After tense reporting from Baghdad followed by a two week absence, Alaa checks in to assure everyone he’s safe and well. Hopefully, there will be news soon from Zeyad.
Five Finger Wave
I watched the landing of Air Force One today while on a break. It’s not anti-Americanism that has Canadians so uptight. It’s planus envy. The CBC couldn’t stop reminding viewers of the “armour plated limousine” and “snipers on the rooftops”. As the entourage made their way down the red carpet on the tarmac, was it just me — or did George W. Bush glance at the yattering Prince Adrienne like a dog who wouldn’t stop licking himself in public?
It all seems to have been too much excitement for Pierre Berton. He was 84, doddering beloved old lefty historian. The non-fiction railway track genre mourns a giant.
Peaktalk has a good roundup of more useful Canadian reaction and commentary.
For the most part, I spent the day up to my elbows in automotive base coat, and haven’t caught on my own reading. (Or bathing, to be unnecessarily honest….) Some links of interest I’ve spotted here and there:
Chair of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Senator Norm Coleman calls for Kofi Annan’s head in the WSJ.
Websters announces “A four-letter term that came to symbolize the difference between old and new media during this year’s presidential campaign tops U.S. dictionary publisher Merriam- Webster’s list of the 10 words of the year.”
Related: Dan Rather, still crazy after all these years. Brian Williams – because his parents didn’t know how to spell “brain”.
And, in local news: best. agribition. party. ever.
“Not All Beer And Donuts”
With four years as a Canadian resident behind her, Norma Jacobson has some advice fo Americans considering a move to the Great White North – don’t.
Although I enjoy my work and have made good friends here, I’ve found life as an American expatriate in Canada difficult, frustrating and even painful in ways that have surprised me. As attractive as living here may be in theory, the reality’s something else. For me, it’s been one of almost daily confrontation with a powerful anti-Americanism that pervades many aspects of life. When I’ve mentioned this phenomenon to Canadian friends, they’ve furrowed their brows sympathetically and said, “Yes, Canadian anti-Americanism can be very subtle.” My response is, there’s nothing subtle about it.
The anti-Americanism I experience generally takes this form: Canadians bring up “the States” or “Americans” to make comparisons or evaluations that mix a kind of smug contempt with a wariness that alternates between the paranoid and the absurd.
Thus, Canadian media discussion of President Bush’s upcoming official visit on Tuesday focuses on the snub implied by his not having visited earlier. It’s reported that when he does come, he will not speak to a Parliament that’s so hostile it can’t be trusted to receive him politely. Coverage of a Canadian athlete caught doping devolves into complaints about how Americans always get away with cheating. The “Blame Canada” song from the “South Park” movie is taken as documentary evidence of Americans’ real attitudes toward this country. The ongoing U.S. ban on importing Canadian cattle (after a case of mad cow disease was traced to Alberta) is interpreted as a form of political persecution. A six o’clock news show introduces a group of parents and children who are convinced that the reason Canadian textbooks give short shrift to America’s failed attempts to invade the Canadian territories in the War of 1812 is to avoid antagonizing the Americans — who are just waiting for an excuse to give it another try.
[…]
Part of what’s irksome about Canadian anti-Americanism and the obsession with the United States is that it seems so corrosive to Canada. Any country that defines itself through a negative (“Canada: We’re not the United States”) is doomed to an endless and repetitive cycle of hand-wringing and angst. For example, Canadians often point to their system of universal health care as the best example of what it means to be Canadian (because the United States doesn’t provide it), but this means that any effort to adjust or reform that system (which is not perfect) precipitates a national identity crisis: To wit, instituting co-payments or private MRI clinics will make Canada too much like the United States.
She has seen us as we are. Read it all.
hat tip – Cosh.
Beaujolais Wisdom
On the eve of his first official visit to this country, A Canadian Bush Backer Speaks Out. The letter is featured at Pieter Dorsman’s Peaktalk.
Recently I got into a discussion with a few Canadian friends about the Bush victory in the 2004 Presidential election and the ongoing war in Iraq. These friends are well educated and cultured people with a preference for European wine and movies with sub-titles. I suppose they could be described as middle-of-the-road liberals and made for pleasant company at dinner over a bottle of Beaujolais Nouveau … at least until the subject of George W. Bush came up.
Their reaction to the re-election of the President was unequivocal. Choice of language included adjectives such as “dreadful”, “shocking”, “appalling” and even “bizarre”. Their self-righteousness was more akin to arch inquisitors passing judgement on a proven devil worshiper, rather than dinner companions airing views on a President of the United States.
When I offered a contrary opinion, there was a hush and eyes widened with genuine horror – as though the late hour had induced the first physical evidence of my ‘werewolf within’. One of them even said – “are you feeling alright Aidan?”
Or, maybe they just thought they were being cool.
I’ve seen a little of this myself. When the subject was raised a month ago at a family gathering, my aunt expressed unspecified outrage at the US President, put her hands over her ears and left the room. She didn’t elaborate beyond that. But then, I suspect she spends more time in Beaujolais-sipping circles than I do.
Obesity Tourism
Times Online reports on efforts to solve Zimbabwe’s food crisis;
The so-called Obesity Tourism Strategy was reported last week in The Herald, a government organ whose contents are approved by President Robert Mugabe’s powerful information minister, Jonathan Moyo.
Pointing out that more than 1.2 billion people worldwide are officially deemed to be overweight, the article exhorted Zimbabweans to “tap this potential”.
“Tourists can provide labour for farms in the hope of shedding weight while enjoying the tourism experience,” it said, adding that Americans spent $6 billion a year on “useless” dieting aids. “Tour organisers may promote this programme internationally and bring in tourists, while agriculturalists can employ the tourists as free farm labour. ”
“The tourists can then top it all by flaunting their slim bodies on a sun-downer cruise on the Zambezi or surveying the majestic Great Zimbabwe ruins.”
I can’t believe Scott Ott hasn’t thought of this.
A Pretoria, By Any Other Name
The government of South Africa is casting a reformist eye to country’s place names. They are too white.
Residents of Pretoria, named after an early war hero of the white Afrikaners who later invented apartheid, won a battle last year to keep the capital city’s name on the map, albeit as part of a broader metropolitan area called Tshwane.
Next year those towns celebrating British royalty and other figures will be under scrutiny, and several may face the chop.
Two that look set to go are the industrial city of Port Elizabeth, named after the wife of a Cape Colony governor, and George, a sleepy town on the south coast, more famous for its lush golf courses than the English king to whom it pays homage.
National Geographical Names Council chairman Tommy Ntsewa said: “Personally, I would support such a move, because why should we be honouring King George? For what? For colonising us?”
These problems are an inevitable consequence of the march of human progress and politics – coupled with more recently acquired sensitivites to the politically incorrect, place names are going to be a perpetual source of irritation. The ribbon-cutting celebration opening “Winnie Wharf” today may well become the offensive Port Elizabeth of tomorrow. And as we are coming to understand, the right of future citizens not to be offended ought to be enshrined in law.
On the practical side, though, ad hoc renaming of cities, towns and rivers is likely to be a cumbersome and contentious process. To address this, we should apply a sunset clause to all place names, so that they will automatically expire at set intervals. This way, each new political generation can respond more efficiently to those most recently insulted by the historical fact of their choosing.
They Don’t Make ‘Em Like They Used To
In the basement laundry room of the family farm home is a refrigerator like the one pictured above. The International-Harvester deepfreeze is a few feet away, under the stairwell. A farm equipment company, IH began making refrigeration appliances in 1947, but only manufactured them for a few years before selling the division off. At $700 for a freezer, the price was out of reach for most households.
Both are at least 50 years old. My grandparents purchased the freezer used in the mid 1950’s and sold it to my dad in 1965. Its colourful history includes rescue from a house fire through timely intervention with a chainsaw through an exterior wall. Both appliances continue to function as well as the day they were built.
| It is nearly impossible for a woman of my size to move an IH refrigerator by herself. The new Sears Kenmore I bought a couple of years ago (to replace the leaky harvest gold 70’s model that came with the house) weighs about as much as a styrofoam box. Then again – nobody ever had to move an International freezer because it quit working. Five decades of hard-won technological advances have cut the weight, energy consumption and functioning lifespan of kitchen appliances like these by two-thirds. |
 |
I don’t know that this is progress.
“Lawyers Against The War” Sheltered Workshop
Proof postiive that the legal profession is robbing the recycling industry of its best and brightest.
Via Instapundit
More here.
Blogpulse Data
Blogpulse has a comprehensive roundup on the rankings and “buzz” of blogs during the US election campaign. (It might be worth noting that links to Oliver Willis blogs for the purpose of ridicule will produce an equal “link value” to one intended for thoughtful reflection or endorsement.
�
Maybe It’s Just Me, But…
If I must subject myself to anything resembling this view, I had better be standing behind someone who’s working hard to resolve an urgent household drainage problem. And, to be honest, that’s a cliche’d cheap shot and completely unfair to the plumbers I know – all of whom are prompt, efficient, reasonably priced, and professional in their attire.
So, then, if it is within the capacity of a plumber to select a wardrobe that covers the equatorial realms of his anatomy, is it too much to expect of a waitress?
I didn’t have my camera at brunch today. But, to the young woman who seated us at our table, and swished by on too frequent a basis, may I offer the following observations:
1. Jewelry located anywhere between the collarbone and ankle is not intended for public consumption.
2. The protrusion of post-pubescent lardy tissue between the upper lip of your low rise pants and the lower edge of that shrunken t-shirt resembles a uncooked roll of pork sausage. This may not have occured to you, but with a breakfast menu in my hand, it certainly occured to me.
3. The only women thin enough to expose a midrift forcibly confined in such away are in a hospital bed and subject to medically supervised feedings.
4. People are trying to eat, dammit.
There. I feel better already. Next time, I will bring a camera, and I will make you famous.
Sgroed Over
Well, think about this way – just maybe, after these east European prostitutes fresh faced bright young girls have worked a few years, and have a little nest egg built up, they’ll use it to pay their way through medical school and help to offset the doctor shortage in Canada.
It could happen!
And, just maybe, when she’s canned completed her work as Immigration Minister, Judy Sgro can apply her talents in a field she’s equally qualifed for. After all, she’s made all the right connections.
It could happen!
Letter from Fallujah
Mike is an Army officer serving in Task Force 2-7 CAV.
After 12 hours of massive air strikes, Task Force 2-7 got the green light and was the first unit to enter the city. There is a big train station on the city’s northern limit, so the engineers cleared a path with some serious explosives and our tanks led the way. While this was happening, my intelligence shop was flying our own UAV to determine where the enemy was. It is a very small plane that is launched by being thrown into the air. We flew it for 6 hours and reported grids to the tanks and bradleys of where we saw insurgents on the roof and moving in the street—so our soldiers knew where the enemy was, before they even got to the location.
We crossed the train station just before midnight and led the way for the Marines by killing everything we could in our way. It took our tanks and brads until 10 am the next day to get 2 miles into the city. They killed about 200 insurgents in the process and softened the enemy for the Marines. 5 of our soldiers were wounded in this first 10 hours, but we accomplished our part of the plan.
The Marines’ mission was to follow TF 2-7 and fight the enemy by clearing from building to building. A lot of the insurgents saw the armored vehicles and hid. They waited for the Marines to come and took their chances by fighting them since the Marines weren’t protected by armor like we were. In that first day of fighting, the Marines took 5 x KIA and many more wounded, but they also did their job very well. Along the way, they found HUGE caches of weapons, suicide vests, and many foreign fighters. They also found unbelievable amounts of drugs, mostly heroin, speed, and cocaine. It turns out, the enemy drugged themselves up to give them the “courage” and stupidity to stay and fight.
The enemy tried to fight us in “the city of mosques” as dirty as they could. They fired from the steeples of the mosques and the mosques themselves. They faked being hurt and then threw grenades at soldiers when they approached to give medical treatment. They waived surrender flags, only to shoot at our forces 20 seconds later when they approached to accept their surrender.
[…]
In Fallujah, the enemy had a military-type planning system going on. Some of the fighters were wearing body armor and kevlars, just like we do. Soldiers took fire from heavy machine guns (.50 cal) and came across the dead bodies of fighters from Chechnya, Syria, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Afghanistan, and so on…no, this was not just a city of pissed off Iraqis, mad at the Coalition for forcing Saddam out of power. It was a city full of people from all over the Middle East whose sole mission in life was to kill Americans. Problem for them is that they were in the wrong city in November 2004.
The regular citizens of Fallujah are getting financial assistance to help rebuild damaged homes or lost possessions, and 100 million has been set aside to help in the general reconstruction.
The intelligence value alone is already paying huge dividends. Some of the 900 detainees are telling everything they know about other insurgents. And the enemy never expected such a large or powerful attack and they were so overwhelmed that they left behind all kinds of things, including books with names of other foreign fighters, where their money and weapons come from, etc.
That’s A Relief
Finally, I can get a good nights sleep. It’s not my fault, after all.
It was all because of those Cro-Magnan SUV’s.
Kim Jong Gone?
First it was the great works of art…. time to start hoarding the Kim Jong-Il trading cards…?
C’Mon Kid, Just Give Me The Gun
“What are you going to do? Shoot us all?”
“No, Ace – just you.”
(h/t)
Calvert’s Cuba – A Theme Park
As Eastern Europe struggles out from under the economic policies of Marxism, and China races towards free market capitalism, while old Europe staggers towards reform under the increasing burden of welfare state entitlements and “red state” voter blocks in the US grow with increasing middle-class prosperity… Saskatchewan finds itself presented with a unique opportunity.
We can become a world leader in Econo Tourism. Think theme park.
First, we must request our status as a Canadian province be revoked, and ask for new designation as a World Heritage Park – a “living museum” for failed political experiments. With fewer and fewer regimes to use as educational tools for the business and political leaders of the future, .Saskatchewan can fill a need.
For $15 a head, “econo-tourists” can board authentic government-owned STC buses and delight in the province’s features … “to your left, ladies and gentlemen, is a defunct government potato company, and scene of a multi-million dollar lawsuit and settlement … the remnants of a small shovel mark the spot of an ethanol plant never built … there, on the horizon, is an oil “pump jack”. The government demonstrated for decades – against all odds – how to keep this commodity from being pumped to the surface. There is more uranium than any other jurisdiction on the planet, but the NDP have successfully prevented its transformation into electrical energy.. the cars that are meeting us on this trail are heading to Alberta. Saskatchewan’s top export are future business leaders and educated young professionals.”
With the leadership of Lorne Calvert and the Saskatchewan Government Employees Union, Saskatchewan can play a unique role in the world. Benign, well behaved, absent a military – we pose no threat to our neighbors – the ideal political science exhibit for others to study and learn from.
The latest step in this eventual transformation – the Calvert government is considering a prohibition on hiring of new part time employees, through forced implementation of seniority rules for all private business. This really shouldn’t come a surprise. The NDP is not a party in the usual sense of the word – it’s the political wing of organized labour.
Saskatoon Star Phoenix:
Province considers part-time seniority rule
Saskatchewan is once again considering regulations that would mandate employers to give any extra hours of work to the part-timer with the highest seniority level.
But Larry Seiferling, a labour lawyer with the Chamber of Commerce, doesn’t like the idea. He says if it is adopted, Saskatchewan would be the only jurisdiction in North America to have such a regulation and companies would leave.
Labour Minister Deb Higgins says she hopes to have a set of workable regulations ready for discussion by the end of the year.�
| An idea whose time has come. |
 |
Are you listening, Lorne Calvert? Let’s get Sask Tourism on this project.
And You Thought You Had A Rough Day
VISITS TO DRUDGE 11/23/04 – 009,461,140 IN PAST 24 HOURS
Moore® Oven Bags And Thanksgiving Safety
Which Moore® oven bag for which job?
Oven bags are available in Super Size in addition to the popular Berkeley Big-Mac Weanling size. Use Weanling size (2′ 0″x 6′ 0″) for easy, everyday single-serving meals for socialist filmakers that eat other people’s young, Super Size for DNC national conventions.
Why do you add flour to Moore® Oven Bags?
Always shake one tablespoon of flour in a Moore® Oven Bag before cooking. Or granola. This flour should remain in the bag during cooking to blend the fat and juices and to protect against bursting. More than one tablespoon of flour may be added to the bag for recipes with thickened
sauces or gravy. Remove Birkenstocks, or gravy may be slightly gamey.
Can I use Moore® Oven Bags in electric roaster ovens, crock pots or as a “boiling bag”?
Oven bags should not be used under a broiler, on the stovetop, on barbecue grills, in toaster ovens, crock pots, countertop convection ovens, electric roaster ovens, or as boiling bags. The possibility of exposing the bag to the heating elements or to heat extremes makes these cooking methods unacceptable for oven bags.
Or campfires. Goes without saying.
The Diplomad
“A blog by career US Foreign Service officers. They are Republican (most of the time) in an institution (State Department) in which being a Republican can be bad for your career..”
Judging by the quality of posts like this, the Diplomad is going to become a popular stop.
Well, we know the secret of the UN bureaucracy machine. It exists to exist. To do that it has going one of the best scams imaginable. While most media and ordinary folks focus on the occasionally contentious UNSC resolutions and debates on Iraq or Iran, in fact, 99% of UN “work” has nothing to do with such high-visibility issues. No, it deals with scores, hundreds, in fact, of resolutions passed every year in the UN General Assembly, its main Committees, and in bodies such as the Human Rights Commission. It lives off those resolutions.
Slightly simplified, this is how it often works. A UN bureaucrat gets hold of a delegate from a sympathetic country and gets that country’s delegation to propose some often innocuous sounding resolution — let’s make up a typical one right here, “The Effect of Deforestation on the Development of Sub-Saharan Africa.” It will have a few bland paragraphs expressing concern about deforestation in Africa, note the impact it has on the livelihood of Africans especially the “most vulnerable sectors of the population,” and then will have a little paragraph at the end calling on the Secretary General to submit a report to the next General Assembly on the impact of deforestation in Africa.
[…]
So the resolution passes. The UN bureaucracy gets tasked with writing a report. Usually these reports are short, based on pre-existing information that in the age of the internet would take an intern a couple of hours to put together, but, nevertheless, for some odd reason seem to require lots of travel by UN bureaucrats. The report will conclude that there is need for further study of this critical topic and might perhaps recommend the holding of a special conference or meeting on the topic. It goes to the next UNGA which agrees that further work is needed and asks the UN Secretariat to go ahead and provide another report to the next UNGA, and so on and on. The topic is now firmly embedded in the UN agenda — almost impossible to remove — and highly paid bureaucrats now have sinecures producing endless reports calling for more reports and conferences that will call for more reports and conferences. The US and a handful of other major donors pay for all this.
The Canadian Conservative party should be grabbing up this political football and running with it. This rancid and corrupt body has too long been used by Liberal politicians as a default position for Canadian foreign policy. You want to see real “soft power”? Make temporary withdrawal of Canada’s financial support of the United Nations a formal part of Conservative Party policy. Make the Liberals debate and defend the institution.
The Oil-For-Food scandal provides the perfect opportunity to leverage this argument and bring the legitimacy of the UN into the public debate. Carpe diem.
War Crimes In Fallujah – Photo Evidence
Via Dean’s World;
A slide show of war crime evidence from Fallujah, including those our media seems disinterested in showing. The site is likely to come under heavy load, so be patient.
Slide show.