Friday, April 30, 2004

Is it red?

Kelly Jane Torrance reports on the first car to be designed specifically for women.
"In truth, Canadian liberals and Canadian Liberals will happily put their religious chocolate in their political peanut butter if they think they will like the taste..."

I like Colby's column on the division of church and state.

Thursday, April 29, 2004

"Leviticus is hate propaganda!"

The comments section of this blog note that Bill c-250 has passed in the Canadian Senate indicates that Canadian christians are probably in deep trouble.

Wednesday, April 28, 2004

Hmmm...

I see that the old report.ca website has been taken over by
Rev. Tristan Emmanuel, an Ontario minister who has written for the Chalcedon Report, a US dominion theology periodical. (Dominion theology is the belief that Christians should set up a theocracy and take over society.)

Geez, how much would it have cost Link Byfield to retain the rights to www.report.ca and put up a very simple page saying that The Report is no longer publishing, so please check out the Citizen's Centre website instead? Now, anyone checking out the link is directed to Rev. Emmanuel and not where Link might wish them to go instead.


White is the colour. Soccer is the game.

Other fans of the old Vancouver Whitecaps of the NASL will remember that in 1978 members of the team recorded a 45 of White Is The Colour, a re-working of the Chelsea fans' song Blue is The Colour.

Well, it seems that another fellow has had the same idea of copying Chelsea's song. However, this Brit's version of White Is The Colour celebrates the game Go!:

Brown is the colour, goban is my name,
They keep on playing, but always just the same.
And every move is a crashing bore,
At my age, you've seen it all before.


Cute, but Chelsea fans would think it a bit of a musical own goal.

Tuesday, April 27, 2004

When in trouble, run to the left. When *not* in trouble, run to the left. When perhaps in trouble, run to the left...

Andrew Coyne
wonders if small-c conservatives will have someone to vote for in the upcoming Canadian election.
Neat

I'm now number three on Google.ca search list for "Hiebert", thanks to this blog. However, the results also show Rick's Miscellany as the second most popular Hiebert blog.

No plans to copyright my name though.
Home of the boss jocks

A guest post from my friend Kevin Michael Grace:

Senator Bobby was a minor hit in Canada. That is, I heard it on CKLG, home of the "boss jocks." The real trivial bonanza is that the original was written by Chip Taylor, Jon Voight's brother. His other chart-topper was "Angel of the Morning," a hit for P.P. Arnold and Merrilee Rush in 1968, then for Juice Newton in 1981. You'd be hard pressed to find two songs more different than that.

Sunday, April 25, 2004

Wild-a thing. You, ah, make my heart sing

Song of the day...Wild Thing by Senator Bobby, which I found on 45 at a record fair today. It's a comedy record--a cover of "Wild Thing" by a Robert Kennedy impressionist. You can read more about the song here, and listen to it as well--if the "aiff" file for the song, whatever that is, is still available on the website

It's amusing. Think of Mayor Quimby singing the Troggs song and you'll get an idea of what it sounds like.

Wednesday, April 21, 2004

The Viper In The Ubyssey's Bosom!

Yes, I realize this sounds like a bad script for "I Led Three Lives" or "I was a Communist for the FBI" but I really did write for The Ubyssey and B.C. Report at the same time.

Tuesday, April 20, 2004

Go KMG go!

Nice to see that my friend and former colleague The Ambler is posting again after a brief hiatus. Check it out!
Psst, Colby, it's Satan!

The morning after, Colby Cosh makes some comments on his neat
2004 Hockey Playoffs Page:

...Calgary and Vancouver, meanwhile, provided an immaculately scripted OT ending to one of the most absurdly dramatic first-round series ever played. I mean, are you kidding me--Vancouver evens up a Game Seven with 5.7 seconds on the clock? Who writes this stuff?....

Someone with a taste for schaudenfreude, I'd say.

[Evil genius hockey god writing game six] "Let's see, I'll have the Canucks blow a 4 goal lead, let Calgary tie, and then let the Canucks win in the third overtime. That should get their hopes up."

[and writing game seven] "I know what I'll make happen in this game, I'll have the Canucks score what the CKNW radio crew calls an "act of God" goal to tie the game late. Then, I'll have Calgary win by scoring on what seemed like the 18th rebound in a power play flurry right in front of the Canuck net."

Oh well, there's always next year. You can't complain too hard if the Canucks do everything but win the series. Nevertheless, this fan has to wonder if the team has to be rebuilt to become a team designed to flourish and win in the playoffs, even if that would mean that the Canucks become so dull and defensive that they just squeak in with a seventh or eigth place regular season finish.

Monday, April 19, 2004

Criswell, call your office

The site Assassinations Foretold in Moby Dick demonstrates that the "Bible Code" phenomenon can be found in any book, not just the Bible.

Friday, April 16, 2004

A character question that I haven't seen asked so far.

Watching the earliest BCTV coverage of Svend Robinson's shoplifting incident yesterday, I was struck by something that I did not hear from those offering comments.

If a conservative politician had stolen an expensive ring, you would have heard comments on how his career was derailed due to a lack of moral character that also exhibited itself in cuts in social programs, etcetera. Yet, I haven't seen anyone share an opinion that this is part of a pattern, in Robinson's life, of doing things that are foolish and wrong. Instead reporters were reaching for events like the hiking accident that Robinson suffered several years ago, to explain his recent lapse of moral judgement.

I am wondering if Bill C-250 is already starting to work, giving gay politicians immunity from criticism. Reporters should be free to say that gay politicians, like other politicians, can be wise or foolish completely aside from their sexual preferences. *Should* be, anyways.

Let's see how this plays out.

Tuesday, April 13, 2004

Terry Johnson is remembered by Lorne Gunter

...in a recent Edmonton Journal column.
The Addicts Sing!

...and other interesting LP covers are displayed at the Show And Tell Music site.

Friday, April 09, 2004

Alberta Report's house Marxist

I've heard a lot of interesting second hand stories about Terry Johnson, so I am glad that Colby has written an obituary post about the only Marxist to ever write for AR.

Thursday, April 08, 2004

If at first...

The new and improved The Shotgun has been launched.

Tuesday, April 06, 2004

Mazel tov, Fido!

This Vancouver Courier story demonstrates that some people will go to great lengths to celebrate their dogs. I like dogs a lot, but I thought this a bit unusual

Emphasis mine:

Dressed in two bows, one glitter and one taffeta, Max the Jack Russell terrier arrived at Fetch in Kerrisdale last week to celebrate the inaugural Yappy Hour, a combination wine and cheese party for humans and treat cornucopia for dogs....

....Almost everyone attending the event agrees Vancouverites do love their dogs. Robyn Spink, owner of Maple Ridge-based Barking Biscuit Bakery, which catered the gourmet dog treats for the event, said people here treat their dogs like family and that shows in the work she does. Growing in popularity is an event called "bark mitzvahs"-small celebrations organized after a male dog has been neutered.


[Gosh Fido, why aren't you enjoying your party? Oh, I see...]

"....Spink has catered many events at Fetch, including a Hawaiian-themed party that offered Hawaiian pizzas, and...has been hired to supply the dog food and treats for an upcoming canine wedding....

"This is our first wedding, but there was one in Victoria recently that was completely catered," she said. "They even had a stag for the male dog and bachelorette party for the female. I know it might sound crazy, but people love their dogs..."


*Sounds* crazy? I wouldn't say so, but some people might...

Faster than a speeding bullet!

For Superman fans, here's a link to his debut in the first issue of Action Comics. The site reproduces the entire comic, complete with the back cover ad for stuff like X-Ray glasses and such.

Monday, April 05, 2004

The Junior Walker memorial blog post

Please have a look at The Shotgun, while I am working in two different offices on Tuesday. More soon...

Sunday, April 04, 2004

I'm ready for my close up now, Mr. DeMille

Well, I should link again to the Western Standard's new weblog The Shotgun, now that I have been asked to be one of its contributors. Neato!

You like me, you really like me!

I see that my old editor Terry O'Neill has a post there, making his own blogging debut. Save yourself, Terry, there's still time! [ ;) ]

Let's see, that means that I may soon be up to *five* weblogs. This one is one. I am co-author of two (Hot Links and The Shotgun). Two more are in the "I should do these blogs" stage.

Friday, April 02, 2004

So *that's* it

Mistified by what's happening in Ottawa? The BBC satire Yes Minister will explain all.

Thursday, April 01, 2004

Abandon hope all ye who enter here dept.


The Dante's Inferno Test has sent you to Purgatory!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:
LevelScore
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)Very High
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)Moderate
Level 2 (Lustful)Very Low
Level 3 (Gluttonous)Moderate
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)Very High
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)Low
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)Very Low
Level 7 (Violent)Low
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)Moderate
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)Very Low

Take the Dante's Inferno Hell Test
Whistle the Colonel Bogey March

Australia's version of Sixty Minutes has posted an online video story on the Australians who participated in The Great Escape.
I Write The Songs is Number One

About.com has a list of The Worst Pop Songs Ever. Perhaps I am biased, but any such list that doesn't go earlier than the 1970s and does not include Jess Conrad and The Legendary Stardust Cowboy, is suspect in my view.
Be careful how you sit down

From the WFMU website's odd record collection, a teeny tiny 45 of Western Union:

This 45RPM record, which is less than four inches in diameter was part of a series made to be taken with you. They were sold over the counter and from vending machines. Philco produced a tiny player that was in the same scale of these records. They were probably the lightest records ever made.