This video, shot 4 days ago, makes me wonder.
Do you think there will be one? If so, what’s your prediction about when it will occur and what issues do you think the Liberals will try to make the election about?
How will Michael Ignatieff answer this question, if asked: “If the Conservatives win the most seats but are unable to form a majority government, will you negotiate with the other parties to take control via a Coalition?”
Open Question: At 0:46 into the video, just after Ignatieff mentioned John Baird’s name, a man’s voice can distinctly be heard saying something. What words do you hear? (h/t Simon)
A Bilingual Tutorial on Why Competition is Good
In a previous SDA thread we were all “enlightened” by a Ph.D. Socialist that capitalism is a terrible thing and socialism is the answer to all of our problems.
Some beg to differ. So does history. For our friends on the Left, here’s a little tutorial:
Incidentally, for the record, conservatism does not support monopolies nor corporate welfare. Just because this lie is endlessly repeated in the Leftist Bubble Chamber doesn’t make it true.
Vultures
A recently wounded man, a Democrat operative, likely under heavy pain medication, is asked to be in a television debate that occurs while grief is raw, funerals are being held, and political rhetoric is charged … what could possibly go wrong?
Earlier on Twitter, some accused ABC of scrubbing the outburst from Tucson shooting victim Eric Fuller when Tea Party organizer Trent Humphries spoke at This Week’s townhall event. Not so, reports Mediaite, but it’s obvious why some people thought so; the interjection of Fuller allegedly saying “You’re dead” was hard to hear during Humphries’ miked-up contribution. Tommy Christopher had to boost the audio and bold the preceding text to mark it, and even then it took two passes for me to hear it:
“No Competition” – More Brilliance from the Left
Just when you thought more dumb ideas couldn’t come to the foray in our education system, enter from stage left, Alfie Kohn. Claiming his views are “supported by research”, he is pushing the concept of “No Competition” in Canadian schools. Roy Green spoke with him Saturday.
Update: On his Sunday Show, Roy Green interviewed Chris Wejr, principal of Kent Elementary School in Agassiz, BC. You can listen to it here (beginning at 11:00). Wejr is a big supporter of Alfie Kohn’s “No Competition” philosophy.
Here’s a pertinent and related article. And here’s the e-mail I sent to Green about Mr. Wejr:
I’m in absolute disbelief at what the “educator” has just said. He clearly has no grasp of the modern reality that Canada is in a fierce competitive battle with nations like China & India. In those nations hundreds of millions of children are pushed to strive to be better & work harder. Here we appear to strive to not push too much. If we translated this to a hockey match, our team would lose every game 20 to nothing.
If your guest’s words were played for parents in Asia they’d be convinced that it was satire such as we’d see in The Onion. Frankly, so do I!
On a personal note, may I share with you that a few years ago I dated a lovely woman from mainland China who had relocated to Vancouver. I’ll never forget a conversation we had early on in which she said that in many ways Canada is more socialist than China. Of course, the patriotic hairs on the back of my neck immediately jumped up! But then she explained about private health care being widely available if you want it, much more of a competitive spirit in education, and a whole lot of other examples. The views of Mr. Kohn and Mr. Wejr vividly reminded me of her prescient observations.
Incidentally, in contrast to Kumbaya Central (aka Kent Elementary), here’s a recent editorial from a Chinese-American mother who is almost certainly representative of the mindset in households in Asia. She has already received Death Threats. Likely from those “hateful conservatives” who would adamantly disagree with her, eh?! You know, the same folks who despise competition, hard work, and accountability. 🙂
Oh Canada
How to Fix a Global Warming Drought
Details @ EUR
Right back at ‘ya
Are you an urban activist? Do you enjoy activism? Okay, have some more:
When Albany passed a law last summer preventing landlords of rental buildings from using their apartments as hotel rooms, neighborhood activists on the Upper West Side, where many of the conversions had taken place, were ebullient. No longer would tenants in these buildings have to contend with European backpackers and other transients traipsing through their halls….
But now some backers of the law … are wondering if they have opened a Pandora’s box. To the dismay of many on the Upper West Side, at least one building that was stopped from operating as a hotel is now being turned into a homeless shelter for 200 men…
This was not the outcome the law’s supporters hoped for or, they say, expected. They also fear that more such buildings will follow suit, in a neighborhood that many residents contend is already saturated with homeless shelters and homes for the mentally ill and recovering addicts…
Reader Tips
Our Saturday night recipe for tippity amusement requires 50 kilograms of dynamite, a pinch of footspeed, two rascally Norwegian guys named Rune Nilson and Per Olav Alvestad, and an old cottage scheduled for demolition.
The comments are open for your Reader Tips.
Snow in Atlanta
I guess Atlanta drivers aren’t used to dealing with snow. Important safety tip – if you get stuck, don’t do this.
Sagacious Iconoclast Film Archive Updates
I have added 11 more versions of Sherlock Holmes films,
from 1912 through 1944, to a new Other Versions section
of my Holmes archives at The Sagacious Iconoclast. They
include a silent film, some data processing, and a cartoon.
I have also added two more Charlie Chan films: “Charlie
Chan’s Secret” (1936) & “The Chinese Ring” (1947), and
six Mr. Moto films, from 1937 to ’39, starring Peter Lorre.
Different Muslims, Different Views
Earlier today Roy Green held a round table discussion on his radio show about Muslims & Islam in North America. The four guests were:
- Dr. Zuhdi Jasser – American Islamic Forum for Democracy
- Tarek Fatah – Canadian Muslim Congress
- Naseem Mahdi – Amadiyyah Movement in Islam (U.S.)
- Ahmed Rehab – CAIR Chicago
You can listen to the entire segment here.
It seems very clear to me that there is great division within the Muslim community in North America and this discussion exemplified that. I’ve heard Zuhdi Jasser countless times on both Roy Green and Dennis Miller’s programs. I think he’s a rock solid conservative and is trying to reform Muslims in America, not altogether different than Bill Cosby has tried to do within the African American community. Tarek Fatah, though he seemed off his rocker (read “beyond illogical”) about Sarah Palin this past week, was nevertheless very much echoing what Jasser was saying in this discussion.
I’m not very familiar with Naseem Mahdi but Ahmed Rehab sounded like a nasty piece of work, which is par for the course with any past interviews I’ve seen with CAIR representatives. Here’s some background info on Rehab and here’s an interview he had with Laura Ingraham about 6 months ago. He excels at first insulting anyone he disagrees with rather than discussing the topic at hand. In other words, he’s just a typical Leftist.
Anyhow, please do listen to the segment and share your thoughts!
“I was wondering…”
… if you are not to busy to make a poster for me.
h/t KevinB
How Unfortunate
Britain believes they need those stinkin’ giant fans and has been carpeting the landscape with them. However
New figures published by The Sunday Telegraph show that 2010 was, by one authoritative measure, the least windy year since 1824.
The lack of wind is caused by global warming, I’d guess.
Taxi! Taxi! Taxi?!?
This car was parked in front of the Mercedes-Benz dealership on Broadway in Vancouver today:
I have no particularly great skill at funny captions. Please submit a better one!!
Vladimir Putin: Stephen Harper Redux
In the “Never Thought I’d Ever See This” category, here’s your Saturday afternoon entertainment. Just think, at the next meeting of world powers, Putin + Harper + ??? + ??? = The New Beatles!
Not a Good Time to Be a Socialist in America
A new poll reveals that only 9% of Americans surveyed are in favour of raising taxes. 77% want spending to be cut. The big question is “where” and there appears little consensus on that front.
Related: In the first part of this Ricochet podcast, there’s an interesting discussion with rookie congressman, Chris Gibson, focusing on what it’s like to be in charge of deciding what cutting must be done.
Translating this to a Canadian perspective, what are your thoughts about the general mood of the public in our country on the subject of Cutting Spending vs. Raising Taxes?
Pat Caddell: NY Times columnist Krugman ‘a flat-out asshole’
Pat Caddell is a lifelong Democrat. He is a public opinion pollster & adviser who worked for Democrat presidential candidates Jimmy Carter, Joe Biden, George McGovern, Gary Hart, and Jerry Brown. His credentials on the Left side of the political aisle are rock solid.
But he is also a man of principle and a proud American who only wants the best for his country. Thus, when he saw what was happening this past week, he decided he had to speak out against it. Vehemently! More here.
The Trouble With Canada … Still!
Far from seeing Canada on a better path since the publication of his first book on the subject, many of the problems that Mr. Gairdner identified have grown worse in the intervening 20 years and new problems have emerged. Mr. Gairdner’s book presents another opportunity for Canadians to understand what ails us and to work towards solutions. This effort must begin with a willingness to openly discuss many subjects that have become sacred cows, considered third rails in Canada’s stifled political discourse.
Mr. Gairdner invites us to join him in tackling these sacred cows to thereby encourage our politicians to shake off their fear of third rail issues so we can get back on track to an improved Canada.
Hosted by the International Free Press Society on Thursday, January 27th in London, ON. Information here
Reader Tips
Next Media Animation is a Taiwan-based animation studio that churns out news clips on politics and celebrity gossip for Chinese speaking audiences. Since the animators and writers clearly tend to swallow whole and then regurgitate the inherent talking points of U.S. coverage, albeit in a more animated and iconographic way, their “reports” provide a – sometimes hilarious – window into the American mass media’s political biases. Here’s an NMA news/analysis piece called Is Sarah Palin gunning for 2012?.
The comments are open for your Reader Tips.
Rex Murphy on the Arizona Shooting Rampage
h/t Matt from Mississauga
Update: A common tactic of Leftist trolls like this one is to say something like “there are extremists on both sides but I’ve never seen or heard any major pundits on the Left say anything outrageous”. How is it that this past week one could conveniently ignore Krugman, Moulitsas, Olbermann, Matthews, Dionne, Clinton, and the entire NY Times Editorial staff? This is the true “Climate of Hate” in our culture. But this tiny sampling of examples from this past week is but a mere drop in the bucket of what has happened in the past.
Dear Trolls of the Left, please continue to post your arguments on here but do stick to the facts. We insist upon it!