Someone should do something about it.

Go ahead.

Tom Brokaw (NBC) explains Canada to Americans, broadcast before the Olympics began:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYoTJItSPt0

hi. my name is Vtiruivus a.k.a. mr entrails and I such
cocks when Im not censoring conservatist web sites.

keep eating it boy

[So, there you have it, ladies & gentlemen of the jury ~ Vitruvius]

F-Troop was a classic!! Thanks Vit!

You're welcome, Joe.

Temerature at Taloyoak, Nunavut @ 8:00 PM MST,
minus 43°C. Do ice bergs melt at -43?

Thumbs down on Curious Vit

I have a tip for George. When you get kicked out of an establishment, no amount of verbal abuse will ever get you back in. This from things I learned, in a different life.

I don't want George to be kicked out of the pub, DP,
I just want him to stop crapping on the publicans and
the other patrons. That's only reasonable.

Mark Steyn has a piece about how we are being kept safe while we ignore the nasty stuff.

http://article.nationalreview.com/425573/keeping-you-safe/mark-steyn

Whatever your reason, Vit, I was just suggesting that a time-out is best used to calm down, not become more agitated. A lifetime of compulsive behaviour has been a rough ride, so I know from experience.

Aye.

Actually, a nice piece from Brokaw. Thanks, RMGK.

I've seen Brokaw on the Daily Show a few times. He's much more relaxed than he is on the news, and isn't afraid to trade barbs with Stewart. And I was impressed when after Al Michael's somewhat diminishing comment near the end, Brokaw came back with a pointed and accurate rejoinder.

Jeez, I've praised the MSM twice in two days. Better see the doc...

Where do you find this stuff? (F Troop) Furthermore, what have you done to curious, to give him such a ka-ka mouth, and worse yet,to make him misspell?

America hates you Canadians...not The Olympics, NBC Prime time, had another feature (long form) on the RCMP @ Regina, Sask... tonight.. Very well done

What has Sask Tourism done to deserve all this free PR...Every Hunter, & his Blind Dog, from the lower 48 will be in Bigger looking for a Bigger Buck.....It's a good thing that is N/W Sask, My summer place is S/E and we already have too many "Sound" Shooters.....

Vitruvius, thanks for the Tom Brokaw video clip! We need to hear more of that, from both sides of the 49th. North Americans tend to take our countries for granted.

Funny. My dad used to do the Banf-f thing, I thought it was an original affectation.

Western Canadians are not impressed with the fact that the Harvard native acting as head honcho of the Liberano (iffy tic) Party has asked our Prime Minister to apologize to Edmund Clark, CEO billionare for TD Bank. PMSH called Clark a Liberal supporter and told the squawker (Clark) that the Conservatives do not intend to raise taxes as the squawker had demanded from his bank chair. Turns out Clark was the NEP architect in a different life - he designed it for Turdo to get revenge on Alberta for not voting for the egotistical spoiled Bolshevik loving little brat of Mr. and Mrs. Trudeau - Who knew??? - I guess PMSH knew!

'W. Edmund Clark was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer on December 20, 2002. In 2004 Clark's salary was $7.9 million.

Clark joined TD Bank Financial Group as Chairman and CEO of TD Canada Trust following TD’s acquisition of Canada Trust Financial Services on February 1 , 2000.
[edit] Before banking

From 1974 to 1984, he held a number of senior positions in the federal government including Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, Energy, Mines and Resources Canada. During his time in government Clark helped develop the National Energy Program, a policy that was very unpopular in Western Canada and earned Clark the moniker 'Red Ed' in the Alberta oil industry.

rmgk, awesome, thanks for posting. I get tired of anti-Americanism, it is juvenile, and reminds me of some acne-riddled insecure teenager jealous of the good-looking high school quarterback. (hello, CBC, that's you that I'm talking to in particular).

How nice to be actually reminded that we are good on both sides of the border, and do our best for "what's right".

Why does this ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBuPQgV8yBM ) make me think of Michael Ignatieff???

Thanks for that, Jema. Here's a guy (Ed Clark) who held senior positions in Liberal governments over a number of years, helped construct the NEP, then subsequently made millions annually in the banking industry.

When he recently called for tax increases (as if tax increases are going to hurt him in any way, or make it hard for him to provide for his family) and said that the PM wasn't listening to the "overwhelming view of CEOs" that tax increases are in order (G&M), Stephen Harper fired back, pointing out Clark's partisan associations.

Michael Ignatieff demanded that the PM *apologize*:

"I was shocked to read that Prime Minister Stephen Harper has again attacked a private citizen for expressing views on public policy that are perceived to be at odds with his government's agenda."

"Shocked".

Yes, poor little utterly non-partisan private citizen Ed Clark. You're breaking our heart, Ignatieff.

If there's one certainty in Canadian political life, it's that whenever the Liberals fake effrontery on someone else's behalf there's always something else - something different, something pertaining to funding - going on behind the scenes.

It's typical Liberal victimology: a clearly partisan player makes public pronouncements; when his partisan affiliation is pointed out, he's portrayed as just some doe-eyed non-partisan innocent caught in Stephen Harper's vaunted mean-rays.

We've seen that a number of times: "I'm not speaking/testifying-before-a-committee as a Liberal supporter; I'm just a good, sensible Canadian making a few suggestions for the benefit of the country."

Yep. We should all feel very, very badly for non-partisan innocent Ed Clark. And the PM should apologize.

(*cough cough*)

ARLINGTON, Va. – The American Trucking Associations will be hosting Roger A. Cady at a conference next week to dispel what he says is a "myth that purchasing locally grown food is better for the environment" than buying from large grocery retailers.

The study suggests that buying food from grocery retailers who are part of the "modern transportation network" is more energy efficient and environmentally beneficial than buying from local sources like farmer’s markets.

Although homegrown sourcing is getting traction among some environmentalists, the report explains that linear travel miles are not strictly indicative of total energy use and therefore not necessarily a valid measure of the environmental impact of moving food over longer distances.

oops forgot to provide links:

http://www.todaystrucking.com/news.cfm?intDocID=23388

http://wsu.academia.edu/documents/0046/7264/2009_Cornell_Nutrition_Conference_Capper_et_al.pdf

Nom nom nom at Badger Blogger.

It's a "Caption This" contest. The photo is of Obama...well, I can't describe it. Surreal.

Looking Glass

Apparently even The One doesn't pay attention to wifey's dietary demands. I'm just saying...

God forbid The One should lead by example. The pic is just too Orwellian.

Is Iggy Canadian?


The Gazette February 20, 2010

Re: "If arrogant nationalism were a sport, Canada would win gold" (Opinion, Feb. 16).

"Why did Wayne Gretzky play role in ceremonies?" your subhead asks. "He hasn't lived here for 20 years."

I was just thinking that neither had Michael Ignatieff when the Liberals picked him as leader.

Louise Bonneau

http://reason.com/blog/2010/02/20/where-did-the-global-warming-g

Not sure if the above is a good link or not, but it seems to work. I am pretty sure that either the Teleprompter of the United States has had a stroke, or it is an elaborate goof. Because if our lead teleprompter is this incoherent, and all we have left is the empty suit standing in front of it, we are doomed.

Re caption for photo of Obama (via Looking Glass):

BO, call home!

Al Gore's Weather (AGW): Last one in is a pool hog.

"“Happiness in life is based on expectations,” writes Rajendra K Pachauri on his own blog."
...-

"U2 Guitarist’s Plans for Development Don’t Find Green Harmony"

"Yes there would be a pool, but its central purpose would be to ward off fire should the local native plants not do the job. And every imaginable green building technique would be used."
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2456077/posts
...-

"Pachauri’s TERI institute golf course – water hog in a city desperate for fresh water"

http://wattsupwiththat.com/

I really appreciated the Brokaw piece on Canada/U.S. relations. Although JFK isn't my favourite politician, he sure had a way with words:

Geography has made us neighbours;
History has made us friends;
Economics has made us partners;
Necessity has made us allies.

Allan,

Interesting article in this month's Atlantic Online:

http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/201003/walmart-local-produce

Wal-Mart, corporate heathen to so many, is involved in a project to bring back local farms in areas which lost many to agri-business in California, Florida, and Mexico. In the process, they are trying to bring back more variety in products like apples and tomatoes, where many varieties were lost to a few varieties grown to withstand 1000's of miles of shipping. I for one would love to see more local strawberries available (when possible) instead of those pretty, but tasteless, California monsters. It makes me angry to enter my local supermarket in September, and see only one or two varieties of Canadian apples (mostly Macs and IDA's), and more varieties like Delicious (yechh), Granny Smith, and Gala from the US and South Africa, especially when there are hundreds of orchards just east of Toronto around Colborne and Port Hope. And don't get me started on tomatoes, even in season. The Ontario "field" tomatoes are a joke.

I don't care about eating local; I care about eating well. There's just no way a tomato coming from California can taste as good as one grown locally, if the local farmer can get a decent enough price enough to care to grow a decent tomato.

OK, let's take Canada's disappointing medal standing head on:

Could it have something to do with the entitlement felt by far too many of our young people and the magical thinking it engenders? Is "Own the Podium" all Canadian athletes need to keep foremost in their thoughts in order to win?

Take Charles and Francois Hamelin in the short-track speed skating final last night as just one example: They, and all of Canada, were hyped over and over to BELIEVE that their dream to have both brothers on the podium would be enough to make it happen. And it seemed that they might just skate to victory on the cheers of the "home-town" crowd alone.

It turned out much differently. Out of five skaters, they came fourth and fifth, that is, last, and out of the medals.

I'm not discounting their preparations for the Olympics or their past wins, but what happened? And what's happened to all of the skiing medals Canadians were supposed to bring home? And all of the other medals we were so sure we were going to win?

I'm wondering if the prevalent lenient, self-esteem-at-all-costs-good-job-Johnny-when-Johnny-has-done-abominably attitude in our schools and throughout the "new" Canada, has anything to do with the Disown the Podium that we're actually witnessing? You've got to wonder, given all of the extra infusion of cash into the Olympic program to, supposedly, give our athletes an edge.

In the case of the Hamelin brothers, it's true that they were up against U.S. superstar Apollo Ohno and the very assertive/aggressive Koreans Jung-Su Lee and Ho-Suk Lee. But, surely, they knew their competition? The brothers started out first and didn't relinquish this position till the end when it was obvious they'd run out of steam while the Korean and American skaters sped past them.

So, how is it that the Hamelin brothers ended up dead last and, most decidedly, off the podium when the hype would have suggested at least one medal and, in the best possible of worlds, two?

Any thoughts?

"It was an absolute nightmare. A real life Titanic, but with a happy ending."
(Review by MSM)
...-

Titanic is a movie, right Tonto?

Ugh, Kemo Sabay.
...-

"The New Legend of Lone Ranger and Tonto

There was a time when this staple American joke could express the difference between a liberal and a conservative:

The Lone Ranger and Tonto go camping in the desert. They set up their tent and fall sound asleep.

continue reading"

http://www.brusselsjournal.com/

Addendum to my post above. Here's what Charles Hamelin had to say about his prospects on February 19:

“(The 1,000) is a mix of everything, sprints and strategies. I’m good at it, and when I’m doing it, it comes easy. I don’t have to stress about my strategy. I know I’m strong enough. I think I have a better chance to step on the podium in the 500m, but the 1,000m is my favourite event. So if I have to do something to step on the podium, I’ll do anything for the 1,000m.”

http://olympics.thestar.com/2010/article/768424--surprise-silver-inspires-short-trackers

Hmmm ... 'see what I mean?

Am I the only one who won't watch the olympics and doesn't care who wins a medal?
This ersatz nationalism makes me ill. Medals are won by individuals not countries. The winners happen to be the best at what sport they are competing in and it is just by happenstance what country they are citizens of. Winning proves nothing about the character of any country.
I'm also in a grouchy mood today.

Except for the slight error (PMSH spoke to the BC legislature about waving the flag, not Parliamen) I love the Brakow vid!

Re post by maz2 at February 21, 2010 9:11 AM:

Sorry, maz2, I'm a little slow: To which article are you referring at The Brussels Journal?

Sorry if this was posted before: Al Gore's new home (tongue in cheek). http://cnsnews.com/news/article/61146

Batb,

To understand what is wrong with "own the podium" all you have to do is look at how Canada has become dominant at Hockey and then compare it to "own the podium" ...

From the time a child is old enough to skate parents have their children in hockey, and quite regularly have them in power-skating courses or taking hockey camps. At the time these children start demonstrating massive differences in skill level (about 10) the best are put on a track to the NHL/National team. After 8 years of focused development a small fraction of the best are put into the NHL, and after 2 to 4 years of experience at this level of competition they’re ready to demonstrate Canada at the National Level.

In most sports in Canada (even with own the podium) most funding for development of an athlete comes when they’re 16 or 17 and begin to compete on a national level.

If we really wanted to have high level success at the Olympics, and we started to focus on developing athletes in most/all events, we could probably get there for the 2018/2022 winter Olympics.

Canada doesn't "own the podium".
The Canadian Taxpayer owns it and will be paying for it for quite some time.

batb, the only that upsets me about the olympics is that tax dollars were spent on this incredible circle jerk.

Batb the only thing I would say is that sports is like politics. If you aim to lose you will succeed. I'm not a sports fan and I can proudly say I haven't watched any of the olympics but I know people who have medalled at the winter and summer games and they all had this. however unfounded, belief that they were going to win. They also had tremendous talent but as in everyting the person with the winning attitude is most likely to win. If I actually cared about the games I would say that 'Own the podium' is exactly what is needed.

Loved the Brokaw piece. Thanks RMGK!

I think the "Own the podium" program is exactly what's needed. I find it refreshing that the athletes want something more than a participant ribbon ... aiming for something better than "personal best".

I also like that gov't has put a bounty on medals (30k for gold, 20k for silver, 10k for bronze).

I'm with you 100% atric.

O'noHope.

"people who foolishly placed their faith in a man from nowhere with a blank résumé a little over a year ago, find themselves waking up to a nightmare of monumental proportions today."

"This is his sole legacy: a massive post-traumatic stress disorder."
(global politician)
...-

"Obama statue returns to public view in Jakarta

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - A statue of Barack Obama as a boy was placed late Sunday night at the Jakarta elementary school the U.S. president once attended, after its display in a public park prompted backlash in the Indonesia capital.

The re-placement of the bronze statue a week after it disappeared from public view was a low-key event officiated by the school's principal and three local education officials. Scores of students had been among the 500 watching when Jakarta's mayor unveiled the statue in the park in December."
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2456236/posts
...-

"Obama's failed grades

Obama is Nobody’s Messiah Now

CBS News ran an internal internet poll asking Americans to grade the Obama administration on performance in the key areas of federal government. CBS didn’t dare report on those findings, but as of this writing, you can still vote in the CBS poll and see the staggering results here.
The results are currently as follows

* Economy—70.4% - F
* Foreign Policy—61.8% - F
* Health Care—81.6% - F
* Terror Threat—65.2% F
* Energy & Environment—59.2% - F
* Social Issues—57.7% - F
* Bipartisanship—80.6% - F
* Afghanistan—83.1% C or lower—31.2% - F
* Iraq—86.5% C or lower—35.7% F
* Obama Overall—89.4% D or lower—63.4% F

Only 2.82% of CBS fans gave Obama an A for overall job performance and CBS is no bastion of conservative readers"
http://canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/20241

batb:

Sorry, don't agree. I watched the men's 30k pursuit with my daughters yesterday. When it first came on, my elder one said "We suck at cross country; we'll be lucky to have someone in the top 20". In the event, we had FOUR of the top fifteen. If I were the Canadian cross country coach, I'd be enormously encouraged by this result. I don't ever recall a men's medal in any cross country event (I didn't check though). But with that many guys in the top flight, you might expect to see a medal next time.

I know in golf, they say you have to contend a few times before you can win, and with a few exceptions, that's been true. There's a lot of cases in the US Open or the Masters where a guy who's never won a major gets down to the last few holes, throws up all over himself, and falls a couple of shots short. But, if he has quality, he comes back, contends again, and eventually wins.

I think we made a huge step forward already in this Olympics, and I think we have two more sure golds, and possibly two more, in hockey and curling. For a country that's held two games, and never won a single gold, to win six or maybe eight has to be considered a huge step forward.

And let's look at logistics and money. 25% of Canada's population lives in the Oshawa to Niagara belt. The nearest speed skating oval that I know of is in Quebec. The nearest ski jump facility is Thunder Bay. And, if you decide to get in either of those sports, you spend a lot of time and money, and unless you win a gold or silver, you never get paid back.

Look at hockey - a rink every few blocks. Lots of kids who never play for a Canadian junior, or national, or Olympic team, still make it to the NHL and make a good living for a few years, and if they're good enough to play for five or six, a very good living. If I were a dad, would I want to send my kid thousands of miles away on the off-chance that maybe one day he'll win a gold medal, or have him play hockey, live at home, and ensure he'll have a life outside his sport, a chance at a hockey scholarship, and a shot at the NHL? No brainer to me.

Look at alpine skiing. Austria is smaller than New Brunswick, and has more, and more challenging, ski hills in it than Ontario and Quebec combined. Of course they're going to be better than us most of the time; they get more practice, and more training from an early age.

Unless we want to spend enormous amounts of money building more facilities closer to home so families aren't torn apart, and don't go broke, I don't expect us to be turning out ski jumpers or bobsledders. And I don't want us to be spending that money, just so that every four years we might get to puff our chests a tiny bit more. I'm glad for our kids, and what they've done, and we no longer have to be embarrassed about never winning gold at home. That's good enough for me.

So far, Canada's take on the Olympics has swung between "own the podium" and "pwn the odium".

Hey, F troop was one of my favorites. Thanks

KevinB, well-said. Overall, I think you may be right. It may well take years to reach our goal of a higher medal count.

And, co2, as for your comments "I find it refreshing that the athletes want something more than a participant ribbon ... aiming for something better than 'personal best'," I hope that is what they're aiming for.

It's always good to aim as high as you can, though "own the podium" doesn't exactly express that ambition. "Go for Gold" might be better and, definitely, not just "do your best" but aiming to win is a good strategy.

But, if you look at some of the comments that Charles Hammelin made -- " ... when I’m doing it, it comes easy. I don’t have to stress about my strategy. I know I’m strong ..." and, yet, he comes last, you have to wonder.

It can't just be an infusion of money for Olympic athletes that makes the difference. Like others have pointed out, it's that, it's more facilities for sports other than hockey, and it's an unwavering dedication to perfecting one's "game" without any sense of entitlement or "it's easy." With competitors like the Koreans and the Chinese, the game's changed and nothing short of total commitment and perseverance is going to result in "owning the podium."

"Owning the podium," however, shouldn't be our athletes' goal otherwise ... here comes hubris!

Is anyone shocked by this?

Lockerbie bomber Megrahi living in luxury villa six months after being at 'death's door'

I'm not surprised.

Big [Saudi?] money financed this one trick poney.

Big money will make his retirement comfortable.

Klavan states exactly my feelings:

"...But if Tiger owes us an apology for that so does every movie or sports star who has or fathers a child out of wedlock. So does every media outlet that glamorizes that behavior. So does every feminist who tells girls that promiscuity empowers them. So does every journalist who hides the personal and societal costs of fatherless children for ideological reasons. so on...."

RTWT
http://www.andrewklavan.com/

Thanks FREE. Not popular, but it had to be said.
I despair of a society that puts more emphasis on sports rather than on the important issues facing us today.

Tiger and the Hollywood gang could be far worse.

Consider that suddenly you have more wealth than you could ever use.

Where is the next challenge?

Booze? Sex? Drugs?

Consider the young 20 year old who gets a new BMW gift from wealthy parents.

A young man learns by making mistakes but what great grief if the new BMW is wrecked. Time to turn to drugs?..booze?

Never again will he have the same thrill of a new car. Far better if he had worked for his first 'used car' and moved up from there. So much more to look forward to.

Beware of what you wish for. You could get it along with all the hidden pitfalls.