RPL Open House

I posted something on this last week, then e-mailed the RPL for confirmation and never heard back from them. Received an e-mail from another source today saying that there will be a drop-in open house Wednesday Aug. 19 from 1-5 p.m. at Central Library to discuss progress that's been made on plans for an expanded downtown library. The announcement is framed in terms of an invite to Regina Public Library Stakeholders. I assume that means everyone, but these days it's hard to be sure, as some people/organizations apparently hold bigger stakes in public facilities and policy issues than others. Why else would they receive direct invitations, while others, like prairie dog, only learn of things through word of mouth?


UPDATE FROM WHITWORTH, 2:20 P.M. : I have a call out to the Library and will report back on what this thing is before the end of the day. Is it innocent? Is it sinister? We'll soon find out!

WHITWORTH UPDATE: 2:24 P.M. Amazing what can be cleared up with a phone call. There's no conspiracy, it's an open-to-the-public drop-in. I am told we were definitely sent a media notice (which I can't find). I'll post more details when I have them officially, which will be later this afternoon.

Six In The Morning

1 PLANE DOWN, TWO DEAD A flight instructor and his student are dead after a crash near Saskatoon. (Leader-Post)

2 HEALTHCARE FOR EVERY AMERICAN IS UN-AMERICAN Hillary and Bill couldn't get it done and now Obama's floundering in their footsteps. The White House is taking about being open to other ideas--much to the delight, I'm sure, of paramilitary lunatics, traitor Democrats, the entire Republican Party and Fox News bullies. Oh, and the special-interest for-profit medical system. But if you skip the headlines and read the actual stories, it ain't over yet. Washington Post)

3 TRASH TROUBLE Regina's dumpster situation is dire. (CBC)

4 AFGHANISTAN'S DUBIOUS DEMOCRACY Corruption, threats and bombs, bombs, bombs rattle nerves leading up to elections. (Guardian)

5 THE WAR ON AGING Researchers are fiddling with drugs that may extend lifespan. I don't think our planet could handle us sticking around any longer than we do but that's a problem for another day. (New York Times)

6 CONSTITUTION SAYS EXECUTING INNOCENT PEOPLE OKAY: AMERICAN SUPREME COURT JUDGE Yeesh. (firedoglake) Oh, and speaking of dick judges... double yeesh. (Telegraph) Judges only work 9-5 but state-sponsored murder is okay anytime I guess.

Man Shows Up At Obama Rally With Assault Rifle

photo swiped from Daily Kos.

Holy crap. From Talking Points Memo:

About 12 people were carrying guns, including at least one semi-automatic assault rifle, outside a building where President Obama was speaking today. No one was arrested outside the VFW National Convention in Phoenix, according to the Associated Press, where hundreds of people demonstrated both for and against health care reform. There are no reports that the 12 were part of an organized group. The man spotted carrying the assault rifle and a pistol, who gave his name only as "Chris", was asked why he was armed. "Because I can do it," he said. "In Arizona, I still have some freedoms."

So was the scary gun guy arrested by Homeland Security? Ha ha ha, of course not.

Two police officers kept close by. Carrying guns, including the AR-15 assault rifle, is legal under Arizona law. "If we need to intervene, we will intervene at that time," said Detective J. Oliver.

Full article here. (TPM)

Two points of my own.

One: what would've happened to any anti-war activist who showed up at a Bush or Cheney event with a weapon like that a year ago? Exactly. (Thanks Blaine.) Funny how America has different standards for peaceful liberal protestors than it does for armed conservatives. Where is this "liberal bias in the media" the Fox News pundits are always wailing about, again? This guy isn't even in a free speech cage.

Two: This man is clearly threatening political violence. He's intimidating health care supporters with the implicit promise of mass murder should they not back down.

Meet the face (well, the back of the head) of the anti-healthcare movement. They're fucking brownshirts, but better armed than those Nazis ever dreamed of. Next step: smashing windows, beating and killing political opponents, assassinating politicians, riots, misery etc. Welcome to real, honest to god fascism, America. At least it's not a white-only party.

The politicians always say you aren't supposed to negotiate with terrorists? Well, so be it, I say. This thug is a terrorist. He can't get his way through peaceful conversation. He can't get his way through democracy because his views (which I promise you are insane) don't have majority support.

He can only get his way if he frightens people into silence with his (legal!!!) assault rifle.

Most Americans want public health care (CBS.) The Democrats have to stop trying to build consensus with Republican saboteurs, they have to stop trying to appease the lunatics and they have to force this thing through. It's what Americans want. If the conservative lunatic fringe explodes into violence, I'm sorry but, well...they're going to anyway, sooner or later. Right? Deal with it now.

You can't stop working for a better world because the nuts have guns and are holding everyone hostage. Health care now, America.

Six In The Morning

1 RECESSION HURTS CANADIANS' HEALTH A poll by the Canadian Medical Association says Canadians are putting off doctor and dentist appointments and buying perscriptions, and are skipping meals to save money. The CMA, which is in Saskatoon for its annual meeting, also says four out of 10 Canadians are feeling "stressed or overwhelmed by financial concerns. (CMA)

2 ADDING INSULT TO INJURY Our health care system has problems. Could a private option help? Nope, says Roy Romanow, who's at the CMA convention. (CJME)

3 NDP STICKS WITH TRADITION The federal New Democratic Party wrapped up its annual convention, held in Halifax this year. The message: stick to core party values--protecting regular Canadians from big business, banks and bullies in general. One notable thing that didn't happen: a name change to Democratic Party (since they're not new anymore). Too bad. I was looking forward to Canada having some DP action in federal politics. (If you understand that joke your cable bill is probably really big.) (NDP website, Toronto Star)

4 SAVED BY KENNEY Canada's immigration minister granted a temporary permit to save a former child soldier from deportation (CBC). It's the right thing to do. We're surprised minister Jason Kenney is on the good guy's side though, after his shenanigans last March. Kenney is now batting 50-50 in his quest for favourable Dog Blog coverage.

5 PSYCHOPATH BULLIES WIN AGAIN The United States can bomb disarmed countries that didn't attack it, detain and torture people on whims and bail out Wall Street thugs but it looks like it can't make public health care work. I guess everybody believed psycho Sarah Palin when she said President Obama would bring in death panels for unfit citizens. Maybe we need a wall to keep Americans out of Canada. (New York Times)

6 AC/DC ADDS TICKETS TO SOLD-OUT WINNIPEG SHOWS It's true. Could it happen here? (Winnipeg Free Press)

This Week at City Hall

Monday, August 17
City Council (5:30 pm): Council will be considering the Interim Housing Incentives Policy which offers incentives to developers to build new, affordable rental units. Seeing as it has, after much delay, been approved by Executive Committee (which has all city councillors as members) this should breeze through council. I expect there'll be much self congratulations over this one -- and it does deserve back patting -- but I wonder if there'll be mention of how many times this had to go before Exec Committee before it was passed? (How many times, you ask? Four times.) Might've been nice to have this in force six months ago.

Also on the agenda, a request for support for some independent living suites, a bylaw amendment so that construction can begin on another Harbour Landing neighbourhood, a proposal to acquire land needed for a drainage system for the Global Transportation Hub, a request to reduce the housing density in a portion of Harbour Landing, a request to boost the housing density in a portion of the Greens on Gardiner, and a request to adjust a bylaw to accomodate parking at 1700 Elphinstone.

Councillor Flegel will be making a motion about noise attenuation in the Uplands and Argyle Park area. Councillor Clipsham will be making another motion about backyard fire pits. Councillor Murray will be asking "What's up with all this construction waste in people's garbage bins?" (Yeah. Seriously. What is up with all that construction waste in my garbage bin? And while we're on the subject, why do you construction people always pick my backyard to dispose of your rusted out hot water heaters? Why???) And Councillor Hincks will be after another extension to the bike path system. (Yay!)

Oh, and before I forget... about that drainage system (and I'm jotting this down more as a mental note for myself, so feel free to skip along down the page to a kitten video): the report says there are no environmental implications arising from the purchase of land to facilitate the construction of a drainage channel from the Global Transportation Hub into Cottonwood Creek. But wouldn't rainwater runoff from the GTH be a little on the contaminated side thanks to all the oil and the gasoline and the what-have-you? Or am I missing something?

More District 9

Because this blog has too many nerds we'll probably end up with five or six District 9 posts. Oh well. Here's mine.

The District 9 in the title is a trashy, garbage-filled South African shantytown/refugee camp for unhappy space lobsters marooned on Earth (they're called "prawns" in an obvious nod to South Africa's racist history). After 20 years, a multi-national corporation is contracted to relocate the shipwrecked aliens farther away from humans so that everyone (i.e. South Africans) will be happy. But there are sinister agendas afoot.

In a nutshell: really enjoyed it. Good premise, shitty plot but a decent, fun sci-fi movie overall. 3.5/5 dogs (a "B").

The rest of this post has spoilers. You have been warned.

District 9's heavy-handed apertheid/racism allegory worked better than I thought it would and there are some touches that really sell the setting. The arms dealers, black markets and general xenophobia and corruption all seemed realistic and awful. And the reference to muti killings--murders where body parts are cut out and used in folk magic--is really disturbing because that's something that would plausibly happen to aliens interned and isolated in fenced-in South African slums.

The story of this slum is initially presented as a documentary about stranded aliens awkwardly co-existing with humans. But early on, the fake documentary format is abandoned (without explanation) and District 9 becomes a dumb action movie with a stupid story. After an idiot bureacrat sprays himself with goo that starts slowly turning him into a crayfish (what is this, The Fly?), District 9 bumbles into rah-rah-action movieland. And a lot of bad guys die in satisfying ways.

In fact just about every human who gets mangled or disintegrated totally deserved it. Fun! But really not much different than Die Hard or something of that ilk, with likeable aliens instead of Bruce Willis.

(Actually, District 9 was a lot less gory than I'd heard. Then again, it was full of exploding heads, amputations and bloody disintegrations so I might just be desensitized. I dunno. I say it's not gory if the bad guy's exploding head makes you happy.)

Final word: It's a decent movie and I had a hellava great time watching it this afternoon. But it would've been a better film if it had a coherent plot (or even no plot).

District 9 invests a lot in its gritty, depressing, setting, but it betrays this realism with a dumb story and a cheap, hopeful conclusion. Then again, a better film would've been a lot less fun. In real life, the toxic combination of refugee camps, murderers, callous bureacrats, arms dealers and corporate malefeance doesn't lead to happy endings (sucks how that works). So I'll take District 9 just the way it is.

And I learned that cute, resourceful child heros aren't annoying when they have face tentacles. Who knew?

Rider Rumbling

Big game for the Riders tomorrow. They lose to the Hamilton Tiger Cats, they'll have dropped three home games in a row, and will be 3-4 heading into an Aug. 21 tilt with the 6-1 Alouettes in Montreal. In past years, this would have been considered a gimme. No longer. The Ti-Cats are a team on the rise.

District 9: Hype overdrive

At this point, everybody is loving District 9. It's certainly an OK movie, but it coasts heavily on the fish out of the water premise. The bugs are stand ins for every oppressed minority, a noble idea, but an old one. For me, the most interesting aspect of the flick is turning a plain bureaucrat into an action hero. Most awesome of all: Sharito Copley (a guy who never acted before District 9) actually looks like one.

Canadian connection: District 9 director Neill Blomkamp graduated from the Vancouver Film School and recruited 20+ of his classmates to help out.

Live Tonight: Young Rival

Saturday, August 15

Young Rival
The Distrikt

Young Rival last came through Regina with the Sadies, one of Canada's greatest touring groups. It's a pairing that fits. Young Rival aren't the wonderful mash of folk, country, rock, and pure energy that the Sadies are, but, as an indie-rock band, they seem to be channeling some '60s pop spirit on their self-titled debut EP.

Playing with Carl Johnson of Library Voices.



Also playing tonight: Donny Parenteau at the Pump.

Saturday Morning Cartoon

Little kid Steve was probably never more excited about a Saturday morning cartoon than this one, which debuted on NBC in 1978. A Godzilla cartoon! Who could believe it? The greatest monster ever, who combined the awe-inspiring wonder of dinosaurs with the sheer greatness of fire-breathing dragons in one towering, city stomping visage.

Sadly, the cartoon did not quite live up to expectations. Here's the title sequence. See if you can spot the exact moment everything is ruined.



If you said "and Godzoooooooky!" you are correct. What the hell was that stupid thing? And why wasn't Godzilla eating him? And then stomping on that boat? And then laying waste to Tokyo? So many narrative problems.

But the series did have its moments. If you disregard Godzilla's dumb laser beam eyes (?!) and his gargling roar and his constantly-shifting scale and his human "friends"--and of course horrible Godzooky--a Kaiju-worshiping child could at least savour the annihilation of futuristic jets and cannons.

At least until Godzooky showed up, flapping and flopping and squawking like a concussed Scooby-Doo.



Damn you, Godzooky. Damn you to hell.



This is available on DVD, unbelievably.