PBOWatch: Okay, the Parliamentary Budget Office has now officially put more thought into those quarterly budget reports …

By kadyomalley - Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 1:46 PM - 12 Comments

… than the party that came up with the idea to have the government provide them in the first place. Or so it seems from the latest briefing note, released earlier today:

• The PBO recommends that Parliament establish an appropriate provisional reporting framework prior to the release of the Government’s reports to ensure the appropriate information is being collected up-front — on the understanding that these reports can be improved over time as information accumulates and the situation evolves.

• This note provides the PBO’s view on some key information requirements for the content of these reports — the central goal of which should be to provide Parliament with accurate, timely, and easily understood information that details: recent economic and fiscal developments and prospects; the implementation and effectiveness of budget measures; and the budget results in light of its guiding principles.

• The specific contents of future progress reports to Parliament may include:

o An evaluation of economic developments relative to Budget 2009 assumptions, and an assessment of economic risks that uses an updated survey of private sector forecasters and, if applicable, the Government’s own forecast.

o A summary of recent fiscal results and analysis of fiscal risks, as well as an estimate of the Government’s structural budget balance and statement of its fiscal targets.

o A clear implementation and oversight framework that describes for each budget measure: the spending authority and delivery mechanism; implementation indicators and progress benchmarks; and expected output and/or outcome indicators. This note provides specific examples to illustrate these concepts.

o A discussion of progress relative to the three guiding principles that Budget 2009 be: timely; targeted; and temporary.

And that’s just from the summary — the full report runs fifteen pages, and includes a very helpful backgrounder on parliamentary oversight, and extensive analysis – with tables, even -  of the sort of information that will be useful in determining exactly whether the money is being spent in accordance with the stated goals of the budget. They’ve even provided a sample spreadsheet!

Now, it’s possible – although somewhat unlikely – that the Liberals have released a similarly detailed outline and ITQ missed it – or, alternately, that they specifically requested that the PBO put together this report, in which case I will cheerfully update this post. But at the moment, it looks like the parliamentary budget officer is putting more effort into making sure that these reports – the first of which, incidentally, is theoretically due by the end of March – hold the government accountable than the Official Opposition.

Hells Angels get revved up over their trademarks

By Rachel Mendleson - Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 12:54 PM - 4 Comments

When squaring off against the Hells Angels, gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson once observed that “emerging unmaimed” generally depends on “the number of heavy-handed allies you can muster in the time it takes to smash a beer bottle.” But when it comes to settling cyber disputes, it seems the notorious motorcycle club is taking a more highbrow approach. The Angels are suing two California residents, claiming they registered 22 club-related Internet domain names, and then tried to sell them on eBay. The motorcycle club says the enterprise has “damaged the goodwill associated with its marks.” Continue…

WGC Stands For "Writers' Guild of Canada," Not "World Golf Championships"

By Jaime Weinman - Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 12:25 PM - 3 Comments

The Writers’ Guild of Canada has announced the finalists for the annual WGC Screenwriting Awards (which will be presented April 20).

I don’t have a link yet, but in the TV categories, as expected, Corner Gas dominates the comedy category with three of the four nominations (this episode of Rent-a-Goalie got the fourth). This Hour Has 22 Minutes was equally dominant in comedy-variety, getting nominations for three different episodes, with an episode of History Bites getting the fourth spot. For drama writing, Flashpoint got two nominations, Murdoch Mysteries one, plus a posthumous writing nomination for Regenesis. (I mean the show is dead, not the writer.) Teletoon’s 6Teen got the most writing nominations in the animation category, and in the tween-show category, where Family Channel’s original programming is frequently better than the Disney Channel imports, Life With Derek got one nomination and The Latest Buzz got two.

(This puts the WGC awards a step ahead of the WGA awards, which have never really figured out where to put children’s programming, with the result that their list of nominations has a few nominations for shows aimed at pre-school children, and nothing for the many writers who work on shows aimed at older children. That’s just a structural problem, though.)

Simple questions unanswered

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 12:01 PM - 69 Comments

The Bloc’s Paul Crete, questioning the Foreign Affairs Minister yesterday about the status of Omar Khadr. 

Mr. Paul Crête (Montmagny—L’Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, BQ):  Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is responsible for international treaties to which Canada is a party, is refusing to demand the repatriation of Omar Khadr, the child soldier being held in Guantanamo and the only westerner still imprisoned there. Since the Minister of Foreign Affairs is responsible for Canada’s signature at the bottom of the protocol on child soldiers, can he provide us with the definition of a child soldier?

Hon. Lawrence Cannon (Minister of Foreign Affairs, CPC):  Mr. Speaker, I refuse to agree to the request submitted by the Bloc Québécois and the other two parties for the simple reason that the individual concerned has been formally accused of serious crimes. I have already said so several times here in the House. The Americans have begun the process, which we will respect, and once the process is done, we will act accordingly.

Mr. Paul Crête (Montmagny—L’Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, BQ): Mr. Speaker, all of the countries that have signed treaties regarding child soldiers are keeping their promises. All but Canada, that is. The minister has not given a straight answer, so I will ask the question again. What is his definition of a child soldier? As Canada’s representative, will he keep this country’s word?

Hon. Lawrence Cannon (Minister of Foreign Affairs, CPC): Mr. Speaker, once again, Canada is keeping its promises, keeping its word and adhering to its treaties. Unfortunately, the member seems to be having some trouble understanding that this individual has been accused of serious crimes. He has been charged with murder and terrorism. He is in American hands, and they will take appropriate action in accordance with the review ordered by the President of the United States.

Could This Be Worse Than BEE MOVIE?

By Jaime Weinman - Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 10:47 AM - 4 Comments

It could… uh… bee.

Jerry Seinfeld is returning to network series television after an 11-year hiatus as creator and exec producer of an NBC reality series that seeks to mine laughs out of marriage problems.

The comedian and his Columbus 81 Prods. are teaming with longtime “Oprah Winfrey Show” exec producer Ellen Rakieten to create “The Marriage Ref,” a nonfiction series that will feature opinionated celebrities, comedians and sports stars offering commentary and advice to real-life couples enduring “classic marital disputes.”

“This is not a therapy show, it’s a comedy show,” said Seinfeld, who will, guest appearances aside, be involved in his first TV series since “Seinfeld” left the air in 1998. “After nine years of marriage, I have discovered that the comedic potential of this subject is quite rich.”

According to NBC Entertainment co-chair Ben Silverman, no premiere date or timeslot has yet been selected for the series.

“Jerry called us up and told us he had an idea,” Silverman said. “He flew in to sit down with us, and he and Ellen pitched the show. We were laughing the whole time as they went through the concept. As Jerry noted, some of the greatest comedies in history have been about marriage.”

Seinfeld is an interesting case. The dismal quality of many of his post-Seinfeld pet projects — and I’m specifically talking about Bee Movie and every stupid promotional appearance he made to plug Bee Movie — would seem to suggest that he was just a good stand-up comedian who was very lucky to hook up with Larry David. But from the Seinfeld DVDs, we’ve learned that Jerry’s creative role in the show was very important; he and Larry would always do the final rewrite together. He’s a smart guy, and he was the perfect partner for Larry David: the ice-cold cynical counterpart to David’s Charlie Brown-ish sense of self-pity. He just happens to have terrible ideas for movies and TV shows, which is why his most successful project consisted of him throwing his hands up in the air, admitting he couldn’t think of a good idea, and deciding to do a show with no apparent premise.

As for Ben Silverman’s desperate attempts to recapture the days when NBC was a successful network: dude, did you learn nothing from Knight Rider?

Making bad times good

By Colin Campbell - Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 10:38 AM - 26 Comments

In hard economic times like these, most of us live in fear of getting laid off. But when Rick Geister got his pink slip he saw it as a lucky break. For the past 15 years, the 40-year-old had toiled away at the auto parts company Kitchener Frame, first as a welder, then for seven years as a quality control inspector. It wasn’t the best job, but it was well-paid, regular work and he had a good pension. So when the Kitchener, Ont., company hit hard times and Geister recently found himself jobless, it was scary at first. But he quickly came to see the upside to his situation. Here, at last, was a chance to pursue the career he’d dreamed of since high school, but never pursued because a guidance counsellor had advised against it: he would become a police officer. “Losing this job is kind of a blessing, because it’s given me a second chance to do something I really want to do,” he says. “Hopefully I can get in and make a career of it.”

Geister hopes to get accepted into the Ontario Provincial Police training program this fall. Money will be tight, but the roughly $40,000 he expects as part of his plant-closure contract makes for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “I’m just happy to have the chance right now to do this,” he says. “I see policing as a really good job.” His wife, who previously stayed home to look after their seven-year-old son and two-year-old daughter, is also using the disruption to explore new opportunities. She’s looking to go back to work, perhaps training to be a nurse.

Continue…

Visiting with Conrad Black

By macleans.ca - Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 10:29 AM - 9 Comments

As Conrad Black gets set to begin his second year behind bars, columnist Peter Worthington takes us inside the federal prison in Coleman, Fl., for a visit. Worthington informs us that Black looks “trim and fit” and seems popular with his fellow inmates. As well, we learn that Black is keeping busy with piano lessons (he practices an hour a day), conducting history and politics lectures for fellow inmates and staff (“It’s very hard work preparing lessons, and surprisingly rewarding to help people”) writing (Black’s latest manuscript, about his trial and early days in prison, is already with his publisher) and preparing his case for the U.S. Supreme Court.

Newmajority.com

The article everyone’s talking about

By macleans.ca - Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 10:20 AM - 15 Comments

The Alberta government says the depiction is “fair,” and Jim Prentice, the federal Environment Minister, brushed it off as “just one article.” But the latest issue of National Geographic—featuring a 20-page story/photo spread of Fort McMurray’s oil sands—is so much more than a blip of bad publicity. In fact, some have gone so far as to describe the exposé as the “baby-seal moment” for Alberta’s oil sands—a PR nightmare that no amount of damage control can ever reverse. The story features, in glossy detail, sludge-filled toxic ponds, discoloured fish, and other snapshots of environmental devastation. The words are equally troubling. “In northern Alberta,” the author writes, “the question of how to strike that balance [between economics and the environment] has been left to the free market, and its answer has been to forget about tomorrow. Tomorrow is not its job.” Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff was quick to criticize the fact that Stephen Harper has “done nothing” to clean up the oil sands, but he, too, jumped to the defence of the industry responsible for all those nasty images. “Am I proud of this industry? You bet,” he said “It’s a world leader. We just need to make it better. But I don’t take lessons from the National Geographic.” For those of you who do want to take lessons from National Geographic, here’s the story.
 
National Geographic

Which diet works best?

By macleans.ca - Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 10:10 AM - 0 Comments

The largest and longest study comparing dieting strategies has found that diets low in calories and saturated fats, and high in fruits, vegetables and whole grains is the most effective way to lose weight—as long as you eat that way consistently. The study was published online by the New England Journal of Medicine and measured several popular diets including high protein and low carb diets. Researchers tracked 811 overweight or obese people who were assigned to one of four diets for two years. While the participants’ caloric intake was based on their body mass index and gender, everyone was asked to cut 750 calories a day from what they normally ate. All of the diets were low in saturated fat. The participants were also asked to get 90 minutes of moderate exercise per week. Most previous studies comparing diets spanned six months or less, and researchers say these findings prove that eating a specific ratio of fat, protein and carbohydrates isn’t necessary to shed pounds.

Los Angeles Times

Computer brain training games don't have much effect

By macleans.ca - Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 10:00 AM - 0 Comments

If you’ve bought one of the brain training games endorsed by Nicole Kidman and other celebrities, a new study suggests you may have wasted your money. The games provide no more mental exercise than simply surfing the net, doing a crossword puzzle, or playing a regular computer game, according to a panel of experts including eminent neuroscientists.  According to some manufacturers, the games can help improve memory or starve off the risk of illnesses such as dementia or Alzheimer’s, but the study says there is no evidence to support these claims. The report was commissioned by Which?, a British product-testing magazine. “If people are under the illusion that these devices are scientifically proven to keep their minds in shape,” says Which? editor Martyn Hocking, “they need to think again.”

Guardian.co.uk

Texting Tiger Woods

By macleans.ca - Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 9:50 AM - 0 Comments

In these tough economic times, Buick had no choice but to bounce Tiger Woods as its primary pitchman. But the world’s number one golfer—back in action this week after major knee surgery—has no shortage of replacement suitors. Rumours are swirling that Research in Motion, the Ontario company famous for the Blackberry, is interested in hiring pro golfers, Woods included, to flog its brand. Tiger’s agent has confirmed some preliminary talks, and if the negotiations get serious, it could be great news for the Canadian Open. RIM is a top sponsor of the annual event, and Mr. Woods has been known to favour the tournaments that carry his employers’ names (think Buick Open). Poor Mike Weir. He’s never going win a Canadian Open now.
 
The Toronto Star

Sex ed book draws fire in UAE

By macleans.ca - Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 9:48 AM - 1 Comment

Her work as a counselor in the United Arab Emirates’ family courts inspired Wedad Lootah to write a sexual education book for married couples. The first of its kind, the book, published at Lootah’s expense, covers marriage in Islam, and offers real like experiences and solutions to sexual problems. But since it hit shelves last month, The Secrets of Sexual Congress Between Married Couples has proved highly polarizing. While critics (mostly men) argue that the subject matter is taboo and deride Lootah as an infidel, her supporters say there is an urgent need for such education. Lootah herself is hardly rattled by the controversy. She landed in hot water several years ago when she advocated for the introduction of sex ed in schools.

Arab News

Cracking down on gangs

By macleans.ca - Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 9:45 AM - 4 Comments

The Conservative government has introduced tough new anti-gang legislation that would automatically make gang-related homicides a first-degree murder offence. Announced Thursday morning by Justice Minister Rob Nicholson, the bill also includes mandatory minimum sentences for drive-by shootings, which would become punishable by prison sentences of between four and 14 years. Penalties for assaults against police officers would be stiffened as well; an aggravated assault on officer or an assault with weapon on an officer would each carry 14-year sentences. “We are moving forward on our justice agenda to address the impact of gangs and organized crime on Canadian families and society,” Nicholson says.

CTV.ca

The real problem with the death penalty: too pricey

By macleans.ca - Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 9:45 AM - 2 Comments

Forget about the risk of executing innocent people, the new and persuasive argument against the death penalty in the U.S.  is that the trials are three times as expensive as life-imprisonment cases. At least according politicians in several death-penalty states. When Governor Martin O’Malley appeared before the Maryland Senate last week, he “we can’t afford it,” he said, “when there are better and cheaper ways to reduce crime,” and lawmakers in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and New Hampshire have made the same argument in recent months. Even longtime supporter of the death penalty Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico, has said he may sign a bill repealing capital punishment, noting that cost was a factor in his shifting views and was “a valid reason in this era of austerity and tight budgets.”

International Herald Tribune

Seinfeld returns to NBC with show about something

By macleans.ca - Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 9:42 AM - 2 Comments

Jerry Seinfeld is returning to network television after an 11-year hiatus as the creator and executive producer of “The Marriage Ref,” a program that will “feature opinionated celebrities, comedians and sports stars offering commentary and advice to real-life couples enduring ‘classic marital disputes,’ Variety reports. “This is not a therapy show, it’s a comedy show,” said the married comedian, who’s teaming up with a longtime Oprah executive producer Ellen Rakieten. No premiere date or time slot has been announced.

Variety

Karzai pulls a fast one

By macleans.ca - Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 9:40 AM - 0 Comments

Most observers had been operating under the impression that Afghanistan’s next election date was fixed: this year’s presidential vote is scheduled for Aug. 20. But Karzai, exploiting apparent ambiguity in the troubled nation’s constitution, is now expected to call a snap election for April 21. Western diplomats reportedly think it’s a bad idea. But Karzai may be a desperate man–his international prestige shrinking, his domestic opposition growing.

The Times

‘Sale of the century’

By macleans.ca - Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 9:30 AM - 0 Comments

After the death of fashion icon Yves Saint Laurent last June, Pierre Bergé, co-founder of Yves Saint Laurent Couture House and Yves’ lifelong partner, decided to auction off 700 pieces of the couple’s art and antique collection.  The three-day auction, which began on Monday, is now being deemed the “sale of the century.”  More than a thousand wealthy bidders filled Paris’s historic Grand Palais and ”sent prices for old masters, silver antiques and Art Deco gems rocketing.”  The auction broke seven world records for works by contemporary artists such as Matisse, Mondrian and Brancusi and propelled pieces to “ten times their estimated value.”  An ornate “Dragons” armchair by Irish designer Eileen Gray, for instance, sold for 21.9 million euros ($28.2 million) making it the “second most expensive item of furniture ever sold.”  According to one auction attendee, “owning a YSL piece is like owning a Cezanne.” What recession? many are asking.  

AFP

Diablo Cody mines zombie gold

By macleans.ca - Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 9:25 AM - 0 Comments

Diablo Cody, the former stripper who won an Oscar for her Juno screenplay and also has a hit with her TV series The United States of Tara, has jumped aboard the zombie bandwagon as executive producer of the film adaptation of S.G. Browne’s upcoming novel Breathers: A Zombie’s Lament. The “zombie romantic comedy” is the latest in the booming genre of zombie lit, which appears to have supplanted vampire fiction in the public imagination. The announced publication of  Pride and Prejudice and Zombies,  a  rewrite of Austen’s classic with “all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem” sparked a viral sensation on the internet earlier this month. (First line: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.”).
 
Variety

Open Wide: Liveblogging the Info Commissioner's annual report

By kadyomalley - Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 9:21 AM - 11 Comments

At a news conference to discuss the release of his office’s first Special Report in over two years,  Information Commissioner Robert Marleau won’t just be handing out  report cards (although he’ll be doing that, too, and it sounds like some departments won’t be posting the results proudly on the refrigerator door) – he’ll also be discussing “systemic issues related to Access to Information in Canada”.

10:45:06 AM
Greetings from the technical briefing, which is actually more of a lockup, or at least it had turned into one by the time I got here; we’re not actually being briefed, although there’s a helpful InfoComm staffer available to answer any questions that come up. I’m pretty sure that the report itself is under embargo until it is tabled in the House, so I won’t be posting this update until the news conference gets underway.

Anyway, here’s how the various departments fared – the grading is based on a star system, by the way, not letters, which makes me wonder where Sun Media got the idea that there were “F-Bomb”s looming. (Not that receiving only two stars is much better, of course.):

Departments surveyed:
RCMP – ** (below average)
PWGSC – **
PCO – *** (average)
NRCan – *** 1/2 (average)
Library and Archives – **** 1/2 (above average)
Health Canada – **
DFAIT – **
Defence – ** 1/2
Justice – ***** (outstanding)
CBSA – ** 1/2

So – of the ten federal departments and institutions, five were “below average”: the RCMP, Public Works, Health, Foreign Affairs and Defence. PCO – often seen as one of the worst offenders as far as stonewalling requests – managed to eke out that all-important half-star to bump it up to average, and the Department of Justice is at the head of the class. Nevertheless, the report “issues a dire diagnosis for Access to Information in Canada” – and in thirty seconds, the Info Commissioner himself will be here to tell us all about it.

10:58:42 AM
And here he is!

Continue…

Bangladeshi border guard mutiny ends with 50 dead

By macleans.ca - Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 9:20 AM - 0 Comments

A Bangladeshi border guard mutiny ended today, one day after guards rebelled, took hostages, and clashed with regular soldiers. Nearly 50 people are thought to have died. “All the rebel troops have surrendered with their arms and the process has been completed,” a spokesman for the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, said, referring to mutineers in the capital, Dhaka. He urged rebels outside Dhaka to surrender as well.

BBC News

Send a message

By macleans.ca - Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 9:10 AM - 0 Comments

A Dutch NGO and Palestinian graffiti artists have come up with a novel way to protest Israeli policies—a website that allows people from around the world to pay to have a message spray-painted on Israel’s controversial security barrier. For 30 Euro, young Palestinians will paint a slogan of your choice on the West Bank side of the concrete barrier (barring obscenities or hate speech). Clients get three digital pictures of the finished product. The website features some of the odd choices made so far: “Cindy and Mark got Married Today—20/10/2007″

Reuters

A war on our history

By From the Editors - Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 9:00 AM - 75 Comments

HIV quick to adapt

By macleans.ca - Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 9:00 AM - 0 Comments

The HIV virus can quickly adapt to escape the human immune system, which could present a challenge in designing one effective vaccine, new research suggests. In the study, published in the journal Nature, researchers looked at both the HIV genetic sequences and the immune system molecules that fight the virus in over 2,800 people in several countries, including Canada. HIV mutations that helped the virus fight off specific immune system genes were more prevalent in populations where those particular immune system genes were was also prevalent. “This is high speed evolution that we’re seeing in the space of just a couple of decades,” lead researcher Philip Goulder of the University of Oxford told the BBC. While it sounds like bad news, “it could equally be that as the virus changes, different immune responses come into play and are actually more effective,” he adds. “The implication is that once we have found an effective vaccine, it would need to be changed on a frequent basis to catch up with the evolving virus, much like we do today with the flu vaccine.”

BBC News

Bestsellers

By Brian Bethune - Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 9:00 AM - 0 Comments

Top-selling fiction and non-fiction titles (week of February 24th, 2009)

Fiction
1 THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows 1 (6)
2 THE ASSOCIATE by John Grisham 2 (4)
3 THROUGH BLACK SPRUCE by Joseph Boyden 7 (24)
4 FOOL by Christopher Moore 3 (2)
5 THE SWEETNESS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PIE by Alan Bradley 5 (2)
6 THE WOMEN by T.C. Boyle 8 (3)
7 AMONG THE MAD by Jacqueline Winspear (1)
8 THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO by Stieg Larsson 9 (21)
9 2666 by Roberto Bolano 6 (10)
10 THE SPARE ROOM by Helen Garner (1)

Non-fiction
1 OUTLIERS by Malcolm Gladwell 1 (13)
2 THE YANKEE YEARS by Joe Torres and Tom Verducci 5 (3)
3 ANGELS AND AGES by Adam Gopnik 4 (3)
4 THE ASCENT OF MONEY by Niall Ferguson 3 (14)
5 THE OTHER by Ryszard Kapuscinski (1)
6 SHOCK TROOPS by Tim Cook 2 (2)
7 THE INHERITANCE by David Sanger (1)
8 THE GREAT DEPRESSION AHEAD by Harry S. Dent 6 (4)
9 THINGS I’VE BEEN SILENT ABOUT by Azar Nafisi 7 (5)
10 ANIMALS MAKE US HUMAN by Temple Grandin 9 (2)

LAST WEEK (WEEKS ON LIST)