinking with a subsequent hardening of attitudes on a host of important issues like the environment, crime, human rights, urban sustainability, poverty and the social safety net. Judging by the poor quality of our political representation in Ottawa, and in many sectors of provincial and municipal politics, we are definitely out of step with progressive thinkers in the rest of the world.

During our conversation, the facilitator and I talked about how, while the province may have no longer been an economic backwater, it still had a long way to go before it shed its reputation as a gap province. Really, what did Mind the Gap! prove? That there's good art being made in the province. I've been writing on art for 20 years now, that's not exactly a newsflash for me. I also know that the bulk of the cultural activity that occurs here is due primarily to the hard work and dedication of artists and other workers in the cultural sector who toil for peanuts to subsidize "the arts". Not only that, time and time again we've had to fight like hell to preserve what little cultural life we actually have here: remember the struggle the MacKenzie Gallery had in the late '80s to move to a modern facility with proper environmental controls where the art wouldn't rot on the walls; or when Queer City Cinema came under attack by the provincial Conservatives in 2000 for promoting "porn"; or when the RPL Board voted to close the Dunlop Gallery in 2003 to save money; or the over 15 year struggle to win approval for Status of the Artist legislation and improved funding for the Saskatchewan Arts Board to reflect the growing importance of the arts to the province; or the campaign late Conservative MP Dave Batters (Palliser) waged in 2007 to censor Canadian films by denying tax credits to films deemed non-family friendly?

I could go on. In fact, the day before our Nov. 5 issue hit the streets, Saskatoon-Humboldt MP Brad Trost made headlines with a petition in the House of Commons to revoke funding for the international chapter of Planned Parenthood on the grounds that it supports the right of women to make choices about their reproductive health. Check out Stephen Whitworth's editorial in our Nov. 19 issue for his thoughts on that travesty.

As I noted in the article I did write on Mind the Gap! survey shows like this do not lend themselves to a conventional review. Thirty artists, maybe six or seven different media, no unifying theme or subject. Instead of just doing a lame-o Leader-Post type recap I elected to question its basic premise. To a certain extent, I agree Saskatchewan does get a bad rap in Canada. But in many ways our reputation as a gap province is richly deserved. Having had the pleasure of writing for prairie dog for over ten years now, and knowing firsthand the struggles we've had to endure over that time simply to survive as an independent media outlet in what essentially is a small town where the modus operendi for success is: to get along, you go along, and if you don't, you're dismissed and demeaned; I stand by what I wrote.

As a survey show, I have nothing against Mind the Gap! It offers a useful introduction to the work of many young artists who I'm sure we'll hearing much more from in the future (pictured above, by the way, is an image from a dream-like video by Amalie Atkins). So by all means, check it out. It runs at the Central and Sherwood Village galleries until Jan. 3.

I (Blank) Regina

This is my first blog post ever.

I’m the sort of person who quickly tires of the sound of my own voice (or the look of my own typing, as the case may be), so I can make you exactly one promise right off the bat – I won’t over-blog.

Two quick thoughts about blogs:

1.) Are you familiar with the term “sophomore slump”? This is the phenomenon in which an artist pours a lifetime of ideas and experiences into their first major work, and then chokes on the second because they already used up all their good stuff and now have to start from scratch. I could so easily start rambling here, riffing on all my thoughts and feelings and ideas and opinions... and then burn myself out and wonder what to talk about next time. Not gonna do it.

2.) When your editor asks you to contribute to a blog, and you already make part of your living as a freelance writer, isn’t that kind of like asking your buddy the massage therapist for a free foot rub? Well, maybe. But I don’t mean for this forum to replace my regular writing. I’ll just think of it as... sort of an open letter to a friend. Or a bunch of friends, most of whom I haven’t yet met.

My topic, for the first several posts anyway, will be the city I live in: Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. City Hall has been promoting an “I Love Regina” campaign for a while now (or maybe it’s called “I heart Regina”) which is a nice enough thought, but it’s really not specific enough for me. I want the gory details of what people love about Regina, and I want other people to know what I love about it too. It’s becoming too easy for a city to become homogenized and lose its identity – all the quirks and eccentricities and diamonds (in the rough or otherwise) that make it unique and, ultimately, liveable.

One of my pet peeves is people who wander around saying things like, “This town fuckin’ sucks,” and then don’t do anything about it. So even on a lousy day when I look around the city and don’t much like what I see, I force myself to look harder. I might look for gargoyles on the tops of old buildings downtown, or buy fresh marzipan squares at Oskar’s Deli and think about how no one else on the planet is eating anything quite like that at that particular moment.

And before I start rambling on that topic, I’m going to call it a day. See you next time.

Pick of the Day: Riders Vs. Stampeders

From 1967-71 the Riders and Stampeders met in five consecutive West Conference finals. This was back in the day when the final was a best two-out-of-three affair, and the teams certainly had some memorable battles. In 1967 and 1969, it was the Riders, who featured the legendary tandem of QB Ron Lancaster and RB George Reed, who emerged victorious, while in 1968 and 1970-71 it was the Stamps, who were led by the fearsome LB Wayne Harris and wily QB Jerry Keeling, who advanced to the Grey Cup. Now, after a 38-year hiatus the teams meet again in the 2009 West final.

Last week I caught the West semi-final between Calgary and Edmonton with a couple of long-time Riders fans. When I asked them which team they'd rather face in the final they were unsure. On paper, the Stamps were definitely the superior team. But the game isn't played on paper. And when Esk QB Ricky Ray is on his game, as he often seems to be against the Riders, he can pick defences apart at will.

When Stamp QB Henry Burris is on, he too is a formidable force. But if you get enough heat on him, he can be rattled. Certainly, in the first-place showdown on Nov. 7 the Riders did a fine job of containing him, and although West Conference MVP nominee Joffrey Reynolds racked up some impressive yardage, the Riders still won 30-14. If the defence can rise to the occasion again, and the offence under West all-star QB Darian Durant can move the ball effectively and avoid turnovers, the Riders have an excellent chance of winning. Last year in the West semi-final, the B.C. Lions forced two early turnovers by then Rider QB Michael Bishop that took the crowd out of the game. If that happens here, the Riders could be in trouble. One final factor in the Riders' favour is that lately they've been getting some big plays on special teams. If Jason Armstead manages to break a return or three, it will go a long way to helping the Riders win the field position battle. Kick-off at Mosaic Stadium is 3:30 p.m.

Assuming the Riders win, and you're in the mood for a post-game party (or if they lose and you want to drown your sorrows) The Arkells are playing with the Novaks at the Exchange tonight. Here's the video for "The Ballad of Hugo Chavez" off the former's second album Jackson Square. (YouTube)