The Guardian has transcribed a recent joint interview with Christopher and Peter Hitchens, sibling rivals of the highest order. They do the same job, and obviously have enormous mommy complexes that have never been resolved. It’s sad and hilarious. They snipe and slag, and there are some excellent zingers in there. If I were judging […] More »
Paul Martin’s Chief of Staff, Tim Murphy, appears to be in a bit of trouble. We’d know for sure, if only the Conservatives would RELEASE THE DAMN TAPES. At any rate, the Headwaiter to the Native Lobby has declared: “I think in an effort of greater civility members should not make use of their immunity […] More »
(Readers outside Toronto, please forgive the somewhat local post.) A few interesting tidbits gleaned from this morning’s group commute and pancake breakfast, the official kick-off to Bike Week: Cyclists across the country can help combat bike theft by registering their bikes in a national database. There is a cost of $10, but the term is […] More »
This is magnificent: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger traveled to a quiet San Jose neighborhood Thursday, and — dogged by protesters — filled a pothole dug by city crews just a few hours before, as part of an attempt to dramatize his efforts to increase money for transportation projects. (link from BoingBoing.) More »
Here is a long but extremely useful piece from the Wall Street Journal, about the way conservatives used philanthropical organisations to take control of the political agenda in the US. It is in many ways a companion to a similar article in Harper’s written by Lewis Lapham during last fall’s Presidential election race, but while […] More »
Not happy to be back from promoting Rebelarse Vende in Spain. As some wise person once wrote, the business trip is the only authentic form of tourism. Great country, great time. Will get around to blogging again some day. In the meantime, in order to convince Degen that I do things other than promote my […] More »
And now, I will blog about a blog: Andrew Coyne has shut down the Comments section on his blog site. After Belinda Stronach crossed the floor, regular readers of Coyne’s site will have noticed a huge increase in the comments. Hell, I started commenting just before Belinda crossed, so I’m going to take some credit […] More »
I finished my meetings in Ottawa a bit earlier than expected yesterday, so in the short time before my train I wandered up to the Hill to catch a little will the government stand or fall? atmosphere. There was what looked to be a good two-hour long line-up to get into the public galleries for […] More »
I’ve been reading Confessions of a Small Press Racketeer, a new book by This Magazine’s literary editor, Stuart Ross. The book is a collection of columns that ran in Word: Toronto’s Literary Calendar, and according to the media release from Anvil Press it’s “a rollercoaster journey into the mind of one of Canada’s most committed […] More »
“For two hours they talked about public policy and the direction of the country. They dined on veal medallions, toasted pecans, spring turbot, home pickled onions and young cucumbers. For dessert they had chocolate semifreddo, mango terrine, Valrhona chocolate mousse and brandy snap. It was all washed down with a respectable sauvignon blanc and a […] More »