Farewell Bob Marleau, we barely knew ye! No really — we really, barely knew ye at all!

By Paul Wells - Tuesday, June 23, 2009 at 8:37 AM - 13 Comments

And so Information Commissioner Robert Marleau announces his retirement, prompting a veritable avalanche of how-will-you-be-able-to-tell-he’s-gone jokes.

This corner has been a reluctant critic of Marleau, who is a real gentleman in person and whose contributions to Parliamentary procedure as clerk of the Commons were legion. But he spent a very long time getting ready to criticize this government, even as he would occasionally be heard to whisper that its record on providing a free flow of information was getting more and more alarming. Here’s the combined list of macleans.ca Marleau blog posts. Note especially this post, in which Marleau defended himself against his assorted accusers. I thought that was a really classy move, and I was prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt. In that interview he said:

But those who are waiting for an attack-dog commissioner will have to wait for the outcomes of what I can do because it’s not normally my posture. There’s a time to bite. There’s a time to bark.  If all you do is bark, then after a while you don’t hear the dog. I’m not saying you have to wag  your tail, but sometimes backing off gives you some results.

Fair enough. So what does he do when it’s time to bite? He retires.

Yesterday’s communiqué cites “personal reasons,” and again I’m inclined to give the benefit of the doubt. There really are personal reasons for making career decisions in Ottawa, and it’s cheap cynicism to discount them. But then Marleau gave an interview to Jim Bronskill, one of the Press Gallery’s most dedicated users of the Access to Information law. And the personal reasons he gives are…well, see for yourself: Continue…

Totally tearing those Maclean's columnists a new one

By Scott Feschuk - Tuesday, June 23, 2009 at 6:26 AM - 11 Comments

Did you see this? I had no idea we were allowed to “rip” our fellow Maclean’s columnists.

[Sound of extensive throat-clearing...]

Coyne. A 1-series? Really? Was the dealership all out of real BMWs?

Amiel. I’ve lived on this earth for 41 years and I’ve never heard of either of the dog breeds you’re aiming to acquire. So you’re going to get a rescue kuvasz next and then perhaps a Caucasian ovtcharka? What are you going to name the ovtcharka: Consonant?

Wells. Nice opening to your column about fascism, squealer. Way to ruin the Maclean’s “We’re-All-Going-to-Die…Again!” Cover Strategy by totally giving it away. You wrote: “We like scaring you here at Maclean’s. That’s why we like these rip-roaring cover stories: we hope that you’ll pick us up and read the calmer stuff inside too.” I shall now forever think of our editors as Continue…

Mind you, Mr. Ignatieff doesn't give his number to just anyone

By Aaron Wherry - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 11:51 PM - 22 Comments

So the Justice Minister convenes a press conference Monday morning to discuss the government’s crime agenda. And, at least judging from the transcript, he appears to have been suffering from a rather serious bout of displeasure.

“Once again, the opposition parties, the Liberals, NDP and the Bloc are playing politics at the expense of the safety and security of Canadians.”

“So what do these stalling tactics and lack of action mean to Canadians over this summer?  It means that they would still find themselves victims of identity thanks to the opposition.”

“I’m here today to call on Michael Ignatieff and his Liberals to ensure that this happens.  I’m calling on the Liberals to pass C-15 into law before the Senate rises this summer. For once, we need the Liberals to stand up against these gangs, the people who exploit Canada’s most vulnerable citizens, particularly our youth.”

And so on. Reporters press Mr. Nicholson on various matters and then the pesky Tonda MacCharles, a writer employed by a paper the Prime Minister reads and respects, asks an entirely unreasonable question. Continue…

Bryan Fuller's Heroic Escape

By Jaime Weinman - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 9:55 PM - 0 Comments

The cancellation of Pushing Daisies was good news for Heroes, because Bryan Fuller came back to that show as a writer-producer. As I’ve noted a few times, it’s very common for creator/showrunners to pass the time between their own projects by working on other people’s shows; Fuller has done that twice with Heroes, working on the show while waiting for his own shows to get picked up. But this time, Fuller has left the show again, without even a show pickup to justify it; though he has a development deal with NBC (and was re-assigned to Heroes as part of the deal), he says he’s leaving because he’s “crafting two pilots right now.”

Since deals like Fuller’s are specifically set up to make sure that the deal-ee can create pilots for the studio while simultaneously working on someone else’s show, I would lean more toward the explanation that the article denies: that there were “creative differences” going on behind the scenes. One way or another, of course, it doesn’t bode well for the future of the show, which people do still care about (I don’t really care about Heroes any more, even with the improvement after Fuller’s brief return, but I’m not dismissing those who do).

It’s interesting that Fuller has been one of the people most responsible for the good periods of Heroes — at least, the times it’s been good have been the times when he’s been working on it, and he’s received a lot of fan credit for the good episodes (whether that contributed to the so-called creative differences with the creator, I don’t know). Interesting because it doesn’t have a great deal in common with the projects he has created on his own. Fuller’s most successful ventures have been as a writer-producer on sci-fi adventure shows like the Star Treks and Heroes, but his own shows have all been whimsical modern-day fairy tales. He seems to be more successful (at least in ratings terms) applying elements of that style to more conventional material.

I Hope This Was Supposed To Be Ironic…

By Jaime Weinman - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 9:22 PM - 2 Comments

…I saw a newsper headline today that read:

On Tonight: Historic Turns for Iran, Jon, Kate

And speaking of priorities: while Jon and Kate’s separation/divorce/ratings stunt may get extra viewers for tonight’s episode, it seems likely that some of their publicity (and therefore, some of the viewers they might have gotten) has been stolen by all the Perez/Will.I.Am coverage. For a large portion of the day, they weren’t even the top story on Wesmirch.com.

At this hour, in front of Parliament's Centre Block

By Paul Wells - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 9:04 PM - 29 Comments

A hardy group demonstrating for democracy in Iran. They could use your help if you’re near, or if you pass, honk your horn. They were getting a lot of that when I walked past just now.

Oliphant Extra – Tom Flanagan: Defender of Her Majesty's Loyal Exempt Staffers

By kadyomalley - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 8:14 PM - 14 Comments

Earlier this month, a missive by everyone’s favourite former Harper advisor Tom Flanagan popped up on the official Oliphant website. Written in response to a draft research paper prepared for the commission by Dr. Paul Thomas, it is a polite, but strongly worded rebuttal to what he saw as an unfair characterization of the Praetorian guard of political staffers that  make up the inner circle of the Prime Minister’s Office.

First of all, he scolds Thomas for “labelling” them as “political staff”, suggesting instead that “it would be better to use the federal government’s normal term: “exempt staff” – a distinction that ITQ cannot remember the Flanagan-era Reform, Canadian Alliance or Conservative parties having made during their collective and respective years on the opposition benches.

These “designated ministerial employees”, he notes, are exempt from some Public Service Commission rules relating to recruitment, compensation and termination, as well as the “nature of the work that they are hired to perform”, but other than that, they are “public servants in the broader sense”.

Continue…

Are Crackberries the new Colts?

By macleans.ca - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 4:57 PM - 0 Comments

It’s the debate that never dies. Is it okay to pull out your BlackBerry in the middle of a meeting to check for messages, or is it the table-manner equivalent of talking with your mouth full? Even though many organizations and businesses have put the kibosh on tapping away during meetings, the Crackberry set is gaining ground, according to the New York Times. Roughly one-third of workers polled say they regularly check emails during meetings. As one consultant told the paper, nowadays it’s common for professionals to put their BlackBerries on the table before a meeting “like gunfighters placing their Colt revolvers on the card tables in a saloon.” The message: I’m connected and have lots of other things to do, so don’t waste my time.

The New York Times

Helping Iran create the most sophisticated Internet monitoring in the world

By macleans.ca - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 4:56 PM - 0 Comments

As if news from Iran could get any more grim, the Wall Street Journal is reporting the country has, possibly, the most sophisticated Internet monitoring capacity in the world, thanks to technology Nokia and Siemens built for them in 2008. “Deep packet inspection,” allows authorities to not only block communication, but monitor it to gather information about individuals, as well as alter it for disinformation, say global technology experts. This may help to explain why the Iranian government has allowed the Internet to continue to function—and why it has been running at such slow speeds since the vote. Beijing, one imagines, must be drooling.

The Wall Street Journal

Did you hear the one about Obama?

By John Intini - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 4:10 PM - 96 Comments

Soon after Barack Obama’s victory last November, late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel stopped by Legends, a barbershop in L.A. He was there for a trim but also to test out, “on behalf of the comedy community,” what type of jokes about the new President the almost all-black staff and clientele considered offensive. Cracks about Obama being a bad dancer are fine, they said. So are jabs at his big ears. But, Kimmel was told, Mrs. O’s “butt” is off-limits.

The skit was a joke (a pretty good one, actually), but it illustrated a real concern among some comedians and late-night scribes heading into the Obama era. Sure, comics would be able to count on Vice-President Joe Biden to regularly stuff his foot in his mouth, but Obama, unlike most of the commanders-in-chief who preceded him, wasn’t a walking punchline. Most of the late-night hosts have publicly complained about how little the President gives them to work with. Comedian Chris Rock compared Obama to the untouchable Brad Pitt. “Ooh, you’re young and virile and you’ve got a beautiful wife and kids,” Rock told CNN. “You know, what do you say?”

Continue…

European cycling holidays

By Wayne Tefs, Takeoffeh.com - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 4:08 PM - 2 Comments

Eager to roll up and down undulating hills under a warm sun, scoot along lush river valleys, grind up a grand tour mountain? Sounds dreamy, but a cycling holiday can also be challenging for those who don’t have Lance Armstrong’s abs. In fact, there are options for almost all shapes and sizes.

One of these might be the ticket.

4 Types of Cycling Holidays:

Supported Group: enjoy sharing morning latte and cozying up to evening nosh with a circle of noisy new friends?  The bases are all covered with this type of package: bike rental, lodging, transport of luggage, guides to travel the roads with you—an experienced cyclist who indicates points of interest and speaks the native language. Recommended for beginners and first-time cycling travellers.

Partly supported: prefer your own pace, poking about a charming country abbey, lingering over café au lait?  Operators running partly supported tours provide the bike, detailed maps, including directions, arrange lodgings, transport luggage, and are just a bell away in emergencies, big and small. For experienced cyclists and those with a yen for adventure.

The Full Monty: undertaken by the intrepid and romantically-inclined. This type of tour involves carrying all your gear– sleeping bag, tent, extra clothes, maps, books, tools. You set out at sunrise and sweat out the day, locating a camping spot as the sun sets. You’re out there on your own. Not recommended for the faint of heart. Memorable adventure.

The Trip of Loops: pack or rent a bike, and also rent a car with a bicycle rack, or a small van and schlep your bike to a country town where you check into lodgings for several days. Using maps, you “loop out” every day from this base and return at night. After several days, move on to another town and repeat. Advantage: carry only gear for one day’s ride.

What To Expect:

Roads: in Europe, side roads and lanes criss-cross the countryside and most are paved and maintained. The result: quiet, bucolic rides through charming rural landscapes.

Drivers: European drivers are accustomed to cyclists, polite and accommodating. In 20 years, we’ve experienced 5 incidents, about as many as in most weeks in North America.

Terrain: varies from Easy to Very Difficult. Even easy means rolling hills, and somewhat challenging grades, as well as flat stretches. Newbies can handle Easy rides, if taken slowly. Moderate indicates several more difficult climbs (either in length or grade) and longer distances overall (50-80K). Difficult denotes serious climbing over lengthy distances, and Very Difficult is for experienced cyclists (“mountain” climbing of 10+ K at steep grades).

Tip: in Europe look for “chevrons” on the road map (>), which denote steep climbs. “Panoramic” symbols * indicate a height from which glorious scenery is on display (cyclist read: “top of a high hill”).

3 Types of Bicycles

Road: “skinny tires” with handlebars flipped down under (“the drops”). Good for flying along tarmac roads. Drawbacks: sore back, more likely to puncture than:

Mountain: “balloon” tires with bigger saddles and straight handlebars. Bounce along tarmac, gravel, even rough back trails. Disadvantage: slow.

Hybrid: look like mountain bikes but tires sized half way between road and mountain bikes (sometimes called “cross” bikes). Good for both tarmac roads and rougher tracks.

Photo Credits: Wayne Tefs

If you still think the Iran protesters are just sore losers…

By Paul Wells - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 3:40 PM - 27 Comments

…read this. One of many passages that should persuade skeptics this election was stolen, and clumsily too:

…in at least ten provinces, in order to have amassed the vote totals given to him, Ahmadinejad would have had to have won all the voters who backed him in 2005, all of the voters who, last time, voted for the centrist candidacy of Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, all of the voters who, last time, sat out the election and didn’t vote at all, and — on top of that — up to 44 percent of the voters who, in 2005, backed the reformist slate!

Afghanistan and Pakistan: Compare and contrast

By Paul Wells - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 3:32 PM - 4 Comments

U.S. Tightens Airstrike Policy in Afghanistan

Pakistan Resumes Airstrikes in South Waziristan

Note that, for strategic purposes, the difference between Pakistan and Afghanistan is meaningless, and that Gen. MacChrystal was right when he told his officers last week, “Air power contains the seeds of our own destruction if we do not use it responsibly.”

Don't hold your breath, says Layton

By macleans.ca - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 2:56 PM - 4 Comments

Harper can’t look to the NDP for support if the Liberals move a motion of no-confidence in the fall says Jack Layton. Come September, the conservatives are obliged to report on infrastructure spending stimulus and, if unhappy with the report, the Liberals could move a motion of no-confidence. This agreement was decided upon last week after Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff supported the government on a confidence motion for a chance to create a panel to review the employment insurance system.

The NDP, on the other hand, has been voting no all along and doesn’t plan to change its position even if the polls aren’t in their favour. “We are going to continue to oppose the direction that Stephen Harper has been taking the country and the economy because we think it’s wrong,” says Layton.

The Globe and Mail

Drake superior

By Shanda Deziel - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 2:24 PM - 8 Comments

Drake may be the first rapper to talk about how his mom disapproves of his car. The former Degrassi: The Next Generation star used his acting money to lease a Rolls-Royce Phantom in order to fit into the world of hip hop—and he’s not too proud to admit, in his song Say Whats Real, that that kind of thing doesn’t go over well at home. “And my mother embarrassed to put my Phantom out / So I park about five houses down / She said I shouldn’t have until I have the crown / But I don’t wanna feel the need to wear disguises around / So she wonder where my mind is / Accounts in the minus / But yet I’m rolling round the f–kin’ city like your highness.”

For Drake, who is being hailed as the next hip-hop superstar, it must be difficult to reconcile a blinged-out lifestyle with home—which is Forest Hill, a tony, predominantly Jewish neighbourhood in Toronto. Born Aubrey Drake Graham (he goes by Aubrey Graham when acting, and Drake when singing), his parents split when he was young. His father is an African-American musician who lives in Memphis, and his mom, who is white, raised him in Toronto, where he was bar mitzvahed. “I didn’t go to Hebrew school though,” he told Peter Rosenberg, a popular Jewish hip-hop talk show host. “I cheated. I collected the money.”

Continue…

"I demand to know what happened to the plucky lawyer and her compellingly short garment!"

By Jaime Weinman - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 2:20 PM - 1 Comment

The news that Fox will release a complete DVD set of Ally McBeal is interesting insofar as it suggests a possible new model for TV-on-DVD releases: bringing out the whole series at the same time as the first season, rather than waiting to bring out all the seasons individually before repackaging them together. In the current DVD market, where people are less inclined to make impulse purchases, a complete-series set may actually be a better investment for a studio, since these sets are quite popular as holiday gifts. (A complete set makes a good Christmas gift for an aging relative who remembers the show, and still costs less than something more conventionally useful.) Also, studios have to face up to the fact that with the inevitable declines in sales for each subsequent season of a show, most non-current shows simply can’t sell enough to get all the seasons out one at a time.

The announcement of the show itself would be more exciting if it weren’t for two things: 1) There is almost no chance that Fox will pay for the music, and 2) Fox’s international division already released the complete series in PAL format with all the music intact. (Music clearance rules are different in other regions, though don’t ask me exactly what the differences are.) So a multi-region DVD player would probably be a more sensible investment than the upcoming set.

As for the show itself, I never really got into it, and still have trouble getting into it even as late ’90s nostalgia. It certainly is one of the essential cultural artifacts of that distinctive, strange era, the late ’90s. Interestingly, not only did this show burn out really quick, but most of the shows that have imitated it, or been influenced by it, have bombed. It spawned a ton of single-professional-girl comedy-dramas, most of which tanked (Miss Match) as well as lots of quirky lawyer shows that bombed, some deservedly, some undeservedly (Eli Stone).

The announcement is at TV Shows On DVD, along with bi-lingual box art that might be used for the Canadian release. The box art does confirm one point that can’t be confirmed too Continue…

Can they pay it back?

By Colin Campbell - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 2:20 PM - 82 Comments

When Peter Schiff was making the rounds on U.S. cable news shows in 2007, warning about the collapse of the housing market, anchors and fellow guests literally laughed in his face when he launched into his gloomy predictions. That kind of meltdown could never happen, they said. The economy was on rock-solid ground. In those rosier economic days, Schiff, the president of Darien, Conn.’s Euro Pacific Capital, was repeatedly cast as a successful broker who’d gone off the deep end.

These days, a vindicated Schiff is back on the talk show circuit with an even darker message. The current recession, he argues, is only the beginning of a larger economic restructuring. The American economy has been destroyed by years of reckless spending and borrowing. And now, the U.S. government is so deeply in debt that at some point in the very near future, he says, its lenders—namely China—are going to come to their senses and cut America off. “We can’t have one country that just borrows and one country that just consumes that’s supported by the rest of the world. It doesn’t work.” When this system collapses—and it inevitably must, he insists—inflation will run wild as the U.S. prints money to support its spending habit. Interest rates will jump and everyone will suffer. The real day of reckoning is still to come.

Continue…

Credit where credit is due: A really pretty darned solid statement by the PM on the situation in Iran

By kadyomalley - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 2:08 PM - 21 Comments

“The reaction of the Iranian authorities to the demonstrations in Iran is wholly unacceptable. The regime has chosen to use brute force and intimidation in responding to peaceful opposition regarding legitimate and serious allegations of electoral fraud.

“Basic human rights, including freedom of assembly and freedom of expression, are being ignored. Demonstrations have been banned and demonstrators beaten. Injured protestors have been arrested when they arrive at hospitals for treatment. Journalists have been prevented from covering protests and subjected to arbitrary detention and arrest. Foreign press credentials have been revoked.

“Canada calls on the Iranian authorities to immediately cease the use of violence against their own people, to release all political prisoners and journalists – including Canadians – who have been unjustly detained, to allow Iranian and foreign media to report freely on these historic events, and to conduct a full and transparent investigation into allegations of fraud in the presidential election. The voices of all Iranians must be heard. I have directed the Minister of Foreign Affairs to ensure that Canada’s views are conveyed to Iran’s top representative in Canada.”

“Canada continues to be a strong and consistent voice calling on the Iranian regime to fulfill all of its human rights obligations, both in law and in practice. For six consecutive years, Canada has led a resolution on the human rights situation in Iran at the United Nations General Assembly. Canada continues to support freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Iran and around the world.”

- 30 -

Canadian embassy in Tehran won’t provide shelter to Iranians

By macleans.ca - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 12:09 PM - 4 Comments

Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff is calling for Canada’s embassy in Tehran to offer refuge to those injured in the protests gripping Iran. However, Foreign Affairs spokesperson Simone MacAndrew said “Canada does not offer asylum to individuals in its embassies abroad” except in exceptional circumstances involving an “immediate threat of injury or death.” Meanwhile, a Canadian journalist for the U.S.-based Newsweek was reported by the magazine to have been “detained without charge” during Saturday’s massive protests in Tehran. Maziar Bahari has been reporting from Iran for the past decade and is one of at least 24 journalists and bloggers arrested as part of a crackdown on protesters and media.

The Canadian Press

Sign of a turn-around?

By macleans.ca - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 12:07 PM - 0 Comments

The number of people receiving employment insurance benefits rose to 697,000 in April, up 2.7 per cent from March. That jump of 18,600 marks the smallest increase in six months, Statistics Canada reported Monday. “While the number of people receiving benefits was up in April, initial and renewal claims received were down 1.7 per cent, following a 2.1 per cent decrease in March,” the federal agency said. The number of EI beneficiaries is up in all provinces and territories, with Alberta and Saskatchewan seeing the largest percentage increases in April. Since October 2008, when the global financial crisis began to be felt in Canada, the number of regular EI beneficiaries has risen by 39.3 per cent.

The Canadian Press

The Montreal Gazette

Doctors want World Medical Association President gone

By macleans.ca - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 12:05 PM - 0 Comments

Over 700 doctors from around the world have signed a letter calling for the removal of Dr. Yoram Blachar, president of the World Medical Association (WMA). The signatories allege that he knew about and failed to stop the involvement of medical staff in torturing Israeli prisoners as far back as 1996, when he was head of the Israeli Medical Association. The letter cites reports from Amnesty International and the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, both of which say Blachar played a part in the torture of prisoners. Blachar calls the charges “imaginary allegations which have no grounds whatsoever.” But the letters’ signatories say the WMA loses all credibility with Blachar at its head. The WMA was founded in 1947 as a reaction against the abuses of doctors in Germany and Japan during WWII. In 1975 it adopted the Declaration of Tokyo, which states “physicians shall not countenance, condone or participate in the practice of torture or other forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading procedures, and in all situations, including armed conflict and civil conflict.”

The Guardian

Toronto starts to stink

By macleans.ca - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 12:05 PM - 2 Comments

Twenty-four thousand city workers have walked off the job. This comes after the 12:01 a.m. deadline set between two unions and the city passed this morning without an acceptable collective agreement being tabled. Garbage, daycare, water, sewer and social services, as well as rec centers and summer camps will all be affected. The strike begins at the height of Toronto’s tourist season, which could suffer as museums, galleries, and even golf courses and ferries shut down. The city cited the recession and made an offer asking for concessions on job security, seniority, sick leave and scheduling. A union rep called it “complete garbage,” but talks are expected to continue.

CBC News

Protesters ignore warning from Iran's Revolutionary Guards

By macleans.ca - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 11:54 AM - 0 Comments

Despite a warning from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards that future protests over the June 12 election would be crushed, hundreds of demonstrators gathered in a public square in Tehran on Monday, where they were met by police who fired tear gas into the crowd and discharged their weapons in the air. Earlier in the day, the Revolutionary Guard, Iran’s most elite military force, posted a message on its website ordering protesters to “end the sabotage and rioting activities”-otherwise, protesters should be prepared for a resolution and revolutionary confrontation with the guards.” According to the country’s state-owned radio service, at least 457 people were detained by Iran’s security services after the massive protests in the capital on Saturday that left another 10 people dead. Meanwhile, Iran’s ruling Guardian Council has announced that a preliminary investigation into the June 12 vote revealed excess votes in 50 of the total 366 electoral districts. Spokesperson Abbasali Kadkhodai nonetheless insisted they uncovered nothing that would lead them to believe a recount might change the election outcome.

Agence-France Press

The Guardian

The Washington Post

Economy worsens, sex trade finds new employees

By macleans.ca - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 11:48 AM - 0 Comments

From strip clubs to porn websites to street corners, the amount of women working in the sex trade just keeps increasing. The trend often goes side-by-side with economic downturn—the same thing happened after the dot com bubble burst. Highly educated women who have lost work in business, tech and other industries are turning to the Internet, especially sites like Craigslist, as an easy way to find work with a company or build a client list as an entrepreneur.

Salon.com