Ice Baby, Ice

Further to Paul's Six in the Morning post on July 15 about a U.S. lobbyist touting the prospect of us being on the verge of another ice age. (College Humor)

Only Sixteen More Sleeps

I so cannot wait. (College Humor)

New Dog!

Cover by Carey Shaw

That's not a home and gardening magazine, it's the new issue of prairie dog. Here's a rundown on why it's great. And let me tell you it is great, hoo boy.

SECRET GARDENS The New Dance Horizon's summer fund-raiser is back. This year's theme? The Healing Garden. What's it all about? What's the fuss? Carle Steel launches herself into pretty fields of flowers looking for an answer. Will she find one? Who the hell knows--but Steel always brings something back alive.

MARY-LOU FINLAY & RICHARD FORD The storied host of as it happens drops chats with Gregory Beatty about her new book, which she will bring to this years Festival Of Words in Moose Jaw. It is an excellent interview. Also, Stephen LaRose speaks with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Richard Ford, who's heading up to St. Michael's retreat for the Sage Hill writing workshop's 20th anniversary celebration. Also a fine conversation.

ROLLER DERBY! Another LaRose special, this one about the wheeled warriors of the Pile O' Bones roller derby squad. A great article, loads of fun.

ANNNNND THERE'S MORE! The secrets of the summer news hole, revealed! A horrifying look at the impacts of a range of climate changes that will make you want to hide under your bed for weeks with the air conditioning cranked! A fair and objective report on the Saskatchewan Party government's stupid idea that marriage commissioners (who get their cheques signed by taxpayers, not churches) should have the right to not marry couples they don't approve of (i.e. same-sex)! A depressing column by Gwynne Dyer about nuclear proliferation! An appetizing look at TWO great restaurants by Dining Dave! A review of Bruno! A review of the mediocre new CD by the guy from the White Stripes who should go back to his day job! And much more, including Street Wear, David Suzuki, My Music, Ask Greg, Queen City Confidential, News Quirks, and other examples of splendid printed-word fun. Look for it in grocery and convenience stores, pubs, coffee shops and our distinctive yellow street boxes. There are around 400 locatiions city-wide!

Ronald Reagan Hated You

Further to item #1 in my Six In The Morning, please enjoy this vintage recording of Ronald Reagan attacking public health care on behalf of a powerful special-interest group called the American Medical Association.



(And here’s some context from the New York Times’ Paul Krugman.)

Crap like this is why I freak out when I hear even a whisper suggesting the Canadian Medical Association might support ANY degree of private health care. Whenever ANYONE uses the word “socialism” to scapegoat political opponents or frighten the public, I think of haters like Reagan, whose evil bullshit helped entrench the for-profit U.S. health care system. Which makes lots of money for the U.S. insurance industry while failing countless Americans. This stuff makes me extra-furious because thanks to America’s bad example, Canada’s beloved public system is always under the shadow of privatization.

You know, I’m just a (co-) small business owner who wants to make enough money to enjoy the one life I get and have a fun job with swell co-workers. And I’m smart enough to realize it’s usually the so-called “socialists” who bring forward the ideas that actually benefit lower-middle class me and my scruffy company. They’re the ones who talk about fair taxation, a strong public sector, protecting the environment, looking out for the vulnerable. etc. etc. All the sane stuff I support.

Unless you’re a multi-millionaire it’s in your interests to be on the “socialist” team, too. Best of all, you don’t actually have to BE a socialist. You'll just have to put up with name-calling by prostitute politicians who care more about their special interest group buddies than they do about you.

Six In The Morning

1 DOCTOR ORG BACKING PRIVATE CARE? But it'll be about efficiency, not making more money I'm sure. (StarPhoenix.)

2 ATOMIC BOTTOM LINE The provincial NDP points out nuclear reactors are cash sinkholes. In other news, the sky is blue, water is wet and puppies are cute. (StarPhoenix)

3 FARGINADOME? That secret stadium study we're not allowed to see looked at Fargo's facility. Anyone know if that thing's got a retractible roof? Indoor football sucks. (Leader-Post) UPDATE: Rosie just dropped by to distract me from working. He says the Farg-dome isn't retractable.

4 FACEBOOK SLAPPED Social networker must do a better job protecting people's privacy, says Canada's privacy commissioner. (Globe And Mail)

5 PILE UP THE DEAD The Iranian government's stormtroopers killed a lot more than 20 people, the Guardian reports. If you're too busy to read the article at least read the last sentence, which is nuts.

6 40 YEARS AGO TODAY Probably not the most efficient use of money but geez, for a little while we could really believe in our dumb little species there. Here's a great, huuuuge feature in the New York Times. And here's a moon mission video of the day. Because everyone deserves a moon mission video of the day.

Six in the Morning

1. CSIS IGNORED KHADR'S HUMAN RIGHTS, SAYS WATCHDOG: A report from the government's Security Intelligence Review Committee says that in 2003 CSIS ignored human rights concerns when they chose to interrogate then-minor Omar Khadr. (Globe and Mail)

2. LOBBYIST CLAIMS NEW ICEAGE A-COMIN': Virtually every glacier in Europe and North and South America is in retreat, but that isn't stopping US lobbyist Robert Felix of iceagenow.com from urging senators to vote against climate change legislation because he believes we're on the verge of another ice age. Felix, by the way, is by his own admission "no scientist" but rather a former architect and also a twit. (desmogblog.com)

3. WHY I HAVEN'T ANY MONEY INVESTED IN... WELL... ANYTHING.... Because guys like Earl Jones can engineer a Ponzi scheme and leave the country with $50 million. Well, there's that and the fact that when the high waters come the booze in my liquor cabinet will be worth more than your mutual funds. (Globe and Mail)

4. ISRAELI SOLDIERS ORDERED TO SHOOT FIRST: Soldiers who served in the Gaza Strip in December and January's offensive admit to being ordered to shoot without hesitation. (Guardian)

5. FARMERS' MARKET OPENS NEW OFFICE: The Regina Farmers' Market is opening an office downtown today. (Leader Post)

6. DARWIN OPENS TIFF: It's the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth and Creation, a movie about the famous naturalist, is opening the Toronto International Film Festival. This is only the third time in the festival's 34-year history that it hasn't opened with a Canadian film. (Leader Post, Globe and Mail)

Vive Le Revolution!

The people of France are celebrating a national holiday today that is popularly known as Bastille Day. (Wikipedia) Here's a little gift from Canada to help them commemorate it. (YouTube)

Rosie LaRose’s Top Six in the (Yes, It’s Still ) a.m.

1 UP IN SMOKE California is broke. (MSNBC) So how come they're still using tax dollars to go after pot growers instead of legalizing it and taxing the substance like cigarettes? (Mother Jones)

2 TWO MORE COUNTRIES P'OED AT US Harper's government today issued travel restrictions for Mexicans and Czechs wishing to visit our country.(CTV via msn.ca) Given Harper's recent erratic performance on the international scene (Inside the Queensway) it wouldn't surprise me to wake up one morning and learn we're at war with Antarctica. And losing. Gay penguins can really put up a fight, eh?

3 REGINA MAYOR NO LONGER A LITTLE SHORT WITH HIS INCOME Holy Mother of God, will someone think of the poor suffering taxpayer? Oh, it's going to Regina's Mayor Mullethead and his city council glee club. Okay, everybody, go back to sleep. But don't think for a moment that Regina's civil servants are going to get an 11 per cent wage hike. Four legs good, two legs better. (Leader-Post)

4 MONORAIL, MONORIAL, MONORAIL! One of the biggest problems with having a taxpayer-funded carnie an economic development officer as your premier is that you get someone who's anxious to make a sale – any sale – without realizing what he's getting into. Case in point – getting into the radioactive medical isotope industry (Leader-Post) just as Wall's buddy Stephen Harper wants out and the U.S. is developing its own market (and that's where 90 per cent of Chalk River's production went). (Impolitical) Wall's interest is like Tommy Douglas announcing a program to build avionics for the Avro Arrow the week after Diefenbaker scrapped the project.

5 GOLDENBALLS VERSUS LANDYCAKES Judging from the excerpts from Grant Wahl's new book on David Beckham (Sports Illustrated) it's going to be interesting times in the LA Galaxy locker room. (ESPN). My money's on Landon Donovan on this one. Not only is his wife better looking than Posh (Zimbo) but Donovan has a better attitude than some lazy-arsed Limey who's here for the elephant cheques. Ben Knight (former Globe and Mail soccer blogger, now doing it freelance) nails it: make Beckham sit on the freaking bench until he gets his head and his lazy butt working together for the Galaxy's greater good. (Onward!)

6 IF THEY WERE LOST IN THE STARS This week marks the 40^th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moonshot – one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind and all that. One of the more interesting things about Apollo 11 is that William Safire, one of President Richard Nixon's speechwriters, was ordered to make a ghoulish, if necessary, contingency plan. He had to write a speech for Tricky Dick in the event that the lunar module crashed, or if it didn't lift off, stranding Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon forever. Afterward, a clergyman would deliver an elgy to commend their souls to the deep, akin to a burial at sea.The transcript of that (never delivered) speech can be found here. (abovetopsecret.com)

The Ultimate Staycation

This week marks the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission that saw U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong become the first human to set foot on the Moon. In honour of that historic event, the J.F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum has created a special website that, through archival audio, video, photos and real-time transmissions, will allow people to relive the mission as it actually unfolded. Lift off is set for July 16 at 9:32 a.m. EST, with the lunar landing to occur four days later. To reserve your spot aboard the spacecraft, head to this website. (WeChooseTheMoon.org)

Shepard Fairey Update

Further to this post from awhile back, we received a press release in the office today about this new book that's been published in the United States. Yet another reason for conservatives to rail against public funding for the arts, I guess. (M&C Books)