Today’s teens think Holden Caulfield is spoiled and whiny

By macleans.ca - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 11:45 AM - 1 Comment

For generations of teenagers, Holden Caulfield has represented the epitome of alienated youth. But today, almost 60 years after the publication of J.D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye, teens are no longer taken with Caulfield. Instead, they find him spoiled and whiny, and the language he uses outdated. As one 15-year-old student recently remarked, “Oh, we all hated Holden in my class. We just wanted to tell him, ‘Shut up and take your Prozac.’ ” Unlike the kids of the ’60s, today’s youth are fiercely competitive and surrounded by books, music and technology tailored to them. “Today’s pop culture heroes, it seems, are the nerds who conquer the world—like Harry (Potter)—not the beautiful losers who reject it,” writes Jennifer Schuessler.

The New York Times

Behind the curtain

By macleans.ca - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 11:36 AM - 0 Comments

In a three-part series, Florida’s St. Petersburg Times has cracked open the inner sanctum of the ultra-private Church of Scientology. Among the revelations from four high-level defectors was a culture of violence in the church’s executive, including a game of musical chairs, overseen by leader David Miscavige, that descended into physical confrontation. The Church has denied the allegations, calling the defectors liars and apostates. The Times, which won a Pulitzer in 1979 for its Scientology writing, also includes the church’s detailed rebuttal, which included the four defectors’ “ethics files”—confessions, contrition and laments that the church keeps to document their failures.

St. Petersburg Times

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty recommends 'John Adams' by David McCullough

By macleans.ca - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 11:25 AM - 2 Comments

At long last, I read David McCullough’s brilliant biography John Adams. It is the fascinating story of a young barrister who chose the arena of public service at an historic moment. He is matched by a sage, literate wife. Their respective letters bring their time, thoughts and emotions to life in the midst of events leading to the creation of the American democracy and later his Presidency. Inspirational for those interested in the advancement of ideas in elective office!

A place worse than Manchester

By macleans.ca - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 11:12 AM - 3 Comments

An Englishman’s memoir of six years in Scotland’s Orkney Islands has been canned by his publisher after islanders and their MP complained. Max Scratchmann, an English artist and illustrator, decided to move in 1999 from a dingy Manchester flat to what he thought would be a rural idyll. The Orkneys, an archipelago off the northern tip of Scotland, have a total population of about 20,000, scattered over 21 of the 70 islands. Instead of Eden, Scratchman writes in Chucking It All: How Downshifting To A Windswept Scottish Island Did Absolutely Nothing to Improve My Life, all he did was exchange one hell for another. He describes his time there as like “falling through a rent in the fabric of the universe and tumbling headfirst into the 1950s. We were taken aback at our first night-time encounter with Orcadians, who are rather staid and emotionally repressed by day, but veritable Jekyll and Hydes when the midnight sun sinks and rum and whisky washes away their numerous inhibitions.” His conclusion: “The two major pastimes on long winter nights are gossip and adultery.” Angry islanders, including one lady who recognized an unflattering depiction of herself, remonstrated with the Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland, Alistair Carmichael. He obtained a preview copy after it was featured on the island’s radio station, and successfully lobbied the London publisher Nicholas Brealey, who has cancelled the book’s publication scheduled for this month. Scratchman is nonplussed. The book, he says, was supposed to be a lighthearted warning to “smart-arsed urbanites”, tempted by the idea of escaping the rat race, who thought that starting a slower, rustic life somewhere like Provence, Umbria or the Outer Hebrides would somehow find them inner harmony. Maybe Italy, but not the Orkneys: “There are no trees, for a start.”

The Independent

Message to Ignatieff: "If you're going to point the gun, you need to be prepared to pull the trigger"

By macleans.ca - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 10:44 AM - 11 Comments

Pundits and MPs on both sides of the house suggest that the recent showdown-and subsequent resolution-between the PM and opposition leader Michael Ignatieff over EI may have hurt the Liberal’s credibility. There’s a limited number of times that Harper and Ignatieff can take their brinkmanship to the edge and maintain authority, explained pollster Nik Nanos. “Michael Ignatieff should now learn that if you’re going to point the gun, you need to be prepared to pull the trigger,” said a top Liberal in an interview with The Hill Times.

Still, others defend the compromise, praising Harper and Ignatieff for their ability to work together. “I think this helped Canadians,” said Ontario Liberal MP David McGuinty. “It’s not about what helped or hurt our party, it helped Canadians because they don’t want an election and we’re showing by conduct, our leader is showing by conduct that were making every effort we can to make this institution work for them.” A Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey released last week reported that only 14 per cent of Canadians want an election.

The Hill Times

Here In Toronto/Cincinnati, The Garbage Strike Continues….

By Jaime Weinman - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 10:37 AM - 6 Comments

There is a garbage strike in Toronto, and for those who are trying to figure out what to do with their trash, I have no good answers. But despite my admiration for Dr. Johnny Fever, I would not advocate the solution he came up with when Cincinnati garbage collectors were on strike against Mayor Jerry Springer (really, he was the mayor at the time), dumping garbage on the steps of City Hall. It does nothing to resolve the strike, and only leads to plot contrivances, the ensual (ensuing?) of hijinks that are frequently wacky in nature, and late-period Bob Dylan songs.

Math, Canadiens-style

By Martin Patriquin - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 10:25 AM - 7 Comments

Let’s see. In, 2001 George Gillett bought the Habs and their arena, and a very profitable entertainment promotion arm (which, incidentally enough, is putting on Osheaga this summer–and yours truly is playing in this fabulous singer’s band! Tickets make nice presents, etc) from the Molson for roughly $275 million. He oversaw a persistently mediocre franchise, inflicted the likes of Britney Spears and the Pussycat Dolls on us several times, and then sold the whole shebang back to the Molsons eight years later for $550 million.

George’s mama didn’t raise no fools, shall we say.

J'M la SRC

By Andrew Potter - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 10:19 AM - 4 Comments

Alongside ads for crappy bands and gutsplitting posters for the french-language version of Year One, downtown Montreal has been plastered with these pretty little ads:

I love the heartified CBC logo. The URL is for real – it’s a website devoted to lobbying for “quality public broadcasting”, i.e. demanding more money from the feds for the CBC. And while it’s nominally dedicated to both the english- and french-language services, the anglo side of the website is relatively underfunded. If you actually want to find out who is behind the campaign, you need to click on the francophone part of the site, where — no surprise — it’s the SRC union’s handiwork.

Anyone seen this campaign anywhere except on posters? I’d love to know the size of the media buy for this.

MPs want police to do random drunk driving tests

By macleans.ca - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 10:13 AM - 15 Comments

In a move to address the problem of drunk drivers, a parliamentary committee has advised that police officers be given the authority to randomly conduct breath tests. Currently, the law stipulates that police cannot check the condition of the driver unless they suspect the driver is drunk. Committee chairman Ed Fast maintains that random testing is the most “effective deterrent” available to police. The MPs recommended tougher penalties for repeat offenders and drivers who are found with a blood-alcohol level of 0.16. The committee seriously considered lowering the blood-alcohol limit from 0.08 to 0.05, but didn’t because of excess administrative costs that would overburden police and prosecutors.

Ottawa Citizen

Piling on

By Andrew Potter - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 9:16 AM - 54 Comments

New column, in which I stop short of imploring Michael Ignatieff to get out of Canadian politics while he still can.

link

Memories of PMOs past: Liveblogging the expert superpanel at the Oliphant Inquiry

By kadyomalley - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 8:30 AM - 9 Comments

After reluctantly being forced to miss out on most of the policy review — thanks, Parliament, for picking last week to go into meltdown mode — ITQ is making one last pilgrimage to Old City Hall to bear witness to the grand finale of the Olphant Show, which could prove to be a wonktastic sendoff for our favourite Manitobans, featuring, as it does, the much-anticipated superduper-extra-awesome all-day expert panel, which includes a trio of formidable formers: Mel Cappe, onetime Clerk of the Privy Council, Chretien-era appointments czarina Penny Collenette and the still-Right-Honourable Joe Clark, as well as Public Policy Forum president David Mitchell.

For all the background information you could possibly want on the policy phase, click here — and check back at 9am for full liveblogging coverage.

8:49:50 AM
Greetings, diehard Oliphantiacs and Joe Clark enthusiasts! For one day only, ITQ is back in her usual spot in the Victoria Room, although that, it seems, is the only bit of the Victoria Room that hasn’t been radically rearranged for the policy phase. Instead of a courtroom-like setting, we now have an actual roundtable — well, technically, a squaretable – with the panel on one side, facing the judge and commission counsel, and the researchers and lawyers for the other parties on either side. It’s — rather like a big committee, actually, with Richard Wolson as the chair, although I don’t expect that anyone will be filibustering, or raising spurious points of order, so he likely won’t get the chance to administer a little gavel-based justice.
Continue…

Why our PM may be wearing a swinger's bathrobe by August

By Scott Feschuk - Monday, June 22, 2009 at 7:49 AM - 11 Comments

What are we doing wrong here in Canada? We get Stephen Harper, Michael Ignatieff and a summer’s worth of debate about the mechanics of Employment Insurance administration. Meanwhile, America gets Obama, France gets a hot first lady who’s posed naked and Italy gets Silvio Berlusconi, a leader who’s just like Kim Jong Il, except with women instead of insanity.

I recommend reading widely on the topic of the Italian Prime Minister’s exploits, conquests and orange, orange makeup – and not just because one of the articles quotes a woman who goes by Continue…

The correction will be twittered

By Aaron Wherry - Sunday, June 21, 2009 at 10:29 PM - 3 Comments

Jason Kenney refutes reports that foreign embassies in Iran were taking in the wounded.

Update. Italy’s foreign minister has issued a statement that comes rather close to offering assistance. Austria seems willing, even if no one’s yet asked.

'The Iranian people deserve to have their voices heard'

By Aaron Wherry - Sunday, June 21, 2009 at 4:27 PM - 5 Comments

The official statement from Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon this afternoon.

“Canada condemns the decision of the Iranian authorities to use violence and force against their own people. Although the scale of the casualties is unclear, it is evident that Iranian security forces are using deadly force on citizens and deaths have occurred. Millions of Iranian civilians have taken to the streets in the past week in Tehran and throughout the country protesting what they consider a fraudulent election. The government’s reaction has been to silence the voices of its own people through brutality.

“The Iranian people deserve to have their voices heard, without fear of intimidation or violence. Canada condemns the use of force to stifle dissent, and we continue to call on Iran to fully respect all of its human rights obligations, both in law and in practice, and to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into the fraud allegations. The Government of Canada continues to support freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Iran.”

Beer, chocolate and MPs

By Mitchel Raphael - Sunday, June 21, 2009 at 11:23 AM - 3 Comments

The lineup for Ontario Tory MP Scott Reid’s sixth annual Ontario microbrewery beer tasting/Quebec cheese reception was huge. Reid hold two beers below.

Continue…

Happy Father's Day To Everyone, Including Bears!

By Jaime Weinman - Sunday, June 21, 2009 at 11:14 AM - 0 Comments

Let’s let Mama and Junyer Bear show us how to celebrate Father’s Day. Remember, “G-U-N-P-O-W-D-E-R” spells “Tobacco.” (A scene, by the way, that was cut when I grew up watching this on ABC. I don’t know if they objected to the smoking or the explosions.)

This cartoon is also a showcase for the talents of Chuck Jones’s longtime animator Ken Harris, who animated most of the final scene as well as other scenes like Junyer pouring the Continue…

'The Iranian government cannot hide the truth'

By Aaron Wherry - Saturday, June 20, 2009 at 11:14 PM - 27 Comments

The Liberal press office just now released a statement from Michael Ignatieff on the situation in Iran.

“We mourn each life lost as a result of the Government of Iran’s unjust actions, and share the anguish and outrage of Canadians of Iranian origin at the suppression of peaceful protest and the apparent denial of fully free and fair elections. Canada should join other countries in keeping our embassy open for the humanitarian needs of the people of Iran.

“The Iranian government cannot hide the truth from their own citizens or from the rest of the world.  By answering the call for open and transparent elections with a violent disregard for the rights of its citizens, the Iranian government has further alienated itself from the international community. The Liberal Party of Canada strongly affirms the rights of Iranians and people everywhere to freely express themselves and associate with others, without threat to their life or liberty.  We call on the Iranian government to cease the violence and continue to call for open and transparent elections.”

The Prime Minister commented during QP on Wednesday in response to a question from Bob Rae. Later that afternoon the House passed a unanimous motion expressing “solidarity with, and support for, the democratic aspirations of the Iranian people.”

Live cinema, epic theatre

By Brian D. Johnson - Saturday, June 20, 2009 at 6:09 PM - 1 Comment

A scene from Robert Lepage's marathon marvel, 'Lipsynch'

I’ve meaning to get this blog written for a week, but my real job kept getting in the way. Last weekend I spend about 14 hours consuming art, or rather being consumed by it. I’m still blathering about the experience to whoever will listen, sounding like a crazy person. It’s hard to convey. Last Saturday night I went to a “live cinema” party in a warehouse down near the waterfront. Called Init—”an immersive audio visual experience”— was like the digital era’s version of a ’60s happening. It began outdoors with fire dancers twirling ropes of flame to a vast samba band. Then, in the warehouse, VJs at computer consoles live-mixed a wild array of video, projected around the white cinder-block walls from all angles, while a DJ laid down a heavy pulse of house music. Like the audio, the visuals were looped and overlaid in trance-like beats, images morphing in and out of each other in rhythmic respiration. But it wasn’t a blitz of fast-cutting. These were movies you could dance to, or dream to, and people did, until 4 a.m. The event was not part of Luminato, but it should have been.

The next day, Sunday, I spent almost nine hours immersed in Robert Lepage’s marathon play, Lipsynch, at the Bluma Appel Theatre, which was part of Luminato. You tell people you’ve just spent nine hours watching a play conducted in four languages (with projected sur-titles) and they think you’ve undergone an endurance test, made a heroic sacrifice for art. On the contrary. There was no suffering. The time flew by. It was like taking your brain on a luxurious cruise. Or It spending the day in an art spa, basking in mind massages and sensory wraps. Maybe it was high art but the ascent was effortless: because Lepage did all the work for you, it was experienced as pure entertainment. The intermissions were generous, and you’d chat with friends, fellow travellers, while watching the strange tent city of Woofstock—a dog festival on Front St.—through the theatre’s glass front.

When the play was over, I came out of the theatre exhilarated and refreshed, I realized I’d been treated to one of most breathtaking theatrical events I’ve ever witnessed. I use the word “theatrical” with some hesitation, because it transcended theatre. With natural acting, miraculous staging, operatic arias and a soap-opera plot you could get lost in, Lipsynch was like watching TV or film in the flesh. Continue…

Not velvet, but revolution

By Paul Wells - Saturday, June 20, 2009 at 6:04 PM - 54 Comments

As soon as you know how the story will end, simply knowing speeds the end’s arrival. Only five years passed between Lincoln’s House Divided speech and the Emancipation Proclamation. Gorbachev told his wife in 1986: “We can’t go on like this.” On Friday — yesterday — Ali Khamanei used Friday prayers to deliver a harangue against his own people, telling them to ignore logic and the evidence of their own hearts, to accept the sham election, and to go home and live in the dark for yet another few more years.

And he put all the legitimacy of the Islamic Republic itself behind his demand.

Big mistake. Continue…

Clarity

By Paul Wells - Saturday, June 20, 2009 at 5:12 PM - 15 Comments

Globe editorial employees vote 97% for a mandate to strike.

What now?

By Aaron Wherry - Saturday, June 20, 2009 at 4:35 PM - 4 Comments

While Gerald Caplan details his outrage, Paul Koring raises new questions about this country’s treatment of Abousfian Abdelrazik. Last month, Ben Peterson raised a question that may soon be operative here too: should we consider prosecuting any Canadian officials complicit in torture?

Yes, high-level arrests could spark political controversy. But bypassing the law for fear of a backlash is cowardly and counterproductive. It would, in the long run, weaken our collective ability to fight for justice in the face of tyranny. It would undermine the rule of law. While the prosecution of high-level officials should never be encouraged, if they broke the law, they broke the law. Surely our democracy is strong enough to withstand the fallout…

Perhaps, once the staggering factual and legal complexities involved are sorted through, it will be determined that no Canadian officials should be prosecuted. I hope that’s the case. But these mazes should be navigated not with an eye for history alone, but also to potentially prosecute those involved.

Ignatieff on Iran

By Aaron Wherry - Saturday, June 20, 2009 at 4:03 PM - 2 Comments

Further to Potter’s post, from the vast Beyond the Commons video archive, footage of Michael Ignatieff speaking to a Iranian-Canadian publication several months ago.

More here.

Sham-ocracy

By Aaron Wherry - Saturday, June 20, 2009 at 1:15 PM - 15 Comments

The Toronto Star begins a six-part series on Parliament.

Still, as a folly it’s a magnificent piece of work. Its Gothic facades, theatrical forums and mahogany history are as fantastic as any theme park. It whirs and clanks, billows smoke and oozes importance. It’s an icon and, all in all, a pretty good show.

Part One, on MP expenses, is here.

Ignatieff in Iran

By Andrew Potter - Saturday, June 20, 2009 at 9:52 AM - 20 Comments

Michael Ignatieff was in Iran on the eve of Ahmadinejad’s victory in 2005. He gave talks, met with reformers and students, and wrote it up for the New York Times Magazine. The piece is worth reading now for all kinds of reasons: It gives a nice snapshot of the state of the reform movement at the time, and helps explain why Ahmadinejad was so popular in the first place. It also contains some of the cut-rate intellectualizing that makes Ignatieff’s academic positions so shaky, such as when he replies to a cleric’s demand for proof that rights are universal with the following:

I gave the answer I use in my class at Harvard — that if I were to go up to him, right now, and smack him across the face, anywhere in the world the act would count as an injustice and an insult. Human rights law codifies our agreement about stopping these intuitively obvious injustices.

Well, not quite.  Anyway, it’s easy to go back over things written in different contexts and pull out Telling Quotes or Portentous Passages, but I thought this was interesting:

Many young Iranians I talked to were so hostile to clerical rule that I found myself cautioning them against going too far in the other direction. Many seemed in favor of a secular republicanism in which religion was excluded from politics altogether, as it was in Turkey during the rule of that country’s modernizing dictator, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. As Isaiah Berlin warned, however, if you bend the twig too far, it will snap back in your face.

And especially this:

In any event, America has almost no capacity to promote democracy inside Iran, and some capacity to do harm to Iranian democrats. Every Iranian I met wanted to spend time in the United States — and wished there were more scholarships to take them to America — but nearly every one of them laughed when I mentioned the recent Congressional appropriation of $3 million to support democratic opposition groups inside and outside the country. Iranian democrats look on American good intentions with incredulity. It would be fatal for any of them to accept American dollars. ”Do they want to get us all arrested as spies?” one said to me.

Hence the paradox: the Middle Eastern Muslim society with the most pro-American democrats will strenuously resist any American attempt to promote democracy inside it. It is easy to understand why. ”We fought for our independence,” Semnanian told me. ”You think when our people fought to drive out the invaders from Iraq for seven years, we were fighting only Saddam? We were fighting the U.S.A., Britain, the whole world. We saved our country. And now we are free.”

Read the whole thing.