Taking the fest out of Oktober

By Cameron Ainsworth-Vincze - Thursday, October 14, 2010 at 8:40 AM - 0 Comments

Michaela Rehle/Reuters

Munich’s Oktoberfest, which was launched in 1810 to celebrate the royal marriage of Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen, has become a must-see event for anyone yearning for a good sausage and some tasty beer. The 200th edition of the festival, however, had a few royal mishaps worth forgetting. More than 30 people were injured in fights where the famous one-litre beer stein was used as the weapon of choice. One Canadian tourist was clocked in the head after getting into a fight with a 20-year-old Munich resident. Officials say the good weather was partly to blame, attracting a record number of visitors, and with so many people being intoxicated, “things can naturally increase,” said a spokesperson with Munich’s district attorney’s office.

Others complained about the new smoking ban that prohibited visitors from lighting up in beer tents, and one brothel grabbed headlines after accusing a competitor of paying taxi drivers upwards of $170 to bring customers to its establishment. The club’s manager, who said the competition tried to spread the word that his girls “were the ugliest in town,” said he’ll be better prepared next year.

Killing the 'vampire squid'

By Chris Sorensen - Thursday, October 14, 2010 at 8:40 AM - 0 Comments

Jim Young/Reuters/ Jonathan Fickies/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Goldman Sachs has an image problem. Unlike the rest of America, the legendary Wall Street firm emerged from the financial crisis a big winner, paying huge bonuses to its employees after shrewdly betting against the same mortgaged-backed securities it helped create, and which were blamed for the financial meltdown that followed.

Memorably dubbed by Rolling Stone as a “great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity,” Goldman is now trying to remake its image into that of a valuable financial partner, as opposed to a ruthless carpetbagger. It has taken out ads in several newspapers that feature the windmills of an unnamed green-energy client, suggesting its financial dealings are good for the country. The problem? Some are concerned the billions currently being poured into green industries will result in another bubble. And Goldman, judging by the ads, once again appears to be in the thick of the action.

Slave labour on the high seas

By Patricia Treble - Thursday, October 14, 2010 at 8:20 AM - 0 Comments

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE FOUNDATION

The illegal fishing industry sweeps up 31 per cent of the world’s catches into the holds of ships often barely able to stay afloat. For the crews, life aboard those vessels is akin to slavery, claims the London-based Environmental Justice Foundation. In a grim report, it details systemic violations of human rights. Men live in cramped conditions, often without access to clean water, for months if not years at a time. On one South Korean ship, 200 crew members lived in a small wooden structure, perched on the stern, that could be swept to sea in a storm. The vessels resupply far from shore, in part to stop crews from escaping. And in the end, the men might not end up with anything, as exploitative fees reduce their wages to a pittance.

The ships, which operate around the world, savage the fishing stocks of poor nations unable to enforce quotas or controls. And since some of the ships the EJF investigated had European Union import licences, it’s a safe bet that fish caught using slave labour was eaten on Western dining tables.

The real mad men

By Jaime Weinman - Thursday, October 14, 2010 at 8:00 AM - 0 Comments

Getty Images

Want more proof that the U.S. auto industry is starting to recover? There are more celebrities than ever lending their voices to car commercials. Jon Hamm, the star of Mad Men, recently lent his perfect advertising-man voice to a commercial for a Mercedes-Benz hybrid vehicle, which he assured us would lead to a “cleaner, safer future.” Not to be outdone, Ford hired Hamm’s Mad Men supporting player, silver-haired John Slattery, to do a commercial for its Lincoln line of cars. Last month, General Motors announced that Tim Allen will be “the new voice of Chevrolet,” while Jeff Bridges continues to do voice-overs for Hyundai, though an arcane Academy rule forced them to pull his voice from a commercial the night he won an Oscar.

Which stars are picked for which cars? That depends on whom the company is trying to reach. Mad Men, which has a small viewership but an older and more affluent one, is perfect for selling expensive luxury vehicles. Ford marketing director Matt VanDyke told the New York Times that his company picked Slattery because he “represents the potential customer” they’re seeking—men in their 40s and 50s with a lot of money to spend. Chevrolet’s Cruze, a compact car, needs a star with broader appeal: Allen, whose voice is recognizable all over the English-speaking world thanks to Toy Story, is the perfect choice to tell us that we should spend what little money we have on a car.

What we’re not seeing much of, yet, are commercials where the actors appear in the flesh, like Ricardo Montalban selling “Corinthian leather.” Slattery is the only one of these celebrities who does his selling on-camera, wearing glasses and looking pensively at us while he drives. This may be not in spite of the fact that he’s less of a star than Hamm, Allen or Bridges, but because of it: car companies worry that people, as opposed to voices, may be too associated with their characters, whereas with Slattery, VanDyke said, “Whether you know him from Mad Men or not, it doesn’t really matter.”

Mad Men Goes Nightclub

By Jaime Weinman - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 5:23 PM - 0 Comments

Not much posting today due to annoying cold (whose symptoms I will refrain from describing in detail; this is a family website), but here’s the latest TV-related video, where Allison Williams — Brian’s daughter — sings the Mad Men theme song by adding the lyrics from the Nat King Cole hit “Nature Boy.” Personally I feel like the lyrics don’t quite fit, and besides, all instrumental themes are really meant to be sung with just the title, over and over. (This applies most obviously to any instrumental theme song written for Superman.) Still, the camerawork and production values are good, and it could pass for one of those old movie scenes where characters go to a nightclub and hear the performer doing the theme song from their own film.

[vodpod id=Video.4658782&w=640&h=385&fv=%26rel%3D0%26border%3D0%26]

Update: As pointed out in comments, this is not just a case of adding lyrics, but a mashup of two songs: over the beat of the Mad Men theme (“A Beautiful Mine”) “Nature Boy” is sung, both music and lyrics.

What would John A. do?

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 5:02 PM - 0 Comments

Rob Silver has some questions about Maxime Bernier’s preferred reference point.

Of course you can’t pick and choose from the sacred Constitution Act, 1867 so I’m sure Bernier will have no problem with the Governor-General once again using his powers of disallowance and reservation. I mean, Sir John A. Macdonald routinely struck down provincial legislation he disagreed with, it was part of the pact that was struck back in 1867 so surely once we start “respecting the constitution,” future PM’s can pass judgment on any provincial bill he or she chooses per Bernier.

Disallowance was last used in 1943, but the power has never explicitly been revoked. As for John A., his views on federalism were complicated.

Labour dispute at the Journal de Montreal continues

By macleans.ca - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 3:58 PM - 0 Comments

After nearly two years, a labour conflict involving unionized reporters and photographers at the Journal de Montreal is set to go on even longer. The group voted overwhelmingly (89.3 per cent) against a contract offered by Quebecor management that could have settled the dispute. “If we would have accepted this offer, the union would have been totally destroyed,” said union president Reynald Leblanc. “I think this was a test of the resolve of our union. They thought we would buckle, but our message today is clear. We want to fight this battle.” While they were locked out, employees started a competing news website called Ruefrontenac.com. Lately, they have also begun organizing to publish a free tabloid newspaper to compete with the Journal. Part of the settlement asked that employees halt Ruefrontenac.com‘s operations. “Without this demand,” Leblanc said, “I think the offer might have been accepted.” The offer also stated that just 50 of the 253 employees would return to work, vacation would be slashed, and the workweek would have increased.

Montreal Gazette

Canada first in the world to rule BPA toxic

By macleans.ca - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 3:55 PM - 0 Comments

Bisphenol A (or BPA) is now on Canada’s most dangerous substances list, making this country the first jurisdiction in the world to declare the plastic-making compound toxic. BPA has become a health concern because it is able to mimic estrogen, leading to concern that it could cause cancers and other illnesses linked to having excessive amounts of the female hormone. Experiments with animals have found it to be biologically active, many using exposures in the range to which humans are subject to. According to federal reviews, nearly all Canadians are exposed to trace amounts of the chemical. BPA is believed to be ingested through residues leaching from polycarbonate plastic containers and tin cans, which use the compound on their inside liners.

The Globe and Mail

Ontario court rules Muslim women may keep their niqabs while testifying

By macleans.ca - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 2:41 PM - 0 Comments

The Ontario Court of Appeal has ruled Muslim women wearing a niqab will not necessarily have to remove the veil when testifying in court unless the trial judge believes it could jeopardize the accused’s right to a fair trial. “There is no getting around the reality that in some cases, particularly those involving trial by jury where a witness’s credibility is central to the outcome, a judge will have a difficult decision to make,” the court said in its ruling. The decision comes months after a woman was ordered to bare her face during a preliminary inquiry, an order challenged by her lawyer. The Court of Appeal has now sent the case back to the lower court, saying the preliminary inquiry judge will have to hear arguments regarding the woman’s religious beliefs before making a decision.

CTV News

Rescued Chilean miners appear healthy

By macleans.ca - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 2:32 PM - 0 Comments

“I was with God, and I was with the devil,” said Mario Sepulveda Espina, the second miner to be pulled to safety from the San Jose gold and copper mine in Chile today. Eighteen of the 33 men trapped for 69 days deep below the surface have now been freed in a rescue effort attended by family, friends, and an estimated 1,500 journalists. The first rescue occurred late Tuesday evening when Florencio Avalos, 31, was hoisted through the rescue shaft inside the 190-by-54 centimetre metal cage, a journey that took approximately 16 minutes. The group, who has survived more time trapped underground than anyone on record, were prepared for the rescue by swallowing high-protein liquids donated by NASA designed to prevent vomiting as the capsule rotates. They were also given sweaters to accommodate for the shift in temperature—from about 30 C underground to near freezing on the surface at night—and sunglasses to allow their eyes to adjust to the light. The miners will undergo medical checks in Copiapo before being released to their families.

CBC News

Reuters

Remaking the rules

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 2:31 PM - 0 Comments

Liberal critic Carolyn Bennett has apparently set off on a series of “democratic renewal” consultations.

The workbook that is provided to participants is dominated by question marks, but everything from the senate to electoral reform to open data appears to be on the proverbial table.

Comings, goings

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 2:06 PM - 0 Comments

Julian Fantino officially hopes to be the Conservative candidate in Vaughan. The Liberals have won the riding all five times it has been contested, by 8,000 votes in the last election.

Liberal MP Shawn Murphy won’t run again in Charlottetown. The Liberals have held that riding since 1988, last winning by 3,000 votes.

Eastern Approaches

By Andrew Potter - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 1:55 PM - 0 Comments

I just got back this weekend from a couple weeks away. I was on another media tour in Afghanistan, similar to the one I took last February. It was very useful to go back to Kandahar and Kabul 8 months later and see how things had evolved. When I was first there, the surge had just been announced, and there was a very palpable feeling of anticipation on both the civilian and military side that it was, finally, Game On. I wrote about it for the magazine here.

The final elements of the military surge arrived just two weeks before I was there, and over the summer there was also a corresponding surge of money and personnel on the civilian side — policing, governance, development and aid. We got some very good briefings at both Kandahar and up at Kabul, and my take on the on-the-ground reaction to the “detainees scandal” that rocked Parliament last year will appear in this week’s copy of Maclean’s.

I’ll be rolling out some more thoughts once I have time to go through my notes. But in the meantime, I’d like to publicly thank our escort from DND, Navy Lt. Cmdr Walter Moniz. Walter is a great guy and an excellent public affairs officer; he’s also incredibly thoughtful. Sitting next to him on the plane on the way over to Camp Mirage, I noticed he had a bag full of what looked like plants beside him on the seat. “They’re flowers,” he said. “For Michelle Lang.”

Here’s how they look:

After the bills are paid, many Canadians have little left to save

By macleans.ca - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 1:43 PM - 0 Comments

A new survey by the Royal Bank of Canada shows Canadians are having trouble saving. The poll showed 38 per cent of respondents couldn’t save at all, the majority of whom stated that they had nothing left over after paying the bills. A smaller group cited their impulse-buying habits. Just over a third make regular contributions to a savings account, and 29 per cent said they save “from time to time.” Over half of respondents, the survey showed, have trouble achieving their saving goals, most of whom said it was difficult to be disciplined about saving. “Many of them are starting to focus on other things, like paying down some debt that they’ve accumulated in the last couple of years or other expenses that are coming up, like their children’s education, or just bills that have been piling up over time,” Maria Contreras, product manager for savings accounts at RBC, told the Financial Post. However, official data shows higher rates of savings by Canadians in recent years, according to deputy chief economist for BMO Capital Markets Douglas Porter.

Financial Post

French unions block rail lines, oil refineries

By macleans.ca - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 1:41 PM - 0 Comments

French unions are blocking rail roads and oil refineries in the second consecutive day of strikes to protest government plans to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62. Over one million people took to the street on Tuesday. Strikers also halted work at eight of France’s 12 oil refineries, spurring fears of fuel shortages. But the blockades seem to be growing less popular, as turnout dropped significantly in the second day of strikes. Meanwhile, Nicholas Sarkozy, the unpopular French president, is holding firm on his reform plan, which, he says, it essential to avoid the French pension system going bankrupt.

Reuters

Communist Party elders call for more freedom in China

By macleans.ca - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 1:38 PM - 0 Comments

A group of 23 Chinese Communist Party elders, including the former personal secretary to Mao Zedong, have written a public letter calling on the Chinese government to allow for freedom of speech just days after jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo won the Nobel Peace Prize. The letter, which is widely available online, calls current restrictions on freedom of speech a “scandal in the history of democracy.” However, the document does not explicitly mention Liu, out of concern such a move might provoke a censorship crackdown.

Associated Press

Bernier calls for end to $41 billion worth of transfers

By macleans.ca - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 1:36 PM - 0 Comments

Conservative MP Maxime Bernier will speak Wednesday in Toronto about his vision for a much smaller federal government. According to a copy of the speech obtained by The Globe and Mail, the former industry and foreign affairs minister wants to do away with social and health transfers to provinces, while giving them “tax points” to make up for the loss. That would mean provinces could decide entirely on health and social spending, while the federal government could cut its taxes substantially. Combined, the Canada Health Transfer and the Canada Social Transfer (which funds higher education and social programs) will reach $41-billion by 2013. Mr. Bernier says the federal government has no constitutional right to interfere in these areas through spending. “This is not what the Fathers of Confederation had intended,” says the copy of his speech. He will also suggest that without the federal Canada Health Act to stop them, provinces could choose to expand the role of the private sector in health care delivery. Some analysts believe Mr. Bernier is setting himself up for a future run at the leadership of the Conservative party.

The Globe and Mail

Be cautious about genetic tests, experts warn

By macleans.ca - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 12:46 PM - 0 Comments

Risk factors like smoking, lack of exercise, hypertension, family history and age are usually the best predictors of various diseases, Australian researchers said in recent comments in PLoS Medicine, warning that people should be careful about genetic tests that say they can predict various diseases. This comes just as consumers are facing more ads for genetic tests that promise to help them. While some facilities with trained clinical geneticists can interpret, and give advice and counseling, basted on these tests, companies will sometimes simply hand over results. Lead author Wayne Hall warned it’s “not information you can act on,” Reuters reports.

Reuters

Public is misled about drug effectiveness, experts say

By macleans.ca - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 12:40 PM - 0 Comments

In the British Medical Journal, experts are warning that doctors and patients are being misled about the effectiveness of some drugs, due to the fact that negative trial results aren’t published. The German experts believe pharmaceutical companies should be required to publish all data, not just positive findings. One example involves the antidepressant reboxetine, they said, which Pfizer maintains is effective. It’s used in many European countries, but U.S. drug regulators rejected it, raising doubts about its effectiveness. The German researchers say there is unpublished trial data relating to this drug that should be made public. In the U.S., it’s already mandated that all data (positive and negative) is published, something the U.K. Is now striving to achieve.

BBC News

Back to 1867

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 12:16 PM - 0 Comments

Maxime Bernier calls for a return to original intent (or at least original intent as he sees it).

Clearly, our goal should be to bring back the balanced federalism envisioned by the Founders. It should be to restore our federal union, as Wilfrid Laurier and most people understood it back then.

This would be done by putting an end to all federal intrusion into areas of provincial jurisdiction. Instead of sending money to the provinces, Ottawa would cut its taxes and let them use the fiscal room that has been vacated. Such a transfer of tax points to the provinces would allow them to fully assume their responsibilities, without federal control.

Power and politics

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 10:33 AM - 0 Comments

Donald Savoie talks to Steve Paikin about the concentration of power in our politics.

All of the above

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 9:26 AM - 0 Comments

To explain the security council vote, the Globe cites a shrinking international profile (exacerbated by minority government), a late campaign, Africa, Israel and the environment.

So what did the government do or not do to lose this crucial vote? According to close observers, many things. The Conservative government’s increasingly unflinching support for Israel – even as members prepared to vote, International Trade Minister Peter Van Loan announced new trade talks from Tel Aviv – cost it support in the Middle East and throughout the Muslim world.

The government’s perceived indifference to Southeast Asia cost votes in that region, while cutting back on the number of African nations receiving aid undermined support on that continent. Canada’s foot-dragging in creating a carbon market played heavily against it among numerous small island nations that perceive melting icecaps and rising sea levels as a mortal threat.

Ignatieff: No. 1 with a bullet

By Scott Feschuk - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 8:43 AM - 0 Comments

Sometimes it’s hard to keep track so…

Top 10 Conservative Talking Points

For the Week Ending Oct. 15, 2010

LW      TW      Spin

-            1            Ignatieff to blame for Security Council defeat, dinner being ruined, everything else ever.

1            2            The coalition? The future’s greatest monster.

5            3            Michael Ignatieff. Not a Canadian. Not a leader. Needlessly Continue…

Mining—on the wild side

By Michael Petrou - Wednesday, October 13, 2010 at 8:00 AM - 0 Comments

Photograph by Lorenzo Moscia/Red

Whatever the horrors and deprivations suffered by the 33 miners now trapped 700 m below ground in a collapsed Chilean mine, they at least knew from the moment of the cave-in that others would be trying to free them. They worked for a company with access to heavy machinery and rescue equipment. The mine had ventilation shafts and a refuge room. And the trapped miners are all grown men, not children.

In the hills and mountains surrounding the now famous San José mine in Chile’s Atacama desert, there are hundreds of miners who enjoy none of these comforts. Known as pirquineros, these men, and sometimes children, are freelancers who burrow into abandoned mines or promising hillsides. Safety measures are rudimentary. Rickety ladders disappear down black holes. Wire cables haul up rusted carts creaking with hundreds of pounds of mineral-infused rocks. When a cart gets stuck, a miner drops into darkness with a wrench and crowbar and pounds on almost-vertical railway ties until the cart can pass again.

Those working on their own are especially vulnerable. “We have so many pirquineros in the mountains. Some don’t come back. Maybe they left. Maybe they died. Nobody knows,” says Ignacio Nazar, a pirquinero and secretary of a local independent miners’ union. “That’s why it’s important to have partners. But many don’t.”

Continue…