Deny, deny -- and wait it out

Here's the news coverage chart from Google News , which lists 350 recent stories about Canadian complicity in torture of Afghan prisoners now posted in Canadian news outlets and in newspapers around the world:

Here are the marker stories:

A - Mackay and I, on Afghanistan
‎Nov 17, 2009‎ - CBC.ca
B - Canada complicit in torture of innocent Afghans, diplomat says
‎Nov 18, 2009‎ - Globe and Mail
C - Tories attack credibility of diplomat who blew whistle on torture
‎8 hours ago‎ - Globe and Mail
D - Tories refuse demands for inquiry into torture allegations
‎1 hour ago‎ - Toronto Star

You can see the outline of the government strategy here -- refuse to answer questions, shoot the messenger, blame the enemy, deny everything, and wait for a shiny new ball to bounce past and distract the media.

Homework

Excellent article -- How one family won the battle to ban homework. I know exactly what those parents were going through night after night with the homework overload -- the vast majority of homework is just about worthless educationally, and don't get me started on the "projects".
My kids had several excellent teachers and some positive experiences. But I have often said that the day my youngest graduated from Grade 12 and we were finished with the public school system was one of the happiest days of my life!

WATB* of the day

CTV is threatening to take its ball and go home.

Canada’s largest private broadcaster, CTV, said it would pull its signal or block out popular programs unless it can agree on a new financial deal with cable and satellite companies.

I hate this kind of bullying pseudo-blackmail stuff from a company like CTV, which has had 40 years of national TV advertising revenues.
My reaction is, OK, fine -- stop broadcasting and close up shop, if that's what you want. We'll just watch what we want online until Global and CBC can pick up your slack.
*In case you've forgotten, WATB stands for Whiny-Ass-Titty-Baby.

Numb whackiness

Bad Astronomy has a post about clearing snow off your car, and has lots of comments from people who live in areas where it doesn't snow very often. Here's the funniest:

I live in an area that sees serious snow perhaps every two or three years. This reduces people to a state of numb wackiness. Who knows what they’ll do. I’ve talked with people who won’t scrape all of the snow off their car because they don’t want to leave it in their driveway.

Shorter

Shorter Globe and Mail editorial on chosing the next Governor-General:

Here's how we can stop Harper from picking a yes-man for the next Governor-General!

The wrong decision

Ski jumping is the only Winter Olympic sport restricted to men.
And that's just fine with the Vancouver Olympic Committee and the British Columbia courts.
The BC Court of Appeal made the wrong decision when it denied the women ski jumpers:

...an earlier court decision had found that, while the women were discriminated against, in breach of the Charter, Olympic events are determined by the IOC, which is beyond the Charter's reach.
'The Canadian court system is a little bit weak if it can't stand up to the IOC and apply Canadian law,' Ms. Vonn said. 'It seems the IOC can come in here and do whatever it wants.
'I mean, it's 2009 and the Canadian courts can't even uphold their own laws about discrimination and equality. From my point of view, it's pathetic and a little bit sad.'

More than just a little bit.

Great white hope

Sounds like the Republicans may have found their great white hope.
No, not that one:

That one:

John Thune from South Dakota

In the Hudson

If you've ever said to yourself that you can't imagine what it must have been like to be in that plane that ditched in the Hudson, here is the 3D version:

Men are from Mars yada yada

From Slate Magazine's Dear Prudence -- maybe I'm just getting too cynical, but this did make me laugh:

Dear Prudence,
My husband and I recently attended a funeral. The service was so intense that someone actually fainted. I'm a nurse, so I dashed over to the man's side. He had a health issue, so 911 was called, and he was taken to the hospital. On the way home, my husband asked me about the fellow who fainted. I shared the experience of helping a stranger and talked about the funeral and the eulogy. I was pouring my heart out, but when I took a breath, he broke in and said, "I see Pedro's in the game." When I told him that he was being insensitive, he said he thought I was done and that he was ready to move on. I don't see the value in discussing the World Series while trying to process an exhausting experience. How can I let him know that it means a lot to be able to share my feelings and experiences with him?
—Strike Out
Dear Strike Out,
The funeral sounds grueling, and I understand why you are upset. However, I hope you don't think I'm insensitive when I tell you your letter made me smile because it could be titled "Men and Women, Summed Up." Look, your husband asked, he thought you were done, and, ah, Pedro just got in the game. It would be better if he now came to you and apologized for not hearing you out, but staying mad over this is just going to make both of you defensive. Your husband sounds as if he is capable of listening to you, and can do so—just not while a sporting event is being broadcast. I promise you that if a football game was on, and I called out to my husband, "I'm on fire, our daughter is giving birth, and the cat is eating the dog," he'd say something like, "Ah, yeah. That sounds great. … Be right there. Defense, you idiots! Defense!"
—Prudie

Remember

My mother was a WREN in World War II, and my aunt was a war nurse in Italy, and my father-in-law flew bombers for the RAF, my American cousin survived Vietnam, and now my children's friends are in Afghanistan -- a boy my son went to school with was buried in Saskatoon the other day.
The older I get, the more I agree with Bobby Darin -- we the people here don't want a war.

Great line of the day

Boris visualizes...:

This video (Sen. Mike Duffy calling Peter Stoffer MP, a "faker" prior to dashing off an RCMP mess dinner), and this post at Dawg's, caused me to imagine a near future headline reading "Mike Duffy appointed RCMP Commissioner".
I hope I haven't ruined anyone's dinner.

Good, bad, ugly

Good.
Bad.
Ugly.

First in the West!

The Riders do it -- go Green! Tonight they played like the champions they are.

Speaking of stupid...

Firedoglake ranted all summer and fall about how absolutely crucially important it was that US heatlh care reform include a public option.
So tonight the US Congress passed a health care reform bill which includes the public option.
Is Firedoglake happy?
Of course not.

Stupidest headline ever

The Globe and Mail asserts

As the Forces spend money and sacrifice lives in Afghanistan, Canadians have warmed to the country's new role as a warrior nation.

No, we haven't.