NPR just released a legal crossword puzzle. An Across Lite and pdf version is available on their website. Solutions will be released March 20.
Continue readingDead Wild Roses: Why America Fails – The New War on Elmo and Big Bird
The amazing juxtaposition of reality and “american reality” never fails to amaze me. The onslaught of liberal values on TV is just horrible, and the mouthpieces of the Liberal conspiracy are Elmo and Big Bird. The American right is like a crazy guy with scissors in a rubber life
Continue readingRed Tory v.3.0.3: Charlie Brooker on “Kony 2012”
Charlie Brooker’s rant about the Kony 2012 viral video, as seen on the British comedy program 10 O’Clock Live last week, including the round-table discussion that followed. Along with countless millions of others, I watched the “Kony 2012” video recently, but unlike most, was completely creeped out by it. In
Continue readingwmtc: support your local library – support tpl library workers!
As you know, the staff of the Toronto Public Library is on strike. Rob Ford is using the financial crisis as an excuse to “privatize everything that isn’t nailed down” (his words), including the library. Branch closures are still an issue. Service cuts loom. In times of austerity, working people
Continue readingCongrats on the imminent win Thomas Muclair. But if you really want to be PM, lose the beard.
It’s been years AC (After Chretien) and the Liberals continue to demonstrate that they have no clue about winning. The NDP is not any better. Both parties still live in the fantasy world of BC (Before Chretien) when politics was a gentleman’s game. Beaten around the head and shoulders by
Continue readingSaskboy's Abandoned Stuff: ConCalls: How Much Was Poutine Billed by RackNine
What was the bill that Pierre Poutine paid for using PayPal and their gift credit card? Maybe someone knows this already, but here’s my speculation and calculation: Assuming 1.9 cents/minute, for a 1:09 minute call (1.15minutes) sent to 5,053 people = 2.185 cents * 5053 = ~11041 cents = ~$110.41
Continue readingScott's DiaTribes: Hopefully the NDP Convention isn’t done before I even get there.
It seems everyone is picking Thomas Mulclair as the favorite to be the next NDP leader after the voting is all said and done. Pundits are predicting it, and there must be a grain of truth to it when former NDP leader Ed Broadbent went public last week with a
Continue readingmark a rayner | scribblings, squibs & sundry monkey joys: Ask General Kang: Are there pirates where you come from?
You’re lookin’ at one, matey. Ye don’t become an evil intergalactic overlord by inheritin’ the job, ye know. (Actually, Blugnarsh the Bloody did actually take over from his father, Bloodwash the Blue, but he had to fight his way back … Continue reading →
Continue reading350 or bust: Our Food, Ourselves
Considering that most of the people reading this blog will be part of the lucky global minority who eats at least three times a day, it is astonishing how little thoughtful consideration most of us (myself included) give to food, which powers us through the rest of our day. Any
Continue readingA Blog By James Curran: Conservatives Reveal Bob Rae’s Plan
http://www.conservative.ca/press/news_releases/bob_rae_wants_to_be_prime_minister Expect more of this over the next year. Lots more.
Continue readingAgain with the ads. Why the Conservatives keep winning.
The Conservatives are about to unleash new TV ads – slick and appropriately placed in the most researched demographic markets – attacking Bob Rae. What’s telling is that Sun Media breathlessly promotes the ads in gory details in what amounts to an advertisement itself but dressed up as a news article.
Continue readingSong of the Watermelon: The Alternative Norquist Pledge
It has been over two years since the US Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling struck down government restrictions on political spending by corporations and unions. A crafty syllogism lies at the heart of the decision’s rationale: Corporations = people. Money = speech. Therefore, campaign finance reform
Continue readingBigCityLib Strikes Back: Harper Brings Down The Hammer On Another Faith-Based Group
From Gruending: The hammer that had earlier landed on faith-based organizations such as KAIROS and the Mennonite Central Committee has now fallen on the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (D&P). Michael Casey, D&P’s executive director, has just written an emergency letter to the organization’s local volunteer leaders in
Continue readingSlap Upside The Head: Zimbabwean Senator Suggests “Sex Gadgets” To Curb Homosexuality
A Zimbabwean senator has recommended cutting back on prisoners’ food budget and providing “sex gadgets” instead as a strategy to reduce homosexuality from spreading throughout the country. Speaking before a parliamentary committee this month, Ms. Sithembile Mlotshwa explained her, uh, logic: “Considering that some of the same-sex orientation—homosexuality—come from prisons
Continue readingThe Sir Robert Bond Papers: What makes news? #nlpoli
Sometimes you have to wonder why does one story make the news while another doesn’t. Good example: Jim Bennett’s asinine telephone call to Joan Burke’s constituency office. Telegram blogger Geoff Meeker smacks the local media for covering the story in the way they did: It wasn’t even a valid news
Continue readingChronicles of a Pure Laine: Halal meat and the federalists
The PQ feels that halal meat should be labeled for consumers to make an informed decision. Sounds reasonable… no issue here… next! The PQ claims the traditional religious ritual used to kill the animals hurts Québec values because it is inhumane… oops!When I read about it [Google translation] in La
Continue readingChronicles of a Pure Laine: Halal meat and the federalists
The PQ feels that halal meat should be labeled for consumers to make an informed decision. Sounds reasonable… no issue here… next! The PQ claims the traditional religious ritual used to kill the animals hurts Québec values because it is inhumane… oops!When I read about it [Google translation] in La
Continue readingChronicles of a Pure Laine: Halal meat and the federalists
The PQ feels that halal meat should be labeled for consumers to make an informed decision. Sounds reasonable… no issue here… next! The PQ claims the traditional religious ritual used to kill the animals hurts Québec values because it is inhumane… oops!When I read about it [Google translation] in La presse, I thought: "wow!… this is great material for the federalist press". I was right.
Continue readingToronto-Danforth by-election today
It the by-election in Toronto Danforth today, and it’s been a pretty queer-heavy race so far. NDP candidate Craig Scott is a gay law professor, and while Liberal candidate Gordon Grant is straight, this is the first campaign that the nascent Queer Liberals group has been organising with. Results to come
Continue readingA Novelist's Mind: Lilian Nattel Online: My Favourite Spot for an Interview
I met Greg Quill (Toronto Star) at Faema’s, a coffee shop 5 minutes from my house. It’s on Dupont Street near the Jaguar dealership which is rumoured to be turned into a Target or Walmart in the next few years. It’s large, airy and bright with natural light from the
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