It’s a Summer Olympic tradition in Canada. Every four years, we watch hopefully but are ultimately disappointed as the Canadian team earns relatively few medals compared with other countries our size. What follows is much soul-searching in the media and a call for the federal government to invest more in our amateur athletes. This year, […] More »

Look, I love the CBC. Radio3 on saturday night got me through my first lonely winter in Peterborough a few years ago, and now I even say “shedule”. But sometimes it takes its mandate as the People’s Radio a bit too far, to the exlusion of simple common sense. Consider the lead item on this […] More »

I dragged myself away from reading Alias recaps on Television Without Pity to read a lively discussion on their discussion boards about Olympic team outfits. I admit I was tantalized by the teaser on the home page–“Speedos”–but was delighted not only to find tidbits about the British team’s white swimsuits, but an interesting discussion of […] More »

Want a quick schoolin’ in how to demolish the religious right with irony, wit, and devastating logic? On the topic of gay marriage, Dan Savage sets his opponents straight. (Caution: this article contains coarse lanaguage and adult situations) More »

Okay Andrew, I’ll bite. What I find equally interesting is that a company that runs a number of private schools in California was recently shut down by authorities for handing out high school diplomas to students after teaching them some wildly incorrect “facts” about the Excited States. In particular the students — most of them […] More »

A very interesting review in last weekend’s Washington Post. The book is a collection of excerpts from the history texts of various countries, focusing on what other countries teach their kids about the USA. As one might expect, the authors focus on passages that are critical of America. In particular, Canadian textbooks appear to give […] More »

So, Andre Ouellet has finally resigned as president of Canada Post. Or as the CBC website puts it, he has “quit amid allegations of excessive spending, questionable hiring practices and ties to the federal sponsorship scandal.” Among Ouellet’s crimes: he gave jobs to his friends and relatives, he sponsored a TV show about Rocket Richard, […] More »

Update — August 14 Paul Wells continues the discussion on his blog, with devastating arguments. I cannot overstate how important I think it is that everyone read inkless Wells, everyday. He is easily the best columnist writing on national affairs in this country. After ten years in Onterrible, I have returned to Quebec, fetish of […] More »

Did anyone catch Bill Clinton being interviewed on the CBC this morning by my old soccer chum Adrian Harewood (filling in for Anna Maria Tremonti)? It was a fascinating interview, if only because it was a a sad reminder of what poor communicators most politicians are in comparison. I think Paul Wells had it right […] More »

If, after reading David Hayes’ fascinating tour of NASCAR country, We’re not in Dixie anymore, Bubba and are wondering just what the fuss is about the single female vote in the US, check out this excellent article at Mother Jones online, One Woman, One Vote. The problem for the left as they see it is […] More »

Update: Of course, I could be totally wrong about all of this. John Ibbitson seems to think so. (Edited because when I’m in a bad mood I indulge in gratuitous insults) This is one of the least helpful articles I have read on the topic in a while. It is an op-ed in today’s Globe […] More »