How to beat an insurgency by killing fewer people (III)

By Michael Petrou - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 2:40 PM - 2 Comments

David Kilcullen, former counter-insurgency adviser to Gen. David Petraeus in Iraq, argues that American drone attacks in Pakistan do more harm than good.

The intellectual politician

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 1:38 PM - 11 Comments

Bob Tarantino ties himself in knots over Michael Ignatieff.

And so arises the crux of the problem: the breaking of the covenant between intellectual and audience. When Michael Ignatieff writes as an intellectual, the compact with his readers revolves around truth – he is striving to express it, we are entitled to expect good faith in his efforts. But when Michael Ignatieff acts as a politician, well, truth assumes a somewhat lesser role in the proceedings. To what extent do his activities as a politician compromise his writings as an intellectual? Will we have lost a valued thinker only to gain just another politician? Is that really going to be a fair trade, one for which we’ll come out the better as a society?

Wasn’t Stephen Harper initially promoted to some degree as an “intellectual?” Even now, if you trust his official parliamentary profile, he’s listed as an “author, economist, lecturer.”

More of this please

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 12:32 PM - 5 Comments

CBC does its best to hide such things online, but if you go to the podcast of yesterday’s episode of Politics and scroll to about three-quarters of the way through, you’ll find arguably the most intelligent discussion of politics broadcast on Canadian television in the last decade—Rick Anderson, Elly Alboim and Susan Bonner talking about the new Conservative ads and the nature of political advertising. An engaging, civil debate with only slight prodding from the host.

Murder charge in Stafford case

By macleans.ca - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 12:31 PM - 0 Comments

The six-week mystery surrounding the disappearance of 8-year-old Victoria Stafford has ended in tragedy. Police in Woodstock, Ont., have charged a 29-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman with the abduction and murder of the Grade 3 student, who was last seen on an April 8th surveillance video holding the hand of an unidentified woman. Officers are now combing a rural area of Guelph in search of the young girl’s body. The suspects—Michael Thomas Rafferty and Terri-Lynne McClintic—made brief court appearances this morning, where they were formally indicted. Detectives are planning to discuss the case later today at a 3:00 p.m. press conference.

CBC News

Employers may discriminate against job seekers with non-English names

By macleans.ca - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 12:05 PM - 11 Comments

A new study has found that job seekers with English-sounding names got interviews 40 per cent more often than applicants with identical resumes and non-English names. The University of British Columbia study sent 6,000 mock resumes to Canadian employers with Chinese, Indian and Pakistani names as well as English names like “Jill Wilson,” to employers across 20 occupational categories in the Greater Toronto Area (Canada’s most multicultural city). All the resumes listed a bachelor’s degree and four to six years of experience, with name and domestic or foreign education and work experience randomly assigned. The researchers found that English applicants like “John Martin” got calls 40 per cent more often than applicants such as Sana Khan, or Lei Li, and suggest that Canadians and immigrants with non-English names face discrimination. They feel the study may help explain why skilled immigrants arriving under Canada’s point system with degrees and significant work experience fare poorly in the labour market.

University of British Columbia

Sex, Free Speech, and Craigslist

By macleans.ca - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 12:04 PM - 0 Comments

The online classifieds website Craigslist has bowed to pressure from US state attorney generals to take down its erotic services section, but the company says one lawmaker went to far, and now it is taking him to court. South Carolina’s attorney general, Henry McMaster, has written Craigslist threatening “criminal investigation and prosecution,” because of “offending material,” on the website.  He says the erotic services section led to the solicitation of prostitution and hosted pornography. The fact that erotic services has been replaced by a new, moderated “adult services” section has not changed McMaster’s mind.  Craisglist CEO Jim Buckmaster feels that his website is protected by a US law that says the website’s management is not responsible for what is posted by its users. The company is now suing McMaster, claiming that he has no right to threaten criminal prosecution.

The New York Times

U.S. Shows Can't Compete With Canada

By Jaime Weinman - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 11:58 AM - 1 Comment

CBS’s fall schedule has been announced; aside from the network picking up Medium after NBC dropped it (it should be an excellent fit on CBS, which produces it) and the unfortunate decision to move The Big Bang Theory to 9:30 — from a ratings perspective, it may be sound; it’s unfortunate for those of us who liked having the convenient TBBT/HIMYM hour — the big news is that Flashpoint has been renewed. It won’t be on the fall schedule, since Medium and Ghost Whisperer will be paired for what I’m hoping they’ll call “Psychic Pfridays,” but it will be returning as a mid-season replacement in 2010. CBS makes this announcement after canceling other procedurals on its schedule, like Shawn Ryan’s The Unit. Clearly this is proof that American shows cannot compete in the free market.

Torture and the Pelosi Diversion

By John Parisella - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 11:49 AM - 13 Comments

Speaker Nancy Pelosi has never been one to shy away from a good fight. This time, she has entered a battle that is very much of her own making. Her reversals and confusing explanations have shifted the debate from whether former Bush-Cheney officials should be investigated and possibly prosecuted for their roles in the torturing of terrorism suspects to what she knew and when she found out about it. Give the Republicans credit for adroitly exploiting the diversion after the Dick Cheney media offensive was clearly becoming a liability for the GOP. Nothing better than to put the Speaker on the defensive and shift the debate away from their increasingly disturbing record on torture.

This being said, the torture debate is only heating up. The evidence increasingly seems to suggest that torture was used to link 9/11 to Iraq and thereby justify the invasion. There is now evidence that torture was going on while Bush was telling the nation the exact opposite. What really matters is whether the US government knowingly contravened domestic law, the Constitution or the Geneva Conventions. Either of those scenarios would be enough to justify a special non-partisan or bipartisan commission to get to the truth.

This weekend, Cheney’s daughter Liz referred to Obama’s actions on national security as un-Americain. Later in the week, Cheney will once again justify the actions of his administration on “enhanced interrogation techniques” before a right wing, partisan crowd at the American Enterprise Institute. But there is nothing quite as effective as using Pelosi to make Americans forget the real perpetrators of torture and the extent to which it was used.

Former wrestler behind bars

By macleans.ca - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 11:43 AM - 0 Comments

Remember Johnny K-9, the pro wrestler who made a career out of losing to Hulk Hogan and the Iron Sheikh on those old Saturday afternoon broadcasts of the WWF? Well, he’s living in British Columbia these days—and awaiting trial in connection with a gangland murder conspiracy. K-9, whose real name is Ion Kroitoru, is charged along with seven other members of the “United Nations” gang for allegedly plotting to kill the infamous Bacon brothers of Abbotsford and their “Red Scorpion” associates. During a court appearance yesterday, the 43-year-old former wrestler looked like he was back in the ring—waving to spectators in the gallery and grinning through the proceedings. The case has been put over until June 9.

The Vancouver Sun

The evil stepmom

By macleans.ca - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 11:42 AM - 0 Comments

Rarely, if ever, do women who marry men with children have an easy road ahead. In her new book Stepmonster: A New Look at Why Real Stepmothers Think, Feel and Act the Way We Do, author Wednesday Martin channels her own experience as a stepmother to offer advice to others in her shoes. The musings aren’t just her own; the suggestions come from bone fide stepfamily experts. Contrary to popular belief, they advise putting the adults first, and spending time one-on-one to diffuse what is often a confusing group dynamic.

Salon

Ukrainian transport minister has a message for Ukrainian smugglers

By macleans.ca - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 11:23 AM - 0 Comments

Ukrainian smugglers have been so rough in their neverending attempts to stash booze and cigarettes on westbound trains into the lucrative Polish market that repair costs have rendered more and more routes unprofitable for rail companies. The Lviv to Przemysl line has already been shut down. Now the Lviv to Krakow line is threatened.

Polish Radio

Jimmy Kimmel lets loose

By macleans.ca - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 11:22 AM - 1 Comment

Late night talk show hosts are known for occasionally poking fun at their own networks, but Jimmy Kimmel eviscerated his employer, ABC, in a presentation to a group of potential network advertisers. In what the New York Times called a “Jerry Maguire-like moment of clarity,” Kimmel declared that everything the ad buyers are being told by the networks to sell shows is nonsense. “These new fall shows? We’re going to cancel about 90 per cent of them. Maybe more.” Kimmel also took a few swipes at rival networks, but seemed to save the real criticism for his own. He continued: “Every year we lie to you and every year you come back for more. You don’t need an upfront. You need therapy. We completely lie to you, and then you pass those lies onto your clients.” The New York Times reports that his speech was met by “uneasy laughs and the occasional gasp.” No kidding.

The New York Times

Brain region determines how nice you are

By macleans.ca - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 11:20 AM - 0 Comments

Sociable people have more brain tissue in the same regions that allow us to enjoy chocolate and sex, report Cambridge University scientists in the European Journal of Neuroscience, suggesting people may get similar feelings of pleasure from being sociable. In the study, brain scans were carried out on 41 healthy male volunteers. Those who scored higher on questionnaires rating sociability had more grey matter in two brain areas: the orbitofrontal cortex (which is activated by attractive faces and smiling) and the ventral striatum (which is activated by receiving compliments). Whether the men were born with these differences or developed them is unknown. “It’s interesting that the degree to which we find social interaction rewarding relates to the structure of our brains in regions that are important for very simple biological drives such as food, sweet liquids and sex,² lead researcher Dr Graham Murray said. “Perhaps this gives us a clue to how complex features like sentimentality and affection evolved from structures that in lower animals originally were only important for basic biological survival processes.” This work could lead to new insights into psychiatric problems that feature difficulties with social interaction, like autism or schizophrenia, the BBC reports.

BBC News

Wanted: better food safety standards

By macleans.ca - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 11:02 AM - 1 Comment

Faith and trust in Canadian food producers is low these days, according to a new national survey. In the wake of last year’s outbreak of listeriosis-tainted meat, most Canadians are saying that they do not trust companies to regulate themselves, they’d rather have the government do the job. Even the producers seem to support this conclusion, as Michael McCain, head of Maple Leafs foods, admitted that the outbreak was his company’s fault, and not due to problems with government inspectors or regulations. However, 70 per cent of Canadians still want the government to spend more and improve its regulatory practices.

Ottawa Citizen

Natives to start killing sea otters for their pelts

By macleans.ca - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 11:00 AM - 2 Comments

They’re pretty much the cutest creatures you can imagine, and there are only 3,500 of them. But the federal fisheries department has told aboriginals on the West Coast of Vancouver Island they can start killing sea otters for “ceremonial” purposes. Sea otters were all but exterminated during the fur trade, and have returned to less than a third of the territory in B.C. they once occupied. The initial quota is tiny—one per cent of the population. Still, this is a red flag to the animal rights crowd, who say it’s about time the natives left behind “barbaric” practices of their ancestors. They no longer take slaves, one activist argues, so why do they need otter pelts.

The Vancouver Sun

Didn't we say this 17 months ago?

By macleans.ca - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 10:55 AM - 17 Comments

“Female docs hurt productivity” is on the front page of the National Post today.

Maclean’s featured a groundbreaking report about this issue in January 2008. Journalists Cathy Gulli and Kate Lunau examined how professional, personal and domestic demands create a perfect storm for many female physicians, who cope by working fewer hours, taking on fewer patients or leaving medicine altogether. They also reported on the premium care provided by many of these doctors, which has made them more sought-after by patients and, paradoxically, more overwhelmed and susceptible to burnout.

Leading experts called for various solutions such a increased medical school enrollment, Canadian accreditation of foreign medical schools, and benefit packages for physicians. No one blamed female doctors or recommended curbing their numbers.

Maclean’s was lambasted by a good number of medical workers, and even accused of sexism in an editorial published by the Canadian Medical Association Journal. In a new study, one of their own—Dr. Mark Baerlocher, a radiology resident at the University of Toronto—is saying the same thing as Maclean’s reported 17 months ago. Dr. Diane Kelsall, deputy editor, clinical practice at the CMAJ, calls it “a good study,”  yet backs their editorial from last year, insisting the doctor shortage shouldn’t be seen as “a gender thing.”

Dr. Baerlocher makes an essential point: “You can’t simply ignore it because it’s a sensitive issue.”

Stupid! Hypocritical! Embarrassing!

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 10:53 AM - 29 Comments

The praise is now nearly unanimous. Continue…

Memo to the brewers of Coors Light

By Scott Feschuk - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 9:28 AM - 9 Comments

I’m disappointed. It’s been more than a year now since you’ve come up with a breathtaking new innovation in beer-based technology. That pace might have cut it in the 20th century, but come on. We’re in the big leagues now.

It was last April – 13 months ago! – that you revealed unto the world the marvel of the Vented Wide Mouth Can. Your vented can had an opening 8% wider than that of a typical can, to deliver – as you so eloquently put it – “a smoother pour [and] a draft-like experience that reduces the vacuum or ‘glugging’ effect.” More important, it make beer go into face more faster!

Before that, you unveiled your Cold-Certified cans – which feature “temperature-sensitive thermal chromatic ink technology” that turns the mountains on the label blue when the contents are “ice cold and ready to enjoy.” In the dark ages before this advance, beer drinkers had absolutely no way of knowing when their beer was cold – apart from several ways, such as touching it. In those primitive times, Coors Light enthusiasts had no choice but to Continue…

Say anything

By Andrew Coyne - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 9:24 AM - 32 Comments

Is there anyone, anywhere, who will support even one line of what Brian Mulroney has told the Oliphant inquiry? Not only are there no supporting documents, no paper trail, no witnesses to corroborate any of the fantastic account he has given of his dealings with Karlheinz Schreiber — aside, that is, from Forgetful Fred Doucet, his faithful retainer and fellow recipient of Schreiber’s largesse — but on key points he is flatly contradicted by people in a position to know. Or indeed, by his own evidence.

“I cancelled the project. I killed the deal.”

Well, no:

Repeated claims by Brian Mulroney that he cancelled the initial version of the Bear Head armoured vehicle project while he was still prime minister are being challenged by a former Mulroney chief of staff.

Norman Spector contends that Mulroney, in his testimony before a public inquiry, has offered an inaccurate picture of his handling of the project backed by businessman Karlheinz Schreiber.

“What we’ve learned about Mulroney is that he’s very slippery with words and evasive with his testimony,” Spector told The Canadian Press. “He didn’t cancel the project in any incarnation. He never cancelled it.”…

[D]uring four days of testimony last week at the inquiry headed by Justice Jeffrey Oliphant, Mulroney asserted that he had ditched the original proposal after Spector informed him in late 1990 that it would cost taxpayers too much…

Mulroney pointed to that decision, in his first day on the stand, to rebut any suggestion he had been unduly influenced by Schreiber in personal meetings held to discuss the project….

In later testimony, Mulroney suggested he had ordered Spector to put an end to the project, and that Paul Tellier – then the country’s top bureaucrat as clerk of the Privy Council – was in the loop as well.

“When I gave Spector that directive, and he spoke to the clerk of the Privy Council – passing on exactly what I had said, this matter is dead – that is the end of it in that configuration as far as I am concerned.”…

[But] memos from Tellier continued to flow through the bureaucracy and Mulroney has acknowledged he held subsequent meetings with Schreiber, minister Elmer MacKay and Fred Doucet, a former prime ministerial aide who had signed on with Schreiber as a lobbyist.

Mulroney never followed up by issuing explicit orders to kill the project, Spector said in a weekend interview after reading media accounts of Mulroney’s testimony.

“It is not true to say he cancelled it, or he instructed me to cancel it,” said Spector. “That never happened. I deny that categorically.“

“There were four articles.”

Well, no:

Brian Mulroney told the Oliphant Commission Tuesday that The Globe and Mail suppressed a story about him, prompting the newspaper’s editor-in-chief to reveal that the former prime minister tried to strike a deal in 2003 to block an article that said he received cash payments from Karlheinz Schreiber…

Statement from The Globe and Mail Regarding Oliphant Inquiry

Toronto, ON (May 19, 2009) – In testimony at the Oliphant inquiry today, Mr. Mulroney raised a number of points regarding The Globe and Mail’s 2003 articles written by William Kaplan.

The Globe and Mail’s editor-in-chief Edward Greenspon has sent a letter directly to the inquiry counsel Richard Wolson clarifying and correcting a number of points of fact:

▪ Mr. Mulroney made reference to a supposed fourth article planned for a November 2003 Globe and Mail series authored by William Kaplan and alleged that the article was suppressed by The Globe and Mail. No such fourth article was ever contemplated. The number of articles in the series was always three.

▪ Mr. Mulroney contacted Mr. Greenspon on a number of occasions asking him not to publish the third article in the series – in which Kaplan revealed that Mr. Mulroney had accepted cash payment from Mr. Schreiber.

▪ In at least one of the conversations, Mr. Mulroney offered to trade information in exchange for The Globe not publishing the third story. He said his information was explosive and would be of greater interest than the cash payments.

▪ The Globe and Mail emphatically declined Mr. Mulroney’s offer and ran the third story of the series that revealed for the first time that Mr. Mulroney had accepted cash payments from Mr. Schreiber.

▪ Mr. Greenspon told Mr. Mulroney if the story he was offering was true and verifiable that it would be in his interest to tell it anyway and that The Globe and Mail would pursue it. Mr. Mulroney did and The Globe investigated it and found it was not verifiable.

“I declared it all for $225,000 and paid full tax on it.”

Well, no:

Mulroney only paid tax on half of Schreiber’s $225K

Mulroney’s tax break revealed

I had nothing to do with tax deal, Mulroney says

Mulroney struck deal to conceal Schreiber’s name from tax filing

On and on it goes. This is a former prime minister of Canada. Under oath.

MPs take on pages in gruelling soccer match

By Mitchel Raphael - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 9:15 AM - 3 Comments

The House of Commons pages once again took on MPs at their annual soccer match. The MPs were triumphant, winning 5 to 4.

Former Liberal leader Stéphane Dion.

Liberal MP Alexandra Mendes was the MPs’ cheerleader.

Toronto Liberal MP Martha Hall Findlay. She scored 2 of the 5 goals including the winning one.

Continue…

The unbroken embrace of Almodóvar and Cruz

By Brian D. Johnson - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 8:21 AM - 0 Comments

Pénélope Cruz and Lluís Homar in 'Broken Embraces'

Earlier this week I was interviewed by CBC Newsworld, and was asked what movie I was most looking forward to in Cannes. Without hestitation I said it was Pedro Almodóvar‘s Broken Embraces: the Spanish director is my favorite filmmaker in the world at the moment and his work has amazing consistency. It’s partly a matter of taste, but to my mind no one else has his talent for combining narrative dexterity with visual design, reckless imagination with measured control. From the pitch of the performances to the choice of score, Almodóvar is one of those rare maestros who can make an ode to motherhood as hot as Hitchcock, and a noir melodrama insanely credible. No matter how wild his stories get, he grounds them in bluntly realist performances. He channels erotic energy, gay or straight, as if it was his lifeblood. And he loves to get involved with his actors. As he told a press conferernce yesterday: “If necessary I will play all the parts on the set. In fact I’m very shy, even if I don’t appear that way, but I’m prepared to play all the parts. In one of my films I even performed cunnilingus on an actress in order to show the actor how to play the part.” That’s translated from a French translation of him speaking Spanish–a case of too many tongues perhaps–but that’s what he seems to have said.

Well, I saw the director’s new movie yesterday and, sadly, I wasn’t blown away. A perpetual bridesmaid in Cannes, Almodóvar’s overdue to win the Palme d’Or—but I’m not sure if this is the movie that will do it for him. Continue…

Liveblog: Mulroney at Oliphant (Day Six)

By kadyomalley - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 8:11 AM - 117 Comments

Just one more day on the stand for Brian Mulroney, yet somehow, the list of questions yet to be answered seems to be getting longer, not shorter.

Globe and Mail editor-in-chief Edward Greenspon has dispatched a letter to commission counsel Richard Wolson, in which he categorically — and convincingly — debunks the bizarre claim made by the former prime minister during yesterday’s testimony: that there was a “fourth article” in the series penned by William Kaplan that “mysteriously” failed to appear.

He also confirms that Mulroney attempted to “induce” the paper into pursuing another angle by offering to provide “explosive” information “in exchange for suppressing Mr. Kaplan’s story”. Which, as per Greenspon, turned out to be “unverifiable”.

(Could it have had something to do with that “leading political figure” from Cape Breton that, as per one of Mulroney’s other extraordinary allegations yesterday, was the true beneficiary of the Britan account, as he told the commission yesterday? Someone check page 129 of Kaplan’s “A Secret Trial” and find out!)

Oh, and that thing about a Globe reporter “giggling” during Mulroney’s testimony last week? “Completely without any foundation.” So — yeah.

Unfortunately, Wolson won’t get the chance to question the witness about these contradictions — he finished up with his cross-examination yesterday afternoon. Today, Richard Auger, lead counsel for Karlheinz Schreiber, will take the floor, although he told the judge yesterday that he won’t take longer than a couple of hours, which means we may still get to hear from those Canada Revenue Agency officials on the witness list for today — which, after yesterday’s revelations, could make for a very informative session.

9:13:04 AM
Good morning, Oliphantiacs! It’s a cold and bitter day outside Old City Hall, but the hearing room is buzzing with the latest developments, from the Greenspon letter to the curious case of the taxes paid. We’re in the home stretch now — just one day left on the schedule as far as this round of public hearings, although with Schreiber’s health still in flux, we’re not sure whether the finale will be postponed until next week.

In any case, Richard Auger is up today, and he’s already at the lectern, arranging and rearranging the many binders that have accumulated on the portable shelf that he’s wheeled onto the floor. (Remember, unlike some other parties, he doesn’t have a team of minions at his disposal to fetch any relevant documents of which he has need.) Meanwhile, the other lawyers seem relaxed — well, the commission counsel, at least, and Team Attorney General; Mulroney’s entourage is most likely in the holding pen with their client.

9:36:56 AM
Are we — late? Really? But Oliphant is never late — not unless recalcitrant airlines are involved, that is. No explanation yet from the commission staff — but I have to wonder if the absence of the witness has anything to do with the delay. The show can’t go on until the talent turns up, after all.

9:44:57 AM
Okay, apparently there’s some sort of discussion underway between the lawyers — Pratte and Auger have been deep in huddled conversation for the last few minutes, but I’m not sure if that’s the source of the delay — but we’re supposed to get started any minute now.

Meanwhile, I can report that, as far as the collective focus of the media this morning, the tax issue definitely seems to be the most compelling story du jour – well, du hier, with a strong likelihood of carrying forward into today’s coverage. It has that ineffable quality of being both noteworthy *and* instantly understandable, even for someone who hasn’t paid the slightest bit of attention to the saga so far.

9:49:50 AM
Oh, *there* he is — the right honourable witness, that is, who is giving the room his most beatific smile — I think it’s safe to say that he is ready for his closeup.

9:51:16 AM
And – all rise. Finally.

Continue…

This will not end well

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 2:34 AM - 7 Comments

The Auditor General wants to see MP expense reports.

Sheila Fraser began preliminary talks with the House of Commons and Senate earlier this year, well before the expense-claim scandal erupted in Britain. Fraser’s office said Tuesday she wants to conduct a “performance audit” to ensure taxpayers are receiving value for their money.

If the talks give Fraser full access to expense claims and other financial data, it would be the first foray by the auditor general into Parliament’s books since 1991, when there was an audit of only a sample of expenditures.

Quick Thoughts On GLEE

By Jaime Weinman - Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 10:07 PM - 5 Comments

What I think of the show, I don’t know yet, but here are three points that I think are worth making:

- Music costs are going to be a problem for this show. According to Todd VanDerWerff, whose AV Club review of the show is worth a read, there are already rumours that the show is running into issues about how much it can spend on music and which songs it can use, but this problem is not going to go away even if the show becomes a success. It is, as you’ve no doubt noticed, an attempt to do a scripted drama series that incorporates elements from two very popular franchises: American Idol and High School Musical. But Idol is a variety show, meaning that it doesn’t have a lot of costs apart from the music, and it doesn’t need to worry about re-running and re-exploiting every episode; Glee is layering in music on top of an already-expensive show, and it needs to clear every song several times over. And High School Musical uses songs that Disney owns. Based on the incredible number of songs in the pilot — and remember, Broadway songs are often harder to clear than pop songs, not easier, so they’re all pretty expensive songs — this could turn into a budgetary nightmare.

- The look of Glee seems to be an attempt to combine the look of a typical one-hour scripted show with the splashy colours of High School Musical; it’s a candy-coloured world shot as if it were House. It works pretty well so far.

- Ryan Murphy already created a high school show, the cult flop Popular, that has certain similarities in style and approach to this one. It’s not uncommon for showrunners to do something similar to one of their flops, but more relatable and/or crowd-pleasing. Of course it doesn’t always work out; Undeclared was supposed to be Judd Apatow’s more popular take on Freaks and Geeks, but it managed one fewer episode than F&G.