Category: News

The invisible hand has a cramp

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Good news: a new Arcade Fire album doesn’t seem too far off.

Bad news: Sleater-Kinney has broken up. One of the best — if not the best — rock band in North America has called it quits, and were on the upswing when they did it; their last album was their best (and the best album to be released in all of 2005, in my opinion). I will miss their music a great deal.

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When a guy who obviously understands the free market system as well as Warren Buffett says “A market system has not worked in terms of poor people,” you know there’s something wrong. No wonder he’s donating $31 billion to charity.

[tags]arcade fire, sleater-kinney, warren buffett[/tags]

Solid and sound

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Ummm…I didn’t hear this. Or anything about it on the news. But it would explain why there were police cars all over the neighbourhood this morning.

Police are looking for a number of suspects, after a Toronto bouncer was shot at. A fight broke out, outside the Brass Rail on Yonge, between the bouncer and some patrons, around 2:15. One of the patrons pulled a gun and fired. Luckily it just grazed the bouncer’s chest and he’ll be ok.

The Rail is, of course, right around the corner from us, so it’s weird that there was gunfire right there. But then, I don’t plan to ever be in a fight outside the brass rail at 2:15 AM, let alone be a bouncer trying to break it up, so I’m not too worried.

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From the BBC: US Vice-President Dick Cheney has condemned as ‘offensive’ US media disclosures of a secret programme that probes global financial transactions.

“What I find most disturbing is the fact that some in the media take it upon themselves to disclose vital national security programmes, thereby making it more difficult for us to prevent future attacks against the American people.”

Sounds scary, no? Until you read something like this, courtesy of Hermann Goering:

“Of course the people don’t want war. But after all, it’s the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it’s always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it’s a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger.”

Sounds scarier now, doesn’t it?

"We will have to respond properly and appropriately at the time"

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Interesting how Iran is the country that’s getting all the sabre-rattling these days when North Korea’s being much more aggressive. I suspect this has less to do with wanting to avoid conflict (although North Korea’s a less attractive prize, oil-wise) and more to do the fact that China wouldn’t suffer a military invasion on their doorstep any more than the US would tolerate an invasion of Cuba.
[tags]north korea, iran, nuclear, missile[/tags]

World-class sport, world-class shame

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I, like TimmyD, really only care about football when the World Cup or Euro are on, but when it’s on I love it. Toronto turns into a never-ending mobile party (depending on who wins), and I feel no particular anxiety because I haven’t a favourite team. It’s great entertainment.

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Three Guantanamo Bay prisoners commit suicide, and the commanding officer calls it “an act of war”. Let’s get this straight: you invade their country, take them prisoner, deny them their Geneva Convention rights and hold them for as many as four years…and by committing suicide they have committed an act of war against you?

Rear Admiral Harry Harris, you have truly jumped up your own ass.

[tags]fifa, world cup, guantanamo bay, suicide, rear admiral harry harris[/tags]

Preach, Rupert

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The Independent tells it like it is:

“Iraq is going to hell in a hand-basket. The trade and budget deficits are spinning out of control, and petrol prices have gone through the roof. Yet the US Senate has devoted two days to a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage that everyone knew had not the slightest hope of passage.

In the event the body that calls itself – without a blush of embarrassment – the ‘greatest deliberative body on Earth’ yesterday backed by 49-48 a procedural motion to end debate and bring the measure to a formal vote.”

I think it’s more than Iraq that’s going to hell in a hand-basket.

[tags]the independent, gay marriage, us senate[/tags]

57.53%

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Reading Toronto holds up Timothy Findley’s Headhunter as an example of what the city might be like if there’s an avian flu crisis. Hopefully, though, without the insane librarians loosing characters from books into the real world.

Speaking of Headhunter, I know I lent my copy to someone years ago, but I can’t remember who.

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The Onion takes a swing at Canada’s recent terror suspect arrests.

“See, when folks aren’t all consumed by how they’re going to pay for their operations and stuff, they start getting notions about blowing up landmarks.”

Beautiful.

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I seem to be developing a cold at the worst possible time: crunch time, two days before the exam. On the plus side, we have a little more time to prepare our paper(s) than I expected, so I’m not worried about time. For once.

[tags]reading toronto, timothy findley, avian flu, onion, toronto terrorism, mba[/tags]

"How many tall office towers are there in Toronto?"

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I guess it was only a matter of time before a suspected terrorist plot was broken up in Canada; terrorists generally don’t seem to take issue with particular national boundaries so much as with ideologies or religious differences. There was a sense in Canada that we were too small, bland or nice to be targeted by terrorists, but those folks aren’t exactly known for their logical approach to their trade.

So…a big thank you to the investigators who spent time on this and apprehended the suspects. I’m glad they were on the job if the threats are as serious we’ve heard today. That said, here’s hoping they got the right men; with the new counter-terrorism laws, the authorities can hold pretty much anyone for as long as they like on charges of suspected terrorism. It also goes without saying that I hope they got all their men.
Oh, and once again, the Toronto Sun showed their journalistic prowess by saying on the front page that the TTC was a target, when in fact the police have confirmed that it wasn’t. Bravo.

[tags]canada, terrorism, toronto sun, ttc[/tags]

Adequate transit is just a fantasy, can you live this fantasy adequate transit?

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Interesting Smart Economist article on the economic effects of an aging population. Among the more interesting statistics:

  • In 1950, the median age in developed countries was 29; by 2000, the median age had risen to 37, and by 2050 this figure is projected to rise to 45.
  • In Japan, in 1950, there were 9.3 people under 20 for every person aged 65 and older; by 2030, this ratio is predicted to fall to 0.59.
  • Between 2003 and 2030, the fraction of elderly voters in the United States will rise from 19.8% to 30.5%.
  • In 2005, the US government spent nearly 6.5% of GDP on transfers to the elderly; a shift of 10% of the population into retirement would cause federal transfers to increase by 4.7% of GDP — or over $500 billion.

That Japan statistic stunned me.

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Spacing points to this fantasy TTC map. Now that’d be pretty sweet…the airport connection, the line that runs up to where I go “away” on course, the Beach, Skydome (love the anti-Rogers station name!), and so on. Sigh…instead we’re stuck with a service prone to underfunding operated by a union prone to tantrums.

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Umm…that’s some Aldo Nova in the title. In case you were wondering.

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Three-armed babies freak me out.

[tags]economics, aging population, fantasy ttc, aldo nova, three armed baby[/tags]

Bland & blander

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

This video, found via Antonia Zerbisias, shows you what war really looks like in Iraq, and it’s not what we see on the 11:00 news. Warning: not for the particularly squeamish.

In related news, Mohamed ElBaradei is warning the world not to jump the gun with Iran:

“Iran does not pose an immediate nuclear threat and the world must act cautiously to avoid repeating mistakes made with Iraq and North Korea.”

‘Course, he’s just the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency and a Nobel peace prize winner, so what does he know?

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The new Snow Patrol and Pilate discs are not very good, unfortunately. Very bland. Like hearing the same Coldplay song again and again.

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Speaking of bland…I finished watching a documentary called Going Upriver: The Long War Of John Kerry (imdb | rotten tomatoes). It was released in 2004, before the presidential election, in part to counter the “Swiftboat” attack ads targeting Kerry’s military service. As skewed as it was, it was interesting to see the context around why we saw that shot of Kerry testifying before Congress in his ODs. It was also maddening to know that the young, courageous, eloquent John Kerry had his idealism ground out of him through years of politics and image scrubbing, leaving nothing but a bland, wishy-washy mouthpiece.

[tags]iran, nuclear, mohamed elbaradei, snow patrol, pilate, coldplay, john kerry, swiftboat, going upriver[/tags]