I once pitched a very small potatoes proposal to a local councillor over lunch regarding raising awareness for the need for low income housing. It involved a small voluntary gesture of public engagement.
"It'll never work," he said, not unkindly. "People will reject it on the grounds that somewhere somebody they don't know might benefit from it."
I laughed.
I laughed again when I read "Earth Hour's soft fascism" by Peter Foster in Wednesday's Fanatical Post.
"Take back the night!" he exhorts, and he's serious about it! but it's in Friday's "Don't lie down with pandas" that he gets down to it. There is, he warns, the likelihood that Earth Hour will give its sponsor WWF not only power but "the potential for earning big bucks" so "keep those lights burning brightly between 8 and 9 on Saturday night".
What a complete ass.
Canadian Cynic links to Foster's amusing blogging counterparts in the rightardosphere who apparently celebrated their own voluntary gesture of public engagement on Saturday night by running their dishwashers with no dishes in them and seeing how high they could crank the thermostat before they passed out in a pile of cheetohs from heat prostration.
From CC's comments :
"i suppose that means that when i launch 'world hygiene hour' we can expect matthew and kate's kult kids to shit their own pants in defiance. hmm, i guess i should get cracking on organizing 'no drowning in the toilet' hour too."
by pretty shaved ape
and
"Anyways, don't forget folks, Monday, April 7 is our first annual Lib-Left-sponsored "Don't Slash Your Wrists Day." And of course Friday June 6 is Latte-Sipping-Torontonians-sponsored "Don't Drink 750 ml of Vodka and Swallow Two (2) Fistfuls of Sleeping Pills Day."
Fall schedule should be available any time now."
by ¢rÄßG®äŠŠ
Heh. Earth Hour has turned out to be more humorous than I expected.
H/T Vanity Pressfor the Foster link
Update : 30 million people worldwide turned out the lights at 8pm but they were still burning at Harper's house and his third floor office in the parliament buildings.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
The Liberals have left the building...
there are no more sharks left to jump, and the fat lady isn't gonna sing for the likes of you.
The above graphic is from Thursday's Ottawa Citizen.
I added the percentages on the right from the accompanying article which also includes the average number of votes in the House from each party :
Con MPs voted an average of 73 times out of a possible total of 76
The Bloc - 71......NDP - 68......Libs - 49
It's a vicious circle : Canadians and particularly liberals are demoralized by this wretched performance on the part of the Libs so naturally the Libs don't rise in the polls. This causes the Libs to decide they don't have sufficient public support to risk triggering an election they may not win and so they abstain and/or vote with the Cons some more.
PS : Dear Libbies : I don't ever want to hear about the NDP propping up the Cons ever again. Ever.
H/T The Vanity Press
Friday, March 28, 2008
Manley : "Winning the hearts and minds"
Former Liberal deputy prime minister John Manley in Tuesday's G&M : "...the Independent Panel on Canada's Future Role in Afghanistan was a roaring success. Embraced by the government, it provided the Official Opposition enough room to be able to reach a consensus with the government."
Thanks for spelling that out, John.Yes, we did realize the main purpose of your panel of hawks and deep integrationists was to give the Libs the necessary cover to be able to vote with the Cons to continue Operation Enduring Freedom. As Thomas Walkom put it back in October :
"It is not about Afghanistan. It is about the US.
In 2004, Paul Martin's Liberal government decided that the best way to keep Washington happy was to commit combat soldiers to Afghanistan.
In effect, he decided to risk Canadian lives in Kandahar to keep trucks rolling across the Detroit River. As did Harper."
But, as Manley explains, we could be doing so much more in "winning the hearts and minds"!*
"To get the needed results, we recommended that the Prime Minister personally lead a diplomatic initiative, making Canada's voice heard to a degree commensurate with our sacrifice. The objective would be not simply additional troops in Kandahar, but a comprehensive political-military plan for NATO, the UN and participating countries."
World stage! World stage! Putting Canada on the world stage!
Plus that definite termination date is apparently totally negotiable :
"Afghanistan's development and governance challenges will not be fully met by 2011. Let's hope it's not necessary to create another panel in 2010 to advise on Canada's role after 2011."
*Yes, he really did say "winning the hearts and minds"
Flash Gordo and Pacific Spirit Park
Ross at The Gazetteer is calling out all blogging muskateers and associates to help save Pacific Spirit Park from residential development. In yet another bait and switch real estate blackmail ploy from the premier's office, a long overdue settlement with the Musqueam First Nation is being twinned with building condos in the park. So do you want to see the Musqueam fairly recompensed for their land or don't you? It's classic Gordo.
Ross suggests there is a third way but today he's concentrating on getting a message to the Metro Vancouver Board of Directors who are meeting today - yikes! - behind closed doors, and he provides you with links to your reps. Go.
Friday Update : Well, that meeting didn't go too well.
B.C. sets expropriation without compensation precedent
"A provincial law that gives Victoria the power to expropriate chunks of Pacific Spirit regional park without any financial compensation to Metro Vancouver is unprecedented in B.C., a lawyer for the regional government says."
Plus the legislation includes this handy clause : " 'no legal proceedings for damages or compensation ' can be filed against the B.C. government."
The irony of Metro Van now being in more or less the same position endured by the Musqueam First Nation up till now will not be lost on anyone but that doesn't make it right. In fact the particular piece of expropriated parkland was not even in play until a campaign fundraiser for Premier Campbell kicked up unholy hell about losing the golf course : Give Musqueam piece of Pacific Spirit Park instead of golf course
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Steve and Sandra send in the drones
Dear Con aficionados of talk radio and Steno mini-Steves:
It's bad enough that the Cons think you are too stupid to articulate in your own words why you are a Con; it's rather worse that you apparently go along with this assessment.
and ditto letters to the editor.
Monday, March 24, 2008
SPP and the Canada-Israel "border" update
Remember this?
Israel and U.S. Sign Homeland Security Pact
Rebecca Anna Stoil, Jerusalem Post, Feb 8, 2007
"Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter and his US counterpart, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, signed a joint memorandum in Washington DC on Wednesday evening, setting a series of goals and terms for security collaboration between the two nations.
The joint understanding included partnership on flight security, including passenger and cargo inspection and information sharing on the topic of emergency planning, response, recovery and damage control.
Dichter, who is on a four-day diplomatic visit to North America, was recently officially appointed as Israel's diplomatic counterpart to Chertoff. The former Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) head is widely recognized in Washington as an expert in counter-terrorism, particularly following a nine-month stint as a fellow at the D.C. Brookings Institute think tank.
"Iran is the largest terrorist state in the world," Dichter said late Tuesday night to members of the public security committee of the Canadian parliament. Moving from discussing geopolitics to talking shop with the Canadian lawmakers, Dichter laid out what he believes to be the guidelines for Canadian-Israeli security cooperation in the future, possibly similar to the agreement that the minister signed a day later in Washington DC."
Minister Dicter and Canadian counterpart present joint statement
State of Israel Ministry of Public Security, Oct 30, 2007
"A meeting was held on the 29th of October, 2007 between the Canadian Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Mr. Stockwell Day, and Minister Dicter.
...for preventing and fighting home land securities issues....
...to maximize the exchange of information, technology and operational activity...
...cooperation in home land security and counter terrorism issues.
• Counterterrorism and Crime
• Emergency preparedness
• Border crossing security, focusing on biometric identification"
Canada and Israel Sign Declaration to Cooperate on Public Safety
Public Safety Canada, Mar 23, 2008
"1. To prioritize and manage cooperation in the following areas within the responsibility of the Ministries:
Border management and security, including biometric applications
2. To achieve the following objectives:
Build on their shared commitment to facilitate and enhance cooperation to protect their respective countries’ population, assets and interests from common threats."
Just an agreement by a couple of US client states, both of whom make war on their indigenous populations, signed in the wake of Dick Cheney.
Israel and U.S. Sign Homeland Security Pact
Rebecca Anna Stoil, Jerusalem Post, Feb 8, 2007
"Internal Security Minister Avi Dichter and his US counterpart, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, signed a joint memorandum in Washington DC on Wednesday evening, setting a series of goals and terms for security collaboration between the two nations.
The joint understanding included partnership on flight security, including passenger and cargo inspection and information sharing on the topic of emergency planning, response, recovery and damage control.
Dichter, who is on a four-day diplomatic visit to North America, was recently officially appointed as Israel's diplomatic counterpart to Chertoff. The former Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) head is widely recognized in Washington as an expert in counter-terrorism, particularly following a nine-month stint as a fellow at the D.C. Brookings Institute think tank.
"Iran is the largest terrorist state in the world," Dichter said late Tuesday night to members of the public security committee of the Canadian parliament. Moving from discussing geopolitics to talking shop with the Canadian lawmakers, Dichter laid out what he believes to be the guidelines for Canadian-Israeli security cooperation in the future, possibly similar to the agreement that the minister signed a day later in Washington DC."
Minister Dicter and Canadian counterpart present joint statement
State of Israel Ministry of Public Security, Oct 30, 2007
"A meeting was held on the 29th of October, 2007 between the Canadian Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Mr. Stockwell Day, and Minister Dicter.
...for preventing and fighting home land securities issues....
...to maximize the exchange of information, technology and operational activity...
...cooperation in home land security and counter terrorism issues.
• Counterterrorism and Crime
• Emergency preparedness
• Border crossing security, focusing on biometric identification"
Canada and Israel Sign Declaration to Cooperate on Public Safety
Public Safety Canada, Mar 23, 2008
"1. To prioritize and manage cooperation in the following areas within the responsibility of the Ministries:
Border management and security, including biometric applications
2. To achieve the following objectives:
Build on their shared commitment to facilitate and enhance cooperation to protect their respective countries’ population, assets and interests from common threats."
Just an agreement by a couple of US client states, both of whom make war on their indigenous populations, signed in the wake of Dick Cheney.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
I can has cheezburger removr?
The Consumerist takes on Complaint Remover, a company that advertises it will rid the internet of "defamatory" and "negative links" about you.
How? Apparently "by positioning links on the Search Engines and by appeals to law to remove negative information. We send cease and desist letters and if necessary, file legal actions against the perpetrators and Internet service providers contributing to the unjust defamation of our members".
Holy googlebomb! Does the worst president ever know about this?
The Consumerist hits the Complaint Remover chatroom. :
"Hello My name is Kelly. Is there something I can help you with today?
Consumerist : Does your company work on all of the internets?
Kelly: Yes we remove negative links from all erch engines google or aol, or yahoo
Consumerist : How does that work? How are you able to get another company to get rid of something that's part of their business?
Kelly: We push the negative links back in serch engines so nobody will see that ones
Consumerist : So you like make new internets and push the bad internets down?
Kelly: Yes
Consumerist : My keywords are lolcats. I have a cat breeding business and people keep making pictures of cats with derogatory phrases on them. It's hampering my ability to attract new clients
Kelly: just a seccond please. ok wich one of those you want to be pushed back ?"
Oh noes. But what about the unfettered democracy and free speech of the intertubes? And spelling?
Commenters at Boing Boing and The Consumerist go to work pranking CR and uncovering IPs and holy shit! this version of CR is a giant ethical leap forward from an alleged previous incarnation which included sending nasty death threats on behalf of its "members".
Go read the rest. Why? Well, because it's very funny, especially the commenters' forays into the CR chatroom, but also because if The Consumerist story gets enough hits, anyone googling up Complaints Remover will continue to get The Consumerist instead.
I luvs teh intertubes. Srsly.
Chocolate Theology 101
Thursday, March 20, 2008
IOC goes for the gold in the Darfur and Tibet events
The Star : "European Union sports ministers and Olympic committees said yesterday that they would not support calls for a boycott because they're not effective and that sports and politics should not be linked, a position echoed by the Canadian Olympic Committee's top official.
"I think particularly to use the athletes who have made so many sacrifices, to use them as pawns in a game that is politically, idealistically and socially very complicated would be unfortunate," said Chris Rudge, CEO of the COC. "I don't think we can ask one constituency, which are a force for good, to stand up and act on everyone's behalf."
Yes, it would be terrible if athletes were used as pawns, wouldn't it, Chris?
Because as we all know, the Olympics is all about running and skipping and jumping, and not at all about Coca-Cola, McDonald's, Adidas, and General Electric putting up millions to increase their market share in China.
Well, you know what they say : You can catch more flies with money than with vinegar.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
SPP and the Environmental Pro-business Agency
Environmental Protection Agency Press Release
"(3/17/08) On Tuesday, March 18, EPA Administrator *Stephen L. Johnson will give the keynote address at the Global Chemical Regulation Conference, attended by more than 300 chemical industry regulatory, environmental and health officials, in Baltimore, Md. The administrator will outline the agency's commitment to the North American chemical cooperation goals included in the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) Meeting last August in Montebello, Canada, between President Bush and his Canadian and Mexican counterparts. [snip]
Jim Gulliford, EPA's Assistant Administrator for the Office of Pesticides, Prevention, and Toxic Substances, will also give presentations on the specifics of the SPP chemical assessment and management goals.
Facilities will be set up to accommodate members of the press."
Specifics? Facilities for the press?
Well then that's great because if some reporter from Baltimore happens to write about it for their paper, then there's a chance that Canadians will also get to hear what "the North American chemical cooperation goals" and "the specifics of the SPP chemical assessment and management goals" are all about!
*Why, yes, Stephen L. Johnson is the Bush-appointed idiot head of EPA who just "justified blocking California from cracking down on auto emissions by saying global warming isn't unique to the state", yes, indeed he is.
"(3/17/08) On Tuesday, March 18, EPA Administrator *Stephen L. Johnson will give the keynote address at the Global Chemical Regulation Conference, attended by more than 300 chemical industry regulatory, environmental and health officials, in Baltimore, Md. The administrator will outline the agency's commitment to the North American chemical cooperation goals included in the Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP) Meeting last August in Montebello, Canada, between President Bush and his Canadian and Mexican counterparts. [snip]
Jim Gulliford, EPA's Assistant Administrator for the Office of Pesticides, Prevention, and Toxic Substances, will also give presentations on the specifics of the SPP chemical assessment and management goals.
Facilities will be set up to accommodate members of the press."
Specifics? Facilities for the press?
Well then that's great because if some reporter from Baltimore happens to write about it for their paper, then there's a chance that Canadians will also get to hear what "the North American chemical cooperation goals" and "the specifics of the SPP chemical assessment and management goals" are all about!
*Why, yes, Stephen L. Johnson is the Bush-appointed idiot head of EPA who just "justified blocking California from cracking down on auto emissions by saying global warming isn't unique to the state", yes, indeed he is.
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