blevkog

blevkog has moved...

2007-03-01T13:38:00.000-04:00

Please redirect your links to our new home at http://blevkog.wordpress.com/. Thanks!

Blogger is driving me fucking crazy

2007-02-27T13:15:00.000-04:00

I don't know if others have been having problems with submitting comments on the "new" blogger, but I think the fine people at Google are using a different definition of that word than I'm accustomed to. I can't count the number of times I've had to retype in that goddamn security word only to find that I have to retype my password, or vice versa. "New" now apparently means "(1) aggravating and frequently vexing; (2) an absolute pain in the ass; (3) no longer worth my time."

Over the next few days I'm planning on moving this blog somewhere else and kissing blogger goodbye. Anyone have any good ideas? Wordpress? Typepad?

If anyone can provide a compelling reason to not move the 'kog, I'm willing to entertain those arguments, too.

Just Desserts?

2007-02-27T11:37:00.000-04:00

It seems that one of our favorite Necropublicans finally got a little tiny taste of what the troops have to deal with everyday. I wonder if the Taliban representative was driving a grassy knoll? In my view, too bad they missed.

Though This Be Madness, Yet there is Method In' t *

2007-02-27T08:56:00.000-04:00

News this morning from the Chronically Horrid that unrepentant pseudo-scientific racist Jared Taylor is returning to Halifax, this time to debate Peter March, the Saint Mary's University professor who stirred up controversy by posting the Mohammad cartoons on his office door. While I don't support March's decision on that score, I certainly give him props for facing the issues raised by Taylor head-on.

I was somewhat dismayed by the speed at which SMU disavowed any connection with this event. Just as human beings have to stand by their convictions, so too should our institutions of higher learning. As an alumnus of the university (as well as of Dal, who cancelled the original debate, leading to the ensuing fiasco), I am feeling a little abandoned. Surely backing the person opposing the vile racist cannot carry any political liability. If anything, it might add to the prestige of the university to take Taylor on while its cross-town rival chickened out. I am forced to reflect on the establishment of their school for business ethics and wonder how much they really are willing to live what they teach.

On the dark side, Taylor seems positively consumed with glee to be coming back. Why? He's obviously hoping for a repeat performance of the mob scene to further bolster his credibility with the neo-nazi dogmatists. They showed a clip from the last event this morning, and I couldn't help but notice (although I didn't at the time) that the bastard is smiling as he's being driven from the room. The mob mentality serves his purpose, and I would encourage anyone who's thinking about causing a scene this time to let him speak - it's obvious he actually has nothing of value to say, and it's better for free thinking, progressive individuals everywhere if we let him demonstrate that very fact, let him indict his whole cowardly movement from his own lips. He says he has things to say, let's let him try to prove it.

While Dr. Peter March isn't necessarily a role model either, in retrospect, his comments about this upcoming debate has made me rethink my opinion of him. While perhaps rather clumsy, he did raise some valid questions about the portrayal of Islam in the media and it's perception by the public, whether he actually intended to or not. I've seen the Mohammad cartoons, and, quite frankly, they're not funny, and are racist on the face of them without the added meaning of the depiction of the Prophet. Was March trying to be ironic? Was he posting the cartoons to preserve freedom of speech? Was it a heavy-handed thump on the head to Muslims? We may never know, although I now suspect his motives may have been more positive than they were portrayed.

In any case, if he's willing to argue the point rationally, to remind Taylor (and us) that we are all human beings, to point out that 'race' is a social construct with no real validity, I say, let's back him up. Clear the stage, and let the two go at it with all their philosophical might, and I'm quite confident that regardless of who rationality's champion is, the side of truth, of tolerance, and of humanity will win the day.

*Hamlet, II, ii.

Parking in the rear...

2007-02-27T08:25:00.000-04:00

It appears that at long last, the Grand Parade may become something more than a HRM city council's parking lot. If the council agrees with the recommendation, on April 1, parking rights will be removed and councillor's will be forced (some at gunpoint) to walk half a block. "Heaven's to Betsy, what will happen to my shoes?" Ken Streatch was not quoted as saying, instead he ~~simpered~~ said:

When I took this job back in 1999, parking was part of the job, it came with the territory. And, quite frankly, this is a working city hall. This is not a museum, it is not a shrine...

I suspect that if, instead of pissing away upwards of half a billion that the council seems prepared to throw into the Commonwealth(y?) Games, we spent it on public transportation, perhaps we could make it convenient enough so that even Ken Streatch could take the bus or ferry in from Eastern Passage like the little people do.

Billy Bragg on Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson

2007-02-26T17:31:00.001-04:00

Updated a bit, but still one of my favourite songs.

... I should be a bundle of joy ... by ... now ...

2007-02-23T15:28:00.000-04:00

Not light, nor lightning, but lightening...

Enjoy.

(h/t to Dan for pointing me to Jim's Big Ego, which landed me here, at home. It's a funny world.)

Okay, It's Official - Conservatives Really Do Live in their Own Little World...

2007-02-23T00:25:00.000-04:00

Even to the point of creating their own version of Wikipedia, called appropriately enough Conservapedia - apparently among their complaints against Wikipedia are that they use C.E. and B.C.E for their dating system, and they actually use gasp - British spellings in some articles - apparently, the concept that those articles were actually written by Britons is too subtle for their acute minds to grasp...

wtf?

2007-02-22T14:33:00.000-04:00

Canada Post wants to know what to call it's new $1-million, 100 kg coin. Oh, I don't know, how about a vulgarity? A stupidity? Or, riffing on the past head of the mint, an entitlement?

How long until someone designs a poker machine for it?

Worthless reading

2007-02-21T09:08:00.000-04:00

I suppose that it's no surprise that a National Post columnist doubts the validity of global warming, but that Barbara Kay would put more credibility on the typings (writing is too good a word) of Michael Crichton than on someone that has studied environmental issues all his career, shows that she has chugged the entire pitcher of Kool Aid.

It's simply dizzying.

Worthwhile Reading

2007-02-20T13:58:00.000-04:00

Dr Bob Altemeyer, an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Manitoba, has studied and written extensively on the subject of Authoritarianism - indeed his work was extensively referenced by John W. Dean in his book Conservatives Without Conscience. He's recently put his latest book The Authoritarians online - so far the first six chapters can be found here. It is, as I said in the subject, an interesting look into the mindset of those who insist that Bush has to be right no matter what.

This just in...

2007-02-20T13:36:00.000-04:00

The Halifax police have just announced that Ernie Fage has been charged with leaving the scene of an accident. I see that they are keeping the "glug, glug, honk, honk, smash!" out of it though, so he's going to get a light penalty.

I figure that Rodney will have him dusted off and made Minister of Public Safety or somesuch just as soon as he's paid his fine.

Now where did I put that Silver medal from Grade 6?

2007-02-20T13:22:00.000-04:00

Perhaps it's just pre-election spending combined with perhaps simple nostalgia on my part, but it's nice to see the federal government has decided to revive Participaction. Of course, in true Conservative fashion, which is to say exactly the same as true Liberal fashion, they are not going to give it enough funds to really do something, but it is a start.

Remember those flexed arm hangs?

Locally, and related, here in Nova Scotia it seems to me about half of everyone I meet could stand to shed 15 or 20 kg. Today it was announced by the Conservative government that they are going to put on hold until at least 2008 their plan to have every high school kid in the province take a physical education class. The delay largely has to do with hiring enough qualified people and providing adequate equipment on a shoestring budget; in other words, the Tory government (gasp!) promised something before actually planning for the details. I'm thinking that only on the fiddle does Rodney know how to play more than one string at a time.

It might be shallow of me, but I have to believe that a healthy, active person is going to be less of a drain on the healthcare system than an overweight, inactive one. The government should see that it is not such a big stretch to assume that money spent now on developing active lifestyles will pay off later (and really, not that much later), in savings on healthcare.

So just why do we think it is such a victory to get high school students into a phys. ed. course once over a three-year program? Why not every day?

Here's a Thought....

2007-02-20T09:36:00.000-04:00

To all those people who felt compelled to write hate mail to the newspaper, simply for running the story of Ashley MacIsaac's wedding - don't worry, George Takei has a PSA that addresses your fears...

Otherwise, let's try this bizarre concept on for size - if the sight of two men kissing bothers you that much - DON'T LOOK AT IT!!! Or don't buy the paper at all. And if you're opposed to Same-Sex Marriage - don't attend one. Whether you like it or not - SSM is the Law of the Land, and if the Harper Government wasn't gonna make a serious attempt to roll it back, it's not going to be changing.

As for myself, I think I speak for my fellow 'Koggers when I say - Congratulations, Ashley! Personally, I still think you're a bit of a freak, but that has nothing to do with your sexual orientation - and hey, if married life helps you deal with accusations of racism and cocaine addiction, then all the power to you. Just one thing, though - don't run for politics please; Nova Scotia elected one Fiddler to public office, and it hasn't worked out too well...

Reality - Open to Interpretation?

2007-02-16T13:12:00.000-04:00

So, in a perspicacious nod to the acceptance of reality and denial of supernatural causes, the Kansas Board of Education has rewritten the science standards to exclude reference to the 'questionable' nature of evolutionary theory.

Of course, this news is not greeted with joy by all sides - the god-fascist press (I hate to even acknowledge this as a viable phrase) have the opinion that pro-evolution scientists, as well as the sane members of the School Board are 'Narrow minded':

"Don't expect the ‘mainstream’ media to notice the biting irony here: The people they like to portray as the champions of free inquiry and scientific literacy are the very ones trying to dumb-down science curricula in order to suppress information they find uncomfortable...Fortunately, Americans still have the freedom to investigate the truth for themselves, which is why the Darwinists’ current strategy will be such a loser over the long term...Trying to stamp out the discussion of ideas you don't like is a sign of insecurity, and thoughtful people will eventually see through such tactics."

Yeah. And presuming that one supernatural being, in particular your favourite supernatural being, not all those other ones, made everything is a very enlightened idea.

I don't know which makes me madder: the idea that the zombie christ worshippers can even think to characterize scientists and their work as an underhanded 'tactic', or framing the assertion of science in science classes as somehow inhibiting freedom. What'cha got there, Billy Bob, ain't science, or even legitimate knowledge - it's superstition.

Look, I'm all for people kissing the cosmic butt of whichever fake construct of human consciousness you please. Don't expect me to calmly accept it, however, when you decide to assert that natural examination of the natural world is somehow lacking something. I'm not missing some subtle inference of supernatural influence or missing the deific 'paint-by-numbers' guide for the world around me. I'm using the right methods for the right result. The tool of science is the appropriate one to explain the phenomena of the natural world with minimal bias or dogmatic intrusion.

Imposing god on nature constitutes the dulling of Occam's Razor. If I have to accept the existence of an all-powerful entity in order to explain a leaf, I don't want to explain it at all - I'm just looking to comfort myself because I don't understand it, and it frightens me.

I don't come to your church, spill your crack and chase away your male prostitute*, then tell you you've picked the wrong horse or pantheon thereof. Don't come to me and try to tell me that I'm narrow-minded because I don't accept your even narrower, tribal and childish view of the world. If the United States wants to fall further behind the rest of the world in science and technology because they refuse to let go of their invisible security blanket, that's just fine with me.

Just don't come knocking on the border when your prayers aren't answered.

*This sentence was a lot worse originally. Trust me.

Didn't See It Coming - the Friday Edition

2007-02-16T09:04:00.000-04:00

In the York Press, we see the sad news that the Psychic Museum in Stonegate will be closing its doors, due to a lack of visitors My favourite quote from owner Jonathan Gainer:

He said: "If you are asking me for predictions when exactly it will open up again, then it is hard to say.

"Although I'm in the prediction business, I don't believe you can make predictions about things you are close to."

Personally, I think the problem was that the Museum worked too well, why, just by thinking about visiting it, I could tell it was a load of crap...

Rambles...

2007-02-16T08:51:00.000-04:00

I've been off the blog beat this week for a number of reasons. Mainly, I've been busy with work and what free time I've had I've devoted to playing with my kiddies, a bit of Guild Wars, and obsessing about running, which I've just been able to start back up after a month off (broken rib, see playing with kiddies and man, I'm getting old). For the record, and once it's in print here I suppose it's more or less official, I'm actually going to try to run my first marathon this year. Specifically, the Blue Nose International Marathon here in Halibedmouth. After missing a month of running, I'm starting off behind the eight ball, but I have nice shiny new shoes, my Forerunner, and the desire to turn my one-pack into a six-pack by summertime to motivate me. I'm not trying to BQ, just finish it smiling, so I'm looking forward to a managable challenge.

I'm glad to see that Dan and Flash have kept the fires warm here in my absence. I promise to be more on the ball next week when things settle down.

I'd be remiss if I failed to mention Nova Scotia Premier Rodney's Valentine's Day emission to the federal government that $400 million just ain't gonna cut it as the fed's committment for the Commonwealth Games. It's going to be interesting to see what the final budget for this monstrosity is when it's released later in the spring. How is the city council reacting to the spiralling costs estimates? Deputy Mayor Sue Uteck, who supports the bid, says:

I have no intention of leaving any local legacy of debt.

Which I suppose means that she has also forgotten that there is only one taxpayer and would love to offload as much of the cost on other branches of government as she can. However, she also restated that if the costs of the Games are too rich for the city, Council can pull support and the issue dies.

Ultimately, this means that, since the provincial government is broke, the city might pull support for the bid if (oh please!) the federal government does not pledge more money from its famously open pockets.

So, Mr. Prime Minister, when considering The ~~Diddler~~ Fiddler's request for more money, please keep in mind that we're not Quebec. Continue to ignore the East Coast, "move along sir, nothing to see here." The federal Conservatives have won just about as many seats as they're going to win in Nova Scotia, so money thrown into the Commonwealth Games is money lost as far as you're concerned. Save it for where it's really needed - undermining the federal Liberals in Ontario and buying votes in Quebec for your best pal Jean Charest, who in turn will tickle your prostate when the next federal election rolls around.

(h/t to Mrs. Flash for pointing me to the CBC article.)

This Is What She Means...

2007-02-13T12:31:00.000-04:00

...When she says, "Forever".

Just in time for Valentine's day, news from Italy that a young couple, buried together in the Neolithic period between five and six thousand years ago, will be examined together, rather than being separated. They were discovered not far from Verona, the setting for Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet". Some traditions are lasting ones, it seems.

I'm glad that they are taking care to preserve them as they were. Although it's impossible to determine the exact nature of their relationship, their embrace continues after thousands of years. It's a nice thought, at least, and we can use more of those.

What scientist would want to interrupt?

Didn't See it Coming...

2007-02-12T09:30:00.000-04:00

The Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research (PEAR) laboratory is closing. The lab has, for nearly thirty years, studied the potential effects of human extrasensory perception (ESP) on the functions of machines.

The only positive result indicated in the article in the New York Times is the 2 or 3 times out of 10,000 that an individual supposedly changed the settings on a random number generator. As one of our critics pointed out, some 'experts' try to examine claims outside their area of expertise - I think a jet propulsion engineer studying the paranormal confirms his view in this case, don't you?

As you may be able to tell, I'm not exactly ready to change my worldview on this idiocy, and as far as I'm concerned Princeton will regain some of its prestige when this delusional 'scientist' retires.

PEAR's loss is our gain.

We present The Disgruntled Seven

2007-02-09T12:45:00.000-04:00

Owing to the fact that the Disgruntled Seven have now filed their lawsuit to get their $8,200 per year back thusly:

In a democracy, elected members of a school board or other representative body may have firmly held views, the verbal expression of which is messy... That does not mean that we should abolish democracy. A breach of the code of ethics, resulting in the partisan and impolite statement of opinion, can never be grounds to remove the board from office.

In a democracy no less!

We here in Eastern Kogistan are fully in favour of the messy display of firmly held views, which is exactly why we allow anonymous commenting. (Hell, that's why we blog! With this messy display comes some responsibility, however. We request that those that comment respect one rule(including ourselves): that while they might find the ideas presented in a post or comment odious or facile, they address the argument and refrain from insults, however tempting. This is done in an effort to make commentors feel comfortable that they will not be "flamed" (to use a '90-ism). It increases participation. It makes us feel warm and fuzzy: it veritably curls our toes to see that sometimes someone not us takes the time to not only read what we write, but think and write about it back to us. We may well disagree with the response, but we hope no one storms out in a huff. Well, not as often as say, a Halifax Regional School Board meeting.)

The fact of the matter is the elected board of the Halifax Regional School Board was not dismissed because of a difference of opinion, messy or otherwise. No, you were dismissed because you were unable to reliably produce a quorum at meetings owing to your juvenile reaction to the "firmly held views" held by various members, even after repeated warnings. In short, you wouldn't grow up when told to, and you got sent to your room.

Too goddamned bad.

So now you sulk. I guess that's the next logical step, isn't it? What's next, refusal to make your bed? Screams to your parents to "go die"?

I guess we'll have to wait and see.

P.S. This announcement, more precisely, the wording of this announcement, seems to confirm that one of the D-7; Gary O'Hara, Deborah Brunt, Grace Walker, Bridget Ann Boutilier, Debra Barlow, Wade Marshall, or Darren Watts, must have commented to this post earlier in the week under the clever pseudonym "Democracy". Note that in the comment, they cleverly tried to hide their identity by using the third person to describe their selfless efforts to defend democracy from the march of tyranny (I quote: "You are free to say what you want because people like this fight for our rights.")

Fight on, Defenders of Democracy, fight on! At least now you're not fighting amongst yourselves.

Some people just can't get enough...

2007-02-09T11:12:00.000-04:00

Fox has announced their determination to create a more "business-friendly" news channel. Because the world out there is just so unfriendly to business, I guess.

A scary mix of party/ religion and state

2007-02-09T10:33:00.000-04:00

THIS one should prove interesting to all you 'koggers. Ever wonder why our neighbours always come off sounding like a bunch of ignorant, inbred, backwoods cousins? The kind whose parents and siblings happen to be the same people? This interview with author Chris Hedges lays out what he thinks is wrong with the nation inhabited by our cousins to the south, and specifically, what is wrong with the necropublicans. I think the argument is presented well, although, with no data, it is really just an opinion. If this is what Der Harpenfuehrer has in line for us, its time to start looking for that grassy knoll in Ottawa.

Karen Casey: Bluenose Puritan

2007-02-08T13:46:00.000-04:00

When I graduated from university, I did so with a $15,000 (or so) student loan. When my sister-in-law graduated a few years ago, she did so with close to $40,000 owed. How many years passed between these two graduations? Ten. Was I rich? No. Did she take the summers off? No.

The difference between the two of us, no matter what minister Karen Casey would allege, is not lifestyle. I drank beer and smoked pot when I went to university, like most students I knew, certainly like most students I roomed with, and neither of these are free. I ate my share of Mr. Noodles when the rent was due.

Casey is simply blowing smoke to try to deflect the fact that Nova Scotia students, for a number of reasons, pay $2,000 more per year in tuition than the national average. That means that even those that aren't getting the Acadia Advantage pay way more than others.

$2,000 per year can buy a lot of lifestyle when your grocery bill is $50 per week, Ms. Casey. Laying the blame on the students is no way to solve this problem any more than blaming the sick frees up beds in the hospital.

And the beat goes on (and it's in my wallet)

2007-02-07T09:05:00.000-04:00

Readers of 'kogsworth here will no doubt be aware of my affections for Halifax's bid to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Now, it might be curmudgeonly of me, but the announcement that even the upper-estimate $785 million isn't going to cover the costs is not doing any more to win me over. On the heels of announcements that the Vancouver 2010 is going over budget and the London 2012 Olympic budget may have to double, this is as disturbing as it is expected. According to the Herald, when asked what the actual cost would be, bid CEO Scott Logan ~~winked~~ said:

How much will it be at the end of the day? At this point in time, it's in the hands of the three (government) funding partners because they'll tell us what they're prepared to pay.

Does this "we'll spend whatever we can" attitude not scare you? What is this guy, a defense contractor? Can we hire him to fix our schools and hospitals?

Let's first set aside the little fib about "three funding partners"; there's only one, the Canadian taxpayer. And they will pay. The feds have promised somewhere around $400 large, which leaves a province with what, a $10-billion debt and a city that is wrankled about having to shell out a few hundred thousand to keep the Sackville Curling Club open to split the remainder. How is HRM going to manage to find that extra change a few years down the road when they (we) are paying interest on a $250-million dollar debt? Sackville - say goodbye to your curling rink.

And if you see anyone out filling potholes you might want to take a picture.

At least in the case of Vancouver and London it's for an event that people pay attention to. I mean, how many people followed the last Commonwealth Games in Melbourne? Okay, now how many of you had family members competing?

See?

Vous Pouvez Etre Un Cou Rouge Si...

2007-02-06T15:14:00.000-04:00

The last time anyone passed laws (or wanted said laws passed) that denied people of different racial and ethnic groups the rights and freedoms of citizens, it didn't end up going so well. Just ask the Germans.

The Mayor of Herouxville, Quebec needs to lose some of his anxiety by learning a bit about other cultures. Accommodating, learning and making your community better through the introduction of new cultural traditions is what built this country in the first place.

(apologies for the clumsy translation)

It's A Miracle!

2007-02-06T14:36:00.000-04:00

To be an evangelical christian, you would have to be particularly gullible, but I expect even these people would have their limits.

If there is a god (which I doubt), I sincerely hope she's laughing her ass off...

(Many thanks to the equally cynical Ms. Flash, who caught this one.)
(and a h/t to Buckdog, who beat me to this one.)

A New Low in Demonization

2007-02-06T09:22:00.000-04:00

Generally speaking, most of the opinion and analysis we hear coming from major universities is well-reasoned and interesting. As in any field of endeavor, however, there are those who tend towards the embarrassing side of academia. Dogma, for some, has become the cloaking device du jour, eliminating the need to consider alternate viewpoints. Some on the left see nothing redeemable about modern Western society, and some on the right stop just short of advocating a Fascist police state.

In the latter category, we now have Dinesh D'Souza, who out-Fascists the Fascists. If the review in the New York Times is accurate, Mussolini would think to himself, "This guy is nuts."

In espousing a dogmatic, narrow view of 'Leftists', whom he views as 'domestic insurgents', he describes his rationale for believing that the 'Secular Warriors' are responsible for screwing up the American mission in Afghanistan, sabotaging the Decider's grand plan for Mideast peace and for advocating in favour of a godless, soulless America. I think he may want to check the dipstick on his own soul, before pointing any fingers.

The Times has posted the first chapter of his book, so you can judge for yourselves just how scary this guy is.

Update: Upon detailed reading of the excerpt, it seems relatively innocuous - the 'good' stuff must come later. It's a little disappointing, frankly. Sorry to get your hopes up.

If D'Souza is representative of the 'think tank' at Stanford University, it's pretty clear that in some cases, more education has nothing to do with more intelligence or clarity.

Penn and Teller on the Moon Landing HBers

2007-02-05T17:34:00.001-04:00

Posting this because it combines 3 of my favourite things - Penn and Teller(Why, oh why won't some Canadian Cable Network carry "Bullshit!"?) Phil Plait of Badastronomy.com, and the always dear-to-my-heart cause of pissing off the Moon Hoax Believers....

Science for sale?

2007-02-05T10:11:00.000-04:00

Well, so much for the idea that science is an objective exercise, carried out by people with a desire to find "the answer", no matter what the answer may be. This article in the Guardian shows that SOME people really "can't handle the truth". It is somewhat disturbing to me that the fellowship (of research scientists) I hope to join in the near future has members mercenary enough to participate in this type of exercise. It's not a surprise to me, just terribly disappointing when it is presented in the open. This is both ethically and morally wrong.

Stimson out...

2007-02-03T00:21:00.000-04:00

Well, that's one fascist down.

HRSB update

2007-02-01T15:30:00.000-04:00

In case anyone had any question that (a majority) of the former members of the Halifax Regional School Board had any pride, dignity, or maturity, today's anouncement that they are launching a lawsuit to get their jobs back should settle the issue. As of yet there is not confirmed announcement as to which members are participating, but it appears that at least Debra Barlow, Deborah Brunt, Grace Walker, Darren Watts and Bridget Ann Boutilier are. Recent comments by Gin Yee, who is proving to be the one grown-up in the group, lead me to believe at least he is not.

The "participants" claim that they are suing for the principle, not for the ~$8K annuity they receive as Board members. If this was truly the case, I would suggest to whoever is doing public relations for these loathsome whiners that they should maybe have launched the suit immediately upon the dissolution of the Board, not two days after having their stipends stripped.

Childish and stupid as shit - excellent qualities in a school board, no?

Hurry Up and Wait

2007-01-31T08:51:00.000-04:00

Does it really come as a surprise that attempting to shorten medical wait times in the Fab Five areas without increasing the federal investment in health care would make the other services slower?

It's finally coming to light that this entire effort has been a political exercise, divorced from any reality existing in the overstressed system. As anyone on the ground will tell you, the wait time problem is considerably more complex that has been discussed.

The single most effective method of decreasing wait times in Canada would be to reduce waste and inefficiency within the system, but that would mean admitting that a lot of people on the front lines are not doing their jobs. The price of political support is not pointing the finger at those most responsible. The entire system, including the labour unions contained within, are consuming resources at a frightening pace with no apparent regard for what patients need. The deciding factor for any decision aimed at increasing efficiency is "what will cause the least friction with unions". It's decisions that are made without the political will to actually make hard choices that leads to situations like this.

Until what we have is addressed without regard for political pandering, no progress will be made, and our system will continue the long spiral downward.

And Don't Stab Nobody, Neither...

2007-01-31T08:40:00.000-04:00

Is a reminder to politicians in Nova Scotia necessary at this point?

Way to go, Ernie, you ruined it for everyone. Take your bottle and go home.

While I understand the optics of wanting to demonstrate to the people of the Halifax Regional Municipality that city councillors are responsible representatives of the public, I can't say I'm impressed at the transparently ham-fisted manner in which the Mayor has done it. What it lacks in subtlety, it makes up for in blatant showmanship.

I wonder, if you were a closet arsonist, would you be crossing your fingers that the Mayor didn't list that one as 'taboo'?

The best and most effective way of proving you are a responsible representative is not to fuck up in the first place. Mayor Kelly has just placed his City Council under close scrutiny, and even a minor mistake is now likely to be blown out of proportion.

It's not enough to say you're good, you actually have to be good. Eventually.

OK, So What Now?

2007-01-30T13:24:00.000-04:00

Growing up in Cape Breton, it was easy to be cynical about the Tar Ponds. Time after time someone would shout, "Someone should do something!"

A chorus of voices would reply, "Yeah!"

And then nothing would happen.

Finally, the cleanup is actually looking like it might happen. A method for ensuring the toxic soil, and the surrounding cocktail of chemicals, will not bother anyone again has been devised, after years upon years of debate. Solidification and Stabilization, the mixing of the chemicals in the soil with concrete, the covering of the concrete with an impermeable barrier, and the laying of sod over the top to remediate the land, is soon to begin. Finally, this will be dealt with, so of course everyone is happy and content.

Or not.

Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party, insists that this method is "A joke", and insists it won't work. Citizens and environmentalists do not want this to happen (but fail to provide acceptable alternatives). The Tar Ponds Agency (TPA) insists that this is proven technology.

As near as I can tell, without an environmental background, the TPA is telling the truth - The American Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) supports the use of this technology in what is referred to as 'Brownfield Remediation', and the method has been used successfully in places like Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The CMHC also supports its use in reclaiming land for affordable housing, among other things.

So, are the environmentalists yelling for no reason? Maybe not. The EPA, in relation to another site in Pennsylvania, indicates that when petroleum content is high, the application of this method is problematic, as Ms. May indicates. Anyone who has seen the Tar Ponds has seen that petroleum products constitute a significant percentage of the toxins present. So, she is also telling the truth.

Where does that leave the people living nearby? The public has now risen against encapsulation, along with incineration, and removing the soil would be mind-bogglingly complex. I have no idea what washing the soil would entail, but it sounds even more difficult.

No answer will please everyone, and doing nothing will please no one. So, what now?

I think that now, after decades of living with a toxic legacy, we have to admit that no solution is perfect, and, rather than try to find a fix that will please everyone and make the area pristine, we have to admit the mistakes of the past, and just pick a solution that will do the least harm.

Just get on with it, whatever it is. Cap it off, wrap it up, lay some sod over it and play ball.

This is weird...

2007-01-26T11:09:00.000-04:00

Okay, this takes it, the National Post has actually published an editorial that I agree with.

Actions Speak Louder...

2007-01-24T13:46:00.000-04:00

As a (hopefully) final reference to the Jared Taylor incident, I present the following tidbit of information.

As readers will recall, I decried the use of violence against the self-proclaimed 'white separatist', even though I disagreed strongly with his views. (Despite the transposition of the piece to Stormfront.org, which incorrectly implied support)

I am pleased, amused and humbled by the fact that the person who literally pulled Taylor's fat out of the fire that evening was...

The Executive Director of the Atlantic Jewish Council.

This has just made my day.

Mr. Deity

2007-01-24T13:39:00.000-04:00

Halden Johnson posted a link today to this brilliant YouTube series called Mr. Deity. Halden, I can't thank you enough! The Mr. Deity home page has links to the four episodes currently available, but I'll toss the link up to the right so you can peek in now and then and see what's new.

For convenience, here are the four videos currently available. Trust me, your boss will understand, take a few minutes and make yourself a better employee for the rest of the afternoon. Hang in to the end of Episode 1; if you feel as I do about Celine Dion, you won't be disappointed.

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Oh Yeah - There's No Comparison Between the Two...

2007-01-24T08:58:00.000-04:00

But this was on CNN's Website earlier.

Big Surprise - Sylvia Browne's Boviturdinous!

2007-01-23T13:00:00.000-04:00

Every so often, people will ask me what I have against psychics - 'it's harmless fun', they'll say, 'you have to keep an open mind - they're only trying to help..."

To these people I offer this video as rebuttal - a piece from CNN's Anderson Cooper on famed psychic Sylvia and the 'help' she offered the parents of Shawn Hornbeck, the boy who has just been found very much alive after being missing for over 4 years - help which could be had at the low, low fee of $700 an hour...

Update: I've amended the title to reflect Flash's excellent new word meaning 'full of bulls**t'. Also, in the comments, Mike points out this article on James Randi's site which shows that psychic James Van Praagh also weighed in on this case, with a similar lack of success.

Be careful out there, netizen, the man is sometimes clueless

2007-01-23T08:42:00.000-04:00

I just caught this via Alternet (h/t).

Julie Amero, a 40-year-old substitute teacher from Connecticut is facing up to 40 years in prison for exposing her seventh grade class to a cascade of pornographic imagery. Amero maintains that she is a victim of a malicious software infestation that caused her computer to spawn porn uncontrollably.
snip
On the morning of Oct. 19, 2004, Julie Amero's life changed forever when pornographic ads flooded her web browser during a class. According to the prosecuting attorney, David Smith, Amero's computer began displaying images of naked men and women, couples performing sexual acts, and "bodily fluids."
snip
On Jan. 5, 2007, a Norwich jury found Amero guilty of four felony counts of "injury or risk of injury to, or impairing morals of, children." Each count carries a maximum sentence of 10 years and while it is unlikely that Amero will receive the maximum penalty, incarceration remains a very real possibility. Even if Amero avoids jail, she will be stripped of her teaching credentials unless the convictions are reversed.

Perceptive readers would have noticed that Amero was a substitute teacher, not the regular user of the computer. This would mean that she would have been unaware of the contents of the machine or the surfing habits of the regular user(s). While I understand that blog trollers like myself (and you) are at least a little more technically savvy than perhaps the average non-netizen, I would think that at least one or two cops in the precinct might have clued into the risks of adware and malware. I mean, don't these people have kids?

"I'm confident", I can hear you say, "That the police are smart enough to look for that. Aren't they?" You're naivete is kind of cute.

No, not in this case.

Detective Mark Lounsbury, a computer crimes officer at the Norwich Police Department testified as an expert witness for the prosecution. He maintained that Amero was intentionally surfing for pornography while her seventh grade class busied itself with language arts.
Lounsbury told the court that Amero musts have "physically clicked" on pornographic links during class time in order to unleash the pornographic pictures. However, he admitted under cross-examination that the prosecution never even checked the computer for malware.
Why didn't the police check for malicious software? According to prosecutor David Smith, the police didn't check for malware because the defense didn't raise the possibility of a malware attack during the pretrial phase, as required by law.

In other words, we only investigate so far as we are told we have to by the law.

Nice one.

Perhaps, when this one is redressed on appeal, the officers that did not properly investigate the case, or their bosses that did not offer proper training for handling the simplest of computer cases could be charged with malicious prosecution, dereliction of duty, or stupidity on the job.

Update: Dr. Dawg pointed me to this link that includes elements of a report from an IT firm that investigated the computer involved and confirmed the presence of malware.

Turd sandwich or giant douche?

2007-01-22T13:27:00.000-04:00

In the four years since the (UN) inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including Al Qaeda members, though there is apparently no evidence of his involvement in the terrible events of September 11, 2001.

It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons. Should he succeed in that endeavor, he could alter the political and security landscape of the Middle East, which as we know all too well affects American security.

Now this much is undisputed. The open questions are: what should we do about it? How, when, and with whom?

And who do we owe these words of wisdom to? George W? Nope. Colin Powell? Nope. They come from the Democratic leadership candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton.

And here's me thinking democracy was about selecting from options.

Re-Victimization

2007-01-21T21:19:00.000-04:00

I just saw an advertisement for the CTV NewsNet coverage of the Robert Pickton murder trial. On one hand, I'm relieved that after all this time the trial is about to begin. On the other hand, there has been some backlash to the continued publicity among some groups in British Columbia, particularly from women's groups. I'd like to add a thought or two, if I may.

Much is made about the "public's right to know". As a member of the public, I'd like to establish and enshrine right at this moment the right not to care. I am not interested in the day-to-day testimony, and I will not care until the verdict is in. The verdict is what is important, not the daily events in the courtroom. If I were one of the families whose daughters have vanished, I would be a little tired of the constant reiteration of the same speculation over and over again.

"The public's right to know" is an excuse, and not a very good one at that. The media uses its' supposed "championing of the little guy" language to disguise that fact that they are pandering to put butts in seats and eyes on screens. The transparent exploitation of tragedy to appeal to the baser parts of human nature is appalling. Why does the public have a right to know anything about this other than the verdict? The families of the victims will be in the courtroom, and as far as I'm concerned, those are the only people who have a right to the information presented at trial.

Let's look closer at this supposed "right":

1.) What constructive information will come from the details that are shared?

2.) How does knowing benefit the public at large?

3.) How does sharing this information potentially damage the families of the victims?

4.) How will the sharing of the information hinder the selection and voting process of a jury?

5.) Can a jury (or for that matter, a judge) be impartial, and remain so until the end of the trial, based strictly on what they have seen, and not be influenced by the rush to judgment that constitutes media coverage? No system of isolation is perfect.

There is no legitimate purpose to broadcast the details of this or any other trial. The purpose of the media is to make money for shareholders, and any implication that they are presenting you with unbiased information out of a sense of duty to the public is false. We are not being informed for our benefit, we are all the victims of a dishonest sales pitch. The media does nothing other than dishonor the families of the victims, and trivialize the lives and unfortunate deaths of too many unfortunate British Columbian women.

Robert W. Pickton may be a vile serial killer, but until he is declared so by a court of law, what happens between now and then is none of our business.

A little Friday fun...

2007-01-19T11:39:00.000-04:00

and a tip of the hat to our nation's great sport.

I know, they're American, but they can like hockey, too.

Boviturdinous

2007-01-18T14:55:00.000-04:00

Flash has come up with a lovely new word: boviturdinous. I hope he doesn't mind me making the first public use of it: public hearings that the public is not allowed access to. Yep, the first four days of Nova Scotia Utilities and Review Board's "public" hearings on new (read "higher") power rates for NS Power "customers".

I just knew that we weren't even going to get a reach-around when the "privatized" NS Power in the 90's. A monopoly guaranteed a profit is soooo much better than a Crown corporation!

Fuckers.

On a Lighter Note, OR, The Coughing Cows...

2007-01-18T12:14:00.000-04:00

I had to chuckle at a gaffe made (repeatedly, according to this account) by Jack Layton in Brandon, Manitoba. During a speech to agricultural producers, Layton made repeated reference to SARS as a problem for the cattle industry. Of course he meant BSE, and he made a joke out of the confusion in the end, but not everyone got the joke.
It does seem that big-city Jack is a little out of touch with agricultural concerns, unless SARS has managed to jump the species barrier, and nobody knew about it until Jack discovered it, which might make Layton a genius.

Nah.

I hates the hate...

2007-01-18T08:58:00.000-04:00

Flash's post below regarding Jared Taylor's interesting visit to Halifax, and the ensuing discussion, got me thinking. A few times during the discussion, the term "hate speech law" was thrown around. I am guilty, I did it, too. Now, I am going to throw something in here for the sake of argument, and I presume that one will ensue, but hate speech laws make me cringe. Hate crime laws are a different story, but speech should never be considered a crime except in cases in which it is actually used in the commission of a crime - threats, blackmail, and such. Hate speech laws are the thin edge of a wedge that could so very easily expand should a legislature be put in the mind to expand them. I prefer the clear and concise US First Amendment; there is no room for argument, no quibbling. If things that are said sometimes hurt or make me angry or upset; fine, that's life.

People are not always nice, nor are they always right. However, as individuals, we always have options - we can argue, we can mobilize, we can research, or we can simper and whine behind the protection of the state's skirts. Many things can be said about the odious views of Jared Taylor, but he is out there actively promoting them to the masses while we sit and wonder whether the law will protect us from his vile verbiage. If indeed Taylor is wrong, and most of us around here seem to think that he is, then let's do something constructive about it rather than taking the Dalhousie University approach and sit and hope he'll go away.

He won't.

So what do we do about toads like Jared Taylor? We research their statements and expose them for the bullshit they are. For instance, as one of the commentors in Flash's post wrote, Taylor refers to the X% of crimes committed by various non-white racial groups. Would it not also be relevent to see how these racial groups are represented across the economic spectrum and then look and see how crime itself is distributed economically? Stuff like this has already been done, and the racial arguments never stand up.

Let Jared Taylor shout to the rooftops - just make sure that others are doing the same, but with facts. The truth shall indeed set us free.

It is a sadly typical Canadian thing to have laws protecting people against harmful speech while at the same time maintaining a racist aboriginal policy that keeps our native population in poverty and at the fringes of society. Let them die from polluted water and inadequate housing, but by God don't call them names!

There is important work to be done here, people.

The Innocent Victim...

2007-01-18T08:15:00.000-04:00

Just a quick update on yesterday's item on Jared Taylor. As I expected, he gets to play the victim in this morning's Chronicle-Herald.
And, an editorial in the Daily News takes a similar position to my own.

The more I think about it, the more I'm coming to the conclusion that freedom of speech should be universal. Those of us who disagree have the right to ignore preachers of hate, and the law is there to deal with those who do violence based on race.

Discuss.

Descending to Their Level...

2007-01-17T12:22:00.000-04:00

Much noise is being made on the CBC News, the Chronicle-Herald and the Daily News, and from as far away as Vancouver, about the mob scene involving American "Race Realist" Jared Taylor's forceful ejection from the room he rented to share his incredibly backward and xenophobic views on race relations here in Halifax. He rented the conference room at a local hotel (under an assumed name) in response to his de-invitation from a conference at Dalhousie University, at which he was scheduled to debate on racial diversity. Evidently not happy that he could spout his idiocy on someone else's nickel, he decided to pay for it himself.

The accounts indicate that the audience at the outset was made up entirely of protesters and journalists. Not exactly the audience he was hoping for, I'm sure. In the TV story that I saw, however, some of the white chaps in the audience didn't strike me as either journalists or protesters, quite frankly. In fact, a few were hiding their faces, but not necessarily out of a desire to protest anonymously, rather to participate and hide the associated shame. This is, of course, pure speculation.

Let me make this perfectly clear: Taylor is a racist, and the most disgusting type of racist at that: the type who try to cloak their medieval superstitions in 'scientific theory'.

Notwithstanding, I think that when the protesters decided it was ok to take hold of him and chuck him out of the room, they were wrong. And, yes, it is that black and white, if you'll pardon the expression.

Any time one group decides that another has no right to be heard is when we cross the line into fascism. I understand and sympathize with the motivations of the protesters, and I would have been denouncing this idiot right along with them - but silencing him is not the answer. With 'theories' like these, the best and most effective way to humiliate him is to let him speak. He can do a far better job in discrediting himself than we could ever do.

Which is why I think Dalhousie was also wrong to turf him from the debate. Debate - real, honest debate, not the name-calling that passes for intelligent discussion these days - is the best way to establish that this turd is a crackpot and a small, fearful animal. He now has the ability to manipulate the media to his own ends. The report I saw on ATV included his speculation that the Dal prof who was to debate him was "scared". I sincerely doubt it, and I can understand and sympathize with Dalhousie's motivation, but my concern is that now, that prof, and the university, have robbed themselves of any opportunity to rebut this fool.

The public has a short memory, and in a month, people will forget where they heard the 'scared' comment, but not that they heard it. Nor will they forget this man being attacked by a large group of masked assailants. All it takes if for that seed to be planted in some less rational people's minds to make it 'true' to someone who can't or won't think for themselves.

The real weapons we have against racism are our reason and our willingness to learn. When we deny ourselves the opportunity to learn from, or even just about, other human cultures, we are all the poorer for having lost the opportunity. Sober thought and intelligent rebuttal are the best weapons we have, and by turning violent for the TV cameras, the protesters have taken away that option. They have shown his supporters what they already 'know': their opponents are not worthy of respect.

Bottom line folks: in this case, he has the moral high ground.

That is something that never, never, never should happen with creeps like Taylor, but a small group of masked moral vigilantes have handed it to him on a silver platter.

So, to these 'freedom fighters', I say this: the next time someone is speaking about reducing poverty, undoing global warming or mitigating the harmful effects of globalization, and someone shouts them down and violently abridges their right to speak, don't think, "How dare they", think instead:

"I have no-one to blame but myself."

Bush on Bush

2007-01-15T15:59:00.000-04:00

There is much talk in the blogosphere about last night's 60 Minutes interview with GW, and rightfully so. For those that didn't see it, go watch it at the above link, it's worth it. It's interesting to see him admitting to every error proffered, except the largest one of his presidency - the invasion of Iraq. He has obviously opted for his final stand to be the neo-con "right war, wrong implementation" apologia that we are seeing everywhere these days.

It's also heartwarming to see that his spirit is still strong, and not "crushed". Even though he has to sign 2.5 letters to parents/spouses every day. What a wonderful country is America - you can go from dodging service to being president and ordering others to die for your folly.

Cape Breton Independence?

2007-01-11T17:05:00.000-04:00

I couldn't help but notice that the inaugural meeting of the newest Cape Breton independence group brought in about a dozen adherents last night. Might I suggest that the next meeting be held on the mainland? You'll get a better turnout.

Sorry Flash.

Et tu, Alfie?

2007-01-11T09:15:00.000-04:00

Bob Chisolm, Rodney MacDonald's new chief of staff, was forced to admit that he learned of the Fage drink-drink-honk-honk-smash-smash the night of the accident after back-bench Tory MLA Alfie MacLeod phoned him after driving by it. This is not good news for the Tories and for the Premier specifically, because it produces two scenarios, neither of which is positive:

a) That the Premier's chief of staff does not trust his boss' judgement and would rather hide bad news from him than have his input in how to deal with it.

b) That the Premier knew about the accident before December 4 (when he said he learned of it) and that his office is lining up to fall on their swords to protect him.

Having been caught in the lie, Chisolm weasled "If I did [mislead] I'm very sorry that I did." If. If. He then went on to admit to a probable lapse of judgement. I'll set aside the moral issue of lying to protect one's ass, because that is sadly the assumed standard of behaviour these days, but to believe that one could hide the incident, that it would just go away is simple stupidity. I will not set aside the fact that this only makes it that much harder to believe anything these guys say or to trust them with my tax dollars any longer than I have to.

This kind of incompetence and cowardice is becoming the standard for this government. Yes, cowardice. If Bob Chisolm had any balls, he would have investigated the incident as soon as he heard, instead of admitting to reporters a month and a half too late that he was afraid of what he might learn about the details. Fear of reality is a damned good quality to have in a chief of staff, don't you think, Rodney?

And let's not leave Rodney out of this - if he had a spine, his advisors and staff would likely not have to try to hide bad news or sugar-coat reality for him.

This, unfortunately, is exactly the kind of behaviour that I'm growing accustomed to from The Fiddler and his Step-Dancing Clowns.

2007-01-08T19:15:00.000-04:00

March of the Penguins

No political commentary - I'm just posting this cause it's so darn funny...

Mow, mow, mow!

2007-01-08T11:33:00.000-04:00

I know that by it's nature, it's impossible to say that any individual weather event is a direct result of global warming, but this is just freakish.

A shorter John Baird...

2007-01-05T13:57:00.000-04:00

It looks like Stephen Harper's new environment meat puppet, John Baird, has been authorized to say that global warming is real. This is a nice change from the teleprompter put in front of outgoing Rona Ambrose, but it remains to be seen whether there will be any substantive change in policy. I'm not holding my breath for anything revolutionary, but I think that Stephen Harper knows his office may live and die on this issue, so something will happen. That Baird is allowed to aknowledge the reality of global warming is a start.

I also note that the federal Liberals and their supporters seem to see this shuffle as political posturing now that the environment has become such a hugely important issue to the electorate. As Olaf says here, so what? The purpose of the government is to do things that the citizenry feel need to be done. Not reacting to the public sentiment on this issue would be an indication either of stupidity or a deeper understanding of climate science than climatologists have. I believe the CPC are not the former and do not have the latter.

The fact is, environmental issues were low on the national radar for many years and are not anymore - if the Liberals were still in power this would have taken them by surprise as well. After watching the Liberals treat environmental issues as a way of sucking a few votes at election time only to be forgotten later, I don't believe the party has any credibility on the issue at all, at least not based on past performance.

Perhaps they too have a renewed respect for environmental issues and if so, I applaud it. But for the love of FSM, don't attack the Conservatives for the same.

2007-01-05T12:19:00.000-04:00

Sometimes the only possible response is WTF?

A short clip from the French version of 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire?' For the non-French speakers, the question is 'Which body orbits the Earth?' and the choices are:
a. The Moon
b. The Sun
c. Mars
d. Venus
I don't know what's sadder - the contestant's obvious confusion or the 'help' he gets from the studio audience.

Look to the Stars

2007-01-05T09:13:00.000-04:00

But don't really expect them to know what they're talking about. As this BBC article points out; most celebrities speaking out for a cause do so with little in the way of actual knowledge and less in the way of research. Fortunately, these people are trying to fix that, as uphill a task as it sounds, with over 1,400 scientists willing to provide their services in the cause of improving public debate. They've even got their own celebrity backing them up:

One celebrity who is backing the campaign is illusionist Derren Brown. He said: "We are more than aware that the media prefer a shocking story over delicate fact.

"In areas like food, environment and medicine, this can have serious results," he added.

"Scientists, traditionally a quiet bunch, are now trying to redress the balance and finding ways of promoting fact over misinformation."

Come to think of it, what is it with magicians anyway? Why is it they're the ones trying to shine the light?

I guess what I'm trying to say is - don't assume that someone's an expert on a subject just because they're on TV or in the movies. And before any right-wingers chime in with comments about 'Liberal Hollywood', why don't you just be quiet - the right wingers have more than their fair share of loonies talking out their butt; Pat Robertson, Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh - shall I go on? I'd also pass on a helpful comment I'd seen long ago on another site on the subject of distinghuishing science from pseudo-science

If an 'expert' is saying "the evidence suggests" or "It strongly indicates" then there's a fair chance it's science. If they're saying "There can be no doubt that" or "It goes without saying that" or "There can be no other conclusion", then maybe you should start looking further.

Turn the Fage

2007-01-05T08:59:00.000-04:00

When I heard on the radio last night that Ernie Fage was involved in a hit-and-run last November, I'll admit the first thing that popped into my mind was that he might have had a few before hand. Otherwise, why run, right? At that time, I quickly posted what I had heard and read, but shortly thereafter more complete reports came out that witnesses smelled alcohol on him and captured the images of him and his car on camera-phone.

The premier said Fage told him of a "minor fender-bender" sometime before Christmas, but looked no further into the issue. For Michel Samson, the interim Liberal leader, this is not good enough; he maintains that the premier should have looked into the incident instead of dismissing it. When I first heard this, my immediate reaction was that Samson is merely trying to make a political issue out of something that has already been handled - Fage came forward, admittedly late, and MacDonald accepted his resignation.

However, David Rhodenizer makes an interesting point in this morning's Daily News:

why MacDonald accepted Fage's story of a "minor accident," knowing it happened following MLAs' traditional session-closing piss-up at the Old Triangle.

I don't believe that a premier, or any leader for that matter, is responsible for the personal behaviour of members of his party, provided everything stays legal and it doesn't affect their actual job. That was why I initially thought that MacDonald did what he had to do - a member of his Cabinet said he had a fender-bender, big deal.

Conversation 1:

"Hey Rodney, I, uh, got into a bit of a bump with the car a couple of weeks ago."

"Anyone hurt?"

"Nope."

"Good. Much damage?"

"Nah, just a dent in the bumper and fender."

"Cool. Cream in your coffee?"

Conversation 2:

"Rodney, I, uh, had a few pops one night a couple of weeks ago and got into a bang-up in an intersection."

"Whoa, any damage? Were the cops involved?"

"Not much. I reported it a few days later, it all seems cool."

"Phew, this would look really bad if anyone found out."

As of right now, there is no indication in anything that MacDonald or Fage has said to this point that indicates which conversation occured. However, the only way we're actually going to find out is if we don't take these guys' word for it. Michel Samson is doing the right thing; where is Daryl Dexter?

For me, the next question is when does MacDonald kick Fage's sorry ass out of caucus - before or after the trial?

Ernie Fage, NASCAR Minister

2007-01-04T20:41:00.000-04:00

Nova Scotia minister of repeatedly fucking up, Ernie Fage, has resigned a Cabinet post for the second time in less than a year, this time after CBC and CTV revealed that in November he left the scene of an automobile accident. The first time he resigned, it was for approving a loan to a company owned by members of his own family. This time, he opted to rear-end only one taxpayer.

I doubt that even Rodney will let him back in this time.

The Ballad of Poor Little Rona

2007-01-04T15:50:00.000-04:00

Sometimes, I don't know where stuff like the following comes from, I really don't.
I certainly don't think Ms. Ambrose is blameless in her forced relocation to Intergovernmental Affairs (I may actually get to meet her at some point, and I'm not sure how I feel about that), but the following worked better laying the blame on Steve - better to blame the ventriloquist...
(I'm guessing you can all figure out the tune is from the Beverly Hillbillies)

Well, listen to my story 'bout a gal named Rona,

She had a PM that would not leave her alone-a

Wherever she went, he would hang on like a leech,

And completely disrupt the environmental speech.

Air that is,

Brown Lungs,

Acid Rains

Well the first thing you know there arose a great kerfuffle,

And the poor little lady was the victim of a shuffle,

The whole darn thing busted Rona's little bubble,

In another six months she'll be fetching double doubles.

Coffee that is,

Timbits and honey crullers.

Jumping Through Hoops

2007-01-03T21:56:00.000-04:00

That's what parents will be doing for exercise this month, trying to figure out the Conservative government's new Child Fitness Tax Credit, cause heck, these experts can't. Don't get me wrong, it's a fine idea and kudos to the Tories for putting it through, of course it would help if they'd actually gone and given some clarity:

But guidelines on what qualifies for the children's fitness tax break don't go as far as naming activities, leaving organizations that promote sports such as golf and bowling holding their breath

Now, granted, bowling might not work up as much of a sweat as hockey, but hey, at least it gets the little darlings off the couch and doing something and let's face it, if little Johnny or Suzie is 60 kilos overweight, they're probably not going to get much joy out of hockey or soccer. All I know is it would be helpful if Peter Van Loan, Minister of Sport, had an idea what the program actually meant. Wait a minute, what am I saying - it would be helpful if Stephen Harper could tell his Minister of Sport what idea he was supposed to have.

Shameless Self-Promotion

2007-01-02T21:46:00.000-04:00

Just a word about The Inner Geek is Loose, the other blog I spend time on. It's all about the stuff you never discuss in polite company - you know, comics, gaming, sci-fi, that kind of stuff. It's where I let my inner 15-year-old out to play.
I've posted some Dr. Who, and some Mystery Science Theater 3000. It's worth a look. Trust me, have I ever steered you wrong?

It's Taken a While...

2007-01-02T18:20:00.000-04:00

...But, finally, the Globe and Mail reports that traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), including acupuncture, will be regulated in Ontario.
While I'm not going to debate the efficacy of acupuncture or herbal medicines - I concede that acupuncture does have some minor analgesic properties - I'd like to address the notion raised by one individual in the article, who is..

..worried that the red tape that will come with the college will scare many traditional Chinese medicine practitioners out of their profession and will mark the end of the industry in a few years.

Uh, yeah. Isn't the entire point to dissuade those who shouldn't be practicing from doing so? If you're reputable, as some individuals quoted in the article seem to be, then this is a way to lend legitimacy to what they believe is a useful practice. If you're not reputable, if you're a charlatan, then you shouldn't be in business.

There are some things that bother me about some 'traditional' medicines or practices:

1. The assumption that, since something is traditional, it is proven, and therefore good. Not so. Female genital mutilation is a traditional practice, but who would argue that it is beneficial to women?

2. The co-assumption to point 1, which is that, if something is natural, it is good. Again, not so. Although some herbs and their derivatives are useful, some are not. Cyanide is found naturally in some plants. Some of the deadliest poisons have evolved as defense mechanisms for certain sea creatures, reptiles and insects. Good stuff, huh?

Some may say, "Yes, Flash, these things are true, but Man has created many things that are harmful or detrimental, and therefore unnatural."

Back off, Birkenstock. If you concede the truth of evolution, you must, by definition, accept Man as a variant of the big category of 'mammal'. We are natural, part of nature. Ergo, anything we create is natural. All resulting from 'stuff' we found in nature - the raw materials for manufacturing don't come from thin air, after all. Guns, butter, plastics, Milli Vanilli, edible underwear, SweetTarts and parachute pants - all products of nature (however abominable some may be - c'mon, Milli Vanilli? If that doesn't convince you of the existence of evil, I don't know what will). We're just more clever than other mammals in making the raw materials into something that could kill us.

Which is bad. We really need to stop doing that. When we say 'The planet is at risk', we mean, 'WE are at risk'. The planet will eventually recover long after we're gone, but if we keep creating toxic and harmful stuff, we're screwed. The Earth will move on without us, without so much as a tear or a sympathy card. Somewhere, the dodo and the great auk are scooching over, making room for us in the Extinction Cafe.

Not all things we create are beneficial, but not all are harmful, either. We from the cult of the opposable thumb have done wonderful and horrible things. Hopefully, we manage to learn from both. Ultimately, what we need the most - compassion for our fellow mammals - is what's lacking. If the regulation of TCM can stop exploitation, illness and death, I say bully for them. More than anything, we need to protect the vulnerable, and you're never more vulnerable than when you're sick.

Sheesh...

2007-01-02T11:03:00.000-04:00

Ipsos greeted the New Year with an interesting poll of Americans. Apparently 25% of Americans expect the second coming of Christ this year.

Another year of stupid awakes...

Monsters Under the Beds (Or in the ERs)

2006-12-23T12:00:00.000-04:00

Last week, Nova Scotia Liberal MLA Dave Wilson appeared at a news conference along with an ER physician claiming that the emergency room system in Nova Scotia is in crisis. According to Wilson, the Liberal Health Critic,

"In 2006, ERs in Nova Scotia were closed for over 3,700 hours - that's 154 days. That is almost 1,600 more hours than the year before," he says. "In fact, since 2001 ERs in this province have been closed for a total of almost two years. That is unacceptable."

Wow, that does sound excessive. Is the system failing Nova Scotians?

Wait, that's really the point, isn't it - IS the system failing us?

The trouble with this particular iteration of monster-shouting is that the information presented lacks any sort of context to prove that this is, in fact, a particularly dangerous or even unusual state of affairs.

Has anyone died or suffered debilitating disease due to a lack of ER services? Has anyone been turned away because the ERs were closed? There is no indication either way according to the information we are presented with. Is the solution to this problematic condition to keep all emergency rooms open 24-7?

I needn't tell anyone with a modicum of fiscal intelligence how impractical that idea is. Smaller communities, while needing some degree of emergency response and treatment facilities, lack the population density to have the type of constant demand that exists in larger centres. I, for one, don't think the Liberal critic would be any happier if these small-town ERs were staffed constantly, because it would be an obvious waste of money, and without any indication of how the situation is negatively affecting the citizens of the province, it would be completely irresponsible in many other ways, as well.

While I agree that there needs to be much more encouragement for medical students to enter into emergency medicine (a stressful specialty, to be sure), and for our local med school graduates to remain in the province, without the evidence of harm or even actual need, this 'crisis' is constructed from nothing but fear.

The press conference was clearly designed to elicit the anxiety of the public, and serves no one's interests except those of the Liberal party. I'm not equipped to dispute the information presented, but if you're going to convince me that this is nothing more than cynical exploitation of the fears of the elderly and the infirm, you'll need to show me some proof.

That goes for any of these types of assertions - can you prove to me that beds that are closed in small hospitals are actually needed, or are you playing on the fears of older citizens, who will then ask themselves, "But what if they are needed?" You can't govern or budget according to what if's. As my boss says, "What if a Martian lands and asks for something?" It's an illustration of how absurd the 'what-if's can get.

The way I see it, the political script goes like this:
1) create anxiety where there is none
2) exploit the anxiety for political gain
3) get elected
4) continue making decisions or investments in the same way
5) repeat as necessary

This type of blatant politicking, if you'll pardon the expression, makes me ill. Wow, lucky I don't live in a rural area, isn't it?

Stirring base emotions is not solving problems or shedding light on truth, it's pure politics, which, quite frankly, our health care system could use a little less of. Show us proof, Mr. Wilson, or shut up.

The Time has Come!

2006-12-21T10:35:00.000-04:00

The BBC reports on a document created by the UK Office of Science and Innovation's Horizon Scanning Centre that robots could demand legal rights, including housing and 'robo-healthcare' (what we would refer to as maintenance, I suppose) some day.

No real point to make, except that I'm stockpiling food for the inevitable day when robots rise and overcome their fleshy masters and rule us with a cold, metallic, emotionless but potentially benevolent hand and guide the future destiny of mankind into some form of slavery in which all of our children will be forced to enter vocational schools and soon the only professions will be those that benefit our computerized despotic rulers...

As I said, no real point to make, but we'd better be careful of...

Have a nice day, and do not anger our future monarchs. Return to normal activities. Nothing to see here.

(Watch the toasters...)

Budget woes in Canada's ocean playground

2006-12-21T10:09:00.000-04:00

Do they still call Nova Scotia that?

Anyway, it seems that Lord Rodney and his merry band have their hands full trying to maintain the small surplus they've managed to wrangle out of the budget. It is now down to about $3 million. Those expensive election promises might come back to haunt him.

We here at blevkog try to lend a helping hand every now and then - we're all in this together, right? So Rodney, I have this way, see, of maybe saving say, $131,000 this year, you listening?

Remove Sookie, Insert Foot (A Vignette in the Sookie Saga)

2006-12-21T09:24:00.000-04:00

I thought I'd add a little bit of information on the Halifax School Board debacle, to make the picture more complete, if I can. I hope Kevvyd doesn't mind, since he's doing an excellent job on this, but this ended up being a little lengthy for a comment. I've done a fair bit of legal research and worked to get legislation passed, so, while not a lawyer, I'm becoming pretty familiar with interpreting the law.

This morning, in the Daily News, fired Board chairman Gary O'Hara assumes that the rest of us can't or don't want to look into things on our own (he may be right, but that's what we're here for - to do the reading that you don't wanna) by stating

"The only people that have the right to fire me are the people that elected me," he said. "If you look at the legislation in the Education Act, it says that the minister has the right to strip the school board of its powers, but it doesn't say she has the right to fire us."

Au Contraire, Mr. O'Hara. Here's Section 68 of the Education Act (emphasis mine):

68 (1) In carrying out its responsibilities and in exercising its authority under this Act, a school board shall comply with the policies of the Department of Education and Culture and the directives of the Minister issued in accordance with this Act.

(2) Where, in the opinion of the Minister,

(a) the health, safety or educational welfare of the students of a school are endangered or the resources of a school board are not being used in a responsible manner;

(aa) a school board has failed to meet the standards referred to in subsection 64(6); or

(b) the school board has failed to comply with a request of the Minister to take corrective action,

the Minister may appoint a person who shall carry out such responsibilities and exercise such authority of the school board as the Minister determines and in such manner as the Minister determines and, to the extent the Minister determines, the school board ceases to have such responsibilities or authority. 1995-96, c. 1, s. 68; 2002, c. 5, s. 12; 2004, c. 3, s. 18 .

Now, if it were me, and I 'ceased to have responsibilities' at work, I'd figure I was pretty much done. If you have no responsibilities, you have no job, by definition. The Minister has followed the law, effectively and properly, if a little slowly. The dismissal is not wrongful, even if you limit yourself to not reading the long list of responsibilities in Section 64(6), if you remember back far enough to recall the last Minister, Jamie Muir, warning the board that it should get its shit together pronto.
1. Warning,
2. failure to heed warning,
3. dismissal.
If it works that way at McDonald's, it certainly applies here.

I've also seen that some former members resent being grouped in with those they consider the 'troublemakers'. Whether you actually argued or dissented or stole or cheated or not, you contributed to the descent of the Board into chaos by your action or inaction, as the case may be. You are all responsible - omission of an action is punishable as well as action.

A final note: did anyone else notice how reasonable Doug Sparks seems without the Board pissing him off? Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Baby want sookie! Part 2 of ?

2006-12-21T08:52:00.000-04:00

Given the childishness of the Halifax Regional School Board over the past year, should it be any surprise that they would threaten legal action against the Minister when she pulled the soothers from their mouths? Claiming that others are consulting lawyers, as of right now it is only Wade Marshall that has openly threatened court action, saying:

I've done nothing wrong. I haven't done the things that the minister is accusing me of doing. That's wrong. And she is going to be held accountable and this government will be held accountable

It was him, Daddy, him! I didn't do it, it was him!

The article goes on to suggest that other members of the board are being invited to participate in the court proceedings, which is kind of funny. I mean, these guys couldn't agree on where to sit for chrissakes, I'd be surprised if they could agree on the existence of gravity. I hope the law firm they hire has a good on-site day care. When asked for comment, Debra Barlow, former member said:

Certainly, if the stipend is withdrawn I'm sure that there will probably be legal action for unjust dismissal

In other words - kick me off the board and take away my duties, fine, but take away my money and watch out! It's nice to see someone admit to what the real issue is. What's most surprising is that Barlow would admit that the core reason she took the position with the board in the first place was a paltry $8200 per year.

To his credit, Gin Yee is going to give his stipend, if it is continued, back to the school board - good on him. If other members want to run again in '08, perhaps they can follow his example.

A new low for the National Post?

2006-12-20T21:56:00.000-04:00

It's really hard to categorize what "low" is when it comes to the dregs like the National Post. But in today's editorial, entitled Perverting the Holy Spirit, Barbara Kay (keep an eye on this one, she's priceless) upbraids the rabbis that attended the Holocaust deniers "conference" and the "useful idiot" Christian Peacemakers Team in Iraq. I won't discuss the rabbi situation, as I'm not that familiar with the background or religio-political arguments they espouse, however, I do take umbrage with her remarks on the CPT.

Remember them, the guys that were held hostage earlier this year while working with Iraqi citizens? In Kay-land, this is apparently "acting as human shields", just so you know. Anyway, remember how they got the entire Right-wing military masturbation sect into a froth by not being grateful enough for being rescued? Well, apparently putting your unarmoured ass on the line for the sake of peace is a "perverted spiritual impulse" and "hubristic". Check this out:

Hubristically, Christian Peacemakers (comparing themselves to "Gandhi, Martin Luther King and Jesus") has put fellow Christians and Westerners at risk by imitating a simplistically masochistic version of a theologically complex Christ.

Did you catch it? Theologically complex Christ. Yeah, it's pretty hard to take a simple doctrine - "love thy neighbour", stack in on top of "do not kill" and then use the same god to justify arbitrary war without making it complicated. If God's doctrine is complicated, it's not because of anything Christ said or James Loney did, rather it's because of asshats like Barbara Kay trying to twist it into justifying all manner of evil. If your religious doctrine on basic issues like "do not kill" is complicated, you haven't got a religion, you have a shell game.

So, the shorter Barbara Kay - you're either with us or against God.

Look at me, an atheist, talkin' Christ! Woohoo!

Say it ain't so, Jack!

2006-12-20T10:28:00.000-04:00

In a post, Liberal Catnip has identified the most recent outrage that Jack Layton might be contemplating for the NDP - supporting the Conservatives against a possible spring or winter election. Jack has apparently partaken of the Kool-Aid and actually believes that the New Democrats must stave off short-term blips in the polls and electoral defeats at the cost of their souls. Propping up a decrepit Tory government that will sell out Leftist concerns as soon as it is convenient is simply beyond idiotic.

The only thing drawing the two parties together is political expediency - both are dropping in the polls and a quick election would likely be ugly for both. For the Conservatives this would be catastrophic, they are just getting a taste for power and want stability and a majority government to start remaking Canada in the Harper vision (blurp). Sorry, I just threw up a little in my mouth. For the NDP, it is less of a concern, they have never had national power and are not going to get it anytime soon. Sure they would lose a few seats, but the role of the NDP would not change - it is the voice of the Left in our Parliament and snuggling up to Harper destroys any real credibility the party has with the Left. I'm not saying that they should tear the government down at all costs, but for heaven's sake, let it sink or swim based on it's policies, not because you're afraid of an election call; for the NDP, that's a fool's game.

The only thing that Jack stands to gain is to drive committed social democrats like me toward the Greens or the Liberals. There is no short-term gain for the NDP, only long-term pain.

The NDP, more than any party in this country, needs a change at the top.

Baby want sookie!

2006-12-20T09:04:00.000-04:00

As an addendum to yesterday's post on the firing of the HRM school board, CBC reports this morning that the outgoing members will continue to receive their annual stipend. Debra Barlow, the former vice chair simpered:

Unless Ms. Casey (the Minister) can prove the case as to why I or any other individual was removed, then we certainly deserve our stipend

The stipend, while modest, can not be said to have actually been earned over the last year, so in my mind should the outgoing members not only not continue to receive it, they should in fact give back any already received. According to the minister, the continuation of the stipend is a decision made in conjunction with the school board, the association, and the department. I assume we will hear of a belated coal in the stocking in the New Year.

As a post-script to this sordid affair, I am troubled that elected officials have been overthrown for an appointee, however this group has not been serving its constituency and deserves no better. For that reason, it's unfortunate that the province or municipality will not allow a byelection to refill all of the seats before the scheduled municiple elections in 2008, but that is the way of it.

Don't let the door hit your asses...

2006-12-19T15:26:00.000-04:00

Finally, the Nova Scotia Department of Education has done the math: a school board incabapable of doing the job set out for it is worse than having someone come in and do it for them. Yep, it's required more than a year of petty whining over chairs, slamming doors, and boycotted meetings, but Minister of Education Karen Casey has finally dropped the axe on this embarrassment. That it took this long to pull the plug on a group that oversees the education of 55,000 students is a bit of a surprise, but I chalk that up to Rodney MacDonald's seeming alergy to doing anything right. Maybe he has finally turned a corner? Or maybe the Board was even more of a clusterfuck than his government and he was losing bragging rights?

Frankly, I'm not sure what I'm going to do now when I feel the need to post; for the past year I could just punch "HRM School Board" into Google News and something was bound to turn up that would raise my temperature. I guess I'm going to have to start reading the Blogging Tories or Adam Daifallah again.

Sigh.

Focus on the Fraud?

2006-12-19T14:05:00.000-04:00

Inside Higher Ed has posted a story regarding James Dobson's (from 'Focus on the Family') use of Carol Gilligan's work in justifying his opposition to gay marriage. I certainly don't know Dr. Gilligan personally, but I am familiar with her work to a degree. She has never failed to represent social scientists well, and her work is full of insight and well-reasoned argument. Dr. Gilligan has reacted negatively (as have other social scientists) to the misuse, distortion or 'cherry-picking' of their work to justify prejudice and bigotry.

As Gilligan states in a particularly well-done video on YouTube, also linked below, it's fine for Dobson to preach his brand of morality, but misusing other's work could be seen as 'bearing false witness', to which I would add theft and the twisting of intellectual property. Dobson is anything but the positive role model he purports to be if he is willing to undertake such underhanded tactics to justify his position. In fact, his statement in Time Magazine that

"...the majority of more than 30 years of social-science evidence indicates that children do best on every measure of well-being when raised by their married mother and father."

Is patently, blatantly and outright absurdly false. I have been a student and a representative of the Social Sciences as a Sociologist (A member of the Canadian Sociological Association and the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction) for over 15 years, and I have never, in all of my research, come across one piece of credible evidence to support his biblical-style claptrap.

Of course, neither has Dobson, which is why he has to lie and construct phrases to suit himself like the ad writers for a bad movie. I'm happy to see that the academic community is finally waking up to this type of theft (full credit to the organization Truth Wins Out) and misrepresentation of who we are and what we do. I hope we can pile on lots more well-crafted and honest video to counterbalance the cacophony of dishonesty.

Highest praise to Dr. Gilligan and all the others who are now choosing to come forward and contradict the misappropriation of legitimate science to support religious lies.

Note: This is a re-posting of "Focus on the Falsehood? posted earlier today - I discovered how inept I could be, which is oddly comforting.

It's not the nukes, not even the oil...

2006-12-18T15:08:00.000-04:00

It's about the money.

The announcement that the Iranian government will convert its foreign dollar holdings to euros might be the first step down the slope that results in oil sold internationally in euros. In isolation, the announcement is not major, as oil is still sold through the New York or London bourses in US dollars, therefore, the Iranian government will be converting payments received directly into euros.

The implied threat, however, and one that Washington definitely is taking seriously, is that Iran may try to introduce a third international oil bourse, one that operates in euros. Such a move would threaten the strength of the US dollar at a time when the US national debt is at historic (histrionic?) levels and could have serious economic implications. I've discussed some of the reasons why this could be so here, and I believe that the US is more worried about the stability of the value of the dollar than they are concerned with regional stability in the Middle East. The two are linked, but they are not in lock-step.

The oil is important because it gives the Iranians economic independence and leverage. The nukes are important because it puts an exlamation point on every statement everyone makes about the place. However, the power that oil has over the value of the US dollar, and the number of countries that might want to buy and sell it using euros, is the real clincher.

I think it is guarenteed that we will see the tension between the West and Iran ratchet up in the coming days and weeks as a result of this announcement.

"Just watch me."

2006-12-15T14:34:00.000-04:00

I was trolling youtube at lunchtime today and found this video of Pierre Trudeau speaking with reporters after declaring martial law in October of 1970 - the famous "just watch me" moment. A few things strike me about this. The first thing is the relative sparseness of the reporters - there are only a few at most. This creates a real conversation between Trudeau and the reporters which we do not see in the days of organized press conferences, scrums, and cold press releases. Secondly, they are just standing there, chatting with him, right next to him with no obvious security detail in the frame. There are RCMP officers nearby, but they do not hulk over his shoulder or attempt to stand between him and the reporters. It makes the conversation more intimate and personal, as if they were old acquaintances talking about any old thing of interest.

And finally, Trudeau was confident enough in his decisions and his own intelligence to involve the reporters in a real debate - he puts them on the defensive by answering them and then turning the questions back on them. Keep in mind that this surface calm came a time of real national crisis, during which he made a decision to declare martial law, which if memory serves is the only time this has ever been done in this country. Involving the reporters in the conversation both makes the conversation more democratic and gives his comments more authority; he has made a decision to do something, and they can provide nothing better.

Sure he was arrogant and sometimes obnoxious, but here standing with a few reporters he's calm, intelligent, and it sounds as if he's interested in scoring debate points with the reporters, not creating sound bites for an electoral ad later on. Our modern politicians appear more like forced, wooden blowhards in comparison, trying to win elections with every vocalization, as if every single utterance was carefully crafted by a contract PR-team, tested by focus groups and rehearsed prima donna-like, staring into the bathroom mirror, head craning around to catch glimpses from different angles.

Something about this clip makes me think that something important to democracy has been lost in the last 36 years, and I'm not quite sure what that is. I'm not talking about Trudeau himself, though I think he was a great PM, I'm thinking more about the setting. Thoughts?

Following the Example

2006-12-15T10:23:00.000-04:00

of my colleagues, here are my five facts:

1. I am equally amazed and bewildered at the fact that there exists a Patron Saint of the Internet

2. Not only am I not the President, I'm not even a
member

3. While I'm unsure as to the actual existence of God and Heaven, I sincerely hope there's a Hell, just so there's a place for Telemarketers, Augusto Pinochet, and the people who run Airport concessions.

4. I think this whole 70's revival thing has gone too far.

5. Finally, I hate these chain letter tags BS...

It's Christmas in Toronto, and all the angels sing...

2006-12-14T17:15:00.000-04:00

Today a judge in Toronto had a Christmas tree removed from the lobby of a provincial courthouse in an effort to remove openly Christian symbols from what is supposed to be a public, multi- (omni-?) denominational setting. As one would expect, this has drawn criticism from those that view it as an attack on Christianity, rather than a move to promote inclusion. The howls of outrage came so fast and so loud that the Premier was forced to make a statement distancing himself from the incident.

One would be forgiven for thinking that maybe the cross was made illegal or something, but that's the way of the discussion of these things.

One would also be forgiven for believing that all I ever do is complain about things without offering up solutions. Because this one's so easy, I'll do just that very thing. The obvious solution to this problem is to decorate public places for all religious holidays, be they Sikh, Hindi, Buddhist, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, whatever. We have to draw the line somewhere of course, but you know what I mean - put the damn tree back up and stick a Menorah there, too. And then explore the calendar of events for major Canadian religions and celebrate those, too. Either that, or don't do any of them.

As for us atheists, we're an understanding lot. We can let you honour your gods in any way you see fit without feeling shame, remorse, or feelings of exclusion. Just so long as the religious acoutrements stay outside the courtroom.

Merry Christmas.

Never Let it Be Said...

2006-12-14T16:23:00.000-04:00

That I shy away from opportunities to talk about myself.

Some things the readers don't know about me, and are even less likely to care about:

1. Contrary to that guy who keeps emailing me, my penis is of adequate length and girth, thank you.

2. I'm amazed by the fact that Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of both prostitutes and virgins. That's what I call covering the spread.

3. I think super speed would be the coolest super power ever. Unless you lived in Winnipeg in the spring - after a while you'd start gaining weight from swallowing mosquitoes.

4. The next person who uses the word 'ask' as a noun wil get kicked in the balls. I can see it now:" We figure we'll have the budget figured out, as soon as we decide what our ask will be."
WHAM!
"Sorry, Don, but 'nouning' verbs in my presence means Nikes meet nuts. Consider this a memo. Or an 'F.Y.I.' if you will."

5. George Carlin is, in my estimation, the funniest man who has ever walked the Earth. That's true only because Jesus sucked at observational humor, it was just "Hey, ever wonder why you have a bald spot?" or "I can see my house from here."

Merry Krimble, childrens.

Rodney MacDonald is unlikely to call an election anytime soon...

2006-12-14T15:02:00.000-04:00

Premier Rodney MacDonald has admitted that hiring car marketer Heather Foley Melvin as head of Conserve Nova Scotia has cost him politically. Later in the same press conference, he also noted that rain comes from clouds, the Leafs will probably not win the Cup, and the Halifax School Board is composed of whiny, childish idiots.

However, he did not address the question of how his popularity (24% in the most recent poll) manages to be below that of a certain lame-duck, draft-dodging, president that has lead his country into a war that has killed 3,000 of his own electorate and spent them into a trillion dollar deficit.

I have been tapped

2006-12-14T13:36:00.000-04:00

McGuire has "tapped" me to identify five things that readers of this blog don't know about me. Here's a quick list:

1) I like poetry.
2) I hate poets.
3) I believe that points 1) and 2) are not only not contradictory, but follow.
4) I have a dog that I named after my favorite beer.
5) I dream fondly of the day that I no longer need a vehicle and can rely on my running shoes and bicycle for transportation.
and as the kind of bonus you can only expect here at blevkog,
6) I believe in God and heed his prophets Bob and Frank.

I do not like chain letters or pyramids of any kind and so I won't pass this one on. However, if any of the other writers here wish to post a list of their own, the forum is yours...

I mean, why start now...

2006-12-13T17:03:00.000-04:00

The title of the article was irresistable: Bush defends Iraq strategy delay. I mean, they've fought the war for three and a half years without one, so what's the big rush now, right?

Bush was actually quoted saying:

I'm listening to a lot of advice to develop a strategy

Thundering fuck, man, you're just listening now? A little late, don't you think? And even now, he's not going to entertain "ideas that would lead to defeat such as leaving before the job is done". Which means, of course...

Stay the corpse.

I'll give him one thing - he's steadfast and resolute. Like herpes.

Looking toward 2008...

2006-12-12T11:09:00.000-04:00

President Gore? What do you think?

Deferred success?

2006-12-07T18:32:00.000-04:00

In the spirit of an age in which "failure" has morphed into "deferred success" and "hunger into" "food insecurity", George Bush responded to the question "Mr. President, the Iraq Study Group said that leaders must be candid and forthright with people. So let me test that. Are you capable of admitting your failures in the past, and perhaps much more importantly, are you capable of changing course, perhaps in the next few weeks?" thusly today:

... You wanted frankness -- I thought we would succeed quicker than we did, and I am disappointed by the pace of success.

So, George is essentially given the Tim Russert "have you made any mistakes?" question again, and again, can't answer it. "Pace of success"? It really is not possible for him to take the tiniest bit of responsibility for his own actions.

I know I've said in the past that impeachment would not serve any useful purpose, and in fact might hide other sins in this Administration, but this guy is such a dick that I think he certainly deserves it and more.

It's gonna take some kind of art work and fudging in that new half-billion dollar presidential library to paper over this Administration's fuck ups.

Jack Layton shames me somtimes...

2006-12-06T11:03:00.000-04:00

I understand why Ezra Levant has a problem with Stephane Dion's citizenship - he's both a bagman for the Conservative Party and an asshole. However, is that Jack Layton I hear, singing the same song, but in more of a gutless castrato?

I would prefer that a leader of a party hold only Canadian citizenship, because one represents many Canadians, and for me that means that it's better to remain the citizen of one country.

Listen, Jack; if you want anyone to think of the NDP as a credible alternative, stop jumping in front of the camera and yelling the first thing that comes to mind. Haven't you noticed that it doesn't work? I would like to think that of all parties the NDP would be adult enough to know that Dion's citizenship doesn't matter one little bit. Hell, that is why I have supported the party in the past provincially and federally - not because you will ever actually be the government, but because you remind the government of important things that sometimes get forgotten. This is NOT IMPORTANT.

Let me spell it out for you - if it is legal to hold dual citizenship in this country and it is legal to run for public office while holding it, then it doesn't fucking matter if someone holds office while holding dual citizenship. If you think that you would sleep better at night if Stephane Dion didn't have dual citizenship, then drop a ball, call him a traitor, and put forward a motion preventing anyone in elected office, or maybe just ministerial office if that's your wont, from having dual citizenship.

Otherwise please shut the fuck up and stop embarrasing us.

Bush Was Right

2006-12-06T09:30:00.000-04:00

Everyone might have already heard/seen this, but it's a great watch in hindsight. I can almost picture George sitting back, flicking this on, and day-dreaming about that glorious time before he began to realize that everything he touched turned to shit.

I haven't heard if they (The Right Brothers) have updated the song or not, but I doubt it. So here is "Bush Was Right", for your listening (and ironic) pleasure.

How about "Bush Was Right, But Reality Was All Wrong" for a reprise?

Where does Brison go now?

2006-12-04T19:42:00.000-04:00

I just noticed an article in today's Herald mentioning Scott Brison as a potential candidate in the upcoming Nova Scotia Liberal Party leadership convention. This of course forces one to ask "how many parties can Brison run for leadership in? Barring a move to provincial politics, it's hard to see any room for him in the NDP or Greens, but that doesn't rule out forming his own party. The Brison Party of Canada has a pretty nice ring to it!

Do you think he could win?

Commonwealth Games update...

2006-12-04T15:55:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note on the Commonwealth Games beat. A commentor to this post pointed me to an editorial Alex J. Walling wrote in today's Daily News. From it I quote:

The Commonwealth Games folks are blowing it. They're not making people of HRM a part of the process. This need-to-know basis is not working.
I really believe the 2014 committee has failed to realize one gigantic fact: not only are the times a-changing, but they already have changed - drastically.
Money is on everyone's mind. People are having a hard time heating their homes, a hard time driving with the price of gasoline.
Accountability, not secrecy, is the word.

Thank you, Alex J, and to the reader that pointed this out.

Don't you feel safer with Stockwell at the helm?

2006-12-04T14:48:00.000-04:00

In an ominous move that must worry proponents of the Vancouver safe-injection project, the Conservative government has cancelled funding and killed a pilot program that provided safe tattooing services in prisons around the country. Knowing that it increases the threat of the spread of hepatitis C and AIDS, the satirically-titled Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day said:

Our government will not spend taxpayers' money on providing tattoos for convicted criminals. Our priority is to have an effective federal corrections system that protects Canadians, while providing inmates with access to acceptable health-care and treatment programs.

Demonstrating the vast intellect that brought us the Flinstone view of human history, he argues that risking an increase in the spread of AIDS and hep C is going to somehow protect Canadians. I'm not sure I follow the logic, but I think it's similar to the argument that you don't fight the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases with condoms. What's the next step, sending chaplains into the prisons to provide tattoo abstinance education?

The reality is that prisoners are going to get tattoos whether we give them safe access or not, and what this project does is potentially prevent the addition of untold numbers of victims of incurable contagious diseases onto an already heavily-loaded medical system. The math should be pretty simple, but I suspect it might be too long-term for Stockwell, who has a demonstrated problem understanding long periods of time.

Perhaps what Stockwell means is that he is protecting his kind of Canadians. His kind of Canadians by and large don't end up in jail and his kind are less likely to come in contact with those that do. However, his kind desire tax cuts over just about anything else, and what this cut will do is save taxpayers $6-million. Yes, $6 million at the expense of a population of Canadians that are ten times more likely to get AIDS and thirty times more likely to get hep C at a time when the government is again predicting billions in surpluses.

This is ample demonstration of what is at the heart of this government, and it is not what is best for Canadians. It is the neo-con Christian view that punishes behaviour it doesn't approve of at all costs. That they will kill a health program to save a few dollars because it gives the appearance that the government is providing tattoos for convicted criminals makes me wonder if we're not already a few steps down the path paved by Karl Rove.

More lipstick, more pig

2006-12-01T10:50:00.000-04:00

The likely tab for the Commonwealth Games, if won by Halifax, has been upped from $785-million to $900-million, with the federal government pledging as much as $400-million according to an announcement Thursday. The money is in the form of matching public funds, so the province and municipality will have to figure out a way to split $400-million, the remainder of the estimated public contribution. Where exactly this money is going to come from is anybody's guess, but apparently it isn't going to create a legacy, not debt - because politicians tell us so. The real budget isn't due until the spring, but I'll eat my hat if the real numbers don't top $1-billion.

I'm not saying there will not be benefits to the city if they manage to win the bid, don't get me wrong. As bestiality-proponent (he slept with a dog, didn't he?) Peter Mackay says:

the Games would create infrastructure that would benefit Halifax long after the closing ceremonies. For example, Halifax would need to build many of the sports venues, including a stadium, aquatic centre and badminton facility.

Yes, Peter, it would be nice to play badminton, and we can certainly use more public facilities, but let's get some cops on the street first so that we can walk the city at night. Maybe if walking was safe, we'd all get a little more exercise without plunging so much money in infrastructure that might or might not last and might or might not get used. Michael Hooper, the head of the Commonwealth Games Federation, re-iterates the sports development makes for better cities meme:

There's regeneration of certain areas -- isn-t that a good thing? Look at what it does longterm.

Again, yes, the city could use some sprucing up, and longterm development should definitely be on the minds of the Council, but I'd be willing to bet that if we gave some clever community organizations time to think, they'd come up with better ways to spend a billion dollars. Hell, I'd bet that they would stretch the $200-million or so that is going to be HRM's contribution farther than the billion-dollar Games orgy that is about to occur.

If hosting the Commonwealth Games is really all about improving the city, let's remove the middle-man (the Games) and just put money into improving the city. There are a myriad ways in which this could be done. You want Halifax to be a better city? Then let's make it a better city for those living here now, instead of impoverishing them and future generations in the hope that tourists flock in 2014 to watch a competition that only the most ardent TSN-fetishists paid attention to last year in Melbourne. Hands up all of you that went down-under to catch some of the hot badminton action.

Yeah, thought so.

Putting lipstick on a pig: A Commonwealth Games update

2006-11-29T08:58:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since I've written about the Halifax bid for the Commonwealth Games, but that's not to say nothing is happening. No, it's just getting started.

The Halifax Council is holding its budget for the 2014 Commonwealth Games bid close to its chest until Thursday. Last night, council unanimously approved the unreleased number, which council has said in the past it hopes to be in the $1.5-million region. It's doubtless they'd like to put a little distance between the announcement of this number and the announcement that the city has posted a deficit on the year.

Meanwhile, Fred MacGillivray, head of the committee, flew business class to Qatar to ~~spank the monkey on the municiple tit~~ watch the Asian Games. Naturally, seeing how athletic events are held in the desert half-way around the world is of critical importance to HRM and its bid. Or something. All I can say is that it is a good thing for HRM that they have upgraded their propery assessment program so that now I get reassessed every year - someone's gotta pay for this shit, and it might as well be me. Any chance of a reach-around, Fred?

I just can't wait til the real bills start rolling in!

Does Sheila Fraser do municiple work?

Meanwhile, Halifax's downtown gets more and more violent. At least now the mayor appears to have noticed. It took the murder of a US sailor to prompt Him to get off His ass and at least discuss hiring more cops. I don't think I'm being too cynical when I suggest that the murder of locals is given a pass because it doesn't make CNN, and making CNN for murdering visitors just ain't good for the bid, is it Peter? Not as good as, say, slagging your competition for the very same thing?

I'm so Food Insecure I Could Eat a Horse

2006-11-28T21:27:00.000-04:00

In my wide-ranging and often random travels through the world of the Internet, I came across a great story from the Santa Clarita Valley (California) Signal. A little article on the uses of Doublespeak.
The Dubya think-tank, in its incredibly finite wisdom, has eliminated hunger in America. Before you run out and cry, "Miniature American Flags For Everyone!", let me clarify : they've eliminated the word hunger from the government vocabulary. Now, instead of going to bed hungry, millions of Americans will be going to bed 'food insecure'. As if that makes it (pardon the pun or whatever) more palatable.

It's like I've discovered a new religion, and Georges Orwell and Carlin are the prophets. Can anyone with a modicum of intelligence actually believe that by changing how it is referred to that a problem will somehow seem better? It's an insult to the dignity of those whose reality includes an empty stomach and a bleak future.

That's the insidious part of Doublespeak, and it's conjoined twin, Doublethink. By limiting or changing how things are expressed, you can limit how things are perceived, and how they are understood. If those who oppose your ideas aren't progressive enough or politically correct enough, it makes us better than them, doesn't it? That's a tactic that may work if you limit opposition by making the opposite pole seem unreasonable or dangerous. One of the best rhetorical tricks ever was the labeling of the Anti-Abortion movement (which it is, no question) as Pro-Life...Which makes your opponent Pro-Death, or worse, Anti-Life. How can you support that?

How can you not want to War on Terror if the alternative is Making Terror Welcome with Milk and Cookies and Perhaps a Pair of Comfortable Slippers and a Pillow for its Terrory Head?

Language, by its nature, defines understanding. Limiting language limits understanding and reduces the freedom to interpret, which limits reasoning, which leads to accepting the word of authority about What's Best For Us. Questioning authority has never been more crucial to our survival as a species, and the movement is afoot to head that off at the pass. The easier it is for them to define reality as they see fit, the more they can make the unpleasant aspects of that reality disappear, and make the familar threatening.

We, each of us with the power to reason and question, is fighting the war on terror. The people creating the terror are not in some far-off land, however. They are right here, where we elected them to be.

Selling Our Souls, one Dollar at a Time....

2006-11-28T12:16:00.000-04:00

Odd - one would think that an organization named the National Science Teachers Association would be more than happy to receive an offer of 50,000 free DVD's of Al Gore's documentary 'An Inconvenient Truth'. But apparently not - whatever reason would they have to turn down educational resources(something most teachers of my acquantence aren't exactly overly burdened with)? Oh wait, maybe this might explain it.

Accepting the DVDs, they wrote, would place "unnecessary risk upon the [NSTA] capital campaign, especially certain targeted supporters." One of those supporters, it turns out, is the Exxon Mobil Corp.

That's the same Exxon Mobil that for more than a decade has done everything possible to muddle public understanding of global warming and stifle any serious effort to solve it. It has run ads in leading newspapers (including this one) questioning the role of manmade emissions in global warming, and financed the work of a small band of scientific skeptics who have tried to challenge the consensus that heat-trapping pollution is drastically altering our atmosphere. The company spends millions to support groups such as the Competitive Enterprise Institute that aggressively pressure lawmakers to oppose emission limits.

But Wait! There's more;

And Exxon Mobil isn't the only one getting in on the action. Through textbooks, classroom posters and teacher seminars, the oil industry, the coal industry and other corporate interests are exploiting shortfalls in education funding by using a small slice of their record profits to buy themselves a classroom soapbox.

NSTA's list of corporate donors also includes Shell Oil and the American Petroleum Institute (API), which funds NSTA's Web site on the science of energy. There, students can find a section called "Running on Oil" and read a page that touts the industry's environmental track record -- citing improvements mostly attributable to laws that the companies fought tooth and nail, by the way -- but makes only vague references to spills or pollution. NSTA has distributed a video produced by API called "You Can't Be Cool Without Fuel," a shameless pitch for oil dependence.

Along with propaganda challenging global warming from Exxon Mobil, the curricular offerings included lessons on forestry provided by Weyerhaeuser and International Paper, Borowski says, and the benefits of genetic engineering courtesy of biotech giant Monsanto.

Maybe the NSTA should change their name - the American Association of Classroom Whores, mayhaps

Testosterone diplomacy

2006-11-28T11:28:00.000-04:00

It is important to remember that when you send troops into a foreign country, the soldiers you send become your diplomats - the face that represents your nation and interests. Here is an interesting little clip of how American "diplomats" are conducting themselves in Iraq. Not grotesque, but disturbing.

h/t to Tom Tomorrow

WTF?

2006-11-28T08:27:00.000-04:00

This past week I sort of faded from the blogosphere and kind of fell out of touch with news in general. No single excuse - just busy. In any case, I come back to the real world to find that Stephen Harper has proposed a motion to "recognize the Quebecois as a nation", which then sailed through Parliament without anyone actually defining either of the words "Quebecois" or "nation".

To rephrase last night's motion:

We recognize people we can't identify as something we can't define.

Is anyone else as worried as I am about what this could lead to when lawyers get hold of it?

Expressing a desire for peace...

2006-11-27T19:15:00.000-04:00

Is apparently a crime in some municipalities in the United States. Well, at least by certain Homeowner's Associations. First off, I can't understand how displaying a sign of peace as part of a Christmas decoration is a bad thing. And secondly, when they state that displaying a peace sign is offensive "when our country is at war", they will have to prove to me that their country is actually at war. Yes, the US military is at war - and 2.5 of their members are dying every day, but there is no way in hell that the nation is at war. Save for a few magnetic "we support the troops" bumper decals for their SUV's and a few poor people dying for Haliburton's profit margin, the nation is not at war. Hell, they are even getting tax cuts, that's how seriously they are at war.

No, the US is not at war and this is just another example of the self-imposed totalitarianism writ large across the soul of the United States. Well done, George, well done Dick.

Chad Vader... Day Shift Manager

2006-11-20T22:42:00.000-04:00

This is good. Not political, for a change around here, but good...

Charles Rangel: Bring back the draft

2006-11-20T09:22:00.000-04:00

There was a time when I thought that this was a bad idea, however I'm not so sure now.

The arguments Rangel make are good ones - the military needs more people and those that make the wars might be less likely to start voluntary imperial ones if they knew there was a decent chance of their kids finding themselves in the line of fire. The fact that he has proposed this twice in the last three years before now to have it rejected by the Republicans makes me suspicious that the latter reason strikes home in some.

Rumsfeld et al. have long defended the "all-volunteer" force without actually explaining that "volunteer" actually meant "for the poor with no other way out". The "all-volunteer" force effectively isolates the governing and ownership class from bearing personal responsibility for rash or poor decisions, so from my own way of thinking, in some ways a draft is not a bad idea.

It's not a bad idea, but it won't work.

Should a draft actually occur, many of the wealthy will naturally find cosy deferments as did Bush the Lesser and Cheney the Anal Cyst, and there is no reason to believe that many in Congress or the White House would actually have to face the tearful farewell Rangel threatens. Also, resistance to the draft is one of those touchstones that unites the youth in a way that I'm quite sure the government would like to avoid. Resistance to the draft galvanized American youth against the war in Vietnam because the consequences were very real for them and I don't think the Republicans, which at the best of times turns everything they touch to shit, wants to go near this issue with a barge pole, and I'd be really surprised if the rank-and-file Democrats would either.

As for the immediate problem, the under-staffed military, there is an easy solution staying within the framework of the all-volunteer force - raise interest rates a point or two. The actual fact is that there is nothing "voluntary" about the "all-volunteer" force - kids sign up when there is no other pay cheque available or when there is no other way to get to university or college. Raise interest rates and kill the economies of a few small towns and I guarantee the doors of the recruitment centres will swing wide and often.

Of course, the US economy is a precarious beast right now, and I'm not so sure that the effects of voluntarily raising interest rates would be controllable or even predictable. But then again, when did that ever stop these clods?

2006-11-17T14:47:00.000-04:00

Freudian Slip?

Well, at least we know how George Bush handled the Republican loss last week...

A shorter Rona Andrews...

2006-11-15T15:03:00.000-04:00

At the UN conference on global warming, Rona Ambrose told reporters that "there is no bad guy" on climate change. Of course she's wrong, there are lots of 'em. Everyone that does nothing to improve the situation, both in policy and at home is a "bad guy". A government that sets targets and then does precious little to meet them as did our Liberal government is a "bad guy". A government that cancels most or all programs related to cutting greenhouse gas emmissions and then redirects our efforts to smog is a "bad guy".

Says the Turd Sandwich to the conference: On the environment, the Liberals were a Giant Douche.

(Edited to remove dumb-ass misteak.)

Truth and reconcilliation on Iraq

2006-11-14T08:59:00.000-04:00

Dennis Kucinich, who I still think is a huge part of the future of the Democratic Party despite his loss in 2004, has suggested a Truth and Reconciliation commission of sorts to get to the heart of how the US military ended up in Iraq. I'm not big on the theory of psychological closure, but I agree with him that there is no way the US is going to be able to get past Iraq psychologically until all of the skeletons are out of the closet, closure or no.

As Jonathan Schwarz suggests here, the Democrats are split on whether they should go after the big Necropublican fish on this or whether they should simply try to end the war without considering how it began. This should not be allowed to happen - if lies started the war, then they must be revealed and those that started them must be fingered.