Socialist Realism
From GABLE

Kinsella blames Ignatieff

Trouble-maker Warren Kinsella pinpoints Michael Ignatieff's reluctance to distance himself from his former pro-war, pro-torture views as the biggest reason for the Liberal collapse in the last election:

Davey — the son of the legendary Grit rainmaker, Keith Davey, and a friend who had brought me to Ottawa to run the Liberal war room — thought an election fought on extending the war could end badly for the Conservatives. Even better, it would banish a few ghosts for the Liberals. Ignatieff had secured the leadership months earlier, and was still dogged by concerns from the party’s left wing. In his writing and media appearances, the former Harvard professor had been an enthusiastic proponent of the war in Iraq, unambiguously pro-American and, seemingly, an advocate of “coercive interrogation” with terror suspects. His position had put him at odds with others in the party. After nearly a decade in Afghanistan, some of us felt we had done our share, with too many Canadian lives lost. We thought it was time for other Western nations to step up. In the coming election, Liberals should be the ones favouring an end to the war. Let the Harper regime, with its bellicose military rhetoric and its willingness to give the generals whatever shiny new toy they desired, become the party that favoured war with no end.

“We can banish the pro-American, pro-torture, pro-Iraq war stuff in one move,” I had said to Davey and others in the Office of the Leader of the Opposition. “We’d pick up a ton of NDP and Bloc support. And Harper will be caught in the quagmire like John McCain was. It’s perfect.”

But Ignatieff wouldn’t do it. Not only would he not even discuss the notion, Davey said; he was angry that we had suggested it in the first place. When I asked Davey what he’d said to Ignatieff, he replied, “I told him we just wanted him to, you know, win the fucking election. That’s all.”

Having fun at the expense of the British


Dark days around here, what with the Harper Government® now feeling free to implement its agenda of cutting federal jobs by one third while building lots of new prisons and purchasing stealth fighters that might or might not be of use against E.T. invaders.

So to cheer myself up, I have posted the graphic above from somethingawful.

I found myself laughing out loud, and I haven't even finished my first coffee of the day
There is definitely an accretion of humour as one reads through the list, however I particularly liked "A Welsh prat had a wank in me Mini".

Libya- stupid is as stupid does

Well, they're at it again: the contempible swine (both politicians and media) that make the big decisions for the rest of us in the west have decided that they are backing Libya's eastern tribes in their rebellion against the Quathafi-led western tribes.

Apart from the obvious problems associated with interfering in the internal affairs of a sovereign state, Daniel Larson mentions some of the more practical problems with this most recent example of neo-colonialist behaviour:

Intervening governments that have committed to providing defense for civilian areas in Libya and enforcing a no-fly zone are now stuck with that commitment for the foreseeable future. That could tie up military resources for as long as the conflict continues, and there’s no telling how long that might be. We can expect to see a lot more agitation from hawks here and in Europe that Gaddafi cannot be allowed to remain in power, and they are likely to see Gaddafi’s acceptance of a cease-fire as an unacceptable maneuver to buy time. Interventionists sold a Libyan war primarily on humanitarian grounds (“saving” Benghazi, etc.), but they will not be satisfied at all by a cessation of hostilities.

The more significant problem is that this has set a precedent that the states that were prepared to intervene in Libya will be expected to do the same in many more cases. An arbitrary, rather odd decision to treat the Libyan civil war as the greatest political crisis in the world will create the expectation of foreign support in other internal conflicts. That is likely to encourage rebellions and civil conflict. If a group believes it can win foreign support and political concessions by provoking a sufficiently brutal crackdown, that will make it more likely to rise up against its government, which may lead to humanitarian catastrophes that the “responsibility to protect” is supposed to prevent.

Apparently, the U.S. fired over 110 Tomahawk cruise missles at Libya on Saturday (at 750,000 USD per missle) and lots more ordinance is on the way. Government spending that even the most tea-steeped teabaggers will agree is money well spent.

Further, some thoughts from Stephen M.Walt:

...despite Obama's declaration that he would not send ground troops into Libya -- a statement made to assuage an overcommitted military, reassure a skeptical public, or both -- what is he going to do if the air assault doesn't work? What if Qaddafi hangs tough, which would hardly be surprising given the dearth of attractive alternatives that he's facing? What if his supporters see this as another case of illegitimate Western interferences, and continue to back him? What if he moves forces back into the cities he controls, blends them in with the local population, and dares us to bomb civilians? Will the United States and its allies continue to pummel Libya until he says uncle? Or will Obama and Sarkozy and Cameron then decide that now it's time for special forces, or even ground troops?

Harper is at it again

A few years ago, I noted that a) Stephen Harper really likes to point at things when he knows he is being photographed, and b) the Harperites will stop at nothing in their quest for a majority government, including modifying the language in a 1984-esque fashion.

Then, it was "Canada's New Government". Now, it is "The Harper Government".

The last time I heard something this ridiculous, it was the decision to name North York's new main square "Mel Lastman Square" after none other than North York's serving mayor, Mel Lastman.

I can just imagine the conversation between Harper and his eager young lickspittles in the PMO:

Lickspittle #1: Every focus group, every survey shows it. The people love a strong leader!

Lickspittle #2: And how better to remind the little people how strong a leader they have than titling all official Canadian communications from "The Harper Government"?

Lickspittle #1: What could *possibly* go wrong? It's a slam dunk!

Harper (visibly pleased): Well, if it is what the people want...

Lickspittles #1 and #2: It is! It is!

Harper: Then who am I to deny them? I reluctantly acquiesce to this dignified piece of nation building...

And the rest is history!

Fun with Google Maps

The best thing about Street View is that it allows one to take a virtual tour of the neighbourhood of anywhere that one has an address for, limited only by the fact that Google has not had time to completely document everywhere on earth (yet).

So attempting to use Street View to look around Cochin, Kerala, for example, will result in a bunch of dots linking to photos (see below) rather than the continuous highlights of an area that has been documented by the Google car.



I am sure Google will get to these places eventually. In the meantime, I am able to wander the streets of Heidelberg, Germany (where a friend and his family were staying for a month), or tour the neighbourhood of my childhood home in Guelph, Ontario.



Here are a few snapshots from my virtual visit to Shankill Road, Belfast, an address that has stuck in my mind since it was a sectarian hotspot before everyone learned to chillax:

Red Hand of Ulster


Rangers Supporters Club


Ulster Volunteer Force

The Gojira: so cool looking it's not funny

I haven't been paying a lot of attention lately to the colourful antics of the Sea Shepherd Society, but I couldn't help but notice the Cylon-like Sci-Fi lines of their new 'stealth' ship, the Gojira (pictured above.)

From Reality Junkies:

Last season on Whale Wars, The Sea Shepherd crew has introduced a replacement to the Ady Gil in their fight against the Japanese Whalers, this time it’s a beefed up looking version of the Ady Gil called Gojira which translates to Godzilla. Last year, the Ady Gil ended up ripped in half by one of the Japanese whaling vessels which was ruled to be the fault of both the stationary ship and the massive vessel that turned into it. How they got to that decision is beyond me.

Like the Ady, this ship will likely be used to track the factory ship (the ship that kills and packages the whales) which will allow the Sea Shepherd and the Bob Barker to tail it and prevent whales from being transferred to the vessel. Unlike the Ady Gil, this likely won’t be captained by Pete Bethune who was arrested last season for boarding the ship that split his in two.

Football Fan map for London and environs

Click on the graphic above for a larger view of this London fan map (liberated from Think Big.)

I have altered the graphic a bit, in that I substituted the full names of the various London boroughs instead of their abbreviations.

My first thought? London is a LOT bigger than I thought it was. I thought I had seen the place during a week and a half stay back in the eighties, yet looking at this map I realize that the parts I became familiar with were limited to Camden, Hamlet Towers, and the Cities of London and Westminister.

In fact, I believe that the only time I went south of the river Thames was to visit the Imperial War Museum.

Good times, good times...

New Fave Premier League player: Joey Barton

Now that Craig Bellamy has exited the English Premier League, I have decided I need a new EPL favourite.

Sure, Mario Balotelli seems to have a lot going for him in the idiotic behaviour department, and Wazza is always good for a laugh, but ultimately I have decided to settle for Joey Barton, currently sporting a 50s-style rock'n'roll hairdo.

Caught in the high-tech graphic above calling Fernando Torres a 'poof', Joey is always up to something interesting!

Merry Christmas, Deadwood-style.




Via Bronz Age.

You ask, we search

In 2005-2006, I followed with interest the Hague war crimes trial of Slobodan Milosevic.

It always seemed fishy to me that he was found dead in his cell, mere days before he would have (in all probability) been found not guilty.

Now, the Guardian, one of the media outlets with full access to the Wikileaks cables, has created a page entitled You ask, we search, where readers can suggest subjects for research within the cable database.

Today I posted a request for any information regarding Slobodan Milosevic.

It will be interesting to see if anything comes up!

Just in- Qatar, World Cup host for 2022

Somehow Qatar, a tiny country bordering on the Red Sea, has landed the 2022 World Cup.

Aside from lots of people pointing out that alcohol is illegal and homosexuality a crime there, the most interesting fact that I have gathered from this is that none of the physical infrastructure exists yet, not even Lusail, one of the host cities.

The graphic at the top of this posting is an artist's conception of what Lusail is going to look like, gleaned from the site Lusail.com. Looks pretty good, eh?

Comparing this picture with images I gathered from google maps, I can't doubt the imagination of the artist. Still, there is something very, very fishy about Qatar's successful bid.

"Boat People" by GABLE.

Our Man at the UN




It makes one pround to be a Canadian, n'est-ce pas? (From Susan Delacourt).

Think Fast!


A useful mental exercise, liberated from the daily what.

I, too, am boned - at home I found myself armed with a running shoe, at work a plastic water bottle.

Newport State of Mind

The interweb has been all abuzz over "Newport State of Mind", a Welsh spoof of the Video for "Empire State of Mind" by Jay-Z and Alicia Keyes.

It is my opinion that, like most Weird Al videos, this version is a lot better than the original. I mean, I know very little about Jay-Z but his rapping is very weak in "Empire State of Mind", while both the singers in "Newport State of Mind" are great.

And the lyrics are funny. Click on the header and give it a go.

English Premier League Predictions 2010-2011

Despite not making the most astute of predictions last year (basically missing the fall of Liverpool and the rise of Tottenham although I got the relegated teams right), I thought I would make another attempt at predicting the top and bottom teams of the EPL 2010-2011.

This season is tough- I have chosen Chelsea to win, yet their performance during this year's Community Shield against Manchester United was anything but reassuring.

Richard Caravalho is gone, John Terry *sucked*, and I suspect this is going to be the year that Terry finally has that big mental breakdown I, for one, have been anticipating for some time.

The other top prospects have their problems as well:

Man United seem just shadows of their former selves with Rio Ferdinand surely on his last legs and no plausible replacement on the horizon. Much has been made of new signing Javier Hernández but I can confidently predict that Hernández will play more like Berbatov than Rooney (who incidentally is in the middle of a huge slump).

Man City have signed so many players, players like Craig Bellamy and Robinho might not even make the 25-man registered team. While Man City will definitely be fascinating to watch, it remains to be seen whether any manager, let alone Roberto Mancini, will be able to form a coherent team from this huge group of prima donnas.

Arsenal might be able to go to the top this year, but I doubt it. Their team is mostly composed of Hernández-type tinkerbells and they have yet to sign a good goalie.

This season is, realistically, wide open since none of these teams are obvious favourites as the season begins.

1. Chelsea
2. Man City
3. Arsenal
4. Man United
5. Liverpool
.
.
.
18. West Ham
19. West Bromich Albion
20. Blackpool

A funny photo from Comic-Con 2010

Stolen from Bronz Age.

It's kicking off!

Word on the street (actually, in the change room of the Sheraton Hotel Fitness Club this lunchtime) is that the authorities expect disruptions from communists, deadbeats, tattoo-artists and other non-conformists in downtown Toronto starting next Monday, a full 5 days before the actual G20 Summit officially takes place.

I dismissed this as nothing more than rumour yet, when I got back to the office, I found a City email entitled "G20 - Toronto: Message from City Manager Joe Pennachetti" awaiting me.

Obviously, the City is preparing for the worst. The high points are:

You are expected to report for your scheduled hours of work as assigned during both the week leading up to the Summit and during the Summit.

• In doing so, do not take actions that would jeopardize your personal safety.
  
• Review all circumstances (such as the extent of crowding, the activities of demonstrators) in determining whether further direction from your supervisor/manager is needed.
  
• If reporting to work in Metro Hall or other work locations adjacent to the Summit venue, give yourself extra time to get into your workplace.
  
• Carry your City and personal identification at all times, as they may be required in order to gain access to your work location.
  
• It is recommended that you dress casually in the downtown core.
  
• Remember that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees freedom of opinion, expression and peaceful assembly. However, demonstrators cannot lawfully destroy property or engage in other illegal conduct. It is highly recommended that you not engage in discussions or disagreements with demonstrators.

My favourite bit is "It is recommended that you dress casually in the downtown core".

Obviously, the City believes the protesters are adherents of the philosophy "suits versus dungarees" first espoused by Herb Tarlek, circa 1980:

HERB TARLEK:
The whole world is in revolution. And not just here, but everywhere. And you know who's at war? It's The Dungarees v. The Suits. The whole world is in two armed camps. Over here you have The Dungarees and over here The Suits.

Remember the rise in the 50s? It was The Dungarees v. The Suits. And then Watergate. Those guys arrested were wearing dungarees and who suffered for it?

LES NESSMAN:
The Suits.

HERB TARLEK:
Exactly.

LES NESSMAN:
There are issues Herb.

HERB TARLEK:
The issues, Les, are a smokescreen.

Now listen. When a son disobeys his father, what's he wearing?

LES NESSMAN:
The son? um... dungarees!

HERB TARLEK:
And what's the father got on?

LES NESSMAN:
Probably a suit!

HERB TARLEK:
You see what I mean Les? And you know what's worse? The fathers are beginning to wear dungarees too!

LES NESSMAN:
That's right!

HERB TARLEK:
So are the mothers!

LES NESSMAN:
It's just like the Body Snatchers!

Even in times of tribulation, like this, I can rely on Herb and Les to give me a laugh.

Bring it on, outside agitators and their sheep-like followers! We casually dressed City minions intend on providing the full gamut of municipal services next week, regardless of any potential danger from the forces of entropy.

Also, it should be noted that, as unionised hourly wage earners, we don't get paid if we don't show up for work.

Huzzah! By GABLE.