On the stump

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, August 18, 2010 at 9:34 AM - 0 Comments

Stephen Harper speaks to a Conservative BBQ in Ajax.

“If we have one duty to this country, it is to make sure a Liberal, NDP, Bloc Québécois coalition can never govern this country,” Harper told a crowd of a few hundred at the Deer Creek Golf and Banquet Facility…

“The next election will be a choice between a coalition government of the Liberal, NDP and Bloc Québécois, or a stable Conservative majority government for this country,” he said.

Harmon-izing

By Jaime Weinman - Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 7:09 PM - 0 Comments

Having discussed Community in comments to my last post (I was kind of agin it after the pilot, but by the end of the season I was fer it, and fer it I continue to be), I should link to this interview with the creator of the show, Dan Harmon, who discusses what’s in store for season 2. Happily he spends most of his time discussing ideas for episodes and gimmicks — including the inevitable Betty White appearance — rather than who’s going to end up with who. The season 1 finale, where we learned that no woman can resist Joel McHale and that this is a problem for him, was not promising, but hopefully the second season will be able to steer away from this kind of thing and spend more time on what the show is good at: characterization, character interaction, and mashups of all the pop culture floating around in an ’80s child’s brain.

I still feel like NBC would be better advised to put 30 Rock in the difficult 8:00 slot opposite Big Bang Theory and let Community face off against the weaker Shat My Dad Says — but for all I know, the network may have decided that they’ll forgive whatever ratings Community gets in that slot. The interesting question is which of NBC’s two excellent but low-rated comedies, Community and Parks & Recreation, has a better chance of survival. The fact that P&R was delayed until mid-season may be seen as a vote of no-confidence, but could actually help it in the long run, since it could be the show that doesn’t get a full season but always comes back when the network needs a backup, like Rules of Engagement. Community by contrast is a show that needs some help and isn’t getting it. But in fairness to NBC, the only slot they have that could really help the show is 9:30 after The Office, and this is too young-skewing a show for that late in the evening.

The comments to that interview link to a YouTube video that compares a Community scene to an internet video that was apparently made earlier. However, when I see something like this I always assume that both scenes are borrowing from something else I haven’t seen. Besides, the editor of the video took such small chunks of each scene that it seems like he/she may have picked only the bits that were similar (and some of these jokes are almost inevitable once you start with this premise).

The Commons: Supporting the troops

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 6:34 PM - 0 Comments

Colonel Pat Stogran sat in a suit and tie at the front of the National Press Gallery, somewhat hunched over his notes, his hands placed on the table in front of him. Every so often, as he read in precisely the sort of impatient, unapologetic, grinding tone one would expect from a colonel, he would glance up from beneath an impressive brow.

To his immediate left sat a man in a wheelchair, a former member of the Canadian Forces now suffering from ALS. To Col. Stogran’s far right and far left sat men with medals pinned just below the right shoulders of their suit jackets. A half dozen other veterans sat in the gallery.

Col. Stogran explained first what he was not here to talk about—the government’s decision not to renew his term as veterans ombudsman. He has held the title since November 2007 and he will relinquish his post in three months.

“What I am here to do,” he said, “is to expose to Canadians what I perceive as a system that for a long time has denied veterans not just what they deserve, but what they earned with their blood and sacrifice.”

If he is to leave his post, he seems intent on doing so unquietly. Indeed, deviating from his initial statement, he speculated that perhaps he had surprised the government that appointed him. That he had been too outspoken, too aggressive. If so, he seemed unrepentant, perhaps even emboldened. Continue…

What do you think of the government’s handling of Tamil asylum-seekers in B.C.?

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 5:09 PM - 0 Comments

High-tech nuns

By Stephanie Findlay - Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 4:56 PM - 0 Comments

Ross Parry Agency LTD

The Monastery of Poor Clares on Lawrence Street in York, England, is home to just over a dozen nuns.

Most are over the age of 80 and, having taken vows of poverty, chastity and enclosure, haven’t left the convent in 30 years but for doctors’ appointments. And yet their prayer must be “pertinent,” because practical prayer is part of their mandate to bring the world closer to God. So the nuns listen to the radio, surf the Internet and answer letters and emails from people requesting prayers. Now, they have another tool to keep their prayers up to date: Goldie, an electronic device that displays rolling headlines from 25 news sites, including the BBC, the New York Times and Reuters.

Continue…

Harper says Tamil migrants could prompt changes to Canadian law

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 4:10 PM - 0 Comments

Stephen Harper is warning the government won’t be as welcoming of future asylum seekers who arrive on Canada’s shores like those aboard the MV Sun Sea did last week. Speaking to reporters in Mississauga on Tuesday, the prime minister said Ottawa “will not hesitate to strengthen the laws if we have to” in order to prevent more ships from coming to Canada. The opposition Liberals have criticized the Harper government for focusing on security issues in connection with the arrival of nearly 500 Tamil would-be refugees from Sri Lanka. Harper’s Tuesday press conference suggested his government isn’t about to change tack. “We are responsible for the security of our borders, and the ability to welcome people, or not welcome people, when they come,” he said. “This trend gives us some significant concern, and we’ll take whatever steps are necessary going forward.”

The Globe and Mail

Gov't was "deliberately obstructive and deceptive," says veterans ombudsman

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 3:58 PM - 0 Comments

Pat Stogran, Canada’s outgoing ombudsman for veterans, charged at a Tuesday press conference he was “impeded by a bureaucracy that was deliberately obstructive and deceptive” during his time on the job. Stogran’s public statements were his first since Ottawa announced it wouldn’t be renewing his appointment for a second three-year term. The former commander of Canadian Forces in Afghanistan has criticized the government in the past for what he called its “penny-pinching, insurance-company mentality,” especially when it comes to the treatment of injured soldiers. Topping the list of Stogran’s complaints is Ottawa’s decision to replace pensions for injured soldiers with lump-sum payments and disability stipends. Liberal MP Marc Garneau said Tuesday Stogran is the latest addition to a growing list of government watchdogs who were “sacked becauase they are telling the government the truth.”

CBC News

Is there anybody out there? Do we care?

By Andrew Potter - Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 3:50 PM - 0 Comments

My column for the print mag this week takes a break from Tory-baiting and looks at the biological  assumptions that underly the search for extra-terrestrial intelligence.  I take issue with Stephen Hawking’s specific worry that aliens we encounter will be too much like us (greedy, rapacious, violent), because I think the real worry is that they’ll be nothing like us at all.

As it turns out, my column has a news peg I didn’t know about: the first annual convention of the SETI institute, in Santa Clara. Via Boing Boing I found this interview with Seth Shostack, an astronomer in the SETI field, but it’s pretty useless to be honest.

It is pretty interesting though to see how much of the SETI focus is on radio transmissions. This is a staple of sci-fi — aliens come here and everything they know about Earth is from f I Love Lucy reruns — and is one that Shostack seems to endorse:

Look, if we’re doing this only 100 years after Marconi, only 100 years after the invention of radio, it’s hard to imagine that a society that was thousands or millions of years more advanced than ours wouldn’t have this technology.

But why is radio seen as the mark of an advanced civilization? It seems that, more than likely, it’s a sign of backwardness, an early and higly transitory technology whose lifespan will be an eyeblink of an eyeblink in the history of the galaxy.

At any rate, as much as would love it if we managed to get off this planet and do some serious exploring, I don’t see it happening any time this century. As for any aliens who might want to visit, it that something we really want? I’m conflicted. On the one hand, I’d love to see what sort of gear they might have. But at the same time, it really is worth asking, what’s in it for us? The Prime Directive dictates that there can be no interference with the development of civilizations with a pre-warp level of technology. But isn’t the flip side of the Prime Directive something we could call the Garbo Directive? Dear Aliens: Please Leave us alone.

Any questions?

By Scott Feschuk - Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 3:36 PM - 0 Comments

Mailbag coming Thursday Friday (admit it: you knew that was coming). Submit your queries below now.

Two Key Moments In TV Comedy History — Both Bad Ones

By Jaime Weinman - Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 3:30 PM - 0 Comments

This isn’t exactly a current topic, but when we look back on the modern history of the traditional sitcom, I think two flop shows will stand out as key moments in preventing it from coming back as strongly as many of us expected. (Yes, this is another of my attempts to puzzle out a puzzling subject: why the old-school sitcom has been getting rarer even as it continues to produce the most popular examples of the half-hour comedy form.) One was Lucky Louie, the other The Return of Jezebel James. I don’t want to lump the two together exactly, since Lucky Louie had a lot of promise and probably would have developed into a very good show, while Jezebel James was always half-hearted and pointless. But those were two shows whose reception — particularly their critical reception — seemed to announce that anyone who valued their reputation should stay away from the studio-audience comedy form.

I’ve talked about Lucky Louie before so I won’t spend too much time on it here. Suffice it to say again that a lot of the response to it was not simply critical of the show itself (which is a right and good thing to criticize) but of the format. As Louis C.K. noted in frustration, even though he used the “taped before a studio audience” announcement, people kept telling him, in print and in person, that they didn’t need a laugh track to tell them when to laugh. As so often, it’s very doubtful that a majority of viewers felt this way: the show was actually getting pretty good viewership numbers. But the critical reception, and the open hostility of many critics to the presentational, artificial, audience-laughter format, probably helped scare HBO away from the form. HBO had announced in 2004 that they were looking for multi-camera shows, and it made perfect sense: in the ’90s, when all the broadcast networks did multi-camera exclusively, HBO specialized in single-camera (Larry Sanders, most memorably). So why shouldn’t they respond to broadcast’s lack of multi-camera shows by doing some of their own, free from censorship restrictions and with fewer limits on what a performer could do in front of an audience? But HBO depends on critical accolades: if it doesn’t have a prestigious “brand,” it doesn’t have anything. So the network seemed to realize that any further investment in multi-camera shows would hurt its brand, irrespective of whether people were watching or not. So they gave up on it. Meanwhile other cable networks, except Disney Channel and now TV Land, are pretty hostile to multi-camera: John Landgraf of FX has said that though he wants lots of comedies he’s not in the market for multi-camera, because audiences are too sophisticated or something, I forget.  So Lucky Louie kind of killed off the possibility of cable jumping in to pick up the slack from the networks.

Meanwhile, on the broadcast networks, many of the biggest and most important successes had come from people who had not done much multi-camera sitcom work before, or had their roots in some other medium. (Bill Cosby, for example, had done stand-up, movies, light TV drama and a single-camera comedy — with, at his insistence, no laugh track — before he finally agreed to do a videotaped sitcom with an audience.) NBC’s two biggest hits of the ’90s were created by people who did not have a great deal of experience in four-camera situation comedy. Larry David, most famously, didn’t really know the rules of sitcoms so he rewrote the rule book. But Friends was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, who were best-known up to that point for creating the single-camera, somewhat formally innovative Dream On for HBO. Wanting a more mainstream hit, they went to NBC to do multi-camera shows, and did the cult flop The Powers That Be before coming up with Friends. Though not a hit of that size, NewsRadio was created by a Larry Sanders writer-producer who wanted to do something more mainstream that his parents would enjoy (and, let’s not kid ourselves, that would have a chance of more syndication money than a single-camera laugh-track-free show would ever command). Though Larry David originally wanted to do Seinfeld single camera and was wisely forbidden from doing so by NBC, there was no real shame in any of these people doing a multi-camera show, and critics either liked the shows or they didn’t, without reference to the format.

But when Amy Sherman-Palladino did the weakish script for The Return of Jezebel James, much of the critical reaction was centred around the so-called laugh track and how it was single-handedly ruining everything. Continue…

'It's an ugly, ugly picture'

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 3:22 PM - 0 Comments

Stephen Gordon reviews but some of the dominoes the 2011 census is set to topple.

These are only the most visible manifestations, and readers are encouraged to add their own personal favorites to this list. What is even more discouraging is that even if the 2016 census is run properly, the problems associated with the 2011 census can’t ever be fixed. Time series data are constructed by piecing together different survey results, and a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. In many important ways, our history is about to become a lot shorter.

Guy Lafleur wins perjury appeal in Quebec's top court

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 2:26 PM - 0 Comments

Quebec’s top court has acquitted former NHL legend Guy Lafleur of giving contradictory testimony at his son’s sexual assault trial. In May 2009, Judge Claude Parent said the former star of the Montreal Canadiens had given contradictory testimony at the trial of his son Mark, who was accused of uttering death threats, forcible confinement and assault. (The 24-year-old has struggled with addiction to drugs and has undergone treatment on several occasions.) Lafleur has maintained he did not perjure himself, but that he was confused during questioning. In a written statement released Tuesday, Lafleur’s lawyer said his client is elated with the decision after his “bitter” experience with the judicial system.

CBC News

1 million U.S. kids misdiagnosed with ADHD: study

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 1:36 PM - 0 Comments

Nearly 1 million U.S. children have potentially been misdiagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder just because they’re the youngest in their kindergarten class—meaning they’re also the most immature—according to a new study from Michigan State University economist Todd Elder. They’re more likely than older classmates to receive behaviour-modifying drugs like Ritalin, Elder reports in the upcoming issue of the Journal of Health Economics, which is concerning because long-term stimulant use may have long-term effects that aren’t entirely understood. It also wastes millions of dollars on unnecessary medications. ADHD is the most commonly diagnosed behaviour disorder in American children, with at least 4.5 million diagnosed under age 18, but there are no neurological markers for it. The study found that the youngest kindergartners were 60 per cent more likely to be misdiagnosed with ADHD than the oldest kids in their grade. By the fifth and eighth grades, the youngest were more than twice as likely to be prescribed with stimulants. Overall, about 30 per cent of 4.5 million children identified with ADHD are probably misdiagnosed, it found.

Michigan State University

Lou Gehrig may not have had Lou Gehrig’s disease

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 1:36 PM - 0 Comments

According to a peer-reviewed paper to be published tomorrow in the Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology, Lou Gehrig might not have had Lou Gehrig’s disease after all. The paper suggests Gehrig’s demise—and that of some other athletes and soldiers given a diagnosis of Lou Gehrig’s disease—may have a different fatal disease caused by concussion-like trauma which erodes the central nervous system in ways similar to Lou Gehrig’s. These findings may lead to a redirection in the study of motor degeneration in athletes and military veterans, who are diagnosed with ALS at rates that are higher than normal. The finding’s relevance to Gehrig is less clear, but it’s possible the Yankee legend’s commitment to playing through injuries like concussions could have led to his condition.

Toronto Star

Appeals court ruling temporarily blocks same-sex marriages in California

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 1:21 PM - 0 Comments

An appeals court ruling temporarily blocking same-sex marriages from resuming in California evoked strong responses from opponents and supporters of the state’s controversial 2008 referendum on the issue. On Monday, the appeals court set a fast schedule to hear the merits of the constitutional challenge to Proposition 8, the 2008 initiative defining marriage as only between one man and one woman. Oral arguments will now be held the week of December 6, meaning a decision on whether same-sex couples can legally wed likely won’t come until sometime next year. Opponents of Proposition 8 expressed their disappointment at the ruling, but vowed to continue their fight. Opponents could ask the Supreme Court to intervene on the narrow question of whether to allow the stay to be lifted, but both sides of the debate agree the odds of the justices getting involved at this stage are very slim. Advocates for both sides of the issue say they’re prepared to make their arguments in court when the time comes.

CNN

Au revoir

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 12:32 PM - 0 Comments

Conservative backbencher Inky Mark will step aside next month. That puts two Manitoba ridings—Mark’s Dauphin-Swan River-Marquette and Winnipeg North, formerly of Judy Wasylycia-Leis—in line for fall by-elections.

Pundits Guide has a primer, including speculation that Dauphin-Swan River-Marquette, despite its voting history, could be in play. Winnipeg North has gone decidedly to the NDP the last two times it was contested, but, as Alice Funke has noted, the Liberal candidate there is bullish.

I'm telling you, Florida is everywhere

By Paul Wells - Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 12:13 PM - 0 Comments

Rick Scott is running for governor of Florida, which I used to think was tucked between Georgia and a large body of water. But apparently Florida’s in Lower Manhattan, and Rick Scott is tired of outsiders telling Florida how to run its business.

RIM gives Indian authorities access to data

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 11:48 AM - 0 Comments

Indian authorities will be permitted to have some access to BlackBerry communications in India, a Research in Motion representative tells Reuters. India’s Department of Telecommunications had asked RIM and other mobile companies to allow it to monitor the smartphones by August 31. Otherwise, India would consider shutting down the services if no settlement was reached. “[RIM has] assured partial access to its Messenger services by 1 September and agreed to provide full access by the end of the year,” says an Indian government official. The issue revolved around Enterprise customers, who have a higher level of security for their phone messages and therefore prevented Indian officials from intercepting messages. It’s believed the terrorist attack in Mumbai was partially planned using encrypted Blackberry messages.

The Guardian

From 1914 to 1939 to now

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 11:42 AM - 0 Comments

Bob Rae recalls the historical precedents for the MV Sun Sea.

This past week Canadians have been subjected to wild rumours of disease rampant aboard the ship, and allegations that “terrorists” and “criminals” are about to run amok in the country.  Many urged the Canadian navy to board the ship in international waters and send them on their way.

Bishop Gervais’s admonition notwithstanding, it would seem some have learned very little from our past. Of course people paid to get on the Tamil boat, just as they did to get on the Komagata Maru, the SS St Louis, and Kastner’s train for that matter…

I’m proudest as a Canadian when we’re setting the right standard for the world.  We didn’t do it in 1914 for the Komagata Maru or in 1939 for the St Louis.  Let’s get it right this time.

Pesticide ban caused bed bug pandemic: City of Toronto manager

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 11:42 AM - 0 Comments

Bed bugs are exploding in North American cities like Toronto and the city’s environment manager Reg Ayre has an explanation for why. Developing countries used to use DDT to kill the bugs until it was discovered that the toxin was killing bird species. Recent bans on the use of DDT and other effective—but toxic—pesticides have contributed to the spread of bed bugs worldwide, Ayre told the Toronto Sun. A study released earlier this month ranked Toronto the third-most-infested city in North America after Columbus, Ohio and New York City.

Winnipeg Sun

Epoch Times

Relative unknown wins coveted lead in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 11:28 AM - 0 Comments

A 24-year-old unknown actress named Rooney Mara has been cast as the lead in the Hollywood remake of Swedish-hit The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. A-listers like Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman and Ellen Page were all tipped for the role of Lisbeth Salander, the spunky computer hacker who will help solve a cold case alongside investigative journalist Mikael Blomkvist, played by James Bond actor Daniel Craig. Mara’s contract also includes the option to cast her in two sequels of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. The book has sold 27 million copies and was the first e-book to hit the million-sold mark.

The Guardian

Is Obama losing steam?

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 11:28 AM - 0 Comments

A new Gallup poll shows support for U.S. President Barack Obama has dropped to its lowest level since the new administration took office, with 44 per cent of Americans saying they approve of the job he’s doing. Meanwhile, the number of Americans who disapprove of the president’s performance hit 50 per cent for the first time. Analysts attribute the drop to a loss of support among independents. When Obama took office, 74 per cent of independents were onboard with the president. Only 39 per cent still support the Democratic president.

Politico

'This unintended educational experience'

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 10:49 AM - 0 Comments

Max Fawcett considers the state of the census debate.

Look, it’s not as though I don’t think the media falls down on the job from time to time, and that they tend to do so more often than not when they get within 100 metres of an elected official. But in that spirit, it’s also important to give them their due when they do a good job, and I’ve yet to see a compelling argument that they’ve done anything but in covering the census.

Aliens like us? I don't think so.

By Andrew Potter - Tuesday, August 17, 2010 at 9:55 AM - 0 Comments

A few weeks ago, NASA announced that it had discovered 700 new planets in our galaxy, 140 of them apparently “Earth-like.” People immediately went nuts speculating about life on other planets, and many scientists called for a renewed push in the largely moribund search for extraterrestrial intelligence. But before we get too excited about finding E.T., we might ask ourselves a hard question: what’s in it for us?

Stephen Hawking actually brought this up a few months ago, when he said that while he believes aliens are out there, it is probably too dangerous for us to try to interact with them. “I imagine they might exist in massive ships . . . having used up all the resources from their home planet,” he said. “Such advanced aliens would perhaps become nomads, looking to conquer and colonize whatever planets they can reach.”

Continue…