Parliament on ice
By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, January 22, 2009 - 1 Comment
From the Peterborough Examiner’s account of a charity hockey game between Conservative MPs and former NHLers.
The politicians reverted to sneaky tactics to get goals. They dropped three pucks on the ice at once, and later five, to help them catch up in the score. It still wasn’t enough.
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Obama's orders on Guantanamo, interrogations & detainees
By Luiza Ch. Savage - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 12:10 PM - 2 Comments
Today President Obama signed several executive orders, including one to close the detention center at Guantanamo within a year. What will happen to the remaining detainees is still uncertain, but he laid out the options — which range from federal trials to some sort of of reformed military commission (which seems to leave the door open to the use of secret evidence.) He also created a task force to review detainee policy, and ordered that all interrogations be done in conformity with the Army Field Manual (that outlines legal interrogation techniques,) and banned reliance on Bush administration legal opinions on interrogations going back to 2001, a dramatic move — and a big slap across the face to the Bush legal team. He also ordered a “review” the case of Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri — the last remaining so-called “enemy combatant” being held without trial on US soil. His case is before the US Supreme Court. Some more details released by the White House:
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Watching Mark Carney on television
By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 11:42 AM - 0 Comments
Strangely reassuring.
Wearing a nice suit, and wearing it well, is probably not to be underestimated.
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Obama’s tech-savvy staff finds White House is anything but
By macleans.ca - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 9:40 AM - 13 Comments
“It’s like going from an Xbox to an Atari,” official says
After running the most tech-savvy presidential campaign in U.S. history, Barack Obama’s team moved into the White House to find outdated computer software, disconnected phones, and security regulations barring everything from Facebook to outside email log-ins. The team, which used Macs throughout the campaign, found their new workspace outfitted with clunky desktops with Microsoft software outdated by six years. One aide’s transition cellphone was disconnected, forcing him to tell callers to dial his wife’s phone, and calls to the White House switchboard prompted a recording instructing callers to the presidential website. At least there were no missing letters on computer keyboards, the Post notes, as was the case when the Bush team moved in, in 2001.
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War was an ‘utter failure’ for Israel
By macleans.ca - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 9:20 AM - 0 Comments
The conflict has only made Hamas stronger
A scathing critique of Israel’s Gaza campaign by one of its best-known, and most controversial, journalists. In today’s Haaretz, Gideon Levy, one of the few Israeli reporters who regularly travels to the Occupied Territories, writes that the war was an “utter failure” for his country. Israel’s moral credibility has been savaged by the hundreds of civilian deaths, and its military aims—an end to the rocket attacks and arms smuggling—are no closer to being met. Most importantly, says Levy, the conflict has only made Hamas stronger. “There was no doubt as to who was David and who was Goliath in this war.”
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Marleau, now with less hair
By Paul Wells - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 9:12 AM - 25 Comments
The information commissioner, who had upset some observers with his apparent passivity in the early innings of the Harper government, appears to have exhausted his considerable supply of patience. In an interview with La Presse, Bob Marleau is seen to be “pulling his hair out” over the growing lack of transparency in Ottawa.
“…They’re taking more extensions, divulging less information, invoking more exemptions than they did in the past,” he says, in regard to a report he will table by May.
A watchdog can’t bite all the time, he says, but by now it’s clear “I’ll have to bark, at a minimum.”
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Alberta: An embarrassment of riches gives way to sacrifice
By macleans.ca - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 9:10 AM - 3 Comments
What will Premier Stelmach decide he has to give up in the province’s toughest budget in over 10 years?
Today, for the first time since the holidays, Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach is meeting with his caucus to discuss the state of the economy. It ain’t good, not even in Alberta, which only a few months ago still boasted an embarrassment of riches. But what to do? “While governments in other provinces, Ottawa and Washington are talking about boosting spending to stimulate the sagging economy, the Stelmach government is contemplating what to do as it prepares Alberta’s toughest budget in more than a decade,” writes the Calgary Herald’s Renata D’Aliesio. And Alberta may not go the stimulus route. “The Tories have raised a range of options in the past few days, including spending cuts, seeking union concessions and raising taxes. Infrastructure spending and dipping into the province’s $7.7-billion ‘rainy day’ fund are also on the table.” Whatever the solution, it’s going to involve sacrifice (D’Aliesio runs through a crowd of worried folks). It’s a strange detour for a province that not long ago was wondering what to do with all its dough.
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A scandal haunts RIM still
By macleans.ca - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 9:00 AM - 0 Comments
Execs at BlackBerry maker could face fines as high as $100 million
The top executives at Research In Motion could be facing securities fines as high as $100 million for their role in a back-dating options scandal dating back over a decade. The fine would be part of a settlement between the Ontario Securities Commission and RIM co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis. An internal investigation at the BlackBerry maker in early 2007 concluded that the executives, in numerous instances, had cherry-picked dates at which to peg stock options, ultimately manipulating their value. Since 2006, the issue has been under investigation by the OSC. This would be the largest penalty ever paid by individuals to the securities watchdog.
Macleans.ca (All is forgiven)
Macleans.ca (Scandal or bore?)
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And the Oscar nominees are…
By macleans.ca - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 9:00 AM - 0 Comments
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button earned 13 nominations
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button came away with 13 nominations this morning, including Best Picture and Best Actor (Brad Pitt). Benjamin Button, the story of a man who ages in reverse, will be in tough on Feb. 22 against Slumdog Millionaire, The Reader, Milk and Frost/Nixon. Here is a list of all the nominees.
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Seeing the light
By macleans.ca - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 9:00 AM - 0 Comments
After years of controversy, gene therapy may improve blindness
This is a terrific article about the use of gene therapy to treat inherited degenerative blindness. It gives wonderful historical context around why gene therapy has been so controversial—in particular, the story describes the tragic death of an 18-year-old boy who died after undergoing gene therapy. Now, years of work by a pioneering married couple of scientists, has sparked a new era in gene therapy. They’ve found one of the most receptive body parts to this treatment—the eye. And it has people seeing gene therapy in a whole new way.
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Bestsellers
By Brian Bethune - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 9:00 AM - 0 Comments
Top-selling fiction and non-fiction titles (week of January 20th, 2009)
Top-selling fiction and non-fiction titles (week of January 20th, 2009)
Fiction
1 THROUGH BLACK SPRUCE by Joseph Boyden 1 (19)
2 A MERCY by Toni Morrison 6 (5)
3 2666 by Roberto Bolano 2 (5)
4 THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES by Nino Ricci 5 (9)
5 THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (1)
6 THE HOUR I FIRST BELIEVED by Wally Lamb 4 (2)
7 COVENTRY by Helen Humphreys 8 (19)
8 THE FLYING TROUTMANS by Miriam Toews 3 (19)
9 THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO by Stieg Larsson 10 (16)
10 NATION by Terry Pratchett 9 (3)
Non-fiction
1 THE ASCENT OF MONEY by Niall Ferguson 1 (9)
2 OUTLIERS by Malcolm Gladwell 2 (8)
3 CHAMPLAIN’S DREAM by David Hackett Fischer 4 (12)
4 IZZY by Peter C. Newman (1)
5 SEVEN DAYS IN THE ART WORLD by Sarah Thornton (1)
6 A FAIR COUNTRY by John Ralston Saul 3 (16)
7 MRS. ASTOR REGRETS by Meryl Gordon 5 (2)
8 THE SECRET LIFE OF POEMS by Tom Paulin (1)
9 IN SPITE OF MYSELF by Christopher Plummer 7 (3)
10 THE LOST ART OF WALKING by Geoff Nicholson (1)LAST WEEK (WEEKS ON LIST)
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No smooching on the airplane
By macleans.ca - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 8:51 AM - 3 Comments
U.S. anti-terror law rounds up rude passengers—not hijackers
Introduced two months after the Sept. 11 attacks, the U.S. Patriot Act is supposed to give police and prosecutors the power they need to identify—and arrest—aspiring terrorists before they strike. But seven years later, the controversial law has done a much better job of nabbing rude airline passengers than would-be hijackers. According to newly released figures, more than 200 people have been convicted under the Patriot Act for offences that have nothing to do with terrorism—from drinking too much to using foul language. In one case, a couple was arrested after an argument with a flight attendant, who claimed the pair was engaged in “overt sexual activity.” (An FBI affidavit said the two were “embracing, kissing and acting in a manner that made other passengers uncomfortable.”) “We have gone completely berserk on this issue,” says Charles Slepian, a New York security consultant. “These are not threats to national security or threats to aircraft, but we use that as an excuse.”
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(See pictures of Michelle Obama's Jason Wu dress.)
By Paul Wells - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 8:43 AM - 3 Comments
Joe Klein’s excellent column on Obama’s next steps, full of fresh reporting, gets a little extra spice courtesy of the Time editorial desk, which adds a bunch of parenthetical weblinks to other parts of Time‘s coverage. More than once the effect is pleasantly jarring, like a Greek chorus led by Vince from the Sham-Wow commercial:
Obama’s closest aides like to say he isn’t a “wonk” like Clinton, immersed in policy details to the point of immobility, but clearly the new President has a breadth and depth of policy interests, especially in comparison with his immediate predecessor. (See the best of the Obama Inaugural merchandise.)
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Those dolls sure look a lot like the Obama girls
By macleans.ca - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 8:40 AM - 0 Comments
Toy company: Marvelous Malia and Sweet Sasha aren’t inspired by Obama kids
Ty Inc., the Westmont, Ill.-based toy company, has released a new line of dolls resembling the First Daughters, but denies the girls were the inspiration. “Marvelous Malia” and “Sweet Sasha,” which retail for US$9.99, is considered by some to be the first attempt to cash in on the celebrity of the girls and has prompted many to speak out against what seems to be the commercialization of Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7.
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Remember Newfoundland the 'have' province? Well…
By macleans.ca - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 8:30 AM - 0 Comments
Report: Depressed commodity prices will have a ‘disastrous impact’
Economists in Atlantic Canada are warning that Newfoundland’s status as an economic powerhouse may not last long—and pinning great hope on stimulus packages offered by the Obama and Harper governments. If the recession is long and oil prices are low, losses will be unavoidable, they say. “Depressed commodity prices continuing throughout the year and longer would have a disastrous impact for Newfoundland and Labrador from a fiscal perspective,” warns the report from the Atlantic Province’s Economic Council.
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Are you watching your “water footprint?”
By macleans.ca - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 8:30 AM - 0 Comments
The era of cheap water, experts say, is coming to an end
It takes 850 litres of fresh water to produce a single glass of orange juice; a hamburger, for its part, needs up to 2,400 litres. Thanks to a swollen global population, changed diets—particularly in the developing world—and our ever increasing “water footprint,” the era of cheap water could be coming to an end, says the Pacific Institute in California. Its warning comes as ecologists have begun speaking of “peak water”—the point where there just isn’t enough of the wet stuff to go around. A necessary first step to tackling the crisis—and decreasing the risk of violent conflict over the resource in West Africa and South Asia—is to increase public knowledge of the water that goes into the making of foodstuff—like OJ.
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Decoding The Oscar Voting System
By macleans.ca - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 8:30 AM - 0 Comments
A Hollywood insider unscrambles The Academy’s 73 year-old nomination process
Nominations for the 81st Academy Awards ceremony were announced this morning with the usual pomp and glamour that only the Oscars can bring. But now that the contenders have been chosen Timothy Gray, editor of Variety, sorts through the secrecy of the process from the minute accountants at PricewaterhouseCoopers assemble the ballots to how the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences uses the same “preferential voting system” Australia uses during political elections.
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The bank of the U.S. government
By macleans.ca - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 8:21 AM - 0 Comments
A primer on bank nationalization in the U.S.
The threat that some U.S. banks might collapse under the weight of bad debt has made the once unthinkable distinctly possible. The government could very well nationalize two of the country’s biggest institutions, Bank of America and Citigroup. To the banks’ customers, nationalization wouldn’t bring huge changes. Some branches would likely close and customer service certainly wouldn’t get any better. But at the same time, nationalized banks would be expected to loosen restrictions on credit and put a halt to foreclosure procedures. The banks’ shareholders, on the other hand, would see their investments wiped out. Past experiments with bank nationalization has yielded mixed results: the U.S. takeover of savings-and-loans institutions is generally regarded as a success, but France is finding it might need a second try with some of its institutions.
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Clooney back in the ER
By macleans.ca - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 8:20 AM - 0 Comments
Star will make a guest appearance in the show’s final season
George Clooney will be returning to ER, the show that made him a star. He’s filming a guest appearance for the show’s 15th and final season. There is no word on whether he will also return to his role as the handyman from the seventh season of “The Facts of Life,” but we can dream.
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The last days of cursive writing
By macleans.ca - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 8:10 AM - 0 Comments
The Internet and standardized tests relegate penmanship to the past
Educators point to the Internet and the use of standardized tests for pushing cursive off lesson plans. While a 2007 U.S. study showed that cursive was still being taught in the majority of schools, the emphasis has moved away from the art of handwriting. Handwriting experts recommend that teachers spend one hour per week teaching script, but many schools spend far less.
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Economic panic? No problem here.
By macleans.ca - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 8:10 AM - 0 Comments
Why the recession isn’t all bad news for the U.S
For many, the economic crisis has become a sign of the sickness of American capitalism. Perhaps even the end of America’s leadership in the capitalist world. Hardly. Looking at long arc of history, major financial crises and panics have actually helped consolidate and strengthen the powers that be. The hardest hit are inevitably the emerging markets that are least able to weather the storm, not the core capitalist economies. Consider the long string of financial meltdowns since the Great Depression (from the oil crises to the dot-com bust)—none of them have halted the upwards march of global capitalism. They might even have helped it.
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Can Gretzky save the Coyotes?
By macleans.ca - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 8:00 AM - 0 Comments
The Great One has spent the last several weeks looking for new investors
Managing partner and head coach Wayne Gretzky admits that the Phoenix Coyotes, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2002, have been “horrible.” If Gretzky hadn’t come aboard, the Coyotes, owned by the financially challenged trucking magnate Jerry Moyes, might have left five years ago, says Gretzky’s manager, Darren Blake. Indeed, Gretzky’s spent the past several weeks looking for new investors for Phoenix (which is expected to lose at least $30 million this season). Sure, attendance is up—over 16,000 attended Tuesday’s game—but half were cheering for the visitors. Back in Winnipeg, Jets fans, who lost their team to sunny Arizona in 1996, say I told you so.
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Palestinian doctor blames Hamas for civilian deaths
By macleans.ca - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 8:00 AM - 0 Comments
Disputes estimate that more than 1,200 Palestinians were killed in Israeli offensive
A Palestinian doctor working at Gaza City’s Shifa Hospital has disputed the widely-reported estimate that more than 1,200 Palestinians – at least half that number said to be civilians – died in the recent Israeli offensive. “It’s possible that the death toll in Gaza was 500 or 600 at the most, mainly youths aged 17 to 23 who were enlisted by Hamas – who sent them to their deaths,” he said. The doctor also reportedly said other Palestinians have complained that Hamas forced them to stay in their homes while Hamas fighters shot at Israeli soldiers.
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Sharpshooters wanted
By macleans.ca - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 7:40 AM - 0 Comments
Gull massacre needed in Newfoundland, officials say
What do you get when you locate a landfill near the airport serving the most populous region of an island province? About 25,000 seagulls–and the serious threat of birdstrikes like the one that brought down a U.S. Airways jet earlier this week. Alarmed by the New York incident and aware that St. John’s Airport ranks second among major Canadian airports for birdstrikes (congrats Edmonton, you’re first!), officials have enacted a plan to cut down of the gull population at Robin Hood Bay. The strategy includes “pyrotechnics” designed to frighten the birds. But seagulls aren’t exactly known for their shyness, so it also includes “lethal measures that will see some gulls shot and killed.” One suspects they mean “most gulls,” but can’t say so.
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Coffee, croissants and crises of confidence: Liveblogging the PPF panel on coalition politics
By kadyomalley - Thursday, January 22, 2009 at 7:39 AM - 33 Comments
What better way to start your day than with a ringside seat for a constitutional cage match? Especially on the eve of the budget, with a government under the gun and a coalition that so far refuses to curl up and die.
8:59:02 AM
Good morning, constitutional democraphiles! Are you ready for some rock ‘em-sock’em debate over coalition politics, minority government and what the heck happened last month with that whole parliamentary meltdown? I hope so, because ITQ will be liveblogging two action packed hours of that very thing, live from the floor of the Sheraton Hotel. As I type these words, Public Policy Forum president David Mitchell is recapping the last few months down the constitutional rabbit hole – which I’ll spare you, because anyone reading this far probably doesn’t need a refresher course on tHe Madness – but the combatants are already assembled along the table beside him: Richard Van Loon, Peter Russell and Luc Julliet, three lofty academics who have deigned to descend from their respective ivory towers to get down and dirty over the short- to medium-term future of parliamentary life as we know it.9:06:09 AM
Is anyone the least bit surprised to learn that Colleague Potter is here? Well, he is – grinning like a Cheshire cat, likely at the prospect of cheering on his beloved democrats as they take on the motley crew of almost-but-not-quite-anarchists that make up Team Parliamentarian.
