The terror bombings in London gave bloggers around the world an instantaneous snapshot of current events and a moment in history. And by all accounts the bloggers of London held up their part of the bargain quite nicely!
Newsweek on the MSNBC website offers up and inside look at how the Blogging revolution has transformed the gathering and dissemination of news and how the networks and news agencies will have to react to the new face of participatory journalism. Slate also took a look how the Blogging community handled the bloody developments of last Thursday.
It's an interesting examination of our little community and how it reacts in time of crisis and such. The technological revolution that we are all part of certainly has changed things for us, I know that when I first heard of the bombings in London, the first thing I did was to e mail my nephew who teaches school there. Within minutes of my e mail I had received a reply to reassure me that thankfully, all was well with him, though his city seemed a tad un-nerved at the moment. It certainly made me feel a bit better being able to be in contact with him so quickly and seamlessly.
From there I surfed all the usual suspects the BBC and Guardian websites to name couple of faves and then I moved a little further along to some of my favourite blogs. One in particular an Irish blog called Slugger O'Toole, featured a number of first hand reports from readers and contributors who lived in London. It made for a fascinating sense of history as updates were provided through the day.
In the end I did become a spud of the couch though, my clicking finger working out the different combinations to bring me CNN, Newsworld and CTV Newsnet as they all kept up with developments as best they could. I must admit that the newsjunkie in me started to wish I'd broken down long ago and bought that satellite dish, just for the sake of picking up BBC Canada but we made do with the domestic news services for the day.
However, for the sense of immediacy, fear, worry and even hope, the bloggers seemed to have a niche carved out nicely for themselves as well.
Saturday, July 09, 2005
A jackass is a jackass!
David Ahenakew can blame the media, a racist judiciary and a vast Jewish conspiracy all he wants, but simply put he authored and spoke the words that have caused him his current distress. No one forced him utter blatantly racist comments and thus no one should feel any sympathy for his fate with the judiciary and the court of public opinion.
Rather than appear contrite and look for a way to make amends, Mr. Ahenakew has instead chosen to wrap himself in the blanket of persecution himself. Suggesting that it's racism that is at the heart of his troubles. An approach that does a disservice to all first nation's people that have suffered at the hands of racists.
Mr. Ahenakew needs to look in a mirror and take stock of his past comments and as a service to himself he should refrain from making any more public pronouncements.
Rather than appear contrite and look for a way to make amends, Mr. Ahenakew has instead chosen to wrap himself in the blanket of persecution himself. Suggesting that it's racism that is at the heart of his troubles. An approach that does a disservice to all first nation's people that have suffered at the hands of racists.
Mr. Ahenakew needs to look in a mirror and take stock of his past comments and as a service to himself he should refrain from making any more public pronouncements.
Friday, July 08, 2005
The Evil we seem capable of
I've started a blog item a couple of times now on the Bombings in London. Started yes, but I have abandoned the project each time, since I couldn't really think of a proper way to express my horror.
Almost two days have now gone by and I feel no wiser, nor more capable of expressing a sense of frustration at what seem to be escalating scenes of terror. Suffice to say I have those same uneasy feelings that I had after September 11th, when I heard of the bombings of Madrid, the Bali attacks, the frequent suicide bombings of Israel, the continual carnage of Iraq and Afghanistan and the countless years of horror of Ireland North and South. These are not natural disasters which leave us puzzled about a caring deity, instead these are all the machinations of humans, done in the name of a belief to which no one can truly comprehend.
What possible achievement will come from the callous destruction of lives we witnessed on Thursday. It boggles the mind how the snuffing out of over 50 lives and the ruination of many others will aid the troubled parts of the world. It's doubtful that it will cause England or any other free thinking democracy to pull into a shell and let the world be carved into little niches of hatred. The English who are made of rather stern stuff it seems, have suffered at the hands of violent people for many years. From the waves of bombs in World War II to the urban attacks from the IRA in the seventies, they never caved in to the demands of terror then and one suspects they shan't this time either.
The message delivered on Thursday is one of fatalism, that of a religion not steeped in Islam but instead steeped in hatred. It was designed to splinter a country into factions suspicious of each other, perhaps to drive neighbors to harm each other. And while there will probably be some extremists who will take this horrid event to their cause and look for retribution, the vast majority of Britons will continue on with their lives. Fully realizing that the deeds of misguided followers of evil, do not reflect those that have lived side by side with them over the last half century. The victims in London, like those of Madrid, Bali and New York before, came from all backgrounds and all religions, united now in disgust at the cowardice of their attackers and who now share in a common goal of showing that their way of life will not be taken down the path of destruction followed by the likes of al-Qaeda and their splinter groups.
There is much that needs to be done in our world, real problems that must be addressed. The Israeli and Arab worlds must find a way past their differences, to craft a society that can co-exist. Likewise the troubled landscape of Iraq must quickly give those people a sense of hope, the Middle East is very much a tinderbox these days, ancient hatred and current geo political alliances have that part of the world teetering on the brink. The temptation is there to just wash ones hands of the area and let them have at it, but of course oil fuels the current problem and will for the foreseeable future. It drives the economies of the world and no one can see the industrialized nations abandoning an area so vital to their common interests.
How we approach that area is in need of some refinement however, the people who live in the cities, towns and village are the ones suffering the most. Sickness, unemployment, hopelessness and despair are the breeding ground for the likes of Bin Laden. Whether it's a camp in the Palestine areas, the suburbs of Baghdad or the hills of Afghanistan giving the residents hope for a better life will go a ways to changing the dynamic.
This does not mean that prosecuting the architects and operatives of the terror of London, Madrid and New York should be scaled back. Rather than resigning ourselves to having to live with the concept of a terror filled future, we should redouble our efforts to hunt these despicable people down and bring them to justice. Stuck in the bog of Iraq it seems that the US has forgotten the hunt for Bin Laden and his acolytes. When the twin towers were attacked the world was united in revulsion and lined up alongside to prosecute those capable of such horror. As the years went along that mission somehow got put off into almost an incidental prosecution, as the President took on the task of removing Saddam Hussein it was as though the chase of al-Qaeda was abandoned. It may not have been by design, but by reducing involvement in the hunt and allowing the jihadists to continue with their plans, the blueprints for London were long ago drawn up. And so now we line up with England sharing in the revulsion of such evil.
It's too simplistic and naive to think that we will shortly wave a wand and return to simpler and more peaceful times. Sadly for now, this die is cast and similar attacks as those on Thursday will no doubt fill our television newscasts in the future. In our little corner of the world, so far thankfully free from the atrocities we've seen, we sit back and wonder how we can contribute to making a difference before it is too late. This mindless terror knows no boundary and could very well strike us at any time. Our way of life is a threat to the purveyors of hate, our society exhibits a certain freedom of choice, a place where we are free to worship in our faith if we have one, live without fear of harm, treat each other as equals and seek out a better life for our families wrapped in the adventure of a common cause. Those traits are alien to those that planted bombs of hatred on Thursday, and perhaps those traits are our greatest strength.
The process of changing a mindset and breeding ground for terror will take a long time. And so we will again be forced to confront the evil that we seem capable of inflicting on each other. At our peril the lessons of the past will be ignored, our hopes for the future are now tempered with the reality of today. A reality that at this moment includes prayers for those so brutally murdered and hopes for those survivors to find a sense of peace after such a horrible ordeal.
Almost two days have now gone by and I feel no wiser, nor more capable of expressing a sense of frustration at what seem to be escalating scenes of terror. Suffice to say I have those same uneasy feelings that I had after September 11th, when I heard of the bombings of Madrid, the Bali attacks, the frequent suicide bombings of Israel, the continual carnage of Iraq and Afghanistan and the countless years of horror of Ireland North and South. These are not natural disasters which leave us puzzled about a caring deity, instead these are all the machinations of humans, done in the name of a belief to which no one can truly comprehend.
What possible achievement will come from the callous destruction of lives we witnessed on Thursday. It boggles the mind how the snuffing out of over 50 lives and the ruination of many others will aid the troubled parts of the world. It's doubtful that it will cause England or any other free thinking democracy to pull into a shell and let the world be carved into little niches of hatred. The English who are made of rather stern stuff it seems, have suffered at the hands of violent people for many years. From the waves of bombs in World War II to the urban attacks from the IRA in the seventies, they never caved in to the demands of terror then and one suspects they shan't this time either.
The message delivered on Thursday is one of fatalism, that of a religion not steeped in Islam but instead steeped in hatred. It was designed to splinter a country into factions suspicious of each other, perhaps to drive neighbors to harm each other. And while there will probably be some extremists who will take this horrid event to their cause and look for retribution, the vast majority of Britons will continue on with their lives. Fully realizing that the deeds of misguided followers of evil, do not reflect those that have lived side by side with them over the last half century. The victims in London, like those of Madrid, Bali and New York before, came from all backgrounds and all religions, united now in disgust at the cowardice of their attackers and who now share in a common goal of showing that their way of life will not be taken down the path of destruction followed by the likes of al-Qaeda and their splinter groups.
There is much that needs to be done in our world, real problems that must be addressed. The Israeli and Arab worlds must find a way past their differences, to craft a society that can co-exist. Likewise the troubled landscape of Iraq must quickly give those people a sense of hope, the Middle East is very much a tinderbox these days, ancient hatred and current geo political alliances have that part of the world teetering on the brink. The temptation is there to just wash ones hands of the area and let them have at it, but of course oil fuels the current problem and will for the foreseeable future. It drives the economies of the world and no one can see the industrialized nations abandoning an area so vital to their common interests.
How we approach that area is in need of some refinement however, the people who live in the cities, towns and village are the ones suffering the most. Sickness, unemployment, hopelessness and despair are the breeding ground for the likes of Bin Laden. Whether it's a camp in the Palestine areas, the suburbs of Baghdad or the hills of Afghanistan giving the residents hope for a better life will go a ways to changing the dynamic.
This does not mean that prosecuting the architects and operatives of the terror of London, Madrid and New York should be scaled back. Rather than resigning ourselves to having to live with the concept of a terror filled future, we should redouble our efforts to hunt these despicable people down and bring them to justice. Stuck in the bog of Iraq it seems that the US has forgotten the hunt for Bin Laden and his acolytes. When the twin towers were attacked the world was united in revulsion and lined up alongside to prosecute those capable of such horror. As the years went along that mission somehow got put off into almost an incidental prosecution, as the President took on the task of removing Saddam Hussein it was as though the chase of al-Qaeda was abandoned. It may not have been by design, but by reducing involvement in the hunt and allowing the jihadists to continue with their plans, the blueprints for London were long ago drawn up. And so now we line up with England sharing in the revulsion of such evil.
It's too simplistic and naive to think that we will shortly wave a wand and return to simpler and more peaceful times. Sadly for now, this die is cast and similar attacks as those on Thursday will no doubt fill our television newscasts in the future. In our little corner of the world, so far thankfully free from the atrocities we've seen, we sit back and wonder how we can contribute to making a difference before it is too late. This mindless terror knows no boundary and could very well strike us at any time. Our way of life is a threat to the purveyors of hate, our society exhibits a certain freedom of choice, a place where we are free to worship in our faith if we have one, live without fear of harm, treat each other as equals and seek out a better life for our families wrapped in the adventure of a common cause. Those traits are alien to those that planted bombs of hatred on Thursday, and perhaps those traits are our greatest strength.
The process of changing a mindset and breeding ground for terror will take a long time. And so we will again be forced to confront the evil that we seem capable of inflicting on each other. At our peril the lessons of the past will be ignored, our hopes for the future are now tempered with the reality of today. A reality that at this moment includes prayers for those so brutally murdered and hopes for those survivors to find a sense of peace after such a horrible ordeal.
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
A gathering at Gleneagles
Tony Blair puts on his best suit and best face later Wednesday and welcomes his fellow G8 homeboys to his place in the moors. The G8 circus has arrived in Scotland and ringmaster Tony has his work cut out for him.
African debt relief, the Kyoto accord, theMiddle East peace process and Nuclear proliferation are all on the discussion list, with each participating nation having it's own take on what is the proper way to deal with each issue.
The problem with these G8 sessions is that they usually end up as nothing but photo ops, with little tangible movement ever coming to pass. They 8 take their walks on the beach, roll up their sleeves and look busy but after the usual bromides about doing what needs to be done are made, it's as though everyone closes their talking points binders and shoves it on the top shelf up where the dust gathers.
This particular session should be exciting if only for the current animosity that seems to be raging between Brits and the French. Still annoyed with Britain over it's recent ruminations on the state of the EU, many feel that French President Jacques Chirac will take great pleasure in making Tony Blair's head table stint as uncomfortable as possible. That and the rather tenuous hold on power, that many of the participants have in their home countries, could make this the grumpy summit.
George Bush attends with many other things on his mind than the adventuresome agenda put forward by Blair, with a war raging in Iraq and support slipping on the homefront Bush may be a tad preoccupied with home concerns to take note of Blairs international ideas, this despite the fact that Bush finds Blair rather useful in the larger picture.
Vladimir Putin attends with the Russian nose still a tad out of joint over it's loss of international stature over the last few years, with Russia starting to flex it's military and trade muscles once again with nations on the US watch list, it could be tense moment or two around the sitting room at Gleneagles.
Berlusconi of Italy and Schroeder of Germany both have issues in the EU to deal with and the current spitting match between England and France tends to distract their fellow Europeans from the job of uniting Europe at hand. What they can bring to the table at the G8 has yet to be determined.
Japan of course is still trying to find it's ecomic way after what seems like a never ending recession that has lasted over 10 years, they of course are quite interested in the Kyoto accord and probably have a wary eye on their neighbor's in North Korea regarding nuclear proliferation so they'll be looking for progress on those files.
Then there's Canada, Bartender Paul will leave the Guinness tap behind after his brief journey to the ancestral homeland and take his place with the other G8ers. Martin apparently wishing to support Tony Blair's spirit if not monetary concept of African debt relief and aid. Paul who of course counts Bono as a confidant is back on the African relief page, this despite any tangible movement on the file in the last year of his governance. For Martin it's a chance to try and play the broker between the Americans, French and British, trying to reach a compromise on the touchier issues on the G8 agenda. The only problem of course being that he's not exactly in the Bush orbit at the moment, Blair would have more luck by launching that push on his own. France never seems to take Canada seriously at these shindigs and our day to day interaction with most of the other participants is not such to put us in a dominant position, so it will be interesting to see what role PM the PM can play with his fellow leaders of the world's richest nations.
As he heads for Gleneagles, Paul has George on his list of people to be moved. Martin claims that he will be "pushing the Americans" on the climate agenda, but whether Mr. Bush pays any more attention than he has in the past, remains to be seen.
For Paul just being able to say he can come back next year may be an achievement, there are some that feel Canada should be bounced from the G8 lineup (taking Italy with us!), replaced by China or India who may not be richer than us, but certainly are causing many more ripples on the world economy than we are at the moment. Canada's saving grace is that many more people question the place of Russia in the G8 at the moment considering that nation's precarious economic and political situation.
The recent Live 8 concerts are not too far removed from the front pages of the talking points, Blair will use that backdrop as a reminder to the G8 leaders that they must do something tangible for African relief, not the usual profound announcements followed by years and years of study. Some kind of program will no doubt be provided to address the issue, one wonders if it will be workable with such divergent interests at the table and whether it will be enough for those that presently sit quite far away from the comfortable chairs of Gleneagles.
African debt relief, the Kyoto accord, theMiddle East peace process and Nuclear proliferation are all on the discussion list, with each participating nation having it's own take on what is the proper way to deal with each issue.
The problem with these G8 sessions is that they usually end up as nothing but photo ops, with little tangible movement ever coming to pass. They 8 take their walks on the beach, roll up their sleeves and look busy but after the usual bromides about doing what needs to be done are made, it's as though everyone closes their talking points binders and shoves it on the top shelf up where the dust gathers.
This particular session should be exciting if only for the current animosity that seems to be raging between Brits and the French. Still annoyed with Britain over it's recent ruminations on the state of the EU, many feel that French President Jacques Chirac will take great pleasure in making Tony Blair's head table stint as uncomfortable as possible. That and the rather tenuous hold on power, that many of the participants have in their home countries, could make this the grumpy summit.
George Bush attends with many other things on his mind than the adventuresome agenda put forward by Blair, with a war raging in Iraq and support slipping on the homefront Bush may be a tad preoccupied with home concerns to take note of Blairs international ideas, this despite the fact that Bush finds Blair rather useful in the larger picture.
Vladimir Putin attends with the Russian nose still a tad out of joint over it's loss of international stature over the last few years, with Russia starting to flex it's military and trade muscles once again with nations on the US watch list, it could be tense moment or two around the sitting room at Gleneagles.
Berlusconi of Italy and Schroeder of Germany both have issues in the EU to deal with and the current spitting match between England and France tends to distract their fellow Europeans from the job of uniting Europe at hand. What they can bring to the table at the G8 has yet to be determined.
Japan of course is still trying to find it's ecomic way after what seems like a never ending recession that has lasted over 10 years, they of course are quite interested in the Kyoto accord and probably have a wary eye on their neighbor's in North Korea regarding nuclear proliferation so they'll be looking for progress on those files.
Then there's Canada, Bartender Paul will leave the Guinness tap behind after his brief journey to the ancestral homeland and take his place with the other G8ers. Martin apparently wishing to support Tony Blair's spirit if not monetary concept of African debt relief and aid. Paul who of course counts Bono as a confidant is back on the African relief page, this despite any tangible movement on the file in the last year of his governance. For Martin it's a chance to try and play the broker between the Americans, French and British, trying to reach a compromise on the touchier issues on the G8 agenda. The only problem of course being that he's not exactly in the Bush orbit at the moment, Blair would have more luck by launching that push on his own. France never seems to take Canada seriously at these shindigs and our day to day interaction with most of the other participants is not such to put us in a dominant position, so it will be interesting to see what role PM the PM can play with his fellow leaders of the world's richest nations.
As he heads for Gleneagles, Paul has George on his list of people to be moved. Martin claims that he will be "pushing the Americans" on the climate agenda, but whether Mr. Bush pays any more attention than he has in the past, remains to be seen.
For Paul just being able to say he can come back next year may be an achievement, there are some that feel Canada should be bounced from the G8 lineup (taking Italy with us!), replaced by China or India who may not be richer than us, but certainly are causing many more ripples on the world economy than we are at the moment. Canada's saving grace is that many more people question the place of Russia in the G8 at the moment considering that nation's precarious economic and political situation.
The recent Live 8 concerts are not too far removed from the front pages of the talking points, Blair will use that backdrop as a reminder to the G8 leaders that they must do something tangible for African relief, not the usual profound announcements followed by years and years of study. Some kind of program will no doubt be provided to address the issue, one wonders if it will be workable with such divergent interests at the table and whether it will be enough for those that presently sit quite far away from the comfortable chairs of Gleneagles.
Master of the foot in mouth
Ah Jacques, when will you ever learn? France's political leader and apparent guardian of epicurean morals has once again launched his foot firmly into his mouth just in time for the G8 circus in Scotland.
Chirac decided that the eve of the G8 gabfest was the time to wax ineloquently on cuisine, taking the British to task for a rather bland diet and less than impressive options in the food department. Taking Anglo-French relations to the bottom of the soup bowl, Chirac while breaking bread with fellow G8ers Vladimir Putin and Gerhard Schroeder, mused as to how one could trust any people with such bad food. Chirac also rubbed a little salt in open wounds by claiming that the only thing the British have done for the European agriculture industry was give the world Mad Cow disease!
Needless to say the slurs on the staples of the Union Jackers has caused quite the media storm in England with the newspapers having a field day with attacks on Jacques. From the Telegraph and Daily Mail to the Observer and on to the less eloquent of British papers, the opinions are unanimous Jacques, is a churlish boor. The Scotsman goes so far as to suggest that Frances' feasting fathead is woefully out of date on dining deliberations.
However the British will not be walking their road alone, Chirac has also earned the disgust of the Finns for his comments directed towards Finnish cuisine. Chirac went so far as to declare the Finns as even worse in their gastronomic ways claiming that they were worse than even the British.
A smart move by Jacques? Well nous dit Non. With France up against England for the 2012 Olympics and announcement day today, Chirac may have wanted to peruse the voters list, down there on the ballot two members of the Finnish delegation ready to mark their X.
Should Chirac's comments come back to haunt him he may find that Scottish food will be giving him a rather hefty dose of indigestion. How do you say Pepto Bismal en francais?
Chirac decided that the eve of the G8 gabfest was the time to wax ineloquently on cuisine, taking the British to task for a rather bland diet and less than impressive options in the food department. Taking Anglo-French relations to the bottom of the soup bowl, Chirac while breaking bread with fellow G8ers Vladimir Putin and Gerhard Schroeder, mused as to how one could trust any people with such bad food. Chirac also rubbed a little salt in open wounds by claiming that the only thing the British have done for the European agriculture industry was give the world Mad Cow disease!
Needless to say the slurs on the staples of the Union Jackers has caused quite the media storm in England with the newspapers having a field day with attacks on Jacques. From the Telegraph and Daily Mail to the Observer and on to the less eloquent of British papers, the opinions are unanimous Jacques, is a churlish boor. The Scotsman goes so far as to suggest that Frances' feasting fathead is woefully out of date on dining deliberations.
However the British will not be walking their road alone, Chirac has also earned the disgust of the Finns for his comments directed towards Finnish cuisine. Chirac went so far as to declare the Finns as even worse in their gastronomic ways claiming that they were worse than even the British.
A smart move by Jacques? Well nous dit Non. With France up against England for the 2012 Olympics and announcement day today, Chirac may have wanted to peruse the voters list, down there on the ballot two members of the Finnish delegation ready to mark their X.
Should Chirac's comments come back to haunt him he may find that Scottish food will be giving him a rather hefty dose of indigestion. How do you say Pepto Bismal en francais?
Monday, July 04, 2005
30 days after, give or take a couple of months
Think back a few months now, April 21 early evening as the Prime Minister grim faced delivers his let Gomery be Gomery speech to the nation. Urging Canadians to let the Justice complete his mission to unearth the scandal that has become Sponsorgate. Martin goes so far as to say that within 30 days of the Gomery report being made public, he shall take the nation to the polls and let the Canadian public decide if the Liberals deserve to govern any longer.
It was great theatre, effectively turning away the Conservative torpedoes that were aimed at the Good ship Liberal with increasing frequency and it also stabilized the shaky Liberal government to the point where they could actually get some legislation passed. In the last couple of days word leaked out that the whole plan was the brainchild of Ken Dryden, who while not as talkative as past Liberal MPs say a Sheila Copps or Brian Tobin, certainly seems to accomplish a hell of a lot more around the Liberal caucus table.
However all good things must come to an end as this little experiment in believing in what we're saying apparently is about to be altered to a more incumbent friendly version. Seems that the Liberal backbenchers, wary of a Gomery decision in mid-December are urging the PM to suspend his bravado and put off any Gomery induced election call until the spring. Not wishing to wander through the cold Canadian winter our Liberal MP's are it seems willing to blatantly disregard a solemn promise made by their leader, if only for the good of the people you know! Now most Canadians by now must surely be aware that most political promises are nothing but flotsam to be ignored at the first opportunity, but a solemn word; is a solemn word, is it not?
While Liberal chances seem to be improving each week as Stephen Harper fumbles one issue after another, should they actually convince PM the PM to go back on his 30 day promise, then Harper should once again be able to reclaim some of the high road in Canadian politics. Mind you the High road these days seems to travel about as low along the belly of a snake as you can find.
It was great theatre, effectively turning away the Conservative torpedoes that were aimed at the Good ship Liberal with increasing frequency and it also stabilized the shaky Liberal government to the point where they could actually get some legislation passed. In the last couple of days word leaked out that the whole plan was the brainchild of Ken Dryden, who while not as talkative as past Liberal MPs say a Sheila Copps or Brian Tobin, certainly seems to accomplish a hell of a lot more around the Liberal caucus table.
However all good things must come to an end as this little experiment in believing in what we're saying apparently is about to be altered to a more incumbent friendly version. Seems that the Liberal backbenchers, wary of a Gomery decision in mid-December are urging the PM to suspend his bravado and put off any Gomery induced election call until the spring. Not wishing to wander through the cold Canadian winter our Liberal MP's are it seems willing to blatantly disregard a solemn promise made by their leader, if only for the good of the people you know! Now most Canadians by now must surely be aware that most political promises are nothing but flotsam to be ignored at the first opportunity, but a solemn word; is a solemn word, is it not?
While Liberal chances seem to be improving each week as Stephen Harper fumbles one issue after another, should they actually convince PM the PM to go back on his 30 day promise, then Harper should once again be able to reclaim some of the high road in Canadian politics. Mind you the High road these days seems to travel about as low along the belly of a snake as you can find.
Hey! You! Get off of our radio!
CKNW launched the Charles Adler radio program today, slotting the 1-3pm portion of their broadcast day for the Winnipeg based broadcaster. NW has long been a Vancouver talk radio staple, the bare knucklers, the beauties and the brains, have all had their shot at radio stardom on the Giant 980 but all have been Vancouver based.
The addition to the dial of an out of towner has not gone un-noticed by the rabidly loyal NW audience. With a reworked noon hour package to debut today leading into Adler on line, it fell to veteran NW newscaster John Ashbridge to set the table for Mr. Adler. McComb held an open phones session for twenty minutes prior to the 1:05 launch and with Adler warming up his vocal cords in a nearby studio the welcome was anything but warm.
Caller after caller, phoned in to voice displeasure at someone with the "Vancouver viewpoint" taking to the fabled NW airwaves, Ashbridge frequently asked for the audience to at least give the guy a listen before passing judgment, but for the most part the callers would have none of it. One caller said he had no time for someone from Saskatobia, preferring his radio hosts to not wander any further than the Port Mann Bridge. The Vancouver radio markets history of talk radio legends is lengthy, Pat Burns, Jack Webster, Vicky Gaberau, Rafe Mair, Dave Barret and now Bill Good have all cut out their niche in the market and made talk radio their domain. All knew or know the intricacies of British Columbia radio as no out of province interloper could ever hope to achieve.
You can listen in to the pre game show at the NW Audio Vault from the 12 - 1 hour and then take in the debut of Adler on Line from 1 -3. This could be Adler's biggest challenge to date, winning over a hostile audience, steeped in British Columbia politics and talk radio.
As I first explored in Podunk a few weeks ago, It's a risky strategy that Corus and NW have launched, as many other stations have found out over the years BC listeners are quite insular, the outsiders rarely win them over. Whether NW is willing to take the gamble with their ratings will be something to watch and listen for.
The addition to the dial of an out of towner has not gone un-noticed by the rabidly loyal NW audience. With a reworked noon hour package to debut today leading into Adler on line, it fell to veteran NW newscaster John Ashbridge to set the table for Mr. Adler. McComb held an open phones session for twenty minutes prior to the 1:05 launch and with Adler warming up his vocal cords in a nearby studio the welcome was anything but warm.
Caller after caller, phoned in to voice displeasure at someone with the "Vancouver viewpoint" taking to the fabled NW airwaves, Ashbridge frequently asked for the audience to at least give the guy a listen before passing judgment, but for the most part the callers would have none of it. One caller said he had no time for someone from Saskatobia, preferring his radio hosts to not wander any further than the Port Mann Bridge. The Vancouver radio markets history of talk radio legends is lengthy, Pat Burns, Jack Webster, Vicky Gaberau, Rafe Mair, Dave Barret and now Bill Good have all cut out their niche in the market and made talk radio their domain. All knew or know the intricacies of British Columbia radio as no out of province interloper could ever hope to achieve.
You can listen in to the pre game show at the NW Audio Vault from the 12 - 1 hour and then take in the debut of Adler on Line from 1 -3. This could be Adler's biggest challenge to date, winning over a hostile audience, steeped in British Columbia politics and talk radio.
As I first explored in Podunk a few weeks ago, It's a risky strategy that Corus and NW have launched, as many other stations have found out over the years BC listeners are quite insular, the outsiders rarely win them over. Whether NW is willing to take the gamble with their ratings will be something to watch and listen for.
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Every little bit helps!
Check out the site, sign the petition.
Putting aside pontificating pop stars for a moment, in this day and age there really is no excuse for anyone to starve to death or live in abject misery. In Canada we just celebrated our 138th year of community, time to step up and make a difference in the wider world. We are truly blessed in this nation to travel safe streets, live in relative peace, harmony and good health. There are so many that would only wish to be in our shoes, here's a chance to tell those that make the decisions that we'd like to share a bit more.
The Live 8 project may not do much to move the politicians in the end, but at least you come down on the right side of the debate! And a message delivered sometimes does get their attention.
http://www.live8live.com/
Putting aside pontificating pop stars for a moment, in this day and age there really is no excuse for anyone to starve to death or live in abject misery. In Canada we just celebrated our 138th year of community, time to step up and make a difference in the wider world. We are truly blessed in this nation to travel safe streets, live in relative peace, harmony and good health. There are so many that would only wish to be in our shoes, here's a chance to tell those that make the decisions that we'd like to share a bit more.
The Live 8 project may not do much to move the politicians in the end, but at least you come down on the right side of the debate! And a message delivered sometimes does get their attention.
http://www.live8live.com/
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
Break out the foil! Goons on Ice is back on the ice!
Please let this be the last mention of the Hockey Enforcers Battle Royale until the actual date of the fisticuffs. Prince George, BC city council under advisement from some legal officials has reversed its decision to ban the Hockey Enforcers card scheduled for August 27th at the city's CN centre.
With Mayor Colin Kinsley leading the way, the council gave a hesitant go ahead to the competition , which shall pit former NHL tough guys and those that think they were against each other on the shimmering ice of the city's hockey mecca. Kinsley himself was not particularly in favour of the skating slugfest but suggested that the city had no right to legislate what is good or bad taste as far as entertainment goes.
Those that were against the idea from the beginning are still against it, but with the prospect of legal challenges looming they chose to close their eyes and hope for the best. Councillor Dan Rogers blamed that old favourite whipping horse, the media for the controversy. Rogers claimed that the Vancouver media took the story and ran it to the extreme. An interesting comment from a guy that made his money as a television and radio sports guy at one time. Councillor Brian Skakun who spearheaded the move to stop the fights claims the Enforcers will do nothing to enhance the city's image and may continue to propagate the stereotype of Prince George as a redneck kind of town.
Skakun was the lone ranger for a kinder, gentler Prince George as in the end he was the lone vote against the motion. Needless to say the whole mess has divided the city from the Hart Highlands down to College Heights and out the highway towards Vanderhoof. But for Darryl Wolski it's all gold, as they say any advertising is good advertising and for Wolski and his Enforcers this has been the motherlode of advertising!
The above posting first appeared in my HockeyNation blog, for more items about hockey check it out!
With Mayor Colin Kinsley leading the way, the council gave a hesitant go ahead to the competition , which shall pit former NHL tough guys and those that think they were against each other on the shimmering ice of the city's hockey mecca. Kinsley himself was not particularly in favour of the skating slugfest but suggested that the city had no right to legislate what is good or bad taste as far as entertainment goes.
Those that were against the idea from the beginning are still against it, but with the prospect of legal challenges looming they chose to close their eyes and hope for the best. Councillor Dan Rogers blamed that old favourite whipping horse, the media for the controversy. Rogers claimed that the Vancouver media took the story and ran it to the extreme. An interesting comment from a guy that made his money as a television and radio sports guy at one time. Councillor Brian Skakun who spearheaded the move to stop the fights claims the Enforcers will do nothing to enhance the city's image and may continue to propagate the stereotype of Prince George as a redneck kind of town.
Skakun was the lone ranger for a kinder, gentler Prince George as in the end he was the lone vote against the motion. Needless to say the whole mess has divided the city from the Hart Highlands down to College Heights and out the highway towards Vanderhoof. But for Darryl Wolski it's all gold, as they say any advertising is good advertising and for Wolski and his Enforcers this has been the motherlode of advertising!
The above posting first appeared in my HockeyNation blog, for more items about hockey check it out!
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Let's try a re-write!
President George Bush went to the people on Tuesday night, making his case to stay the course and remain in combat in Iraq. With losses mounting and nightly horrors being played out on the television sets of America, the population is getting a bit nervous about the whole situation and recent polls reflect that sense of worry on the part of Americans.
While polls should play no part in anything as serious as a war, they do give one a sense of a growing chasm between the Bush circle and the wider population. Tuesday’s speech was supposed to focus the American people on a tough but vital job ahead. And for part of it the President did an admirable job of trying to paint the picture for his fellow Americans. Fred Kaplan does a very complete recap of the speech in the current update for Slate’s website.
As you read along to Kaplan’s’ recap, you will notice that along the way some of the Republican messages got changed from those early days of battle. Not once during the speech were the much vaunted Weapons of Mass Destruction mentioned, now this is not unexpected, for as it turned out the quest for WMD was very much a questionable task to begin with. But it was one of the foundations for the Invasion of Iraq and now seems to be treated as one of those little white lies, one would tell to convince a parent that you really hadn’t done anything wrong.
Another interesting turn of phrase on Tuesday was the creation of the melting pot state of terrorism that Iraq has become. Originally in the early days of the conflict, military observers let slip that one of the ideas of setting up shop in Iraq was to create.a magnet for all evil doers to concentrate on. And with porous borders and a suspicious and less than reliable citizenry in country, Iraq certainly has become a bazaar for those that wish America ill.
The president suggested that America was there to fight those interlopers that had taken over Iraq to create havoc. But was that more or less not the plan many would say. The whole exercise at times seems to have been designed to do exactly that, set up a place to pen them in and the homeland would remain relatively peaceful, but at a heavy cost to those Americans sent to patrol the war zone.
Americans might actually feel better if that was the plan! At least then there would be some indication that things were being thought out, for at the moment it gives many an uneasy feeling that things are being done on the fly. We recently had the Vice President of the United States, Dick Cheney suggest that the insurrection was in its death throes, yet news reports and casualty counts from the battle zones indicate that’s not quite accurate. The very general in charge of the Iraqi deployment Gen. John P. Abizaid said that the insurgency was getting worse and not better. In fact the President, more or less contradicted his own VP on Tuesday night, by stating that it will be a lengthy process to bring Iraqis a peace they so badly deserve. One wonders if Cheney has spoken lately to General Abizaid, let alone the President.
Mr. Cheney seems to make fewer and fewer public comments of late (though when he does speak it usually ends with his foot in his mouth) and that may not be a bad thing. Since the more or less accepted facts of the current situation and his concept of things are seemingly incompatible. The worrisome aspect of this though is the idea that neither the President nor his Vice President seem to be on the same page of battle orders. How does one implement a battle plan if no one can agree on the threat danger?
Another bit of unsettling bravado came earlier in the week from Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, he stated that the proper number of troops were in Iraq to do the job. It’s a situation which seems rather hard to believe, considering the continual mayhem of Baghdad, Tikrit, Mosul and many other burgs. The President states that recruits for terror are coming from Saudi Arabia, Syria and Iran et al, yet no real move has been made to secure the borders of Iraq. The war seems to be confined to the cities while the borders and rural areas are left un-patrolled, free for the insurgents to set up camp and plan their attacks. While the President explains the need to stay the course, he offers up no suggestion that concrete steps are being made to stem the flow of supplies and willing fighters to those opposed to the American forces and those Iraqi’s trying to retake their institutions.
Rumsfeld designed the smaller incursion force that went to Iraq stating that huge numbers of troops were not required to overthrow a dictator. And perhaps that part of the thinking was correct for the removal of Saddam Hussein was quick and done with relatively few American casualties. However, the day to day policing of the country and prosecution of the battle plan on terror seems to be a little short staffed. Many commanders who have since retired suggested at the time that a larger force was needed to keep a lid on the violence after the removal of the Iraqi government, it would appear that they were not listened to at the time and their voices continue to be ignored at present.
Rebuilding the infrastructure of a country and fighting a war at the same time requires many, many bodies, American forces currently stretched thin can’t do all the heavy lifting and while the US would wish that its International friends and acquaintances would come to share in the work of creating a new Iraq, as long as the Wild West aura continues many will be hesitant to assist. A sense that things were under control and that there was actually some kind of timetable for Iraq might go a long way to bringing more nations along for the ride.
The specter of 9/11 once again was put forward as a reason to continue the battle in Iraq. And I tread carefully on that hallowed ground; I fully understand the anguish of the American people over that horrible day, the horrendous loss of life on their very own streets. But it’s hard to draw the parallel between September 11 and the current situation in Iraq. About the only connection is the fact that many of the terror groups that openly wish for America’s demise have currently set up shop in Iraq, including those that launched or supported the attacks on the US on that September morning. Considering the fact that most of Al Qaeda is apparently hiding in the Pakistani mountains, the connection between the overthrow of Saddam and the quest for Bin Laden and his acolytes seems hard to find.
The 9/11 theme was recently highlighted by White House confidant and Republican pit bull Karl Rove, who basically accused those that don’t agree with Republican doctrine as enemies of the state. A bit of political theatre that harkens back to a darker era of America and is not needed at this pivotal time in American history. There are many Democrats enlisted in the US Military, no doubt many who have given their lives in the service of Mr. Roves’ boss, his boorish behavior is a slap at each and every serving member of the American forces, not to mention almost half of the American voting public.
This is the problem with the Republican message; they don’t seem to understand that in a time of crisis or cause, it’s best to unite the people behind a President with words of concern, strength of conviction and a blue print for success. While the first two on the list have been played nicely, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of the latter coming from the Republicans at the moment. Mostly the agenda seems to be to rewrite the facts to fit the feeling of the moment.
For the sake of the serving personnel in Iraq and the Iraqi people themselves, one hopes that soon the bravado and bluster give way to tangible plans. To leave now probably would condemn Iraq to a cycle of violence even more heinous than that they’ve endured thus far. But with nothing seemingly in place to bring the place to a sense of normalcy, one fears for more of the same that plays out on our television sets nightly.
It obviously will take more time than the American public probably thought was required to finish off the mission. With talk of an insurgency that could last for anywhere from five to twelve years, though the patience and resolve of the American people will be surely tested.
The political types have served up a current scenario that is a great disservice to those sent into battle, those left to worry at home and those caught in the middle in Iraq. They deserve much, much more than the glib words and incomplete plans of politicians, political handlers and bureaucrats. The question is will they receive what they need?
While polls should play no part in anything as serious as a war, they do give one a sense of a growing chasm between the Bush circle and the wider population. Tuesday’s speech was supposed to focus the American people on a tough but vital job ahead. And for part of it the President did an admirable job of trying to paint the picture for his fellow Americans. Fred Kaplan does a very complete recap of the speech in the current update for Slate’s website.
As you read along to Kaplan’s’ recap, you will notice that along the way some of the Republican messages got changed from those early days of battle. Not once during the speech were the much vaunted Weapons of Mass Destruction mentioned, now this is not unexpected, for as it turned out the quest for WMD was very much a questionable task to begin with. But it was one of the foundations for the Invasion of Iraq and now seems to be treated as one of those little white lies, one would tell to convince a parent that you really hadn’t done anything wrong.
Another interesting turn of phrase on Tuesday was the creation of the melting pot state of terrorism that Iraq has become. Originally in the early days of the conflict, military observers let slip that one of the ideas of setting up shop in Iraq was to create.a magnet for all evil doers to concentrate on. And with porous borders and a suspicious and less than reliable citizenry in country, Iraq certainly has become a bazaar for those that wish America ill.
The president suggested that America was there to fight those interlopers that had taken over Iraq to create havoc. But was that more or less not the plan many would say. The whole exercise at times seems to have been designed to do exactly that, set up a place to pen them in and the homeland would remain relatively peaceful, but at a heavy cost to those Americans sent to patrol the war zone.
Americans might actually feel better if that was the plan! At least then there would be some indication that things were being thought out, for at the moment it gives many an uneasy feeling that things are being done on the fly. We recently had the Vice President of the United States, Dick Cheney suggest that the insurrection was in its death throes, yet news reports and casualty counts from the battle zones indicate that’s not quite accurate. The very general in charge of the Iraqi deployment Gen. John P. Abizaid said that the insurgency was getting worse and not better. In fact the President, more or less contradicted his own VP on Tuesday night, by stating that it will be a lengthy process to bring Iraqis a peace they so badly deserve. One wonders if Cheney has spoken lately to General Abizaid, let alone the President.
Mr. Cheney seems to make fewer and fewer public comments of late (though when he does speak it usually ends with his foot in his mouth) and that may not be a bad thing. Since the more or less accepted facts of the current situation and his concept of things are seemingly incompatible. The worrisome aspect of this though is the idea that neither the President nor his Vice President seem to be on the same page of battle orders. How does one implement a battle plan if no one can agree on the threat danger?
Another bit of unsettling bravado came earlier in the week from Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, he stated that the proper number of troops were in Iraq to do the job. It’s a situation which seems rather hard to believe, considering the continual mayhem of Baghdad, Tikrit, Mosul and many other burgs. The President states that recruits for terror are coming from Saudi Arabia, Syria and Iran et al, yet no real move has been made to secure the borders of Iraq. The war seems to be confined to the cities while the borders and rural areas are left un-patrolled, free for the insurgents to set up camp and plan their attacks. While the President explains the need to stay the course, he offers up no suggestion that concrete steps are being made to stem the flow of supplies and willing fighters to those opposed to the American forces and those Iraqi’s trying to retake their institutions.
Rumsfeld designed the smaller incursion force that went to Iraq stating that huge numbers of troops were not required to overthrow a dictator. And perhaps that part of the thinking was correct for the removal of Saddam Hussein was quick and done with relatively few American casualties. However, the day to day policing of the country and prosecution of the battle plan on terror seems to be a little short staffed. Many commanders who have since retired suggested at the time that a larger force was needed to keep a lid on the violence after the removal of the Iraqi government, it would appear that they were not listened to at the time and their voices continue to be ignored at present.
Rebuilding the infrastructure of a country and fighting a war at the same time requires many, many bodies, American forces currently stretched thin can’t do all the heavy lifting and while the US would wish that its International friends and acquaintances would come to share in the work of creating a new Iraq, as long as the Wild West aura continues many will be hesitant to assist. A sense that things were under control and that there was actually some kind of timetable for Iraq might go a long way to bringing more nations along for the ride.
The specter of 9/11 once again was put forward as a reason to continue the battle in Iraq. And I tread carefully on that hallowed ground; I fully understand the anguish of the American people over that horrible day, the horrendous loss of life on their very own streets. But it’s hard to draw the parallel between September 11 and the current situation in Iraq. About the only connection is the fact that many of the terror groups that openly wish for America’s demise have currently set up shop in Iraq, including those that launched or supported the attacks on the US on that September morning. Considering the fact that most of Al Qaeda is apparently hiding in the Pakistani mountains, the connection between the overthrow of Saddam and the quest for Bin Laden and his acolytes seems hard to find.
The 9/11 theme was recently highlighted by White House confidant and Republican pit bull Karl Rove, who basically accused those that don’t agree with Republican doctrine as enemies of the state. A bit of political theatre that harkens back to a darker era of America and is not needed at this pivotal time in American history. There are many Democrats enlisted in the US Military, no doubt many who have given their lives in the service of Mr. Roves’ boss, his boorish behavior is a slap at each and every serving member of the American forces, not to mention almost half of the American voting public.
This is the problem with the Republican message; they don’t seem to understand that in a time of crisis or cause, it’s best to unite the people behind a President with words of concern, strength of conviction and a blue print for success. While the first two on the list have been played nicely, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of the latter coming from the Republicans at the moment. Mostly the agenda seems to be to rewrite the facts to fit the feeling of the moment.
For the sake of the serving personnel in Iraq and the Iraqi people themselves, one hopes that soon the bravado and bluster give way to tangible plans. To leave now probably would condemn Iraq to a cycle of violence even more heinous than that they’ve endured thus far. But with nothing seemingly in place to bring the place to a sense of normalcy, one fears for more of the same that plays out on our television sets nightly.
It obviously will take more time than the American public probably thought was required to finish off the mission. With talk of an insurgency that could last for anywhere from five to twelve years, though the patience and resolve of the American people will be surely tested.
The political types have served up a current scenario that is a great disservice to those sent into battle, those left to worry at home and those caught in the middle in Iraq. They deserve much, much more than the glib words and incomplete plans of politicians, political handlers and bureaucrats. The question is will they receive what they need?
No surprise at my house!
Ah this bit of news does warm the cockles of one's heart.
Boiled, Baked or Fried
Chosen for the morning, lunch or evening with pride.
Mashed, Hashed, but never bashed.
For domestic consumption or American cash!
The food of my ancestors finds it's place of honour in the land of my birth,
just in time for Canada Day meals to add to your girth.
So grab some fries, or buy a baker.
It's a tribute to the Canadian tater!
Boiled, Baked or Fried
Chosen for the morning, lunch or evening with pride.
Mashed, Hashed, but never bashed.
For domestic consumption or American cash!
The food of my ancestors finds it's place of honour in the land of my birth,
just in time for Canada Day meals to add to your girth.
So grab some fries, or buy a baker.
It's a tribute to the Canadian tater!
Monday, June 27, 2005
JR finds a microphone
It's been a long off season for Jeremy Roenick, JR who hasn't had many opportunities in the last year to comment on all things hockey, finally unburdened himself over the weekend. JR let loose on the NHL, his union executive and hockey fans who look at he and his fellow band of brothers as spoiled millionaires.
Roenick is upset that the union management did not accept a deal back in early 2005, one that would have saved the NHLPA some of the pain that is about to come their way with a new deal. JR says that the players got their butts kicked by the NHL and that the union will give back more than any other union in the history of professional sport.
And while all seem to agree that some damage control will be necessary with the fans after this year long debacle, JR isn't quite ready to take the barbs of the ticket buying public. While he admits that all will have to do their part, he has no time for those that think of hockey players as spoiled millionaires.
He apparently was only warming up after that broadside, Roenick went on to say that the union heads neglected to listen to him and other NHL players who repeatedly told them that the path they were on was one of destruction. They may not have listened to him then, but they're certainly going to be hearing from him now. It will be interesting to see how the players union reps respond to the latest from Mount Jeremy.
However for hockey fans JR's outburst is a good sign, he's back, he verbose and ready to rumble. Hockey must actually be on its way back grumbling and all!
The above posting first appeared in my HockeyNation blog, for more items about hockey check it out!
Roenick is upset that the union management did not accept a deal back in early 2005, one that would have saved the NHLPA some of the pain that is about to come their way with a new deal. JR says that the players got their butts kicked by the NHL and that the union will give back more than any other union in the history of professional sport.
And while all seem to agree that some damage control will be necessary with the fans after this year long debacle, JR isn't quite ready to take the barbs of the ticket buying public. While he admits that all will have to do their part, he has no time for those that think of hockey players as spoiled millionaires.
He apparently was only warming up after that broadside, Roenick went on to say that the union heads neglected to listen to him and other NHL players who repeatedly told them that the path they were on was one of destruction. They may not have listened to him then, but they're certainly going to be hearing from him now. It will be interesting to see how the players union reps respond to the latest from Mount Jeremy.
However for hockey fans JR's outburst is a good sign, he's back, he verbose and ready to rumble. Hockey must actually be on its way back grumbling and all!
The above posting first appeared in my HockeyNation blog, for more items about hockey check it out!
Goons on Ice (The phoenix like rebirth of)
It seems you can't knock this Darryl Wolski guy out, if half of his hockey combatants have his ability to take a punch the big show may go on all night.
When we last left the saga of the Hockey Enforcers, Prince George city council had voted to ban the show from the city's CN centre. However, after a bit of bravado from Wolski about lawsuits and with a suggestion from the police that the exhibition could find a way to fit into the Criminal Code, the on again/off again knuckleduster showcase may soon be back on again.
Mayor Colin Kinsley has stepped into the controversy by urging his fellow council members to reconsider their votes of last week and to bring the program to another vote at Monday nights Council meeting.
The Enforcers show has become quite the controversial issue in Prince George which is not quite used to being the subject of debate. Opponents of the Goon show say that it is sending a wrong message to young people and not painting the northern BC city in a proper light. Those in favour of the competition claim that the fisticuffs planned for the CN centre won't be any more harmful than what you could find in a Prince George bar on a Saturday night.
One would assume that Prince George must have other pressing issues to deal with these days, but washed up hockey enforcers will once again dominate the council agenda.
The above posting first appeared in my HockeyNation blog, for more items about our national game check it out!
When we last left the saga of the Hockey Enforcers, Prince George city council had voted to ban the show from the city's CN centre. However, after a bit of bravado from Wolski about lawsuits and with a suggestion from the police that the exhibition could find a way to fit into the Criminal Code, the on again/off again knuckleduster showcase may soon be back on again.
Mayor Colin Kinsley has stepped into the controversy by urging his fellow council members to reconsider their votes of last week and to bring the program to another vote at Monday nights Council meeting.
The Enforcers show has become quite the controversial issue in Prince George which is not quite used to being the subject of debate. Opponents of the Goon show say that it is sending a wrong message to young people and not painting the northern BC city in a proper light. Those in favour of the competition claim that the fisticuffs planned for the CN centre won't be any more harmful than what you could find in a Prince George bar on a Saturday night.
One would assume that Prince George must have other pressing issues to deal with these days, but washed up hockey enforcers will once again dominate the council agenda.
The above posting first appeared in my HockeyNation blog, for more items about our national game check it out!
Friday, June 24, 2005
Goons on Ice (The cancellation)
Put away the road map of Northern BC, you shan't be needing directions for the way to PG today. Prince George city council delivered a knockout punch to the organizers of the Enforcers tournament. As the Northern BC city mindful of the perception of a home of barbaric fisticuffs decided that it was not going to put out the welcome mat for hockey's traveling band of knuckledraggers.
The Enforcers tourney had only just finished trumpeting its new locale when the rumblings of discontent started to become known from the citizenry. Subject to snickers from other BC communities such as Kamloops and Kelowna to name a few, the populace that don't like the idea of men on skates kicking the crud out of each other started to make a bit of noise.
For organizer Darryl Wolski it's back to the telephone and a search for a city, town, village or backyard rink where he might finally let his charges square off. Something that most observers in Prince George probably won't agree with. With a Pay Per view contract still dangling and the inevitable companion DVD and VHS products no doubt to follow expect the search to continue.
Wolski is obviously feeling the pressure with the latest setback, as he launched an attack on Prince George council claiming that they had given their city a black eye. But for these Hockey Enforcers the only thing cool about the whole project has been the reaction from those approached to host it.
The above posting first appeared in my HockeyNation blog, which is dedicated to all items hockey related. If so inclined check it out!
The Enforcers tourney had only just finished trumpeting its new locale when the rumblings of discontent started to become known from the citizenry. Subject to snickers from other BC communities such as Kamloops and Kelowna to name a few, the populace that don't like the idea of men on skates kicking the crud out of each other started to make a bit of noise.
For organizer Darryl Wolski it's back to the telephone and a search for a city, town, village or backyard rink where he might finally let his charges square off. Something that most observers in Prince George probably won't agree with. With a Pay Per view contract still dangling and the inevitable companion DVD and VHS products no doubt to follow expect the search to continue.
Wolski is obviously feeling the pressure with the latest setback, as he launched an attack on Prince George council claiming that they had given their city a black eye. But for these Hockey Enforcers the only thing cool about the whole project has been the reaction from those approached to host it.
The above posting first appeared in my HockeyNation blog, which is dedicated to all items hockey related. If so inclined check it out!
Thursday, June 23, 2005
For it's Bud the Spud, with his bright red mud, coming from Prince Edward Island!
The Live 8 show in our cultural Mecca of Barrie has come under a bit of attack the last few days over the line up of artists set to entertain and educate the masses.
While the debate raged on a call from Ottawa came out for inclusion of a national icon for the really big shew. Ottawa DJ, Jeff Brown from CHEZ 106 launched his own personal protest over the exclusion of Stompin' Tom Connors from the mighty Live 8 line up, to get his point across Brown played nothing by Stompin' Tom songs during his afternoon drive show and vowed to continue playing them until the Stompin' one was put on the list. Alas, station management decided that the playlist is the thing and put and end to the rebellion by taking Brown off the air for an indefinite period of time over his affection for Connors.
Of course this sounds like a pretty good publicity stunt and so be it, but there is the petition for us all to sign to get Stompin' Tom on the bill. He'd be a natural to get the crowd going and more importantly is very much a national symbol, one just as deserving as some of the others on this list of performers. So sign on the cyber line and lets get Stompin' Tom a ticket to Barrie!
While the debate raged on a call from Ottawa came out for inclusion of a national icon for the really big shew. Ottawa DJ, Jeff Brown from CHEZ 106 launched his own personal protest over the exclusion of Stompin' Tom Connors from the mighty Live 8 line up, to get his point across Brown played nothing by Stompin' Tom songs during his afternoon drive show and vowed to continue playing them until the Stompin' one was put on the list. Alas, station management decided that the playlist is the thing and put and end to the rebellion by taking Brown off the air for an indefinite period of time over his affection for Connors.
Of course this sounds like a pretty good publicity stunt and so be it, but there is the petition for us all to sign to get Stompin' Tom on the bill. He'd be a natural to get the crowd going and more importantly is very much a national symbol, one just as deserving as some of the others on this list of performers. So sign on the cyber line and lets get Stompin' Tom a ticket to Barrie!
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Welcome back boys!
For the sport deprived Canadian, the opening theme to the CFL on TSN was the sweetest sound in a long time. It was like an old friend coming back from a lengthy vacation ready to entertain you with some great tales. Man if we had a Wendy's in this burg, I'd have run out and bought a burger and a Frosty in celebration. The CFL returned to our TV's on Wednesday night, kicking off the 2005 Regular season and what a welcome guest it was.
After a winter of discontent courtesy of our absent hockey obsession, the green field of McGill University was a most welcome sight. Finally something to invest our time in with a rewarding payback. A sport where money doesn't carry as much weight, where the game is still a game and the players seem to give 110% for the sheer joy of the competition. Indeed after listening to the dinosaurs in the NHL and the NHLPA try to take their league to extinction, the return of the CFL is a signal that all is well again above the 49th.
Perhaps now this league will never be taken for granted again, for it means much more to us than we may have realized. The CFL represents community and continuity of tradition, a place where Canadian homegrown college grads can line up and make the big play, just as easily as a highly touted American import. It's a league for those just beginning a professional journey, or a place for those looking for a second chance. A spot where yes, you can come up and star for awhile and take your chance on a dream in the NFL, but also a place where you know you can return and find the fun in the game again.
Yes the CFL has made some blunders over the years, they stumble, shoot themselves in the foot and give one cause for headshaking at how good a game it must be to survive those that have run it in the past. But it's also a league that rises to the occasion time and time again, with bitter rivalries that have lasted through the decades, memories of Grey Cups and Labour Days, Thanksgiving Classics and Divisional nail biters, through the years the CFL has offered up the memories for the taking.
And now more than ever perhaps we'll give it a bit more of the respect it deserves. Hockey lost a year of it's life and most likely more than a few fans with their little turf war this past winter.
For now Canadians want only to watch the wars on the Turf. As Hank Jr. might put it, "we're ready for some football"
Welcome back guys, glad you're back in the house!
The above posting first appeared in my Twelve Men on the Field blog, a site dedicated to all things about Canadian football!
After a winter of discontent courtesy of our absent hockey obsession, the green field of McGill University was a most welcome sight. Finally something to invest our time in with a rewarding payback. A sport where money doesn't carry as much weight, where the game is still a game and the players seem to give 110% for the sheer joy of the competition. Indeed after listening to the dinosaurs in the NHL and the NHLPA try to take their league to extinction, the return of the CFL is a signal that all is well again above the 49th.
Perhaps now this league will never be taken for granted again, for it means much more to us than we may have realized. The CFL represents community and continuity of tradition, a place where Canadian homegrown college grads can line up and make the big play, just as easily as a highly touted American import. It's a league for those just beginning a professional journey, or a place for those looking for a second chance. A spot where yes, you can come up and star for awhile and take your chance on a dream in the NFL, but also a place where you know you can return and find the fun in the game again.
Yes the CFL has made some blunders over the years, they stumble, shoot themselves in the foot and give one cause for headshaking at how good a game it must be to survive those that have run it in the past. But it's also a league that rises to the occasion time and time again, with bitter rivalries that have lasted through the decades, memories of Grey Cups and Labour Days, Thanksgiving Classics and Divisional nail biters, through the years the CFL has offered up the memories for the taking.
And now more than ever perhaps we'll give it a bit more of the respect it deserves. Hockey lost a year of it's life and most likely more than a few fans with their little turf war this past winter.
For now Canadians want only to watch the wars on the Turf. As Hank Jr. might put it, "we're ready for some football"
Welcome back guys, glad you're back in the house!
The above posting first appeared in my Twelve Men on the Field blog, a site dedicated to all things about Canadian football!
Second career comes up Snake eyes for Christy Clark?
The usual tradition in the BC talkshow wars over the years, has been one that provincial politicians end up on the yapping side of the microphone when their time in the Leg came to an end. The two best examples of which are Rafe Mair, who parlayed a time spent with Bill Bennett into a lengthy hotline career, likewise Dave Barrett moved on to a talk show for a brief time once the voters of BC decided his political days were at an end.
So the easy money would have said that Christy Clark who has been on a test drive of the CKNW mid day show the last two weeks or so would be the next to make the jump.
Clark has been filling in for Jennifer Mather who at this moment is most likely looking at homes near the Arrowhead Duck Pond in Anaheim with her hubby Brian Burke. Burke the former Vancouver Canuck GM was named GM of the Mighty Ducks this week, bringing an end to Jennifer's time on the airwaves of CKNW.
When Clark took the mic last week, many Vancouver media observers just assumed it would be a seamless move from politics to voice on the radio. But out of the flatlands comes a voice to chase those dreams of Christy away.
It seems that Charles Adler's show out of CJOB Winnipeg is going to be added to the daily lineup of programming on CKNW, effectively pushing Ms. Clark to the outside looking in.
It will be interesting to see how the particularly loyal CKNW audience takes to an out of province voice in the middle of their day. How they'll survive without a three hour window of bashing the premier or the opposition, railing against an inane city council or blasting the authorities for speed traps and traffic stops will be an interesting study.
CKNW had previously avoided the trap of other radio stations of accepting programming from out of market, instead sticking to the maxim that local is better and thus would be rewarded at ratings time. For the most part the theory has been correct. It's quite telling that they seem to have had a change in corporate philospophy.
In the Lower Mainland it's very much all about them, there's not much of interest to them once you hit the Port Mann Bridge. Christy may want to stay close to a phone and be prepared to jack up her return price!
So the easy money would have said that Christy Clark who has been on a test drive of the CKNW mid day show the last two weeks or so would be the next to make the jump.
Clark has been filling in for Jennifer Mather who at this moment is most likely looking at homes near the Arrowhead Duck Pond in Anaheim with her hubby Brian Burke. Burke the former Vancouver Canuck GM was named GM of the Mighty Ducks this week, bringing an end to Jennifer's time on the airwaves of CKNW.
When Clark took the mic last week, many Vancouver media observers just assumed it would be a seamless move from politics to voice on the radio. But out of the flatlands comes a voice to chase those dreams of Christy away.
It seems that Charles Adler's show out of CJOB Winnipeg is going to be added to the daily lineup of programming on CKNW, effectively pushing Ms. Clark to the outside looking in.
It will be interesting to see how the particularly loyal CKNW audience takes to an out of province voice in the middle of their day. How they'll survive without a three hour window of bashing the premier or the opposition, railing against an inane city council or blasting the authorities for speed traps and traffic stops will be an interesting study.
CKNW had previously avoided the trap of other radio stations of accepting programming from out of market, instead sticking to the maxim that local is better and thus would be rewarded at ratings time. For the most part the theory has been correct. It's quite telling that they seem to have had a change in corporate philospophy.
In the Lower Mainland it's very much all about them, there's not much of interest to them once you hit the Port Mann Bridge. Christy may want to stay close to a phone and be prepared to jack up her return price!
The Honourable member for recusal
The Globe and Mail has an interesting story in today's paper about newly minted Liberal Cab Min Belinda Stronach. The Diva of Human Resources has attended four cabinet meetings since her arrival at the table of power and as Jane Taber, Steven Chase and Greg Keenan point out Ms. Stronach has had to excuse herself from the meetings a number of times.
Seems that the Government has a lot of conversations on industry in our country and Ms. Stronach must tread carefully on such matters, due to her connections to the Magna empire. Interestingly enough Madam Minister is not alone in having to take a hike from time to time. Even the Prime Minister himself has had to step outside during cabinet meetings, as matters closer to his heart/family trust come up for discussion.
Affairs of state now resemble a game of musical chairs as our political masters jump up and down as the music plays on. Kind of appropriate for a place that takes on more of a carnival air more and more these days. Suggested music: Pop goes the Weasel?
Seems that the Government has a lot of conversations on industry in our country and Ms. Stronach must tread carefully on such matters, due to her connections to the Magna empire. Interestingly enough Madam Minister is not alone in having to take a hike from time to time. Even the Prime Minister himself has had to step outside during cabinet meetings, as matters closer to his heart/family trust come up for discussion.
Affairs of state now resemble a game of musical chairs as our political masters jump up and down as the music plays on. Kind of appropriate for a place that takes on more of a carnival air more and more these days. Suggested music: Pop goes the Weasel?
Get these people a map!
Well sadly this does not surprise me, but once again our American friends have shown a rather poor ability at reading a map.
Earlier this month it was CNN breaking into regular programming to advise one and all that a Virgin Air plane was being directed by Canadian fighter jets to land at an airport in New Brunswick, Ontario. A neat bit of flying that would take one assumes.
Today from a Bakersfield, California TV station comes this story regarding the Canadian portion of the Live 8 concerts. The folks in Bakersfield give Canadians a new capital city, check out the last line of the story. By following this directional information we would be trooping towards Pembroke for the big show.
For Ambassador Frank McKenna the task is simple, get every news service there a Canadian Atlas, or at least a road map.
Earlier this month it was CNN breaking into regular programming to advise one and all that a Virgin Air plane was being directed by Canadian fighter jets to land at an airport in New Brunswick, Ontario. A neat bit of flying that would take one assumes.
Today from a Bakersfield, California TV station comes this story regarding the Canadian portion of the Live 8 concerts. The folks in Bakersfield give Canadians a new capital city, check out the last line of the story. By following this directional information we would be trooping towards Pembroke for the big show.
For Ambassador Frank McKenna the task is simple, get every news service there a Canadian Atlas, or at least a road map.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
I Don't want him, You can have him, He's no good for me!
The saga of Gurmant Grewal continues on it's bizarre little path as the BC MP for Surrey-North Delta finds himself unwanted by his supposed suitors and under suspicion by his current hosts.
On Monday's Bill Good program on CKNW (listen here by clicking on Monday at 8:30 am) the Prime Minister put the final nail in any ambitions Grewal and his wife Nina may have to ever be a Liberal. PM the PM said that while the Grewal's are free to apply for membership in the Liberal Party of Canada, the chances of him signing their nomination papers would be slim and none. Martin of course got caught up in the Grewal's taped negotiations for a spot at the Liberal trough should they forsake their Conservative brothers and sisters during the great budget debates of early June.
Gurmant and Nina, Team Grewal if you will, apparently at the time were either lobbying for or solicited to jump ranks in return for a Senate seat, ambassadorship or some other bounty of largesse from a grateful Liberal party.
As things deteriorated and Ujjal Dosanjh and Gurmant accused each other of unethical behavior a tape or two appeared on the political scene. The Grewal tapes showed politics at its lowest point the sheer bargaining of a vote for possible gain. Not quite what Canadians would like to think happens in Ottawa, but sadly probably is the norm of late.
Caught up in the mess was Stephen Harper who like a political Tammy Wynette stood by his man, despite the fact that many in the Conservatives suggested cutting the Grewal's loose might be a better option. With visions of still taking down the Liberal mammoth, Harper the hunter said he was sticking with Gurmant. While all this was going on Gerwal was caught up in a Transport Canada investigation into improper behaviour at the Vancouver airport, a situation that sent Grewal onto stress leave as that mess broke out, leaving Harper to explain the conflicting tapes provided. Eventually cleared by Transport Canada, Grewal has remained in absentia as the storm winds whip around his current leader.
Gurmant has had a rather colourful tenure in politics since he launched on the national sceme, with a curious CV that includes time as an advisor to a dictator and a loopy plan of taking money as a bond from constituents to facilitate immigration to canda, controversy and Gurmant have not been strangers.
All in all the Grewal saga has once again given our political class a rather black eye and makes Canadians wonder just what it is we're paying these people for. For Gurmant and the missus though, one wonders where they'll land come the inevitable election. Unwanted by Liberals and increasingly under a cloud with the Tories their fifteen minutes of fame may soon be at an end.
On Monday's Bill Good program on CKNW (listen here by clicking on Monday at 8:30 am) the Prime Minister put the final nail in any ambitions Grewal and his wife Nina may have to ever be a Liberal. PM the PM said that while the Grewal's are free to apply for membership in the Liberal Party of Canada, the chances of him signing their nomination papers would be slim and none. Martin of course got caught up in the Grewal's taped negotiations for a spot at the Liberal trough should they forsake their Conservative brothers and sisters during the great budget debates of early June.
Gurmant and Nina, Team Grewal if you will, apparently at the time were either lobbying for or solicited to jump ranks in return for a Senate seat, ambassadorship or some other bounty of largesse from a grateful Liberal party.
As things deteriorated and Ujjal Dosanjh and Gurmant accused each other of unethical behavior a tape or two appeared on the political scene. The Grewal tapes showed politics at its lowest point the sheer bargaining of a vote for possible gain. Not quite what Canadians would like to think happens in Ottawa, but sadly probably is the norm of late.
Caught up in the mess was Stephen Harper who like a political Tammy Wynette stood by his man, despite the fact that many in the Conservatives suggested cutting the Grewal's loose might be a better option. With visions of still taking down the Liberal mammoth, Harper the hunter said he was sticking with Gurmant. While all this was going on Gerwal was caught up in a Transport Canada investigation into improper behaviour at the Vancouver airport, a situation that sent Grewal onto stress leave as that mess broke out, leaving Harper to explain the conflicting tapes provided. Eventually cleared by Transport Canada, Grewal has remained in absentia as the storm winds whip around his current leader.
Gurmant has had a rather colourful tenure in politics since he launched on the national sceme, with a curious CV that includes time as an advisor to a dictator and a loopy plan of taking money as a bond from constituents to facilitate immigration to canda, controversy and Gurmant have not been strangers.
All in all the Grewal saga has once again given our political class a rather black eye and makes Canadians wonder just what it is we're paying these people for. For Gurmant and the missus though, one wonders where they'll land come the inevitable election. Unwanted by Liberals and increasingly under a cloud with the Tories their fifteen minutes of fame may soon be at an end.
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