Category: Politics

At the end of the day they choose the nerd.

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We’re a bit dozy today. We were out until 2:00ish last night celebrating CB’s birthday with dinner at Rain and drinks at the Chez Victor bar, and didn’t end up going to sleep until 3:30 (see below). We feel fine (which I suspect is better than how CB’s feeling this morning) but we’re still just tired. We’re trying to figure out how we can not go outside at all today. So far it’s our inability to conjure groceries from the air that’s getting in the way.

By the way, driving through clubland at 2 in the morning gives you a brief but entertaining glimpse into the drunk, retarded & homogeneous segment of our population.

.:.

Because I was still completely awake when we got home I decided to watch the Leafs/Canadiens game, recorded earlier in the evening. It’s the first time I’ve been able to watch a Habs game in hi-def, and what an amazing game it was. The Canadiens were atrocious in the first period, just pathetic. Down 2-0 nothing early, and it wasn’t even that close. They managed to claw back into the game though, on the back of Saku Koivu, who practically willed two shots into the net. It went to overtime, then to a shootout, where Sheldon Souray (of all people) scored the winning goal.

Honestly, the Canadiens were lucky to get this one. They twice spotted the Leafs 2-goal leads, were outshot (and outplayed) badly in the first and parts of the second, and watched the final Leafs shootout attempt go off the crossbar. What really seemed to give them life was Francis Bouillon knocking Darcy Tucker out with a straight right to the nose after Tucker had run him into the boards. There were a bunch of big hits all night, and Mike Komisarek had an all-out war with Mats Sundin, so passions were running high…it must’ve been a hard loss for the Leafs to take.

.:.

Stephane Dion, Liberal party leader. I certainly didn’t expect that, but I can’t say I’m disappointed. It’ll be interesting to see what happens in the next election though. As Rick Mercer put it,

“Liberals see a saviour who will bring them back to power and the Tories are rubbing their hands in glee over the prospect of heading into battle against a French guy who has a dog named Kyoto.”

Please god…no more dog jokes.

[tags]rain lounge, maple leafs, canadiens, stephane dion, liberal party, rick mercer[/tags]

Suck it up and buy a vacuum

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Most Canadians prefer fake christmas trees to real ones. Therefore, most Canadians are nimrods. The most annoying thing about artificial tree makers? They now insist on calling their products “everlasting” instead.

.:.

I just got some dark chocolate in the mail, courtesy of Stanzi. Nothin’ beats mail chocolate.

.:.

Also courtesy of Stanzi (sort of) we got our first shipment from Green Earth Organics today. After she posted a picture of their produce on her blog we signed up…not that I have any particular desire for organic food, but because I have to admit to myself that I’ll be much more likely to eat good produce if it’s brought to my door than if I’m left to buy it. We’re not sold on the quality yet though; the greens seemed pretty slimy. Maybe it’s a one-time thing, or maybe it’s just what you live with when you buy organic. We’ll give it a few weeks and, if it doesn’t get better, figure out a plan B.

.:.

Canadiens goaltender Cristobal Huet has the best SV% and GAA in the NHL, but he was left off the all-star ballot. Surely that must’ve stung a bit, but what does he do? He gets a shutout in his next start. Suck it, NHL.

.:.

The tories are finally putting the same-sex marriage debate back in the house. Good. Let’s get it over with and move on already.

[tags]dark chocolate, green earth organics, cristobal huet, canadiens, same-sex marriage debate, fake christmas trees[/tags]

Adverse to human health and happiness indeed

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The Bush administration has appointed Eric Keroack head of the federal Office of Population Affairs, which is responsible for federal family planning program and budgets. Dr. Keroack is also the medical director of A Woman’s Concern, “an organization that opposes premarital sex, contraception and abortion.”

My guess is that this is Bush’s way of saying “fuck you” to the Democrats, who can do little about this, if anything at all.

.:.

Making a Johnny Cash / Neko Case concert CD doesn’t make much sense. Then again, maybe it makes all kinds of sense.

.:.

If you haven’t checked out today’s Daily Dose of Imagery, you really should. In general, if you don’t look at that site every day, you really should.

[tags]bush, eric keroack, office of population affairs, johnny cash, neko case, daily dose of imagery[/tags]

Reasonable accommodation

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The Toronto Star asks the following question:

What to do if you’re a [Montreal] policewoman trying to take a statement from a Hasidic Jew who refuses to look at you, never mind answer questions?

Well, how about you treat them like anyone else who refuses to look at you or answer questions? Would it be acceptable for a citizen to ignore a black cop or refuse to answer his questions so long as the citizen is a avowed racist? Of course not. So why is discrimination somehow more palatable when it comes dressed as religion?

I suppose we could always ask gay people.

[tags]montreal, hasidic jews, women, police[/tags]

Casting stones

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While I don’t like to revel in people’s misfortunes, I admit to feeling a tiny bit of satisfaction that Ted Haggard has been caught showing the very human tendencies that he calls sins.

Because Haggard was so active in the political arena, the accusations against him have political ramifications. I’ve seen interviews with the man, including his infamous dust-up with Richard Dawkins, heard his claims that he speaks personally with President Bush on matters of religion and morality, and read about his track record on trying to prevent gay marriage. By being caught practicing that which he definitely does not preach, he may weaken the cause of the so-called evangelical movement. This, ironically, may be the most Christian thing he has ever done.

The accusations of drug use and hiring a gay escort haven’t been proven; even if they are, they’re generally regarded as minor offenses if anything. Again, more irony: the fact that he may enjoy gay sex is not that big a deal to many people, but was made into a greater sin in the public eye by Ted Haggard and people just like him.

[tags]ted haggard, gay marriage[/tags]

What's the Deal With the Hulk's Pants?

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Via Cinematical we learn that Bill O’Reilly is very concerned about horror movies. What delicious irony; most of the world thinks that Bill O’Reilly is a horror movie.

.:.

Seen Reading is a very cool little blog written by Julie Wilson, set here in Toronto, where she spots what people are reading and writes about it online. I’ve found a new favourite morning read. [via Torontoist]

.:.

My brother points out why you should always read more than just one newspaper. Bonus: if you stick around for the comments, you can see him flick a narrow-minded Ontarian in the ear. Metaphorically, of course.

.:.

Right, off to dinner.

[tags]cinematical, bill o’reilly, seen reading, julie wilson[/tags]

Pepsi sounds kinda like peptic. Coincidence?

Dan Dickinson2 Comments

I just can’t get over American political attack ads. Check out this example from the Globe and Mail:

“If Brad Miller had his way, America would be nothing but one big fiesta for illegal aliens and homosexuals,” the ad says, as mariachi music plays in the background.

Of course there was some fuss earlier in the week about a racist attack ad aimed at Harold Ford Jr., since pulled. It also got a lot of attention north of the border as it took a swipe at Canada staying out of the Iraq war. It didn’t really bother me that much, especially once I saw the rest of the ad. Why should it? Since when should we care what a racist, or someone who’d stoop to racism, thinks about our military record?

.:.

NBC will not show ads for the new documentary about the Dixie Chicks, Shut Up And Sing, but the speed with which the production company jumped on the story…I don’t know, it just smells like a publicity play to me.

.:.

So, I think I might have an ulcer. Or maybe just really bad heartburn; I’m not sure yet. Basically I’ve had heartburn since I got back from the Rockies three weeks ago; a couple of days ago I started watching what I ate and have drunk only milk, and the heartburn’s gone. I even had some hot sauce on my eggs this morning and a Diet Pepsi around noon and I feel fine. I was under the impression that ulcers were caused by stress, but that’s not the case…which makes sense, ’cause I never feel stressed. I’m a very happy guy, despite what some people think. Anyway, I’m fairly certain the cause is the 3-can-a-day Diet Pepsi habit (or more; in my Delano days I got so little sleep that I drank 4 or 5 a day just to stay awake) I’ve had for several years now. Obviously, and probably for more reasons than just stomach acid, it’s time to give that up. What’s really going to suck is that I’ll now be giving up meat and Diet Pepsi at the same time. Worse yet, I need to lose weight, so chocolate’s probably off the menu for a while as well. No meat, chocolate or DP; November’s gonna be a fucker of a month.

.:.

In happier news, we’re gonna go see a movie tonight (D.O.A.P.) with CBGB, it’s my nephew’s birthday, tonight our clocks fall back and it’s less than 8 weeks ’til I’m back on the farm for the holidays. Sounds like my whole family (including the afore-mentioned nephew and my nieces) will be there as well. I’m looking forward to it since we weren’t all together at the same time last year.

[tags]attack ads, harold ford jr, nbc, dixie chicks, ulcer, diet pepsi, death of a president[/tags]

Kaizen

Dan DickinsonLeave a comment

Things seem bad sometimes. Manufactured wars. Constant, seemingly unresolvable violence in the middle east. Discrimination by religion, race, gender, sexual orientation and so on. Disingenuous, corrupt politicians. Disease. Neighbourhood crime. Rob Schneider. The list goes on; these things, and the way they’re reported, tend to make us feel as if the world is crumbling around our ears. These things certainly frustrate me, but I often think about something I heard Noam Chomsky say once.

A student attending one of Chomsky’s speeches asked him what we could do to turn things around, as the world was just getting worse and worse all the time. Normally you’d expect quite a pessimistic answer from Chomsky, but he replied that the student was way off, that life over, say, the last century has gotten — on the whole — much better.

I agree with him. There are still wars, still empires, still injustices, but there is progress. Most countries now reject aristocracy and elect candidates to positions of power. In most countries people can, to varying degrees, publicly decry unfair treatment or criticize the sitting government with little fear of reprisal. Personal freedoms are, more or less, at an all time high; it wasn’t long ago that women couldn’t vote and black people were forced to drink from separate water fountains. While too many people still live in impoverished conditions, it’s fewer now (on a percentage basis) than 200 years ago. Life expectancy has skyrocketed as diseases are cured and treatments discovered. And so on.

I’m even confident that issues like global warming, which — to my generation — seems like a circus of head-burying and political machinations, will eventually be solved. Just as it has done with every other seemingly insurmountable obstacle, mankind will slowly, irrevocably do the right thing, in spite of the conservative naysayers and authoritarian oppressors. Just
gotta keep on keepin’ on.

But first, I gotta get some sleep.

[tags]noam chomsky, kaizen[/tags]