Sukuki Slyly Slithers Sideways

David Suzuki, noticeably absent from the Cancun climate confab, has surfaced today with this Torstar piece. He opens thusly:

In a recent article on CBC’s website, political commentator Scott Reid wrote that I don’t “give a damn” about the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Cancun, Mexico.

Reid, who was former prime minister Paul Martin’s communications director, is correct that I was “fed up and had little time for Cancun, assuming the political will to respond to the pressing threat of climate change at this forum was all but nil.”

So Dr. Suzuki is "fed up" and has "little time" for climate conferences when he recognizes the political winds are not blowing his way. But isn't Global Warming/Climate Change/Global Climate Disruption the most important issue of our time?

But there’s nothing that concerns me more than the threat of climate change and the necessity of world leaders to deal with the crisis. I’ve just seen the futility of trying to get our current government to act in any meaningful way at the UN talks, and I agree with David Suzuki Foundation staff that our efforts are better placed elsewhere.

So it is the most important issue of our time but you and the staff at your foundation have chosen to concentrate your efforts elsewhere? Define elsewhere. Of course Dr. Suzuki never clearly defines "elsewhere" but what he does say gives a clue.

In Canada, though, we can accomplish more by working with municipal and provincial governments, and with thousands of concerned citizens, than trying to get the federal government to act on global warming. Our work around clean-energy solutions and other ways to resolve climate issues — and help steer Canada toward the emerging clean-energy economy — is more in line with initiatives such as Ontario’s plan to phase out coal power and create incentives to attract clean-energy technologies, B.C.’s implementation of a carbon tax that increases over time, and the City of Vancouver’s bold Greenest City initiative.

Of course, that’s not enough to confront a global problem like climate change, but if leadership is lacking at the top, we must build from the ground up.

I do give a damn about the UN climate talks. I only wish our government did.

Never mind, Carry on.

Syncro

The Mathematically and Morally Challenged Montreal Gazette

With Quebec Premier Jean Charest weathering a storm of controversy surrounding allegations of corruption ranging from judicial appointments to construction contracts it isn't surprising that an online petition calling for his resignation is gaining strength.

Other unsurprising news includes this editorial response from the Montreal Gazette.


An online petition demanding the resignation of Jean Charest is an amusing novelty. And so it is spreading, and the number of signatures is growing, with the same "viral" speed shown by various previous amusing Internet novelties: cute kittens, funny ads, "Hail Mary" pass videos, droll examples of the Photoshopper's art, and Quebec's own "Star Wars Kid." The petition is about as meaningful as all that nonsense, too. "

Quebecers should be careful what they wish for. The political landscape, from left to centre (there is no electoral right in Quebec) is not exactly studded with prominent potential successors jostling for a chance to solve our problems. Better the devil you know ... "

We wonder, too, how many of those who are signing the petition bothered to vote in the last election.

So the MG position is that this petition is silly, meaningless, there is no other leadership alternative and it's probably signed by yahoos who don't bother to vote.

Really? This led me to wonder how many naive folks have signed the petition but that information is nowhere to be found in the body of the Gazette piece. What I did find was It seems it has garnered over 174,000 + signatures since Monday.

Now let's compare that to the coverage by The Montreal Gazette regarding another recent online petition, specifically, Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament.

Frustration with and anger at Stephen Harper’s decision to prorogue Parliament spilled from the Internet onto the streets Saturday, as tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered at rallies across Canada.
..........


The decision to prorogue Parliament, the second in just over a year, sparked a backlash, especially online, where a Facebook group opposing the move grew to include more than 211,000 members.

..........


It was White’s Facebook group, Canadians Against Proroguing Parliament, that got the protest ball rolling and has attracted more than 211,000 members since Harper announced his decision on the second-last day of the year.


The tone of the two pieces are definitely different but putting that aside let's just do the math. The most recent piece by the Gazette failed to mention any numbers regarding the Charest petition while the total of the CAPP petition was noted twice in the same article.

The Charest petition has garnered nearly 175,ooo signatures in four days from a presumed population of 7.5 million Quebec citizens. In contrast the CAPP petition accumulated 211,000 signatures in a little over three weeks from a presumed pool of 36 million Canadians.

That said, would anybody care to speculate on which petition is more significant?

Syncro

Dalton McGuinty...Our Very Own Earl Hickey

This from the Torstar:

Whatever storms Dalton McGuinty had to weather inside the Legislature on Tuesday, there was another one waiting when he left work: high winds caused part of a construction wall at Queen’s Park to collapse on top of the premier’s car.

The storm that damaged McGuinty’s hybrid lashed the city Tuesday night with wind gusts of at least 50 kilometres an hour.

Karma can sure be a busy bitch.

The cause of the recent fire which ravaged a warehouse being used by Neil Young has been identified as one of the singer/songwriter's classic cars, authorities have announced.

The offending vehicle, a 1959 Lincoln Continental, had been converted into a hybrid by Young in an effort to promote fuel efficiency.

In a statement (via BBC News), Young has admitted the fire was down to human error. He said, "The wall charging system was not completely tested and had never been left unattended. A mistake was made -- it was not the fault of the car."

Syncro

IPCC to be Warned about "Embarrassing Errors" by...Former IPCC Chair.

From The U.K. Telegraph:

A review of the practices of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has been conducted in response to intense criticism of the body, whose reports are used by governments to inform policy decisions on global warming.

The findings of the review are due to be handed to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon tomorrow.

So far so good. Tell me more.

The IPCC has been under scrutiny after it admitted making an error in its 2007 report, that stated Himalayan glaciers could melt to a fifth of current levels by 2035 – a statement that was wrong by over 300 years.

Ok...I can see a three hundred year error once in a while, everything else was good right?

The panel has also been criticised over the sources of information it used to compile the report after a number of statements were found to be based on information taken from reports by environmental lobby groups, magazine articles and student dissertations.

Really? But the science was settled. Surely the peer review process weeded out suspect sources?

Professor Robert Watson, the chief scientific adviser to the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and a former chair of the UN's IPCC, told the InterAcademy Council's review committee that more needed to be done to prevent errors appearing in the panel's reports.

He described the way the IPCC handled the mistakes as "totally and utterly atrocious" and suggested that the panel should consider hiring additional staff to check through the sources of information, or references, to ensure the accuracy of statements made in future reports.

In the evidence he gave to the committee, Professor Watson said: "No error is acceptable, but there is such a thing as human error.

"Is there a better way of checking all the references before they go out? Maybe there is a role for the secretariat, that effectively, by hiring additional staff – maybe even graduate students and post docs (doctoral) – they can follow through the whole reference chain.

"A normal peer review will not have time to do this, so how can we double and triple check the reference chain of any particular statement."

So we need an extra-normal peer review process? By more of the same institutionalized and vested gang? I wonder where one could find some good environmentally oriented post docs...

Professor Mike Hulme, a professor of climate change at the University of East Anglia, is due to deliver a keynote lecture to the Royal Geographical Society Annual conference this week in which he will call for a dramatic changes to the way the IPCC operates.

Speaking ahead of his lecture, he said: "The IPCC has not sufficiently adapted to the changing science and politics of climate change, nor to the changing expected and demanded role of science and expertise in society.

"The IPCC's approach of seeking consensus obscures and constricts both scientific and wider social debates about both knowledge-driven and value-driven uncertainties that surround climate change politics."

University of East Anglia eh? And what exactly does that last paragraph mean?

Syncro

John Ibbitson: Conservatives exploiting divisions, Columnists not so much??

John Ibbitson of the Globe and Mail accuses the Prime Minister of exploiting a urban/rural divide in the ongoing gun registry debate. This in and of itself isn't really news, The Liberals created the divide when they exploited the Ecole Polytechnique massacre by creating the long gun registry to garner fearful urbanite's votes.

What I find interesting is Mr. Ibbitson's choice of words and demographic observations regarding this division. The following caught my eye:

Mr. Bagnell, who has opposed the long-gun registry every time he was allowed to vote his conscience, faces an impossible choice. If he breaks with his party, he will humiliate his leader, who will punish him accordingly.

If he respects the whip, the Conservatives will launch an electoral jihad against him in Yukon, where forcing gun owners to register their shotguns and rifles is seen as tantamount to creating a police state.

A jihad? Really? Do you mean an electoral struggle? A holy war? Do the conservatives consider the Liberals dar al harb? Or is jihad just part of the sexy journo lexicon these days?

Of course it gets better/worse.

The gun registry reflects a seemingly unbridgeable divide between rural and urban English Canada. (Support for the registry is higher in Quebec, where all 48 Bloc Québécois MPs support it.) Most urban Canadians can’t understand why hunters and farmers can’t make the effort to register a potentially dangerous weapon. Rural voters, the vast majority of whom are white, don’t understand why people in cities want further restrictions on their way of life and a culture that is under threat as Canada becomes ever more urban and multicultural.

The Conservatives happily exploit that divide, in the North and elsewhere. The Liberals and NDP can only suffer.

So this issue is racial and cultural as well as urban/rural? What no feminist angle?

Syncro

Syncro: Journalists are useless without brains

Linda Mc Quaig of TorStar fame states that Canadian F-35's are useless without war. In a pique of unusual unintentional sanity Ms. McQuaig makes the case for the purchase of the F-35.

Joint strike power is essential in maintaining the current geo-political balance. ...as in no major WAR.

Syncro

Professor Iffy on National Unity, Pumpkins and Salt.

As the Professor Iffy Under the Bus Tour rolls across the nation, regular Mike took the opportunity to announce his National Food Policy initiative. Breathtaking in scope, noble in intent, interventionist by nature and as hollow as a jack-o-lantern.





So. If I understand Mike correctly there is a national unity rift along rural and urban lines. The solution to this crisis is more farmers markets and more Canadian food on Canadian plates, but not too much salt. Of course this will require government leadership.

If past performance is any indication of future actions then I would expect a regular Mike led LPC government to address the above mentioned national unity crisis through some sort of urban/rural educational outreach program. Advertising Sponsorship of selected events that foster national unity ought to do the trick.

As far as the salt issue goes...simple silly...a National Salt Shaker Registry.

Syncro

Iggy Gets Jiggy on Queen Street

I have nothing to add.

Syncro

The Rocking Horse Leader

As Michael Ignatieff sacrifices his elite panache on the alter of populism the first thing that comes to my mind is The Rocking Horse Winner by D.H. Lawrence.

A quote:

And even as he lay dead, his mother heard her brother's voice saying to her, "My God, Hester, you're eighty-odd thousand to the good, and a poor devil of a son to the bad. But, poor devil, poor devil, he's best gone out of a life where he rides his rocking-horse to find a winner."

Syncro

At Least it Wasn't Camp AdscamChaChing

The Liberal Express continues it's cross Canada oddity and thanks to the kind folks in the LPC we have some excellent video.



So is it just me or did anybody else find that to be a tad creepy? Besides the wierdness I wonder at the effectiveness of schlepping for votes at a summer camp for kids unless one is campaigning for the 2020 election. Maybe Iffy is planning on supporting PMSH's budgets until then.

I was also disappointed Iffy wasn't wearing a buckskin jacket but he has been out of the country for a while so he probably isn't up to speed on Primeministerial canoeing protocol.

And finally, were I Iffy, I wouldn't want to get back on the bus either.

Syncro

I Smell Therefore I am.

It's Stampede time here in Calgary so the morning air is replent with the scent of frying bacon, blueberry pancakes and maple syrup. Of course this also means that politicians in cowboy gear are flipping flapjacks and talking smack. Case in point:

Federal Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff says he knows he has lots of work to do to convince Canadians that he is ready to run the country. Decked out in cowboy gear in the heart of Tory country, Ignatieff told supporters at a Stampede breakfast he plans to tour every province and territory to convince voters that it’s time for a change in Ottawa. “We have to earn the confidence of Canadians — door by door, handshake by handshake, baby by baby,” he said. “Starting today we’re going to get on a bus and go to every province and territory between July and September, if it doesn’t kill me first. “We’re going to stop at every legion hall, every barbecue, every Tim Hortons and shake every hand in the house.” The Liberal leader said his party is the only one that owns the centre of Canada’s political spectrum, noting Canadians can “smell the whiff of sulfur coming off” of Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who he said, is on the extreme right.

Wow! Amongst all the pleasing aroma's I associate with Stampede, sulfur is not one of them. So what is Iffy getting at? Is he suggesting Stephen Harper has gastrointestinal difficulties? Too much Old Spice? Chronic halitosis?

The funny thing is we were driving to work up the Deerfoot this morning about the same time Iffy was giving this speech and the only thing I got a whiff of was desperation and pancakes.

Syncro

5.0 Quake Hits Ottawa-Montreal-Toronto Triangle. Global Warming and Gulf of Mexico Blowout Cited as Likely Causes

An unprecedented 5.0 earthquake has struck central Canada and the north eastern U.S. This is a rare occurance and recognizing such I immediately tried to contact world renowned experts Al Gore and David Suzuki for some insights into the cause of this terrible tragedy.

Unfortunately Al was not available as he is apparently busy banging Lori David and Dave's number is unlisted.

Left with no credible sources Syncrodox Sez can only surmise the following:

Ghia is not happy. Ghia is getting a little old...one could even say she is reaching middle age. Hot and cold flashes, unpredictable temperament and an inconsistent flow.

Tremors are to be expected. Even in the central cerebral cortex.....or Trawna.

Syncro

Maher Arar was a bargian compared to the Khadr clan.

From the Grope and Flail:

Understatement personified.

Feel free to come to your own conclusions.

Syncro

The Future of the MSM Responds to the Threat of Fox News North

Syncrodox Sez has obtained exclusive video of the graduating class of The Ryerson Skool of Jurnalism circa 2010 reacting to the recent announcement that jurnalism may no longer be the exclusive domain of the left.

*Warning*

Disturbing images rife with stupidity and more stupidity follow. Act accordingly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IC4NmYEGrHg

Syncro

Iggy Learns to Ifferate.

Well that was embarrassing. I post infrequently and briefly. Dropping the text of the story does however totally defeat the purpose. So anywayys...

Michael Ignatieff has finally taken a non-stand.

"I'm not saying what I will or will not do," he said.

I heard that.

Syncro

The Kinsella Doctrine

The party of no policy is sidetracked yet again by internal warfare over the subtly of their non-policy.

This is the Kinesella Doctrine and it permeates much of the Liberal Party of Canada. Stand for nothing while championing the the cause de jour. Emote. Often. When power slips away.....grasp.

Import ex-pat intellectuals to assuage the right leaning faction of your party. Sip Wine.

When the whole nuclear ball of shit explodes.....do the PowerCorp slide and look to the Rae of Light.

Syncro

Everybody Draw Mohammed Day....My Million Mo Contribution.

Syncro

The Broad Strata Fraud Gang

CBC News is reporting on a massive mortgage fraud involving hundreds of properties and tens of millions of dollars. While mortgage fraud is nothing new the fact that proceeds of this criminal activity appears to be leaving Canada for some interesting destinations is.

During its investigation, bank investigators seized records that showed millions of dollars from the alleged scheme have been transferred to such countries as Lebanon, India, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Pakistan.

It makes one wonder what the pilfered funds were ultimately used for by this broad strata of Canadian fraudsters.

Syncro

A Compromise Candidate for GG

It seems that Michael Ignatieff has focused his considerable thinking skills on the office of Governor General. (has it been raining in Ottawa?) Iffy concludes that the status quo is the best approach and advocates for the extension of current GG Michaelle Jean's term. In doing so he appears to be attempting to paint PMSH into a politically correct corner.

Iffy's comments, offered up in a "just saying" fashion are clearly constructed to focus attention on Ms. Jean's politically correct demographic credentials.

In explaining his stance, Ignatieff said Canadians were "deeply moved" by Jean's swift response to the massive earthquake in her homeland of Haiti, that killed more than 200,000 people.

He also said Jean "has been a powerful advocate of Aboriginal and Arctic people," and her own personal story has been an inspiration to young Canadians.

"As a francophone woman who overcame great obstacles to get where she is today, and as the first black Canadian appointed as Governor General, I can't imagine a better role model for young Canadians, particularly young girls," he said.

A black, francophone, immigrant, woman who is married to an avowed Quebec separatist is going to be hard to top and given Iffy's focus on demographics all but eliminates any old, white, male, conservative, senior statesmen, like say Preston Manning.

So be it!

With Preston out of the running I got to thinking who might be suitable for the office. In doing so I looked back to see if there were any common traits shared by our most recent GG's.
Adrienne Clarkson came to mind. Woman, immigrant, ex-CBC personality, visible minority, annoying husband (does anybody miss John Ralston Saul?)

When compared with Michaelle Jean a trend begins to emerge. Woman, immigrant, ex-CBC personality, visible minority, annoying husband (has anybody outside of Quebec seen Jean-Daniel Lafonde's films?)

With this critera in mind I believe I've found the perfect compromise candidate for GG.

Sitara Hewitt

Now you may not recognize Sitara sans burka, which she dons for her role as Dr. Rayyan Hamoudi in the PC CBC series Little Mosque on the Prairie. Granted Ms. Hewitt was born in Elora, Ontario but she is the daughter of Welsh and Pakistani immigrants, speaks Hindi and Urdu, skydives, surfs, trained as a pro wrestler in the WWE and is married to Jessie Pavelka (has anybody seen any of his films?)

Sitara's religious beliefs are none of my business but she does play a Muslim on TV so that's worth something.

While Sitara does not exactly fit the mold, at 28 she is relatively young but she more than makes up for it in hawt! As far as being an inspiration for teenage girls, who knows but my teenage sons found her inspiring in her role as co-host of the game show You Bet Your Ass.

Please Prime Minister Harper, do the right thing and appoint Sitara Hewitt as our next Governor General.

Syncro

Justin Trudeau Weighs in on Political Principles

With the Olympics now a memory Canada returns to our other national sport, politics. With the battle now rejoined it appears that the Liberal Party of Canada is pulling out the big guns to fire the opening salvos. It began with Iffy's op-ed piece in the Grope and Flail....the one he wrote during the gold medal game and is now followed by this stellar bit from the crown prince of the LPC. Justin Trudeau.

Justin awkwardly opens here:

Even though it makes my job as a member of the Official Opposition a little easier, I am genuinely disappointed that this Conservative government didn’t hold true to the principles that brought it to power.

And I’m not even talking about their abject failure to be fiscally responsible or their enthusiasm for patronage and pork. I’m referring to the basic premise of the old Reform Party, the call for a government that is open, accountable, and respectful of democratic values and the rights of its citizens.

Who would have thought that the brilliance that sprang from the loins of the great Pierre Elliot Trudeau would one day bemoan the passing of Preston Manning's Reform Party. Of course it gets better. Justin further elucidates:

Instead, over the past four years, Stephen Harper has carefully nurtured and encouraged a level of cynicism about politics and politicians heretofore unseen in Canada. Instead of championing the conservative principle of less government, he made people believe less in government.

Ummm....Justin....simple folk like myself don't believe in government intervention, so it follows that less is best. PM Harper did not create this belief in me, your dad did. Meanwhile JT further hacks his way through this piece:

He started by selling us policies that were simple and catchy, but had little real impact (think GST cuts instead of income-tax cuts, or $100 child-care cheques instead of actual child-care spaces). Add to that his propensity to launch vicious personal attacks on anyone – politician or citizen – with the temerity to disagree with them, and his tried and true Bush-era tactic of loudly repeating semi-truths and falsehoods often enough for them to take hold, and it’s no wonder that a weary populace has been turning away from the goings-on in Ottawa.

He becomes a scary them, followed by the obligatory Bush/Harper bash and closes with a wondering, wailing, warble about the tragedy of it all. Justin does manage to finish with a flourish though:

The fact that Stephen Harper didn't anticipate the strength of the prorogation outrage is proof that he overestimated the effectiveness of his campaign of induced cynicism. And, yet again, underestimated Canadians' faith in our democracy. Because for all the undeniable short-term partisan advantages of wedge issues, attack ads, and the politics of division, Canadians resist because we know that we deserve better.

We are a people of differences, in languages, religions, backgrounds, histories, cultures, and colours, but we are a people bound together by values that run deeper. We are open, compassionate, and generous. We seek justice, liberty, and opportunities for all. But above everything, we respect each other, and demand that respect in return.

And that’s why Stephen Harper’s strategies of secrecy, small-mindedness, and cynicism will ultimately fail, because simply put: Canadians will never trust a government that does not trust Canadians.

Listen up kid. My political cynicism began with your father. When you speak of wedge politics you seem to forget that dear dead dad perfected the game. When you speak of respect you fail to recognize that real respect is earned not demanded and when you speak of trust you obviously overlook the brown envelopes crammed with our money that found their way into LPC coffers.

Finally a couple of quotes from a well known, even revered, Canadian politician of yore:

“If I found in my own ranks that a certain number of guys wanted to cut my throat, I'd make sure that I cut their throats first.”

and

“Power only tires those who don't exercise it.”

Three guesses who's quoted.

Syncro

Team Canada As Sydney Crosby's Muse?

So I'm watching tonight's Canada/Germany hockey game and Rick Nash busts in, splitting the defense and attacking the net, drawing a penalty SHOT.

With Canada leading 4-0 coach Babcock surmises that at this critical juncture what we really need is to let the media designated star pull a little razzle dazzle.

So he appoints Sid the Kid to take the shot.....which he of course misses.

Nice.

Syncro

Heather Mallick Mounts the Pissy Podium

Perpetual whiner Heather Mallick is once again embarrassed to be Canadian. In a rambling ode to manic depression Heather hits all the lefty talking points.

Watch and learn, Brits. In 2012 you'll be like us: curled up like a shrimp on the couch, screaming as your prime minister – whoever he may be at that point – embarrasses you in public at the opening of the Olympic games.

Whenever Stephen Harper's big boxy grey-lidded head appeared on screen, with its wet smile (note on his hand: Try to grin like normal human), I would rant at anyone within hearing, ie, no one. "He's Bush with a mean streak, he's a Slytherin, we only gave him a minority government in a prolonged fit of pique." (Then I'd say it in French, out of bilingual idealism.)

Nice job Heather, a Gollum reference, a George Bush reference, a Sarah Palin reference, a Harry Potter reference a Natural Governing Party reference and a official bilingualism reference. But tell us how you really feel.


In Canada, we normally we have a House of Commons where our MPs vent on our behalf, but since Harper prorogued parliament (governing is so much more efficient without it, as one of his ministers put it) with the permission of the governor-general, we have nowhere else to go but the sofa.

Prorougation induced depression and poor editing...Good grief. Naturally it gets weirder.

For Canadians, the opening ceremonies in Vancouver on Friday were like watching your dad get drunk at a party. You love the guy, but my God, he isn't going to dance. In front of everyone. Look, he's taking off his jacket. As I live and die, what is he wearing? Awww, I love him. And so on.

The event gave the impression that Canadians spent their time posing on pointy mountains, paddling navy blue lakes and staring at evergreens (anti-deciduous to an extent that verged on the racist, I say), surrounded by snow snow snow, more snow than air. And we honour the wisdom of our aboriginal peoples, whose land we, well, stole but they have forgiven us and dance at our Olympic ceremonies.

In reality, most of us are frighteningly inert, the water on the reserves where our poverty-stricken native Canadians live is undrinkable, British Columbia trees are being killed en masse by the mountain pine beetle unleashed by climate change, and the snow is brown and crusty on the curbs of the cities near the US border where most of us live.

Yikes! Daddy issues, batshit crazy racism reference, colonialism, tokenism, aboriginal poverty, global warming and anti-Americanism. Heather is in fine form, peaking at just the right time. She goes on to critique the opening ceremonies and then returns to her favorite topic...her depression.

It's her updated depressing rendition of her classic Both Sides Now ("I really don't know clouds/love/life at all") which I always call I Hate Myself and Want to Die. You'll remember the song from Love Actually when Emma Thompson had just learned that Alan Rickman had been unfaithful. She spent the song in the marital bedroom dazedly straightening out a quilt.

I spent it sobbing. Thanks, Olympic organisers!

Classic Mallick. A true gold medal performance.

Syncro

Rick Mercer Contemplates Felatio

Having somehow missed out on the latest senate appointments, television personality Rick Mercer tweeted out to his peeps with a call for suggestions on whom one can blow for a senate seat.

Two things came to mind:

Rhetorical...right?

and

You haven't been blowing the wrong guys ...have you?

Syncro

Warren Kinsella and Transferable Skills

As a former employment councilor I am a proponent of skills transferability. That is to say, transferring the skills one learns in a particular job to another, often divergent position.

A lowly paperboy who learns the value of accounting and the rewards associated with consistency can use fiscal prudence and personal perseverance all his life. The greenest roughneck can learn the importance of organization and the pride of professionalism, skills that are in demand always.

That is why I was pleased to see this missive from Warren Kinsella.

Warren wittingly wonders about the impact of urinal advertising by the Government of Canada. The pithy part involves "tools".

Not only does this display a keen sense of bathroom diligence it marks a synthesis of skills.

Warren appears to have combined bathroom monitor with restaurant critic to define his own niche.

Bathroom Advertising Critic.

Now if that isn't skills transfer nothing is.

Syncro

Live Blogging State of the Union Address or Speech 347

I decided to try my hand at live blogging tonight partly inspired by this drinking game courtesy of The Huffington Post

The regular script is my objective interpretation of POTUS , the italisized script my own voice.


7:14 Barry's on !!

7:15 Things were really shitty when I took over, I'm here now and the worst has passed

7:16 First mention of change....first shot of the night!

7:17 So far the TOTUS is performing brilliantly.

7:19 Biden can't seem to get with the clapping program....another shot

7:21 Bad Bankers...standing O

7:22 Barry channels Ronald Reagan. Tax cuts

7:24 Wha?...Tax cuts led to 2 million jobs...firemen, teachers, cops....there is so much wrong with this that I'm gonna take three shots

7:27 30 billion for jobs Yay!!!!

7:28 Tax cuts for small business, big business, funny business etc...

7:30 First mention of green jobs...another shot!

7:32 Were #1...Were #1...

7:35 I'm serious now...banks bad....but banks are good...something something..cancer...clean energy....another shot....climategate...CLIMATEGATE....nuclear energy...NUCLEAR ENERGY....offshore oil drilling...WTF OFFSHORE OIL DRILLING.....

7:38 I must be drunk already

7:40 Maybe not...free trade that sounds like protectionism...that's better.

7:42 Race for the Top or No Child Left Behind......same thing.....another shot

7:43 Free University....crack the keg!!!!!!

7:45 Second mortgage and Healthcare reform....no sweat....refinance silly!!

7:48 Michelle is tackling fat kids...thanks Honey

7:49 We'll reduce the deficit by 1 trillion over twenty years.....time to drink again

7:50 Healthcare reform alone will not reduce the deficit...drinking time again

7:51 George Bush you asshole...unpaid wars......

7:52 Spending freeze....and don't make me call Vito!

7:55 Arcane shit...time to drink

7:57 George Bush you colossal asshole

8:00 We are the first WhiteHouse that twitters!

8:01 No more foreign money for election campaigns....just to bankroll government operations

8:03 Play politics nice please....pretty please

8:05 I screwed up the super majority so you Republicans are on the hook now too.

8:06 911...defence and hope...three shots

8:07 Troop surge Afstan plus the Arabs love us!

8:08 I won the war in Iraq in only a year....drinks all around!!

8:10 Michelle and Joe are on the military family file....god help them

8:11 North Korea and Iran....consequences......oooohhhhh!!

8:12 muslims..climate change...haiti....afstan girls...freedom...just take a shot when you want

8:15 Gay marines...equal pay...oops lost the feed..grab a drink

8:19 Cynicism, dissapointment....Change You can Believe In....don't blame it on me..it's you dummies that don't get how smart I am

8:21 Haiti twice and USA...USA....Crack another bottle

Syncro

Anti-Prorogation's Professional Protesters

The CBC breathlessly reported on 35 anti-prorogation protesters that greeted Prime Minister Harper in Toronto yesterday. While the small number of protesters was notable what was even more interesting is the identity of key organizers. An excerpt:

Canada's convalescing economy may have topped Prime Minister Stephen Harper's agenda Wednesday, but anti-prorogation anger ended up crashing his Toronto road show.

About 35 protesters, ranging from students to seniors, picketed Harper's afternoon visit to the C.D. Howe Institute, chanting "Stop the prorogation, listen to the nation!"

It's just a taste of what's to come on Saturday, when thousands are expected to gather at rallies across Canada to protest the shutdown of Parliament, said Walied Khogali, who helped organize the demonstration.

"We just want to send a clear message that we are watching and we do care, and our MPs are accountable to us, not to any specific political party or to any elite," said the 25-year-old university student. "We want them back to work."

Wednesday's protest, which included antiwar demonstrators and those opposing Canadian terror suspect Omar Khadr's detention at Guantanamo Bay, was confined to the sidewalk opposite the institute's office until police shut down the busy downtown street.

Make note of the "Why are we Paying You?" protest sign, it becomes relevant later.

I thought I recognized Mr. Khogali's name and sure enough he has quite a google footprint. My favorite find is this image recording the Canadian Students Federation Day of Action.

The photo caption reads:

Walied Khogali, former president of the University of Toronto at Mississauga Students' Union, shouts profanities at Greg McBride, 4th year cognitive science and political science student at the University of Toronto, who carried a sign saying "Don't ask others to pay for your schooling.

It seems professional protester Walied Khogali was offended by the notion that he should have to pay for his own education. Which leads me to wonder what the canadian taxpayer is subsidizing his education for?

Of course this is only one of Mr. Khogali's many accomplishments. It seems he has published opinions on CRTC liscencing of Al-Jezera English in various lefty publications including this gem.

Walied is also a minor celebrity at the CBC, giving an on air interview on the eve of Obama's inaugeration. It seems Walied even made time to campaign for the big O in West Virginia.



And finally, for those of you who do facebook, I encourage you to check out Mr. Khogali's postings entittled: Stop Jason Kenny from using our taxes to discriminate.

It's good to know the Anti-prorougation forces are non-partisan and grassroots.



Syncro

Ex MSM Producer Nails It

As my profile indicates I'm no fan of the MSM. That said, I kinda like this fella's way of thinking.

At the end of the year it’s traditional to look back at what occurred during the past twelve months and pick out the highs and lows. Most years there are a few examples of each. 2009, however, has proved to be one of the most dismal years for news and current affairs in Canada ever. I can’t think of a worse period in my lifetime.

O.K. ...we don't have to be that morose...do we?

Everybody has already noted the disaster that is the new National at CBC: thin gruel masquerading as news, the worst reporting staff in CBC Television history, the inability to fill sixty minutes with relevant stories, and this doesn’t even refer to the ludicrous and totally unmotivated standing around to read the news and do interviews.

I hear you brother.

News has been, and still is, one of the best ways to build an audience for your entire schedule. Hello, Dick, is the CBC still the CBC without Little Mosque on the Prairie and Being Erica? Is the CBC still the CBC without The National and The Fifth Estate?

What about Hockey Night in Canada?...er..um..scratch that last thought...

Over at CTV and Global the news is not much better. The bulwarks of “Capitalist Broadcasting” are coming to the government cap-in-hand begging for money in the form of cable and satellite fees.

This is Canada.

CTV and Global news do a much better job of appealing to Canadians than CBC News does. For proof of this I only have to point out that both get over a million viewers regularly while CBC has trouble reaching half-a-million. Both are better produced and slicker than CBC’s effort but there is little room for celebration.

Whaa..no party?

In the U.S. we have witnessed the disintegration of the CNN audience with the odious Fox News being the main recipient of new viewers.

So your saying the viewers went to Fox News based on smell?

Sensationalism is winning and stories like Copenhagen are losing. Worse still the all news folks are challenging each other to see who can distort or get the facts more wrong.

Holy fuck batman....did you just say Copenhagen lost out to sensationalism? More wrong????

That's it then.

Keep in mind that this person claims to have been a tv producer.

Syncro

The Groundswell Senses a Paul Wells

There is a disturbance in the force.

Putting aside Wells pompous characterization of my blog, I'd like to highlight what amounts to a contradiction in LOGIC, which ultimately says more about the messenger and HIS MEDIUM than any review of my lowly opinion:


(read the comments)

This shit writes itself.

Update: It seems Paul Wells has responded to liblogger Far and Wide with a deft kick to the rhetorical nuts. For an encore he slags Dipper Accidental Deliberations.

I love cat fights.

Upperdate: Somebody claiming to be inkless has posted this on the Macleans thread:

A note on prominence, for the small number of readers who may be curious.
Wordpress blog stats tell me that on Sunday the Maclean's website sent 1,600 readers to the Far and Wide blog, which sent 27 readers to the Maclean's website in return.

I was surprised that my use of the term "not terribly prominent" would seem more important than the argument I was trying to endorse by linking to it, to the author of the very blog in question. But I nonetheless apologize for using the term. I do not like it when I choose words that become an obstacle to my intended meaning. What I was trying to do was make that blog more prominent because I thought its author had made an important point well. I'm sorry I didn't make that clear.


Syncro

Choosing words can be a real bitch, especially for the unwordy.

Paul Wells Senses a Groundswell

This from Paul Wells at Macleans:

…ominous rumbling. Note that one post on a not-terribly-prominent blog draws nearly a dozen comments of support within six hours on a holiday Sunday.

Now, however, the author will face some heat from fellow Grits for “airing our dirty laundry in public,” i.e. “interrupting everyone’s nap.”

(read the comments on the second link)

Syncro

Elly May Weighs in on Prorogation

This from the Toronto Star.

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May is urging Canadians to "kick and scream" in protest against Prime Minister Stephen Harper's decision to shut down Parliament for the next two months.

Rumor has it that if Prime Minister Harper refuses to reconvene Parliament according to Elly's timetable she is fully prepared to escalate her protest to it's logical conclusion.

Tactics are said to include: stomping her feet, holding her breathe until she passes out, laying down in the aisle at Wal-Mart while doing all of the above, thrashing her room, refusing to eat her peas, screaming "I HATE YOU" repeatedly and finally, dating a greasy biker.

Enjoy your date Elly.

Syncro

p.s. Happy New Year!