CTS TV Dumps Charles McVety

BURLINGTON, ONTARIO – CTS (Crossroads Television System) regrets that Word TV will no longer be broadcast due to its lack of compliance with the CTS Code of Ethics to which Word TV agreed under contract.

Last week, its producer and host, Dr. Charles McVety erroneously communicated that CTS was being pressured to censor Word TV; these comments are inaccurate and misleading. The fact is that Word TV failed to keep its agreement to comply with the CTS Code of Ethics and indicated a refusal to comply in the future. Unfortunately, numerous attempts by CTS to work with Dr. McVety were unsuccessful.

What's the phrase--goodbye to bad rubbish. My own prediction: McVety winds up on Fox News North.

PS. Looks Frank Dimant and B'nail Brith are on-side with McVety.

Saddam Hussein: Tyrant And Clothes Horse

On the 4th anniversary of the death of Saddam Hussein (plus one month exactly, because I forgot), here is another piece I wrote years ago (in fact on Dec. 29, 2006), when I had somewhat fewer readers, and am now shamelessly recycling.

If Saddam is executed this weekend, he will be remembered primarily as an evil Dictator who slaughtered his own countrymen, engaged in several futile wars, and brought ruin upon the nation he ruled. What will almost certainly receive less attention is the fact that he was a gorgeous hunk of Maleness, whose inimitable style cast a long shadow over men's fashion in the later 20th and early 21st Century.

Here is my tribute in pictures, then, to the man, his style, and his manly body.

Here is a shot of young Saddam from his pre-Tyrant days. This is the "spy in the tropics" look, familiar from early James Bond movies. One can imagine the young Saddam sent abroad like this on missions for the Baath Party, strangling regime dissidents beneath an inviting Caribbean moon.




Saddam as Country gentleman out for an afternoon's hunt. From this angle, its impossible to tell what exactly he is hunting. It might be Shia tribesmen.













From his years as Dictator, during which Saddam put away the flashy clothes of youth and came to prefer dark suits and conservative ties. The message here is one of competence and gravitas: "These people won't massacre themselves."

Perhaps Saddam's most serious mis-step. The green collar makes him look a bit like a mustachioed Kermit The Frog. Not a fashion disaster on the level of Bjork's swan dress, but a faux pas just the same. Who knows? Maybe it slayed 'em up in Kurdistan. Ba Hah! Anyway...












Saddam posed a la Marky Mark for his prison video, "Iraqi Rap". If a ruler is twelve inches, then clearly this man was born to be King.

However, IMHO Saddam never achieved the status of fashion God until he was captured by U.S. forces and put on trial. Here, his back against the wall, our man chose to discard his necktie as a symbol(see note) of Western rule for a more nationalist look. "I am an Iraqi!" is the message: "I killed 'em all for the good of the nation!"

Note: The neck-tie or, as it was once called, the Ascot, was invented by English Lord Thomas Dicky III in the 17th century, who also invented the "dicky", or false shirt-front, designed to be worn with the ascot.

This tie/shirt combination was made famous in Charles Dickens Hard Times, when Major Emery is rousted from the bath-house and, as the Paris Police wait impatiently for him to dress, shouts out the immortal words: "I've got my ascot in my dicky!"

Tarek Fatah Lays The Blame On Liberal Party Of Canada

So, on Saturday night "Moderate Muslim" Tarek Fatah was supposed to debate Imam Sheharyar Shaikh of the North American Muslim Foundation on the topic of "Does Secular Liberalism Exemplify the Qur'an and Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him)". The debate did not go off; Tarek refused to attend, citing threats to his safety and a number of other concerns. You can read the original statement from the MCC (Muslim Congress of Canada) here (bolded).

I should say that a number of the claims made in the statement justifying Tarek's withdrawal from the debate appear on the face of it to be untrue. For example, the MCC claim that "the off-duty policemen NAMF had hired for security, had been withdrawn" appears to be false. Or at least, here is a picture of three muscly young fellows wearing jackets that say "Security". They are definitely present in the auditorium, and appear to be police (although their shoulder patches aren't quite the same as those of the T.O. police). Note: Tarek now appears to be suggesting the three are Islamists impersonating police. For another example, the MCC official statement says that another reason Tarek refused to appear was that "no video cameras would be allowed inside the hall". After I pointed out a picture of one of these forbidden video cameras to Tarek, he amended the claim and pointed me to this NAMF news release, which specifically forbids cameras on tripods due to limited space. Hardly a deal breaker or a sign of Insurgent Islamism, as far as I can tell.

But Tarek was just getting warmed up

So this sounds like Tarek is accusing the federal Liberal Party of Canada of approaching Karen Mock and asking her to bow-out of the event, an interpretation that is supported by this further response, which fingers MP Anthony Rota as the cause of Ms. Mock's withdrawal.

It will be interesting to see how this story evolves over the next couple of days. There were apparently some media present at the event, although no MSM stories that I can see as yet.

PS. The entire thread I'm excerpting from Tarek's FB page is here.

On Finding Versus Making Facts

Over at Realclimate, Rasmus E. Benestad is unhappy with philosophers/sociologists of science:

"One real difference between the ‘tribes’ of natural scientists and STS scholars may be the perception of ‘facts’: Ryghaug and Skjølsvold conclude that “scientific facts are made and not just discovered”. In contrast, I think most natural scientists feel that facts are facts, whether we know about them or not."

Well, if natural scientists really think this, then they are wrong, though I'm not sure they do really think it.

For example, lets take a global average annual temperature for year X. This figure seems to me to be massively "constructed", or "made". Nobody consults s single thermometer that gives you this figure. Instead, a thousand point measurements are adjusted, massaged, and otherwised fiddled with so that the one figure can be produced. Yet I would say it is nevertheless a fact.

That's all that the claim that facts are in some sense "made" need necessarily imply. There are sociologists who write as though there is something more sinister at play--that our broader political ideology drives the way we "make" our facts. Stephen Fuller comes to mind. But it needn't be taken to imply that; the word is meant to suggest the notion of LABOUR as much as INVENTION.

This might be of some importance, given the misunderstandings of a few science journalists like Fred Pearce, who thought that the fact that nobody ever asked Phil Jones for his "raw data" signified a breakdown in peer review. But why would anybody want to re-do the work Jones already put into his data set? Such a course of action would only be useful if Jones had been incompetent or a member of some kind of worldwide Marxist conspiracy. Which of course he wasn't, so why bother?

Tim Hudak Wows A Crowd Of 0

He' demanding the repeal of the province's hydro debt charge, whatever the fuck that is (and believe me, I try to keep up with this stuff).

Lets face it, he ain't got Rob Ford's populist touch.

Who The Fuck Is Don Burroughs?

...was my first thought on reading this story about the Tories alleged plans for a March election. Presumably not the ex-football star. I smell bullshit, and I sincerely hope, for the sake of Ms. Delacourt's credibility, that the inspiration for it was not DonBurroughsNum1@yahoo.com or some other gold-plated source like that.

That's About Seven A Day

The decision to look for savings also comes after QMI reported that the feds spent $894,967 in the last fiscal year to distribute news releases to journalists using Marketwire and Newswire services.

I haven't been able to find their price list, but Marketwire and Canada Newswire typically cost you about $500 per release. Assuming the Gov. only releases on weekdays, and that there are 260ish workdays in a typical year, that's about $3,500 or 7 news releases per day--or 3 1/2 if they send each release to both outlets. Seems rather a pile, and quite redundant giving the multitude of other communications tools there are at the Gov's disposal.

H/t

Tory Turmoil In Simcoe Grey: Retraction Demand Is Itself Retracted

The story to date.

Kellie Leitch, front-running candidate for the CPoC nomination in Simcoe Grey, asks ex-Wasaga Beach mayor Cal Patterson for his endorsement. He gives it verbally, as a private citizen. She composes a letter in his name and with his political titles on it, and fires it off without clearing the final product with Patterson. He goes ape-shit, demanding the letter be retracted, even though it turns out that he had provided the Leitch campaign with an electronic version of his signature and, really, the only thing Leitch did wrong is to not show the final draft to Patterson and, perhaps, use some of his official titles when he was really endorsing her as an individual.

Turmoil ensues. Accusations fly. And then, this morning:

WASAGA BEACH – Simcoe County Warden and Wasaga Beach Mayor Cal Patterson said today he is dropping his demand for a retraction from Simcoe-Grey Conservative candidate Kellie Leitch.

In a similar cock-up on Leitch's part, it appears that many of the endorsements on home-page share very similar, in fact in some cases identical, wording. Here's the best explanation for that that I've heard:

Anyway, the minions who run Leitch’s website had clearly become accustomed to cutting and pasting endorsements from a pool of pre-prepared texts. Unfortunately they only had nine statements of endorsement for every ten endorsers…and therefore had to re-use some material. But they didn’t count on the man who has often been referred to as Collingwood’s greatest living newspaper editor [I definitely wont get blocked now]. He caught them out and making them look like buffoons!

My guess is that by the time Patterson came along, the Leitch team had got so used to splicing endorsement statements onto names that they didn’t give proper protocol a second thought.

Meanwhile another CPoC hopeful, former mayor of Collingwood Chris Carrier, has also been up to some on-line shenanigans, and has been doing some redacting and retracting of his own. His original foul:

She's also not the only candidate in this campaign with over-active letter writers; Carrier's website contains a letter to 'open-minded Conservatives' in the riding, written by John Hanlon, that trumpets a "local media" had touted the former mayor as "Simcoe-Grey's favourite son." However, as it turned out, the only reference to Carrier being Simcoe-Grey's "favourite son" is an article on a local lifestyle website — and [also] written by Hanlon.

You know the Tories think the seat if pretty safe seat if they are willing to engage in this level of silliness.

Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word

...because the Tories haven't used it yet, though they have pulled those latest attack ads.

Just to recap for NN readers. Yesterday, the CPoC released a pair of attack ads so ghastly that even a few of their saner supporters were appalled . Today these ads have been disappeared, and the official line seems to be that the party never intended to air them. Others say otherwise, and skepticism is the order of the day.

Let Me Serenade You

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life

Stephen Harper's Hannibal Lector Moment

H/t

Tory Turmoil Reaches Boil In Simcoe Grey!!!

COLLINGWOOD — A candidate for the Conservative nomination in Simcoe-Grey says she had the OK — with a signature in hand — from Simcoe County's warden to prepare an endorsement letter with his autograph.

Actually, this sounds less a case of forged signatures and more a case of local Tory players gratuitously taking umbrage at one another. Personally, I never take umbrage...unless its just lying around and no one else is using it. Bah Hah!

Or, if you want to understand the situation here on a slightly deeper level, you might want to google "Kellie Leitch" "parachute candidate".

H/t to this guy who seems about 12/24 hours ahead of the local paper.

Liberals To Oppose S-10, Other "Tough-On-Crime" Measures

With several tough-on-crime bills heading for debate in the Commons next month — including Bill S-10, which would see mandatory minimum sentences for marijuana possession and baking pot brownies — the question has largely been where the Liberals will stand on the bills.

At a press conference at the end of the Liberals' winter caucus in Ottawa, leader Michael Ignatieff signalled that his party was ready to oppose them.

Another small display of leadership from Iggy, though we shall if it holds up on the day of the vote. As for S-10, I think its another of those bills the Tories would prefer to campaign upon rather than pass. So if it dies, everyone goes home happy.

Peter MacKay: A History of Geographical Blunders

In posing a question to former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mr. MacKay said California shares a border with British Columbia.

Arnie was polite enough not to point out the fact that two little places called Oregon and Washington lie between Cali and B.C.

This is not the 1st time this kind of thing has happened. In fact, its not the 2nd time this kind of thing has happened:

He [Peter MacKay] got his speaking notes for the Northwest Passage mixed up with his speaking notes for the Arctic Ocean, and I think that's pretty appalling given the importance of this particular issue for the long-term interests of Canada.

No! No!! Its the 3rd time.

In Small, Unmarked Bills...

The Bloc names its price.

My unwavering belief that we shall not have an election until 2012 is starting to waver.

Ezra Levant Out $32,500 In Costs

Full document here. Given the relatively unequivocal nature of the ruling, we can only assume that Ezra's appeal will fail and these costs will go up.

Now There's Real Class...All Of It 3rd

Should you be thinking of making snarky comments re Ed Stelmach's departure from politics, go for it; you can't possibly be a bigger heel than Ex-Tory Craig Chandler.

I have been wondering, incidentally, what Ed's departure means for the future direction of the Alberta Conservatives: can they stay Centralist? After all, most of the loons have gone WAP, so there's not (I would reason) a lot of pressure within the party to move right. However, this story suggests that some of the WAPers might come crawling back. Which is possible; I guess nobody surrenders their PC membership card in Alberta; they just join other parties in addition.

How Do You Refute Claims That You're Just Buying Votes In Que.?

...buy a few in Sask.

Stelmach Resigns

Says he will move to T.O. to find decent coffee, marry a football player. Says he's tired of defending the oil sands, the f**king one-way streets, and the uppity attitude. Quote: "If you ever see me back in this sh*thole, that means I've really f**ked up.

Kellie Leitch: The Endorsement Affair

More Tory Turmoil, it seems, as the "Kellie Leitch and her bogus endorsement" story--in which Wasaga Beach mayor Cal Patterson insisted that CPoC star nominee for Simcoe-Grey Kellie Leitch withdraw an endorsement that somehow wound-up with his name on it--has been updated and extended upon:

This isn't the first endorsement faux pas for Leitch in this campaign; last week it was noted several of the endorsements on her website from MPs and senators were duplicated — word for word.

The story notes "several" endorsements, but in the google cache of "What People Are Saying" on her website I note one duplication:

There are, though, a number of other endorsements where it looks like somebody hacked together the same half-dozen sentences in slightly different order so as to make things not look too obvious.

More here.