Driver error may be behind Toyota's woes

By macleans.ca - Wednesday, July 14, 2010 at 1:06 PM - 0 Comments

Initial results from a U.S. Department of Transportation investigation show driver error may be to blame for many of the crashes that have tarnished Toyota’s reputation, reports the Wall Street Journal. The department randomly sampled “black boxes” from vehicles whose drivers claimed their vehicle had accelerated out of control before crashing. The data recorders revealed drivers had accidentally engaged their gas-pedals instead of their brakes. A government-sponsored investigation in 1989 found the same problem after a spate of Audi 5000 drivers claimed they crashed due to faulty breaks. Toyota issued a massive recall in November 2009 to replace floor mats that were interfering with accelerators. The company recalled millions more vehicles in January to replace gas-pedals that “stick” when released by the driver’s foot.

Wall Street Journal

Medium and message

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, July 14, 2010 at 1:01 PM - 0 Comments

Michael Ignatieff explains the principle at play.

“This is not how Stephen Harper does politics. Stephen Harper would have you about 25 feet back, he’d have you behind a rope line,” Ignatieff told about 50 supporters in Hawkesbury, Ont.. Ignatieff wore a plaid shirt and blue jeans. ”He wouldn’t take an unscripted question, he wouldn’t wade into the crowd. There’s a kind of suspicion of Canadians, and a suspicion, that God help us, something might get out of control.”

Five U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan

By macleans.ca - Wednesday, July 14, 2010 at 12:51 PM - 0 Comments

Four American soldiers working with the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan were killed by a bomb on Wednesday, while another died in a separate attack in the southern part of the country. The deaths come just a day after three U.S. soldiers and five Afghan civilians were killed in a suicide attack in Kandahar, and are seemingly part of a larger wave of violence in Afghanistan. June saw the largest number of fatalities since the war began in 2001. In the past 24 hours, 11 NATO soldiers have been killed. “We are in the toughest part of this fight,” ISAF spokesman Brig. Gen. Josef Blotz told the BBC.

BBC News

In defence of irresponsible Liberal bus metaphors

By Colby Cosh - Wednesday, July 14, 2010 at 12:10 PM - 0 Comments

“For the last time: the physical world does not conform itself to journalists’ desire for metaphors!” barked Colleague Coyne in the wake of the breakdown of the Liberal Express yesterday. “Mechanical breakdowns are not “emblematic” of anything, except to reporters who like to press the facts into pre-defined templates of spurious significance (see: narrative), or who think the universe is governed by magic.”

At first I read this and gave a firm, satisfied nod of approval. I don’t think the universe is governed by magic either. But wait: isn’t Michael Ignatieff leader of the Liberal party largely because his predecessor was tried and convicted of exhibiting bad juju?

Thinking back to Stephane Dion’s video suicide, it seems to me that there is some room to regard outbreaks of “bad luck” as non-specific indicators of leadership problems. We call them “leaders” for a reason, right? They cannot be aware of all the details of a campaign, but they are responsible for creating an expectation of professionalism, a spirit of unity, and a climate of accountability. They set the moral tone for an organization and determine how much energy the rank and file will apply to mundane tasks.

If you’ve had a career of any length you’ve probably worked for bad, discouraging bosses and good, inspiring ones: which kind gets the worker bees to mind their p’s and q’s, to put in that little extra soupçon of effort? Which sort of executive will have his people coming into work an hour early because they have to pick a transport supplier and they don’t want the old man to lose face? When patronizing a business, don’t you notice, and judge on the basis of, all kinds of little things like this—things that might be strictly irrelevant in themselves? A smudged countertop, an untidy restroom? And aren’t blameless “accidents” often the way in which an unclear command structure, cronyism, or a dispirited workforce manifest themselves?

I don’t say that yesterday’s stop-and-go should by itself, or will, reflect on the state of the Liberal Party. It really is just a damn bus transmission: I feel faintly silly even suggesting that there could conceivably more to it. But if journalists are somewhat prone to Kremlinological flights of fancy about the internal morale of parties and organizations, there’s a reason for that: by and large, their opportunities for genuine insight are a lot less abundant and useful than you think. The press, aided by ethanol and unscrupulousness, does what it can to ferret out the truth. The better one’s access, the greater the inherent compromises.

The Liberal campaign might be a joyless death march, but the marchers themselves live by an ancient, inflexible code that obliges them to plod on uncomplainingly until they fall. All the rest of us can do is to keep our eyes unerringly fixed upon the place where, ahem, the rubber meets the road.

'The common good against the individual good'

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, July 14, 2010 at 12:06 PM - 0 Comments

While the minister manages to both lament the intrusiveness of the census and encourage you to cooperate with next year’s “survey,” you can add TD Bank’s Don Drummond and the director of Toronto Public Health to the list of those who oppose the change. In addition to calling for an amendment to the Statistics Act, the Liberals want the industry committee recalled to deal with the issue.

The CBC’s David McKie, meanwhile, offers a review of the matter.

Currie says just because people dislike completing forms, doesn’t mean governments should let them off the hook. ”People objected to seatbelts. People object to legislation on anti-smoking. They object to the legislation on cell-phone use in cars. But we do things for the common good. We have to measure the common good against the individual good. Nobody says we should cut out jury duty and not have it obligatory. And no one says we should cut out the census except the minister.”

Government at work

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, July 14, 2010 at 10:35 AM - 0 Comments

In the middle of an article that notes, in part, the superfluousness of changing the Criminal Code to cover “honour killings,” this explanation for Rona Ambrose’s comments.

While a spokesman for Justice Minister Rob Nicholson on Monday shot down Ms. Ambrose’s assertion that the government is “looking at” the change, his director of communications, Genevieve Breton, yesterday said “minister Ambrose’s comments are consistent with our approach” to law-making.

Freedom of the press in Afghanistan

By Andrew Potter - Wednesday, July 14, 2010 at 10:18 AM - 0 Comments

Back in June, the indispensible Terry Glavin traveled through Afghanistan meeting with journalists, activists, and politicians working to resist the return of the Taliban. The Calgary Herald has been serializing Terry’s reports, and the series is dedicated to the memory of Michelle Lang.

Last weekend’s installment was a story about the kidnapping and murder of Ajmal Naqeshbandi. Ajmal, you will recall, was kidnapped along with Daniele Mastrogiacomo of La Repubblica and their driver, but while Mastrogiacomo was ransomed by the Karzai government (and appeared at a subsequent press conference looking like T.E. Lawrence), Karzai refused to pay for Ajmal’s release. Most western media reports at the time simply referred to Ajmal as “the translator.” Anyway, the Taliban slit the throat of the driver in front of Mastrogiacomo, insisting he convert to Islam. The Ajmal was later beheaded.

That sets the stage for Terry’s piece, which is a clear-eyed look at the work journalists are doing, and the risks they are running.

None dead in crash of metaphor

By Andrew Coyne - Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 10:10 PM - 0 Comments

Oh for the love of…

The bus carrying Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff broke down just outside the Eastern Ontario town of Hawkesbury Tuesday, just before 6 p.m.

The breakdown occurred on the first day of the Liberal Leader’s six-week, cross-country excursion to promote the Mr. Ignatieff’s and his party’s fortunes.

A similar malfunction on the first day of Ontario Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty’s 1999 election campaign was seen as emblematic of the party’s mismanagement and inexperience, leading to its defeat at the hands of Conservative leader Mike Harris.

In 2008, Mr. Ignatieff’s predecessor faced similar woes. Stéphane Dion’s Air Inuit plane was forced to make an unexpected landing in Montreal in the early days his failed election campaign.

For the last time: the physical world does not conform itself to journalists’ desire for metaphors! Mechanical breakdowns are not “emblematic” of anything, except to reporters who like to press the facts into pre-defined templates of spurious significance (see: narrative), or who think the universe is governed by magic.

Women, Hollywood, Number-Crunching

By Jaime Weinman - Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 9:42 PM - 0 Comments

Following up on the recent talk about women and behind-the-scenes jobs at The Daily Show, Maureen Ryan at the Chicago Tribune looks at the overall numbers of female writers and showrunners in the U.S. TV industry. The percentage of women is low, and it doesn’t seem to have gotten a whole lot better in the last decade (according to Writers’ Guild statistics, the number of female writers only increased by 2% between 1999 and 2007). There’s no one stand-alone reason for this, of course. It’s a lot of interlocking issues, some unique to the entertainment industry, some very much not.

Speaking of which the thing that set off all this discussion was the Daily Show‘s hiring of Olivia Munn. This led to accusations, in that Jezebel piece and elsewhere, that Munn was hired for looks rather than talent. Since then, Munn has improved, and while no one knows if she’ll last on the show, it won’t be because she was any worse than any other new correspondent. With rare exceptions — Aasif Mandvi, perhaps — new Daily Show correspondents always come off as bad in their first segment, because it’s a tough gig: minimal rehearsal time, unfamiliar material, and a viewing audience that will find that person to be a strange interloper. It was a little pointless to write her off based on early appearances; those are tough appearances for anyone, male or female, pretty or homely.

Will Michael Ignatieff's cross-Canada bus tour help the Liberals?

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 5:08 PM - 0 Comments

The Commons: When it rains

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 4:42 PM - 0 Comments

The bus pulled up at the base of the Peace Tower and, as if on cue, what had been a light shower became a veritable downpour. Undaunted, Michael Ignatieff stepped jauntily from the vehicle, without either umbrella or cap, perhaps a half dozen metaphors trailing in his wake.

He walked to the edge of the front steps, beside where a bar band had been entertaining the assembled with a rendition of Hungry Like The Wolf, before a crowd of perhaps a 150 or so umbrella’d loyalists who crowded in close in the mid-afternoon rain. Behind Mr. Ignatieff stood a dozen or so Liberal MPs, a half dozen red-and-white umbrellas keeping he and them mostly dry. “Welcome to the official launch of the Liberal Express!” Dominic LeBlanc, standing beside Mr. Ignatieff, said by way of introduction.

Mr. LeBlanc proceeded with a joke about the recent warm weather and Liberal intentions to increase the temperature. He then introduced “the next Prime Minister of Canada” to a sufficient roar from the dampened audience. Continue…

When what we say is jarringly true

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 3:50 PM - 0 Comments

Michael Ignatieff just comes right out and says it.

About 200 people came out to a barbecue in Orleans, an east-end suburb of Ottawa, to support their local Liberal candidate and hear the Liberal leader speak. ”I need your help, I need your money,” Ignatieff bluntly told supporters.

Dawna Friesen to anchor Global National newscast

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 3:37 PM - 0 Comments

Dawna Friesen, an Emmy Award-winning correspondent with NBC News is returning home to Canada to anchor Global National. Born in Winnipeg and raised on a farm, Friesen started her career at a newspaper in Portage La Prairie, Man. before working at TV stations in Brandon, Saskatoon and Thunder Bay. Friesen worked for both CBC and CTV’s parliamentary bureaus before moving to the London bureau of NBC News in 1999. She has covered important international stories including the Iraq war, the Madrid bombings in 2004 and the election of president Barack Obama in 2008. Current anchor Kevin Newman will leave on August 20 and Friesen will start in September. Lisa LaFlamme will soon take over CTV National News, which means Peter Mansbridge will be the only male anchor left in Canada. In the United States, a similar trend has taken place: two out of the three network newscasts in America are now headed by women.

Global

This is why they hate us

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 2:04 PM - 0 Comments

The other day the Liberal leader suggested that Stephen Harper was emitting the scent of sulphur—a smell that is variously associated with rotten eggs, flatulence, natural gas or, apparently, the devil. The editors of the National Post have since published at least four pieces for the purpose of investigating the meaning of this comment—one writer suggesting it is proof the Liberal leader is an elitist snob who will never understand Canadians, one claiming this is proof he is not actually smart, one exploring biblical history, one suggesting this somehow insults the Prime Minister’s wife and wondering what would happen if Mr. Harper said something similar of his political opponents. (Note: this latter bit of outrage is most understandable if you forget any reference Mr. Harper or his backbenchers have made to an “unholy” coalition of opposition parties.) The parliamentary secretary to the Minister of National Defence has since taken to Twitter to wonder if Mr. Ignatieff even believes in the devil, while the comment was made the subject of the first question of a scrum Mr. Ignatieff was giving on Parliament Hill just now on the occasion of the launch of his summer tour.

U.S. detains 12th Russian national in spy case

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 1:24 PM - 0 Comments

U.S. authorities have taken a 12th Russian national into custody in connection with the spy ring that led to the exchange of 10 others last week. A U.S. official said the 23-year-old Russian citizen was detained on immigration charges. The man, who was not identified, has not been charged and is in the process of being deported, the official said. A law official said the individual’s name came up in the course of the FBI’s investigation into the Russian illegal agents, but investigators were not able to gather enough evidence to bring criminal charges against the man. Federal authorities handling the case came to the conclusion that his case was different from that of the 11 people charged with being Russian agents last month. Ten of the spy suspects in federal custody entered plea deals on Thursday as part of a diplomatic agreement to swap them for four people held by Russia, most on charges of spying for Western intelligence agencies. The swap took place at the airport in Vienna on Friday.

New York Times

Four horses dead, one rider injured at Calgary Stampede

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 1:15 PM - 0 Comments

The deaths of four horses and serious injury of a rider at the Calgary Stampede are being called “depressingly predictable” by at least one animal welfare organization. Three horses died on Monday alone. The first death occurred when a horse in a chuckwagon team suffered a fatal heart attack while doing routine training exercises. A few hours later, a horse without a rider bucked so hard during the novice saddle bronc event it broke its back and had to be euthanized. A third horse died on Monday evening when it pulled up with a shoulder injury during a chuckwagon race and collapsed. A veterinarian determined the animal needed to be euthanized. Peter Ficker of the Vancouver Humane Society said his organization had taken out a full-page ad in a Calgary newspaper this year calling the Stampede a cruel spectacle of animal abuse. Rider Amy Carver was also hurt during a team cattle penning event on Sunday when her horse had a fatal heart attack and collapsed on top of her. Carver is in intensive care in hospital with a head injury and a broken shoulder blade.

Toronto Star

Spewing BP oil spill almost capped?

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 1:10 PM - 0 Comments

For the first time, BP will attempt to completely stop the spewing BP oilrig in the Gulf of Mexico. On Tuesday, the oil company prepared to conduct pressure tests with a new, tighter-fitting cap to see if they can stop the
leak. Kent Wells, a senior vice president of the company, said at a briefing that the installation of the new cap was completed Monday evening. “It really went extremely well,” he said. “But we know that the job’s not over
yet.” First, they must test the cap for 48 hours. If tests show that the pressure is rising and holding with no significant damage to the casing pipe that runs to 13,000 feet below the seafloor, BP could decide to leave the valves closed, which would mean the well is shut. Tests could also reveal pressures that are lower than expected, Mr. Wells said, which would mean the well is damaged and that oil and gas are still leaking into the surrounding rock.

New York Times

Another vitriolic Mel Gibson tape leaked

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 1:02 PM - 0 Comments

RadarOnline.com, a celebrity news site, has released another audio clip that reveals Mel Gibson arguing with his ex girlfriend and child’s mother, Oksana Grigorieva. In the recording, he calls her a “wetback” and then launches into a stream of profanities. The latest audio file, follows weeks of back and forth between Grigorieva and Gibson. It caught the media’s attention when Grigorieva filed a restraining order against Gibson on June 21. The latest tape was recorded by Grigorieva who says that she recorded it, and the earlier July 9 tape, when she was scared for her life. She later turned them over to use as evidence for Gibson’s criminal domestic violence investigation.

Radar Online

Arrests made in Kampala attacks

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 12:53 PM - 0 Comments

Ugandan authorities have made a number of arrests in connection with the near simultaneous explosions on Sunday at two sites in Kampala that left at least 74 people dead during the World Cup final. Somalia’s al-Shabab terrorist group has said it carried out the attacks—the first time the group has struck outside of Somalia. “We thank the mujahideens that carried out the attack,” said Sheik Ali Mohamud Rage, the group’s spokesperson. “We are sending a message to Uganda and Burundi, if they do not take out their Amisom [African Union Mission in Somalia] troops from Somalia, blasts will continue and it will happen.” Kale Kayihura, the inspector-general of police, said investigators had also found a unexploded suicide bomb belt at a third site, a discotheque, in the capital. The other blasts occurred at an Ethiopian restaurant in the south of the city and a rugby sports club, where people were watching the World Cup final.

Al Jazeera English

Missing Iranian scientist surfaces in the U.S.

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 12:44 PM - 0 Comments

Iranian nuclear scientist Shahram Amiri has reportedly taken refuge at the “interests section” of the Pakistani embassy in Washington D.C., after Iran claimed he was abducted by the CIA in Saudi Arabia last year. A spokesman for the Pakistani foreign ministry in Islamabad said Amiri was “dropped off” there on Monday night. (Because the U.S. and Iran severed diplomatic relations in 1980, an “interests section”—separate from the main Pakistani embassy—handles Tehran’s interests in Washington.) The state media in Iran report that Amiri asked for a “quick return” to Iran, and have released videos that give conflicting messages about his supposed abduction. But U.S. officials reject claims the Amiri was kidnapped and say he was living freely in America.

Al Jazeera English

Low vitamin D ups risk for Parkinson’s: study

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 12:39 PM - 0 Comments

Low levels of vitamin D, the so-called sunshine vitamin, can increase a person’s risk of developing Parkinson’s disease later in life, according to Finnish researchers. In a study of 3,000 people, the team found that those with lowest levels of the vitamin had three times the risk. The team looked at vitamin D levels between 1978 and 1980, using blood samples. Vitamin D helps calcium uptake and bone formation, and also seems to help regulate the immune system and develop the nervous system; but as people age, their skin becomes less able to produce it. Vitamin D might help protect nerve cells lost in people with the disease, according to the BBC. Experts suggest further research is required to see if taking a dietary supplement, or spending more time in the sunlight, could have a positive effect on Parkinson’s.

BBC News

Bob Dechert is the only thing standing between us and the total destruction of Canada

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 12:32 PM - 0 Comments

The Conservative backbencher who, in December 2008, warned of possible “treason and sedition” now frets that new evildoers might use our very own Parliamentary democracy against us, infiltrating our minds with their words.

Bob Dechert, a Conservative MP, said he is concerned anarchists or other demonstrators could use Commons hearings to build sympathy. “They want to have the media attention to talk about how they were handled by the police and perhaps try to get out the message they didn’t get out during the protest because of the silly things – and actual very criminal things – they did to try to disrupt those summits.”

Passengers collapse as German train overheats

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 12:31 PM - 0 Comments

German federal police are investigating possible “negligence causing bodily harm” after ten people were hospitalized when temperatures on their high-speed ICE train passed 50 degrees Celsius on Saturday. The conductor of the train was informed of a broken air conditioner in one of the cars, but did not stop the train until it reached its next destination. A woman in the oven-like car broke a window after students started lying down in the aisles from exhaustion. Nine students and one elderly person were treated in hospital with IV drips to combat dehydration. Deutsche Bahn, the railway, has apologized and offered compensation.

The Local

Lisabeth Salander in northern Canada?

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, July 13, 2010 at 12:26 PM - 0 Comments

“Did you know that 134 people live in Sachs Harbour, whose only contact with the world is a postal plane twice a week when the weather permits?” Stieg Larsson wrote a friend about the fourth novel in his Millennium series, left unfinished at his death in 2004. “But there are 48,000 musk-ox and 80 different types of wild flowers that bloom during two weeks in early July, as well as an estimated 1,500 polar bears.” The plot, Larsson wrote John-Henri Holmberg, “is set 120 km north of Sachs Harbour, at Banks Island in the month of September,” and he’d written the beginning and end—some 320 pages of a projected 440—but was still working on connecting the start and finish. But that’s all Larsson told Holmberg, and the only other person who might know more—Larsson’s longtime partner Eva Gabrielsson—isn’t talking. Locked in a bitter dispute over the author’s estate with Larsson’s legal heirs (his father and brother), Gabrielsson won’t even reveal its whereabouts. If the book could be finished, perhaps by Gabrielsson who was deeply involved in the previous three novels, it might prove a gold mine: combined sales of the first book are currently running at 50,000 copies a day in the U.S. Gabrielsson initially acknowledged she had the laptop containing the fourth manuscript, but in a recent interview said she doesn’t want to see any other book in the Millennium series published and that she does not have the manuscript. The Larsson family also say they have no idea. The reason for the dispute is a Swedish law that stipulates partners aren’t entitled to inherit from each other unless they are married or have special wills. Like many Swedish couples, Larsson and Gabrielsson never married, which meant Erland and Joakim Larsson inherited everything after the author’s premature death. For a long time, negotiations to settle the dispute were stalled as both parties threw accusations at each other in the Swedish media. Last December, the parties’ lawyers resumed talks but they collapsed again in mid-June.

Canadian Press