More Copenhagen-Inspired Pranksterism

The Oswald/Harper photo cited in this CBC report is undoubtedly in poor taste, but equally undoubtedly there are plenty of Canadians who wish Stephen Harper and his government weren't representing Canada at the climate summit in Copenhagen. Some of the other photos that people entered in the contest, like the one pictured above, are pretty funny too.

God Calls in One of His Servants, Sends Him 'Down There'

Oral Roberts, one of the first of that particular breed of American holy roller/sociopaths to harness the power of television to share the word of God -- and make shitloads of money -- has died at 91. (New York Times)

In the eighties, Roberts claimed that if he couldn't raise $8 million, "God would call him home." God called in that debt on Tuesday. We -- okay, I -- didn't think God was serious about it, but I guess you just never know people. Deities. Whatever. I can only imagine the kneecapping/waterboarding/nipple twisting poor Oral got for not coughing the money up sooner.

By the way, I got this photo off of a blog called Pandagon, who used the picture of the statue in front of the Oral Roberts University (presumably of Roberts' own greasy, begging hands) to illustrate an article about the university. Pandagon claims the school is a veritable hotbead of greed, sexual abuse and other terribly sleazy things. I am shocked. Shocked.

Rosie's Top Six (maybe the last for a while, maybe)

Reason number six will illustrate why, hopefully to your satisfaction … though I would also say that there’s no way right now I can compete with the awesome posts made by Gordeaux and Paul recently. (prairie dog)

NOT AGAIN … In an effort to keep from explaining why the Canadian Armed Forces aided and abetted those torturing prisoners in Afghanistan, Prime Minister Harper is again threatening to prorogue Parliament (The Globe and Mail). I don’t think I could write anything better than what Canadian Cynic (Canadian Cynic) and The Galloping Beaver (The Galloping Beaver) have already said. Except for James Travers, of course (Toronto Star)

ALBERTA MEDIA, YOU’VE BEEN PUNK’D! Delegates at the Copenhagen climate treaty talks weren’t the only ones who were taken in by the pranksters. So was another source of hot air production, talk-show host Dave Rutherford. (Big City Liberal)

ELDERLY SENIORS DIVORCE TO AFFORD HEALTH CARE The next time someone tries to tell you that right-wing governments are pro-family values, hit them with this story (Challenging the Commonplace). Hopefully you don’t break your laptop doing it.

SCHOOLYARD FIGHT When the Sask. Party announced that it was taking over the duty of setting mill rates (and, therefore budgets) for school boards, few objected (apart from John Conway) because the province already negotiated contracts with teachers, support staff etc. on a province-wide basis. But since the government can’t promise all the money the school boards say they need to keep operating, they’re now caught between a rock and a hard place (Leader-Post).

SOMETHING TO WATCH My university buddy Will Dixon deconstructs and skewers the ‘Save local TV’ campaign. Apparently, we’re not going to be saving much. (Uninflected Images Juxtaposed)

LOOK WHO’S HERE Tammy and I are parents for the third time. Welcome to the world Caitlin Elizabeth LaRose Olmstead, who arrived Saturday afternoon, weighing 8 pounds 5 ounces. Right now, Mom’s a little sore, so I’ll let The Verve do the speaking for me. (YouTube)

12 Days of Christmas: 3 Godfathers

"Hand over the pot. We'll slick him up a mite."

John Ford's 3 Godfathers (1948) was a remake of a 1916 silent film. Based on a book by Peter B. Kyne - the story has been remade at least seven times, including once in 1919 by Ford.

The film has John Wayne, Pedro Armendáriz and Harry Carey Jr. as a group of outlaws being chased across a desert in Arizona after they robbed the bank in New Jerusalem. They come across a dying woman on Christmas Eve who gives birth to a baby boy. She makes the three men the baby's godfathers after naming the baby after all of them.

After she dies, Wayne and company decide to try and keep their promise to the dying woman to save her baby. They make the harsh and treacherous way back across the desert with stock Ford actor Ward Bond hot on the Duke's trail.



Brilliant Japanese animation director Satoshi Kon (Perfect Blue, Millennium Actress, Paprika) loosely remade 3 Godfathers as the film Tokyo Godfathers in 2003.

The movie has three homeless people, a teenage runaway, a homeless man and a transvestite who find a baby on Christmas Eve. The movie follows their adventures through modern day Tokyo as they try to reunite the baby with it's family.

Pick of the Day: Wayne Newton

Danke Schoen, Baby, Danke Schoen

Man, am I so stoked for tonight's concert at Casino Regina Lounge by Mr. Vegas himself.

I've only actually spent six hours in my life in the U. S. (courtesy of a shopping excursion in July 1973 to Whynot Minot on a rainy day during a family vacation at Kenosee). But if I ever do decide one day to aquire a passport and journey south to the land of the brave and the home of the free Las Vegas would definitely be one of the primo destinations I would consider visiting after New York, Chicago, New Orleans, San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Boston, Miami, St. Louis, Denver, San Diego, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Atlanta, Washington and maybe a dozen other cities.

For now, though, I'll have to content myself with basking in the glow of Vegas royalty at this gig. If Mr. Newton's staying at the Hotel Sask, I might even stake out the lobby in the hopes of catching a glimpse of him. There's plenty of video of Mr. Newton on YouTube, but for true fans, I found this gem. (YouTube)