May 31, 2004

Decision Canada: We're Gonna Get A Minority Government?

Welcome to the first in a series of daily wrap-ups of cross-Canada election coverage. VanRamblings will strive each day to bring issues of importance to Canadians to the fore, and point you towards the most provocative election commentary published on the ’Net each day.

Canadians have elected eight minority governments over 37 campaigns, and those governments have created pivotal law: universal medicare, housing co-operatives, the Canada Pension Plan, and official bilingualism.

Tonight’s Decision Canada coverage begins with a video report (RealPlayer required) by CBC’s Susan Bonner, in Ottawa.

Not everyone agrees that a minority government is in the offing, though.

Kevin Brennan, one of the moderators at Tilting at Windmills, believes that we’ll see “An uptick in Conservative support in the next couple of weeks, followed by a substantial drop in NDP support as people move to the Liberals to prevent a Conservative win. And if a third to half of NDPers do that, Paul Martin will win his majority after all.”

That certainly isn’t a belief shared by Conservative leader Stephen Harper, who says in this Globe and Mail article, that he’s seeking advice from a “large number of Conservatives across the country on what would need to be done on transition.”

Oh, poor, poor federal NDP leader Jack Layton, who’s already contemplating the role his party would play in a Liberal minority government. In today’s Winnipeg Free Press, University of Calgary professor Keith Archer poses the question Will (The) NDP Hold the Axe?, and portends the consequences.

And, do you really believe that Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe has formally ruled out an alliance with the ‘new’ Conservatives should they win the plurality of seats necessary to be considered for government?

Meanwhile, Globe and Mail columnist Roy McGregor writes that “a minority government can hold an enormous attraction — especially when that country is not likely to do much harm to itself or to anyone else by having a government that could blow up at any given moment.” The real thrust of his piece, though, is captured in the headline, ‘Minority governments give Canadians what they like: a lot more grist for griping’.

Okay, okay — hold on one damn minute!

As Arjun Singh writes, “I am really surprised with the tone of what I am reading today. PM turns to Chretien’s people. Harper planning a freaking transition. We got FOUR weeks left. It’s anybody’s election.”

Read More...

'The Day After Tomorrow' Grosses $85 Million More Overseas

As promised yesterday, an update on the U.S. Memorial Day weekend box office. Leonard Klady at MovieCityNews.com (from whence the chart you see above was ‘appropriated’), weighs in with his informative analysis.

John Hamann, at Box Office Prophets offers the folks at 20th Century Fox some degree of succour with this piece of heartening news: “the gross for Day sets a record as the biggest second-place gross ever.”

Meanwhile, the folks at IMDB’s Studio Briefing inform us that the two top films which opened this Memorial Day weekend have established a new box office record, besting last year’s record-breaking grosses of $85.7 million for Jim Carrey’s Bruce Almighty, and $45.6 million for The Matrix Reloaded.

Ideas for Online Publications
Lessons From Blogs, Other Signposts

The Washington Post’s Dan Froomkin publishes a thought-provoking article in the latest issue of the Online Journalism review, titled Ideas for Online Publications: Lessons From Blogs, Other Signposts. The author of washingtonpost.com’s White House Briefing column ruminates on how new media — and the blogging phenomena — must continue to evolve.

The most successful blogs all have something in common. Their authors are unashamedly enthusiastic about the topic at hand. (Often, of course, they’re outraged.) The lesson: There is no virtue in sounding bored online.

Froomkin argues for risk-taking online journalism — defined by voice, vision, passion, personality and outrage. Even so, he suggests, “we shouldn’t be so damn serious ... the truth is, fun things click on the Web.”

A Reminder, Lest We Forget

Election 2004: Conservative leader Stephen Harper trolling for the Maritime vote.

May 30, 2004

Shrek 2 Still On Top: Disaster Befalls 'Day' In Plunge To 2nd Place

The Day After Tomorrow ad satire

Perhaps satirical ads, such as the one to the right — not to mention, some pretty savage reviews — hurt the opening box office for this weekend’s summer blockbuster, The Day After Tomorrow, but as far as VanRamblings is concerned, Roland Emmerich’s film has proved to be the most entertaining of the summer blockbusters thus far in 2004, even if the story and dialogue are a tad clichéd.

Seems the movie-going public didn’t agree, though. Now, let’s get real for a moment: taking in a three-day box office total of $70, in its first weekend, can’t be considered small change, but with no spike in the Saturday box office over Friday, salutary box office in the days to come hardly holds out much hope of turning the disaster epic into a summer blockbuster smash. Oh well. Still, Monday is a holiday in the U.S., and final figures will probably spike some.

With The Day After Tomorrow in second, Shrek once again emerged as the box office winner, taking in a gross of $73.1 million, for a record-setting $238,800,000 12-day total. Troy ran a distant third at $11.5 million, while Touchstone’s Kate Hudson-starring domestic comedy, Raising Helen, took in a modest $11.2 million in its opening weekend. The only other newcomer this week, Snoop Dogg’s Soul Plane, crashed on take-off.

When Memorial Day figures are published on Monday — this is a long weekend in the U.S., after all — VanRamblings will update this story, with links to various sites which provide perspective on the weekend box office.

Rock The Vote: 2004 Federal Election Blog Links, and More

l-r: Paul Martin, Liberal; Stephen Harper, Conservative; Jack Layton, NDP; Gilles Duceppe, BQ

A federal election is going on in Canada, although you’d hardly know it.

Even so, the election that’ll take place in less than a month — on June 28th — ranks as one of the most important Canadian elections in more than 30 years (because of the fact the possibility exists that the right-wing Conservative party might gain power, and do to Canada that which Bush has done to the United States, Gordon Campbell has visited upon British Columbia, and Mike Harris did to harm good government in Ontario).

Today, VanRamblings offers a few blog links to provide some perspective on the events that will take place over the course of the next month.

• Macleans writer Paul Wells is keeping a regularly updated online diary that, in recent days, has proved invaluable reading.

• Terminal City writer Ian King’s Vancouver Scrum is must reading.

• The Globe and Mail have teamed up with the McGill University Observatory on Media and Public Policy to provide statistics on how the leaders and parties are faring in terms of positive or negative coverage. The links and informative commentary provide worthwhile reading.

• CBC’s Peter Kavanagh provides a a daily analysis of cross-Canada newspaper election coverage.

• Jim Elve’s E-Group Elections Blog continues as a must visit blog for perspective on the election. Don’t forget to click on the links to the left.

• Ian Welsh and Kevin Brennan’s Tilting at Windmills blog has emerged as a favourite, although I don’t always agree with them.

• Don, at Revolutionary Moderation, is updating political commentary daily.

• The folks at Politics Canada suggest that they provide a ‘balanced perspective’, as if anything such things exists. Still, worth a look.

• The Montreal Gazette’s E-File has joined the campaign blogsphere, while The Globe and Mail’s blog Globe reporters unwired offers pithy commentary from Campbell Clark, Brian Laghi, Steven Chase and Daniel LeBlanc.

• Then there’s Canada 2004, an independent site, “owned and operated by David MacDonald, a political science student and J. P. McCarthy Scholarship winner attending St. Francis Xavier University.” As Tom at Trail Spotter says of David’s site, “Good, basic info on ridings, candidates, historical and house stats, and a rolling newsfeed.”

• And while we’re at it, Trail Spotter has a pretty damn good election blog.

• Longtime Liberal apparatchik Warren Kinsella’s Politics Watch, which he humbly calls ‘Canada’s Political Portal’, is well worth a look.

• Torontonian Andrew Spicer believes there’ll be a Liberal minority government.

• And, in all fairness, I suppose, on the right I should include Norman Spector’s Norman’s Spectator — not a terrifically good looking site (but the links work). Spector is a regular commentator on Victoria’s new VI.

If you’ve got more links to bloggers — or online journalists — who are providing daily coverage of the federal election, that you’d like to see added to the list above, either write to VanRamblings, or click on Comments below. VanRamblings will update the listings as more links become available.

May 29, 2004

Renée Zellweger: Renée say

Renée Zellweger: Renée say it ain't so, or are you just trying to be 'one of us'

This oh-so-lovely photo from People Magazine suggests that Renée was right on the money when she screamed at a group of paparazzi who were trying to take her photo last week, “I am a normal person!” Yes, sweet Renée, you most certainly are.

Gee, Clay, the same setup did nothing for Tom Cruise, either. Trying to quash those rumours that he’s as gay as a 4th of July parade, failed American Idol Clay Aiken sexually harasses a poor, unsuspecting PR rep. As the Defamer says, “It’s going to take nothing less than full-motion video with penetration to kill those rumours, Clay.” But a nice try nonetheless.

Don’t forget to have a look at Friday night’s special edition of The Unbelievable Truth, an update on the Jessica Cutler story.

Alexandra Kerry

Here’s this week’s potpourri of flotsam and jetsam:

In Hollywood news: The Day After Tomorrow is on track to becoming the second film this month to top $100 million dollars in its opening weekend, with a Friday night opening gross of $24,300,000. Full details of the weekend box office will be published on VanRamblings on Sunday.

John Kerry, Democratic Presidential hopeful, would seem to have more than just Bushie to worry about on the road to the White House. Alexandra Kerry, his oldest daughter (that’s her to the right) could probably use some fashion advice — Paris, where are you when we need you? — given that she appears to be dressed in not quite the appropriate fashion one might expect of the daughter of the person who would be the next President of the United States.

Still, she does look kind of fetching, don’t you think?

Hello, world, I’m this totally famous actor, but don’t go and try and figure out who I am! Did I mention I’m nailing this actress whose name I can’t print?: So says the mysterious Rance, the anonymous A-list actor / author of the ‘cult blog du jour’, as he sets about to skewer Hollywood and the cult of celebrity. Is the anonymous blogger Ben Affleck, George Clooney, Jim Carrey, Benicio Del Toro, Matthew Perry, or Luke Wilson? Whatever the case, once Rance is finally outed (it’s only a matter of time), look for this Hollywood puzzle to become the next big story on the ’Net.

Good to know the people of Chicago are safe: Mayor Mark Delaney and Police Chief Chester Morris, responsible for upholding the law in the tiny Chicago burb of Maple Park, in Kane County, were arrested Friday night in an illegal-gambling raid that played out at a popular local tavern’s steak fry.

Hooters calendar girls go to Afghanistan to cheer up the troops: That’ll make the wives back home feel a lot better, knowing that their husbands’ emotional lives are being taken care of while so very far, far away.

A New York City executive racks up $28,000 worth of champagne and lap dancing in a single evening.

Elizabeth Jagger

Rock ’n roll heaven among the progeny of rock’s royalty: Late Beatle John Lennon’s musician son Sean and model Elizabeth Jagger, daughter of Rolling Stone Mick Jagger, are dating. Confirmation of this comes from none other than Elizabeth’s mother, Jerry Hall. Sean is 28 and Elizabeth is 20. “They are so in love,” says Jerry of the couple.

A fun day at the fertility clinic when the doctor tells the clueless German couple that their childless state is a result of their never having had sex.

Quote of the week: “I’m still boning 18-year-old chicks because I was in Guns N’ Roses. It happens every day to me, so I’ll fucking take it as far as I can.” — sad commentary by Matt Sorum, drummer for Guns N’ Roses.

The Culture Wars: The Way The Music Died

The music scene as we know it today was created in 1969, at Woodstock. Half a million musical adherents, dozens of artists, and the politics of the times came together at a ‘big bang’ moment in our history to create what would eventually transform into a corporate behemoth, a multi-billion dollar music industry focussed primarily on revenue generation.

Over the last twenty years, with the advent of Much Music, MTV and compact discs, followed by music industry downsizing, corporate consolidation and Internet piracy, a scenario has been created where a confluence of factors — a ‘perfect storm’, if you will — seems on the verge of wiping out the recording industry as we’ve known it.

In a PBS Frontline documentary, titled The Way The Music Died, which aired this past Thursday, the programme examines how the business that has provided the soundtrack of our lives seems on the verge of collapse. Although incomplete in its coverage, the programme is still worth a look.

PBS will re-air this documentary in the coming days. For those of you living outside of the Vancouver area, consult your local television listings. In the Pacific Northwest region, the The Way The Music Died will be re-broadcast on PBS channel KCTS 9 (Cable 27), at 1:30 a.m. Set your VCR’s.

PBS has also made the programme available online. Click here for access.

May 28, 2004

Jessica Cutler = Washingtonienne: The Story Continues

Welcome to a special Friday night edition of The Unbelievable Truth, your weekly (but this week appearing twice) guide to the down and dirty, stuff that has almost no impact on our lives but stuff we seem to care about anyway. Salacious, gossipy, full of sex and bordering on the libelous — once again, The Unbelievable Truth offers you and I a respite from the trials and tribulations of our far too busy, yet all-too-prosaic, lives.

Jessica Cutler: Washington, D.C. Enthralled With Nymph Behaviour

Washingtonienne = Jessica Cutler

You wanted her, you’ve got her. More information about Jessica Cutler than you’ll find anywhere else on the ’Net

Last week, we introduced you to the Tart of the Potomac. This week we’ll fill you in on everything that the delectable Ms. Cutler has been up to since the story of her horizontal mambo-dancing with the high and mighty in the U.S. national capitol was first brought to prominence in Ana Marie Cox’s Wonkette blog last Friday (as for VanRamblings, we’re just waiting for the story to break on just what Ms. Cutler was up to with George W. during the period that she was a college student ... hey, it might even help poor ol’ Bushie in the polls ... not that we want to do anything like that, you understand).

Well, first off, the name-calling by Republican apparatchiks has ramped up in earnest. Michelle Malkin, in an article titled The skanks on Capitol Hill, goes on the attack, as she makes passing reference to “Cutler’s indecent conduct, glib rationalizations and in-your-face shamelessness,” placing the “vulgar little episode” into the context of a Girls Gone Wild culture run rampant in the U.S.

Next, Ms. Malkin turns on Ana Marie Cox for bringing Ms. Cutler’s trysts with older men to light, and the “narcissism, moral bankruptcy and self-congratulatory media-political incest’ engendered in their symbiotic — and profitable — relationship. Finally, Ms. Malkin brings out the heavy artillery, as she takes the Washington Post to task for publishing this story about “two vain, young, trash-mouthed skanks who couldn’t care less about what their parents think of their sex-drenched infamy.” Michelle, tell us how you really feel.

Then there are these updates: Jessica is a 26, not 24, as she’s been telling everyone. And, Richard Leiby — the Reliable Source at The Washington — in a published version of an online interview confirms that Jessica Cutler did not attend Syracuse University, as was stated on her résumé. You mean, Jessica is being less than truthful. We’re shocked!

The improbably-named I Love Jenna Bush blog has published details about Jessie’s trysts, naming names and stoking the fires even more.

For those who haven’t seen it, Nerve Magazine has an interview (about half way down the page) with Jessie, the naughty, naughty girl.

Sad to say, it seem like Jessie’s father, Robert Cutler, was the last to know about his daughter’s little Washingtonienne imbroglio.

Meanwhile, tonight, the National Debate website has confirmed earlier rumours that Playboy wants Jessie for a nude shoot. Apparently, there’s a six-figure sum on offer (that’s a million or more to you or me). No word on the purported Manhattan book deal, and Jessie’s relocation to Gotham City.

Vancouver Radio Nostalgia: CKVN Top 30 Survey May 8, 1970

May 27, 2004

As The Dial Turns: Vancouver's Spring 2004 Radio Ratings Are In

Corrected figures applied. The chart above is a copyright of PugetSoundRadio.com.

As the men at Corus Radio’s 730 MOJO Sports Radio remain in their crisis prayer circle at Hooters on Robson, and Corus General Manager Lou del Gobbo recovers from having to fork out $2 million to keep middling sports quasi-‘talent’ Neil McRae in the Corus fold — a rumour is being floated that McRae will host a new noontime sports show on CFMI — there is general rejoicing at Corus that CKNW clobbered JACK-FM in the spring radio ratings, as ’NW emerged once again as Top Dog in the Vancouver market.

No one at Corus has much to say about the miniscule ratings jump by sibling, Rock 101 CFMI. Sister station, suburban rocker 99.3 The Fox is also up a bit in the ratings, to a relatively anemic 4.7, picking up the extra point and a half following the demise of urban rocker, 104.9 X-FM.

Meanwhile, over at Rogers, there’s much gnashing of teeth given the precipitous drop in listenership suffered by winter radio ratings leader, 96.9 JACK-FM. So much for the spike in ratings that was expected following the investiture of Larry and Willy into JACK’s morning slot. Execs at Rogers’ Toronto headquarters have to be asking just how much the firing, last fall, of former PD Pat Cardinal has to do with JACK’s 3-point ratings drop?

For the folks at Rogers, clear is clearly no improvement, as sister station 104.9 clear-fm picked up only one point over their urban rock predecessor, X-FM, landing in the unlucky number 13 spot, overall. Meanwhile, on Rogers’ AM side, News 1130 remains steady (or is that mired?) in 12th spot, with a 3.6 share of the Vancouver radio listening audience.

The dim bulbs at CHUM Radio can’t be all that happy, either. Even though soft rock 103.5 QM/FM spiked a bit in the ratings, AM sister stations 1410 CFUN and Sport Radio - the Team 1040, remain radio ratings basement dwellers. But at least the Team 1040 crushed their MOJO competition.

As for the remaining, also-ran, radio stations on Vancouver’s airwaves: in respect of former new music powerhouse, Z-95.3 (who’s new website sucks), all that the spring radio ratings tell you is that these are early days. Jettisoning their Top 40 format in favour of an urban adult contemporary format hardly seems to have paid off for Z in the short term, but at least the station wasn’t obliterated in the spring ratings, given their mid-book change in format. Sister station 650 CISL — who’s sound is brighter than than it’s ever been — actually lost listenership. The owners at Standard Broadcasting have to be scratching their heads.

94.5 The Beat, which has pretty much switched to a Top 40 format, failed to pick up any of of Z’s old audience. Pattison-owned 600 AM dipped dramatically, while sister station JR-Country spiked a bit.

According to the story that ran on Global-TV last night, Rafe Mair’s Spring 2004 numbers are down approximately 40% from the fall book (a 6.9 share this time out, as opposed to an 11.2 last fall). Many believe this has to do with Rafe’s too frequent vacations; the fact that he doesn’t work the Mondays of long weekends; a 10:30 a.m. sign-off time that is much too early (considering that his competition on CKNW, Bill Good — who, in the important spring ratings period, posted a much-improved 13.6 share — stays on the air until noon); an inadequate vacation replacement in the person of producer Shiral Tobin; and Bob Saye’s shamefully poor ‘lead-in’ morning show. Rafe — who is currently on vacation — won’t like the Spring ratings book. Changes will definitely be in the works at 600 AM.

As of 10 p.m., Puget Sound Radio has corrected the figures on the radio ratings chart (above) to reflect the accurate information supplied by CBC to VanRamblings this morning. As the CBC official averred: “CBC 690 has gained a 13.0 share in the Central Vancouver Area, and 5 a.m. til 1 a.m. CBC Radio One sits at a 7.8 share — up a full point over the autumn book — for fourth place overall in the Vancouver market. In the morning period, the Early Edition is up Spring 2004 over the fall book, at a 13 share, second overall across the Lower Mainland in listenership.” Good news abounds.

May 26, 2004

Tommy Douglas, and a Better World For All of Us
What Might Have Been, and What Will Surely Come To Be

Tommy Douglas, first leader of the NDP

At present in Canada, we are in the throes of a federal election.

Although the choices before us are not quite the same Tweeledum and Tweedledee that has been the case in the past, as the Liberal Party and the Progressive Conservatives vied for the reigns of power, truth be told there’s still not a great deal that separates the two parties, or even Canada’s traditional third party, the New Democratic Party, under new leader Jack Layton.

Oh sure, the Conservative Party is no longer Progressive, and even the last leader of the PC’s, Joe Clark, finds himself campaigning on behalf of Liberal candidates, and against the right-wing forces of the presently constituted — and still socially conservative — Conservative / Reform / Alliance party.

Today, we offer a voice from the past, that of Tommy Douglas, the founder of Medicare, and the first leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada. Mr. Douglas helps us to remember a time in the not-so-distant past when the idea of truly building a better world was an honourable and reasonable goal, when we worked collectively with members of our communities to transform a patriarchial consumerist society into an egalitarian society where want and injustice would become but distant concepts.

Tommy Douglas was the most influential politician never to be elected Prime Minister. He pursued his humanist ideals relentlessly until they became so mainstream that rival politicians claimed them as their own. Douglas battled hard to bring the New Democratic Party to legitimacy in its first ten years, following the formation of the party in 1961. He was often criticized for his singular idealism but through it all Douglas was undeterred, convinced that he was helping to create a better, more humane society.

VanRamblings offers Tommy Douglas’ voice, as a reminder of what might have been, and what will surely become our shining future.

May 25, 2004

A Potpourri: Gadgets, Tips & Tricks, and The End Of Mac

Clicker Heaven: Tunes, Films and, Now, XP

Snapstream Media has just released a new PC-based clicker to add to your blooming bouquets of remote controls. The name of this new must-have device, the Firefly PC Remote.

The FireFly package comes with a standard-size remote control and a transceiver that plugs into a U.S.B. port on your computer. Once set up, with the click of a button the FireFly can play, pause and manoeuvre through tracks in your computer’s digital audio collection, play CD’s and videos, and zip through photo slide shows on your PC’s monitor.

The Firefly PC Remote works seamlessly with more than 80 existing multimedia programmes, including RealPlayer, QuickTime, MusicMatch Jukebox, Windows Media Player, WinAmp, InterVideo WinDVR and iTunes.

Tune Up Your Windows XP Machine (for Free)

In the June issue of PC World, contributing Editor Stan Miastkowski publishes a step-by-step computer guide that will help boost your XP-based computer's system performance, and make upgrading easier than ever.

It’s a Plane, It’s a Cell Phone, It’s a Car

How Stuff Works publishes a provocative look into the future, with a front-page story about Toyota’s ‘concept car’, the PM. In addition to seating only one person and having its hubless wheels driven by electric motors, the PM incorporates wireless networking so that drivers can surrender control to another human-driven PM and relax as someone else drives them to work. And it reclines!

Something Is Stirring At Apple

According to high tech gadfly Robert X. Cringely, Apple may be in the throes of making the decision to get out of the hardware business. This would mean not only the end of Macintosh hardware but a transformation of Apple into “a software company (not unlike Microsoft) that also sells little hardware devices,” producing devices such as the iPod. Thought-provoking.

George Bush Never Looked Into Nick's Eyes

Michael Berg, left, collapses to the ground, and is comforted by his son, David, after learning of his son's death

Nick Berg has already disappeared from the front pages of newspapers. Although many haunting questions remain about Berg, 26, and his odyssey in Iraq, the murky circumstances surrounding the events which led to his horrific execution at the hands of Iraqi militants linger.

Besides being a human tragedy, Nick Berg’s death two weeks ago represented, as well, an ominous development for the Bush administration, which continues to struggle not only with the disastrous impact of the prison scandal at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib detention facility, but with the almost daily Iraqi terrorist bombings which kill innocent civilians, and American armed forces personnel. With the White House trying to curb attacks by insurgents before the June 30 handover to a caretaker Iraqi government, the spectre of Iraqi terrorists ratcheting up the violence endures as more than a dim prospect.

In an essay published in The Guardian this past weekend, Michael Berg places the responsibility for his son’s death — and for the war in Iraq — at the feet of George W. Bush. Mr. Berg calls for an immediate end to the war in the Middle East, and censures the U.S. President as a man who “doesn’t have to bear the consequences of his acts.”

Mr. Berg offers further condemnation of the U.S. Secretary of Defense ...

Donald Rumsfeld said that he took responsibility for the sexual abuse of Iraqi prisoners. How could he take that responsibility when there was no consequence? Nick took the consequences.

Even more than those murderers who took my son’s life, I can’t stand those who sit and make policies to end lives and break the lives of the still living.

We mourn tragic loss, all the more so when the death of a loved one was as unnecessary and preventable as the death of Nick Berg.

May 24, 2004

A Parent's Worst Nightmare: The Prison Abuse of Juveniles

Laura Talkington’s son after he was attacked on Nov. 1, 2003, by another ward in a California Youth Authority facility in Stockton, California. Photos were taken by CYA infirmary staff.

Every parent’s worst nightmare revolves around what harm their child might come to when away from the care and control of the family unit. There is no greater heartbreak for a parent than when a child unleashes familial bonds and harm befalls a loving — if misguided, and even at times obstreperous — child. Imagine, then, how Laura Talkington feels.

In a piece written for the Pacific News Service, Ms. Talkington describes her fear at visiting her son and the horror of watching him lose himself and become another person, at how he has become hard and afraid due to the abuse heaped upon him, by both guards and other prisoners.

I have not been able to be a mother ever since my son went to the California Youth Authority, the state’s system of youth prisons. I have spent the last four years watching him appear in the CYA visiting room with cuts, choke marks and bruises. He has been attacked by other youth or staff more than 40 times. I have seen him lose confidence in himself, become cold and depressed and fearful for his life. And the whole time, I have not been able to do one thing about it. Except lose sleep ... What the CYA calls rehabilitation, the rest of us call tortuous abuse.

Mark Martin, writing in the San Francisco Chronicle, provides more chiiling details on the abuse these children suffer. And because, as we’ve found most recently with the published pictures and video of the torture of Iraqi prisoners at the hands of U.S. troops that “a picture is worth a thousand words”, VanRamblings offers this disturbing video as graphic testament to the abuse suffered by children at California’s quasi-jails for kids.

Bush: Bruised, Battered, Beaten Up and Old

Far be it from VanRamblings to kick a man when he’s down, but migawd, for the first time in the last four years, a beleaguered George W. is looking not only all of his 57 years, but positively weary and downright ... old. Looks like the bike spill that he took while on vacation in Texas — when you pile up every other untoward event that has affected the U.S. President these past weeks and months — has really begun to take its toll.

As Talking Points Memo suggested yesterday ...

I can’t help but wonder whether the spill the president took from his bicycle today won’t become iconic in the same way that the state dinner the first President Bush attended in Tokyo on January 8th 1992 in which he collapsed into the arms of, and then vomited on, Prime Minister Kiichi Miyazawa became a symbol of his then-faltering presidency.

Matt Drudge reported an alleged uncharitable off-the-record remark made by John Kerry, quoting the Democratic Presidential hopeful as saying, “Did the training wheels fall off?” Although Kerry’s alleged intemperate remark — even if it is funny — may in the short term afford Bush an added degree of sympathy, the long-term implications of the Bush spill may be dire indeed.

Remembering Tommy Chong: Still Doing Hard Time in Prison

Thank goodness most readers of VanRamblings live in Canada, where soft drug laws verge on the reasonable. In the United States, many of those convicted of simple possession of marijuana are languishing in prison, for periods of up to 60 years.

Of course, comedian and satirist Tommy Chong, 65, got off relatively easily when U.S. District Judge Arthur J. Schwab sentenced him to only nine months in a federal lockup, and fined him $20,000, for distributing drug paraphernalia through his Internet-based California company, Nice Dreams Enterprises.

How much did it cost to prosecute Tommy Chong? Would you believe $12 million? Obviously, the linked article suggests, the money spent on prosecuting Chong could have been much better spent.

Adding to the furore over Chong’s conviction, the following item from a NORML Free Tommy Chong Action Alert ...

Ironically, Tommy Chong was sentenced on September 11, 2003, exactly two years after the worst terrorist attacks in American history. With Osama Bin Laden still on the loose and President Bush admitting that the war on terrorism is far from over, it is preposterous that we would waste valuable law enforcement resources locking up a comedian for selling glass pipes. Can anyone here honestly say they feel safer today because Tommy Chong, a comedian and actor, has been sentenced to 9 months in federal prison for selling pipes on the Internet? Of course not. These laws do nothing except make criminals out of otherwise law abiding businessmen.

Thanks to Talk Left for reminding us of the hypocrisy and unjustness of Tommy Chong’s continued incarceration.

May 23, 2004

Vancouver at Dusk: An Eastside View, Kingsway at Clarke Drive

Criminal Behaviour in Contempt of Humanitarian Conventions

Perhaps the most devastating essay that VanRamblings has read, reflecting on the ‘meaning’ of the torture of prisoners at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, as well as in Afghanistan and at Guantanamo Bay, may be found in an essay length article published today in The New York Times.

Susan Sontag, in writing the cover story for the NY Times Magazine, seeks the answer to a number of questions, not the least of which is, Why?

The answer, in part at least, offers an indictment of the ‘either yer for us, or yer agin us’ philosophy that has very much been a part of the Bush administration’s governing raison d’être, dating back to 9/11. As such, suggests Sontag, the contrary administrative world view put forth by the Bush White House has inevitably led to the demonizing and dehumanizing of anyone who declares their interests as contrary to those of the U.S.

Martin Makes It Official: Canada Votes on June 28th

On the heels of one of the worst-kept secrets in Canadian political history, Prime Minister Paul Martin dissolved Parliament today, and early this afternoon called for a federal election to be held on June 28th.

Allison Dunfield and Darren Yourk, throughout their story in The Globe and Mail, suggest that Martin is in real trouble with a ‘volatile’ electorate, not least because of the ongoing sponsorship scandal, an issue which has dogged the Martin forces for months. Nonetheless, Martin seems intent on putting forward a positive platform, based on core Canadian values, a strong health care system, and respect for the Canadian cultural mosaic.

“The Liberal Party stands for a balanced approach where economic prosperity matches social justice,” Mr. Martin said. “An all inclusive approach that respects our differences. To those who share our values as Canadians, to those who see Canada as we do, I ask for your support.”

Meanwhile, the Conservative Party — a federal coalition of Bush, Mike Harris, and Gordon Campbell acolytes — is attempting to paint itself as a moderate government in waiting. “For the first time in generations, Canadians have a choice that is moderate, modern and mainstream,” Harper says. Yep, that’s right. And the moon is made of cheese, too, and Stephen’s name is Sally.

The New Democrats have this ad at the ready, pretty much encapsulating their strategy over the next month, although one would have to think that the federal election campaign is bound to become signifcantly less sanguine and much more sanguinary over the course of the next month.

Shrek 2 Breaks Box Office Record

Although VanRamblings had predicted a couple of days ago that Shrek 2 was on its way to setting a box office record for the month of May, in fact, the Dreamworks release clobbered its way to 3-day weekend record, to become — along with Spiderman — only the second film ever to cross the $100 million mark Friday to Sunday.

How much has Shrek 2 raked in since last Wednesday? Would you believe $125,300,000? If figures hold when final numbers are released on Monday, the total box office will set a new record for a Wednesday release, besting the $124.1 million earned by Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King last December.

Sun, Beach, Vacation, Leisure and ... What's New on TV

Daniel Pollera, Summer Place

Of late, what with the blog and all, VanRamblings’ regular television-watching has tended to fall by the wayside. Not everyone, though, sits around in their underwear surfing the Net, hour after hour, in search of stories to post, or reflecting on issues of the day about which to blog. And, thank God for that, eh?

So, maybe, as was written mid-week last week, Fox’s proposed programming schedule isn’t all that confusing after all. As Alex Strachan wrote in the Vancouver Sun yesterday (and damn CanWest for not making The Sun available online to non-subscribers), “Summer used to be a time of reruns and low viewership, but the TV model has changed in recent months to a year-round schedule.”

How so? Well, take The Jury, for example. A new drama from Oz and Homicide: Life on the Street-producers Tom Fontana, Barry Levinson and Peabody Award-winning writer James Yoshimura, which was originally set to air in the fall. Instead, it will d�but next Monday, June 7th, on Global (in Canada) and Fox (in the U.S.).

Other new series include:

• North Shore, a Fox soap set in a Hawaiian resort, featuring Brooke Burns and James Remar. It débuts Friday, June 18th.

• Good Girls Don’t, a comedy from the creator on That 70s Show, about five 20-somethings who will go to any lengths to find love and affection. Due in Canada on June 24th.

• Touching Evil, the made-in-Vancouver USA Network series, which Gillian Flynn in Entertainment Weekly recently called “brilliant.” Set to premiere on Global, June 27th.

• The L-Word, an ensemble drama about the lives and loves of a group of lesbian friends living in Los Angeles, featuring Jennifer Beals, Toronto-born Mia Kershner, Karina Lombard and Vancouver’s Robyn Ross and Lauren Lee Smith. The L-Word will arrive on Global sometime in August.

Other summer programming includes a new airing of the Emmy Award-winning miniseries Band of Brothers, which will air on CBC beginning on June 22nd.

Moore's Candid Camera: Agitprop With A Message of Despair

A Michael Moore scoop: video of President Bush as he prepares to declare war on March 19, 2003.

Writing in the New York Times, columnist Frank Rich suggests that Michael Moore is “detonating dynamite” with the imminent release of Fahrenheit 9/11, as he presents war-time pictures that have been largely shielded from our view. At first, Moore’s Cannes’ award-winning film offers viewers a brief, tendentious recap of recent Bush history: Katherine Harris, the Supreme Court, AWOL in Alabama, Halliburton, the Patriot Act, and more.

Then, Rich reports, “the movie veers off in another direction entirely” as Moore sets about to chronicle, with wrenching impact, “the actual dying, of American troops and Iraqi civilians alike, with all the ripped flesh and spilled guts that the violence of war entails.” Next, the viewer is shown footage of events that are a precursor to the torture at Abu Ghraib prison ...

Perhaps the most damning sequence in Fahrenheit 9/11 is the one showing American troops as they ridicule hooded detainees in a holding pen near Samara, Iraq, in December 2003. A male soldier touches the erection of a prisoner lying on a stretcher underneath a blanket, an intimation of the sexual humiliations that were happening at Abu Ghraib at that same time.

Rich concludes his powerfully written piece with the argument that: “No one would ever accuse Michael Moore of having a beautiful mind. Subtleties and fine distinctions are not his thing. That matters very little, it turns out, when you have a story this ugly and this powerful to tell.”

May 22, 2004

Washingtonienne = Jessica Cutler

Washingtonienne = Jessica Cutler

On Friday, Ohio Republican Senator Mike DeWine fired Jessica Cutler, the female ‘entry level’ staffer who had authored a Weblog that has been the talk of Capitol Hill, because it chronicled her racy, sexual exploits with a married political appointees and other men, often for money.

Ms. Cutler, who used the pseudonym Washingtonienne claimed in her blog that she was paid for having sex with the chief of staff at a federal agency. “Most of my living expenses are thankfully subsidized by a few generous older gentlemen,” Cutler wrote. “I’m sure I am not the only one who makes money on the side this way: How can anybody live on $25K/year?”

Following her dismissal, Ana Marie Cox, website editor of the Washington-based blog, Wonkette, interviewed Cutler, who says ...

“I’m not ashamed of anything I wrote in the blog. And people are sad if they’re interested in such a low level sex scandal ... The blog is really about a bunch of nobodies fucking each other. I still can’t believe people care ... But everything that I say happened, absolutely happened …”

The last you’ll read about this story (yikes !!!) on VanRamblings: The Washington Post’s Reliable Source writes The Hill’s Sex Diarist Reveals All.

Ms. Cutler comes to Washington to what? Change the world? Make it a better place in which to live? Ah, the cynicism of youth. Ya gotta love it.

There’s a VanRamblings’ update of the Jessica Cutler story available here.

Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 9/11 Wins Top Prize at Cannes

Michael Moore’s controversial new documentary, Fahrenheit 9/11 — a scathing indictment of White House actions after the Sept. 11 attacks — has won the Palme D’Or at the 57th annual Cannes Film Festival, the first documentary to ever do so.

“I have this great hope that things are going to change,” said Moore after tearing into Bush with his emotion-charged documentary in the run-up to November’s presidential election.

With Moore’s customary blend of humour and polemic, Fahrenheit 9/11 accuses the Bush camp of stealing the 2000 election, overlooking terrorism warnings before Sept. 11 and fanning fears of more attacks to secure Americans’ support for the Iraq war.

For information on the other winners at Cannes, click on the Indie Wire.

The Summer Movie Season Has Finally Arrived
How Green Is My Valley? Shrek 2 Has Monster Opening

Weekend Box Office Guestimates: Blue = High | Red = Low - Estimates In Millions

Finally, the summer movie season has arrived! Shrek 2 looks to be on its way to a record May opening, having gleaned $49,445,000 in its first three days of release, with $28,500,000 in box office receipts on Friday night alone.

Compare that to either Troy’s or Van Helsing’s rather anemic opening weekends, of $45.8 and $54 million, respectively.

In reporting on the opening of Shrek 2, The Hollywood Reporter asks and answers, How green is the weekend tally?, while Gitesh Pandya at Box Office Guru suggests that Shrek 2 looks “to inject some green into the early summer box office,” as does Reagen Sulewski at Box Office Prophets.

Who Reads Blogs? A Provocative Sampling of Blogger Habits

According to a survey of 17,159 weblog readers, conducted by BlogAds, 61% of blog readers responding to the survey were over 30, and 75% make more than $45,000 a year.

Other interesting survey findings include, that in the last six months:

• 50% have spent more than $50 online on books.
• 47% have spent more than $500 online for plane tickets.
• 54% get their news online.
• 21% are themselves bloggers.
• 50% have contributed more than $50 to a cause or candidate, and 5% have contributed more than $1000.

The full survey results are available here.

May 21, 2004

Top 10 Conspiracy Theories of 2003-2004

Is the end of the world imminent? Have we run out of oil? Prior to 9/11 what dealings did the United States have with Iraq? Did the Bush administration deliberately allow the 9/11 terrorist attacks to happen?

If U.S. Justice Department head John Ashcroft stopped flying commercial aircraft two months before 9/11, and several employees at the Pentagon cancelled their flight plans the night of September 10, citing ‘security concerns’, how is it that the first reaction of President Bush to the destruction of the World Trade Center was “there’s one terrible pilot.”

Conspiracies abound. How near is the truth?

Mike Ward, a regular contributor to Pop Matters (the newest link, under A&E) suggests answers to each of the questions above, in the process linking to any number of economists, new urbanists and future theorists.

Iraqi Prisoner Abuse: New Photos and Video

Now that the television network upfronts are complete, VanRamblings resumes regular posting.

From the Washington Post, this morning, the backstory to the release of new photos, and a disturbing new video of Iraqi prisoner abuse.

The latest allegations are contained in statements taken from 13 detainees shortly after a soldier reported the incidents to military investigators in mid-January. The detainees said they were beaten and repeatedly sexually humiliated by American soldiers working on the night shift at Tier 1A in Abu Ghraib during the holy month of Ramadan, according to copies of the statements obtained by The Washington Post.

Some of the detainees described being abused as punishment or discipline after they were caught fighting ... Many provided graphic details of how they were sexually humiliated and assaulted, threatened with rape, and forced to masturbate in front of female soldiers ... “After that, they took us to our cells, took the mattresses out and dropped water on the floor and they made us sleep on our stomachs on the floor with the bags on our head and they took pictures of everything.”

U.S. Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, said there’d be more photos, and video, of Iraqi prisoner abuse. Obviously, he’s known of the existence of these images for months, and had done nothing to prevent the continued breach, by the U.S., of the provisions of the Geneva Convention.

May 20, 2004

The New Way to Meet: What Is The World Coming To?

As Wonkette says, “They make it seem so dirty”.

Fox TV Fall Schedule: Take Notes. There May Be A Test

Click on the graphic above for more info on FOX TV’s 2004-05 programming schedule.

Talk about confusing. In announcing their fall TV schedule this morning, Fox TV jettisoned the whole “gee shucks, here are the great programmes we’ve lined up for you this fall” mantra, in favour of offering three different, and dare we say confusing, programming schedules — June til October, November to January, and January to June — all of which you’ll find here.

And, yes, there will be a test — so study Fox’s programming schedule well.

Daniel Fienberg, at Zap2it.com, tries to make some sense of Fox’s schedule for all seasons, as does David Bauder at Associated Press.

The Futon Critic weighs in, as does a beleaguered Gary Levin at USA Today.

The Mini Network: UPN’s Fall Programming Schedule

Click on the graphic above for more info on UPN’s fall programming schedule.

Update, at 6:30 pm.: The mini American network, UPN (owned by Viacom / CBS) released its none-too-thrilling fall schedule today. Zap2it.com offers network info here, as well as a link to UPN’s fall programming schedule.

The Futon Critic offers insight, while USA Today’s Gary Levin is excited. Well, not really.

For the remaining fall television schedules for the major U.S. networks, click on the following direct VanRamblings’ links: ABC, NBC, the WB, and CBS.

May 19, 2004

A Day To Rejoice: The NDP Has A 7-Point Lead On The B.C. Liberals

According to an Ipsos-Reid poll released today, “44% of decided British Columbians say they would support the New Democratic Party if an election were held tomorrow, while only 37% would support the B.C. Liberals.” Support for the Green Party is also waning, having dropped 9 points to 11%, from a May 2002 high of 20%.

The results are the continuation of a downward trend for the provincial Liberals, who have been slipping in the polls since September 2003 when they had 45 per cent support and the NDP was at 31 per cent, said Kyle Braid, an Ipsos-Reid spokesman.

Norman Ruff, a University of Victoria political scientist, told Canadian Press, “In my book, 45 per cent is the magic number. Forty-five per cent means a majority government.” Traditionally in B.C., the political party that receives 45 per cent of the vote wins 50 per cent of the available seats, he said.

The numbers reflect voter anger with the Campbell government’s attack on working British Columbians, and also indicates a desire by voters to support a positive alternative, said Carole James, leader of the NDP.

Want your say? Take a minute to ‘vote’ in the informal poll below ...

If a provincial election was held in British Columbia today, which party would you vote for?

New Democrats Liberal Green BC Unity Reform BC

View the results Hosted by WebEnalysis

Posted by Raymond Tomlin at 4:44 PM | Permalink | BC Politics

CBS Fall Schedule: Familiar, Conservative and Traditional

CBS Fall Schedule, 2004-05. Click on the graphic above for more info.

Having excised middling fare, and middling actors, like David Morse in Hack, Craig T. Nelson in The District, and Dabney Coleman in The Guardian from their current schedule, this fall CBS introduces the tried-and-true, with more middling actors, like Emmy award-winner Rob Lowe in dr. vegas, John Goodman in Center of the Universe, and Gary Sinise in CSI: NY.

Otherwise, weighing in on CBS’ fall 2004 schedule are Michele Gershberg and Steve Gorman, writing for Reuters; The Futon Critic; Rick Porter at Zap2it.com; and Andrew Wallenstein at The Hollywood Reporter.

Update, at 7:40 p.m.: Seems that, earlier today, the only Net-based info the CBS network could seem to muster, given their obvious paucity of intellectual and creative resources, was this Associated Press story by David Bauder. As of 1:24 p.m., CBS seemed never to have heard about the world wide web, and must have figured their audience hadn’t heard anything about it, either (thus, up until only a few minutes ago, CBS had posted no schedule grid, or programme links). That circumstance, fortunately, has changed. You can see the CBS schedule grid above, or click here for more information on the depth and breadth of CBS’ fall programme schedule.

For the remaining fall television schedules for the major U.S. networks, click on the following direct VanRamblings’ links: ABC, NBC, the WB, and FOX.

Posted by Raymond Tomlin at 1:24 PM | Permalink | Television

May 18, 2004

The WB Fall 2004 TV Schedule: Let's Get Even More Serious

The WB Fall Schedule, 2004-05. Click on the graphic above for more info.

For this viewer, of all the networks The WB (even though it’s not available in Vancouver, most of the programmes find their way onto Canadian airwaves) has the most consistently watchable programmes, ranging from Everwood and Gilmore Girls, to Smallville and (the increasingly long in the tooth) 7th Heaven. Oh sure, The WB’s programming is drama heavy and far from hip, but migawd it’s mostly free of dreadful ‘reality-based’ programmes, and rarely talks down to you.

So, what does The WB have up its sleeve for the fall? Well, it seems that ratings are down, and as such The WB’s grand poobahs, Jordan Levin and Garth Ancier, have had to do more than a little tweaking.

New shows include Jack and Bobby, the dramatic retelling of the childhoods of John F. and Robert F. Kennedy, and The Mountain, which some have described as ‘Dynasty’ on skis. Most of the rest of the new programming (designed to raise ratings) appears to be barely watchable, but at least The WB left their core programming alone. We thank God (wherever she is) and Messieurs Levin and Ancier for this small favour.

For further insight (such as it is) into The WB’s 2004 fall season, we’ll start you off with The Futon Critic. Then there’s: Rick Porter at Zap2it.com, and Rachel Porter at some About.com site called ... oh, never mind.

For the remaining fall television schedules for the major U.S. networks, click on the following direct VanRamblings’ links: CBS, NBC, ABC, and FOX.

Posted by Raymond Tomlin at 11:35 PM | Permalink | Television

ABC's Fall Schedule: Another Network Tries To Kill the Sitcom

The ABC Fall Schedule, 2004-05. Click on the graphic above for more info.

There’s something decidedly anti-climactic and mildly dispiriting about the announcements of the fall television schedules — or should that read: ‘soon to be cancelled shows’ — for the major U.S. networks. For its part, ABC is doing everything it can to wrest itself from the bowels of the ratings basement. But what has new head honcho Stephen McPherson come up with? You can judge for yourself, but from VanRamblings’ vantage point, aside from the humour that the Defamer brings to the situation ...

ABC’s doing its part to make sure laughter stays dead by reducing their comedy load and by bringing back According to Jim, My Wife and Kids, and George Lopez. In any case, look for ABC to suffer another season in the toilet, looking up at Fox’s pimply, third place ass.

there’s not that much, unless you’re excited about the prospect of six more hours of barely watchable, so-called ‘reality’ programming, a spinoff of The Practice starring William Shatner, or a new series titled Lost, about the survivors of a plane crash stranded on a remote island.

Want to know what others are saying about ABC’s Fall Schedule? Not much, but here goes anyway. Zap2it.com offers this, while Gary Levin at USA Today writes about ABC’s reality heavy programming.

David Bauder, writing for the Associated Press, and Bill Carter and Stuart Elliott, writing in the New York Times’ Business section, compare the ABC and WB new fall schedules, while Kimberly Potts, at E-online, bemoans the loss of Alias this fall (not to worry, Kim, it’ll be back mid-season).

For the remaining fall television schedules for the major U.S. networks, click on the following direct VanRamblings’ links: CBS, NBC, the WB, and FOX.

Posted by Raymond Tomlin at 8:00 PM | Permalink | Television

Happy 29th Birthday, Jude Nathan Tomlin

Jude Nathan Tomlin, in Vancouver, at 5 years of age

A gentle but strong, kind and generous, son came to this Earth 29 years ago today, at 1:42 on a radiant Sunday afternoon. Jude Nathan Tomlin — DJ, musician, chef extraordinaire, student, and participant in Vancouver’s burgeoning construction industry — completes college work in International Business this summer, following which he will traverse the globe.

The picture you see of Jude, above, is reflective of the serious, yet optimistic and happy-go-lucky young man you would meet today.

At his birth, Cathy (Jude’s mom) captured her feelings surrounding Jude coming to this Earth. Next year, VanRamblings will see if we can present Cathy’s reflections of that very special mid-Spring day. As for me, his father, being present at his birth, and ‘catching’ Jude as he emerged from his mother’s womb, has proved to be the single most spectacular moment of my time on this Earth. In the intervening years to the present, Jude has for us been a source of joy and love, great and full of wonderment.

Today, we celebrate the anniversary of Jude’s birth. Happy 29th Birthday, Nathan. We love you.

Posted by Raymond Tomlin at 12:01 PM | Permalink | VanRamblings

Programme Updates: Two Utilities Necessary to Surf Safely

A short column this week. Down to business, with a couple of updates to enhance your computing life.

Patrick Kolla wrote Spybot: Search & Destroy, a free download that is one of VanRamblings’ most recommended programmes. Spybot is an anti-spyware scanner that finds and cleans out adware on your PC so your private information can’t be transmitted. The software is so popular worldwide that user donations support Kolla’s company, Safer Networking Limited, which he runs with help from his father, Dr. Michael Kolla, and Team Spybot, a group of computer science students.

This week Team Spybot released a new, and far superior, version of Spybot. Go here to download the programme. You won't be sorry you did.

And, while you’re updating your security programmes, now is as good a time as any to update your version of McAfee Stinger. McAfee’s Stinger programme is a stand-alone utility used to detect and remove specific viruses. It is not a substitute for full anti-virus protection, but rather a tool to assist PC users when dealing with an infected system. It utilizes next generation scan engine technology, including process scanning, digitally signed DAT files, and scan performance optimizations, and as such should be a regular part of your PC maintenance protocol. Go here to download version 2.2.7.

Posted by Raymond Tomlin at 12:05 AM | Permalink | Web & Tech

May 17, 2004

NBC's Fall Schedule: Actors Devouring Genitalia of Dead Animals

Click on the graphic above for more info on NBC’s fall schedule

From the Defamer: Happy to derive its laughs from aspiring actors devouring the genitalia of dead animals on Fear Factor and from hopeless nerds trying to lay third-place beauty pageant contestants on Average Joe, NBC’s fall schedule will go light on the sitcoms.

The only new comedies on NBC will be the animated, Siegfried and Roy-inspired (and, disappointingly, mauling-free) Father of the Pride, and Friends spinoff Joey. NBC head Jeff Zucker is banking on Joey to deliver big ratings numbers in the Friends timeslot; if it falters, expect Matt LeBlanc to ingest a yak labia just before each commercial break.

For a somewhat less catty take on NBC’s proposed 2004-05 television season read Daniel Fienberg at Zap2it.com, who writes that the motto for NBC’s upcoming season ought to be ‘Comedy Doesn’t Live Here Anymore’.

Gary Levin, at USA Today, indicates that NBC seems to not to have much faith in their coming season, given the large number of mid-season replacements that are on order.

Kimberly Potts at E-Online offers this, while Lisa de Moraes, at The Washington Post, suggests that the proper way to appreciate NBC’s fall schedule would be to have a stiff drink in hand.

For the remaining fall television schedules for the major U.S. networks, click on the following direct VanRamblings’ links: ABC, FOX, the WB, and CBS.

Posted by Raymond Tomlin at 7:04 PM | Permalink | Television

See No Evil: Childhood Experience and The Politics of Denial
A political psychologist explains the roles denial, emotion and
childhood punishment play in politics

What is the relationship between the Iraq prison scandal, and the impulses that drive all of us, for good or bad, including those that have driven President Geroge W. Bush? In a Newsweek magazine story, reporter Brian Braiker interviews Michael Milburn, a psychologist at the University of Massachusetts, for an answer to that question.

Co-author of The Politics of Denial, Dr. Milburn explores factors determinant in forming political attitudes, the role of emotion in public opinion, and the effects of the mass media on political attitudes and social behaviour. When discussing President Bush’s formative experiences, Milburn offers ...

Bush is really fascinating. There was a televised interview with Barbara Bush during the [2000] campaign. She was talking about her son and relating this one incident where he had come home drunk and his father was walking out to talk to him. W was saying, “OK Dad, right now, let’s do it.” Clearly there’s a tremendous amount of anger there. Not that this explains everything that’s going on, but it’s clearly, to me, a factor in his “I’m gonna get the guy who threatened my dad but I’m also going to show my dad that I can do stuff that he couldn’t do [attitude]”.

Anger and resentment appear to be playing an increasingly important role in politics. To what degree is the political process in the United States determined by unresolved negative emotions (such as fear, anger and helplessness) that remain from punitive parenting, and by the politicians and conservative religious leaders who exploit those emotions?

Posted by Raymond Tomlin at 12:05 AM | Permalink | Politics

May 16, 2004

Provincial Lie-berals: One Year To Go On The Road to Defeat

This weekend marks both the Liberal anniversary — it was three years ago that the B.C. Liberals swept into office with the largest majority in provincial history — and the one-year countdown to the next election, May 17, 2005.

By any measure, the last three years have been marked by turbulence, a dramatic downturn in the economy, and chaos in government. Tens of thousands of jobs have been cut, hospitals and courthouses across the province have been closed, delivery of health care services has become increasingly privatized, B.C. Rail and B.C. Hydro have been sold off, and children, the poor and the disabled have found themselves under almost constant attack from, perhaps, the most right-wing government on the continent.

In the process, the Lie-beral government has battled with major segments of the population, including teachers, students, seniors, nurses, doctors, health care support workers, lawyers, judges and public sector unions. Strikes and other labour disputes have forced the cancellation of thousands of surgeries and medical procedures, ferries and transit services.

As a result, the government has lost public support from almost the moment they were elected. At present, the B.C. Liberals and the New Democrats are locked in a dead heat in popularity numbers, setting the stage for a political dogfight. Over the course of the next year, VanRamblings will continue to chronicle the litany of government abuses to which the Lie-berals have subjected British Columbians.