Category: News

Happy Canada Day indeed

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This morning the Globe and Mail replays some blog and newsgroup postings by the wives of some of the recently captured Canadian terror suspects. It’s not terrifying so much as it’s sad; as loathsome as their statements are, it’s obvious that these are the rantings of two women who obviously are not the sharpest knives in the drawer (one of them’s just a kid), and who are just parroting Jihadist rhetoric.

But what’s really terrifying is the comment section. These statements are as bad as anything the women posted online:

  • “The veil should be illegal…you live in Canada….any other citizen running around in a mask would be interogated”
  • “I’m sure that allah and/or muhammed didn’t expect muslims to become the sorriest, cruelest, least cultured, most hateful people in the world”
  • “[W]e should not let anyone in this country with different social values”
  • “I’m not sure we shouldn’t throw out the baby, the bathwater and the BATHTUB containing the Muslim immigration pool, until we have a better handle on it”
  • “You people are a very good reason and example of why we should not be importing individuals from Islamic countries”
  • “[T]hey need to be weeded out of civilized society by every means possible – including control on constitutional rights, if that’s what it takes to destroy this plague – the free world needs to eradicate it like the disease it is”
  • “These wackos are right about one thing, we should round this group up and deport the whole bunch of them…On a different point, is it a good idea to have the father of one or two of these traitors prescribing medicine to our soldiers?”
  • “Send them to Afganistan where they can joing their beloved Taliban and hopefully be bombed into the hereafter that they covet so much”
  • “Personally I think if these people are convicted we should send them to gitmo north, but let’s move it north of Iqaluit first”
  • “When you have people of a religion who’s sole desire is to murder the innocent Men, Women, and Chileren in the Name of their Religion, then you need to truly ask the question is that religion a loving and kind religion”
  • “I believe that we are at the point where we should no longer accept immigrants from Muslim Countries”
  • “[T]he only difference between a militant and a moderate muslim is the length of their beards”
  • “Happy Canada day to all who love our country and to the rest, may we soon hunt you down and eliminate you before you eliminate us!”

One of the early commenters tried valiantly to make some sense of what these women had posted, to explain how these women could arrive at such a mindset. Another, later on, asked the commenters for reason. Sadly, reasoned arguments were hard to come by in this post.

I feel sick to my stomach after reading this.

[tags]terrorism, bigotry, multiculturalism, hate[/tags]

Mystery white boy

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

One step closer to a movie about Jeff Buckley. Wonder if Brad Pitt’s still interested. He might be a little long in the tooth now.

.:.

Some of the headlining films for the Toronto film festival were announced today. I’m excited to see a couple of recent Cannes winners: The Wind That Shakes The Barley and Babel. I think we might actually see 15 movies this year.

.:.

OK…first of all, why is CNN giving commentary space to James Dobson? Second, I wonder if Dobson ever sits back and wonders just how much of a backwards, close-minded dick he’ll sound like a generation from now? In fact, that he could possibly compare denying gay people marriage rights to the struggle to end slavery is beyond feebleminded.

[tags]jeff buckley, wind that shakes the barley, babel, james dobson, irrelevant windbag, gay marriage[/tags]

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.

.:.

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

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

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.

.:.

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"

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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.

.:.

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

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

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%

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

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.

.:.

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.

.:.

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?"

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

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.

.:.

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.

.:.

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

.:.

Three-armed babies freak me out.

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