This is why people like Sarah Palin

"Former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin criticized President Barack Obama on Saturday for saying America is a military superpower 'whether we like it or not,' saying she was taken aback by his comment.

“'I would hope that our leaders in Washington, D.C., understand we like to be a dominant superpower,' the former Alaska governor said. 'I don’t understand a world view where we have to question whether we like it or not that America is powerful.'”

Article here. Video clip (on YouTube) here.

"No end in sight as volcanic ash spreads"

"The volcano that has shut down airline traffic over much of Europe for the past three days shows no sign of calming, sparking fears about the long-term economic impact of the eruptions."

Article & links here. More here.

An Act of God, you say? Will wonders never cease.

The war against the automobile

"The Toronto congestion story is all story, myth and statistical illusion.

"Toronto gets congested on some key roads and arteries for some periods of time during the average weekday. But getting around by car, and commuting to work, is mostly easy and efficient. Compared with public transit, it’s a no-brainer. As StatsCan put in its report: “It is therefore not surprising that despite higher fuel costs and increased environmental concerns, most workers continue to use mainly their automobile to get to work.”

"Will spending $31-billion on new public transit change the situation? It is hard to see why or how."

Very interesting.

Remember, only right-wingers insist on driving evil, gas-guzzling, Mother-Gaia-destroying cars: all left-wingers ride bicycles and that's why bike lanes are good and necessary (just like diversity).

Petal power

There are no churches in Somalia? Isn't that apartheid?

"Residents and a school official say hardline militants in Somalia have banned school bells in one southern town because they say they are un-Islamic.

"One resident in the town of Jowhar, Mohamud Aw-Abdi, says the militant group al-Shabab told school principals the bells sound like church bells. No churches are known to operate openly in Somalia..."

More here.

"Backpacking to Babylon"

Theodore May writes:

"In the 4th century B.C. Alexander the Great forged a path from Greece through the modern Middle East to Persia. It was a path of conquest that empires would follow through the ages. Traces of each can be seen today in the culture, monuments, continuing military presence and people along the route, which ended for Alexander in Babylon, in modern-day Iraq. In this project, I am setting out to see how Alexander’s influence lives on...

"Backpacking to Babylon represents several years of dreaming and planning. This project aims to chronicle Alexander’s long march to Babylon and his legendary rivalry with Darius, and where possible place his exploits in a modern-day context...

"In order to do this, I am walking in the footsteps of Alexander the Great through seven countries/territories, over eight months, covering 2,000-plus miles, arriving ultimately in the capital of ancient Babylonia, Babylon, the remains of which are found 50-odd miles south of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad."

The "Backpacking to Babylon" blog.

This looks like an interesting series. He's already written a few posts, so I've got some catching up to do.

"Burqa-wearing suicide bombers kill scores in Pakistani refugee camp"

"Two suicide bombers dressed in burqas blew themselves up Saturday in a camp for refugees fleeing military offensives in northwestern Pakistan, killing 41 people and wounding 62, officials said.

"The blasts occurred at a food-distribution point, but there were conflicting reports whether the victims were lining up for food or being registered. The camp is sometimes used by foreign humanitarian groups, including the World Food Program, to deliver aid..."

Article here.

If the Zionists would stop complaining about the lies and hatred, there'd be no problem

Xtra "reports" on the point of view of an anti-Israel campaigner who participated in the Pride focus groups and -- surprise! -- learns it's all the Zionists' fault that anyone is bothered by hatred being spread at the Pride Parade.

"GULKIN: Oh yes, that was toward the end of the discussion. Chad [Rogers] said, 'What would you say if I told you that hundreds of thousands of corporate sponsorship dollars were at risk because of this controversy?'

"And, I replied that it was the Zionists who started the controversy. If the Zionists had just let us march with our signs, there would be no controversy."

Someone named "Cathy Pushkin" responds in the comments:

"From what I've heard about Ms. Gulkin's focus group, I'm told she bullied, interruped and endeavoured to intimidate anyone who dared have an opinion other than her own. Such are the tactics of the members of QuAIA and she is indeed a member. They are hatemongerers who think no one else is allowed to have an opinon. From what we've heard about the focus groups, most participants just want it to be about gay rights -- not about one hateful group trying to single out one country and its Jewish population. Considering that Cathy and her group single out the ONE country in the Middle East that allows rights for gays, it's blatantly obvious that QuAIA is all about one thing: Hate towards the Jews. Cathy should know it's all a plot. The entire Legislature at Queen's Park is also stacked for daring to vote on a resolution denouncing Anti-apartheid week. Cathy, you and your QuAIA pals can spew all the hatred you want. But find your own sponsors and your parade. Don't hijack our sponsors and our gay rights!"

To which Cathy Gulkin responds:

"It would have been pretty hard for me to bully, harass or intimidate 4 Zionists and one group moderator who clearly supported them. The claim that I did so is frankly libelous. One thing I did point out, is that the Zionists bullied and harassed QuAIA during last year's Pride March. The Jewish Defense League was out in force, yelling Down With Hamas at us. Josephine spent a lot of time videotaping us..."

What a joke.

The JDL was out in force? Watch carefully at the 1:00 minute mark. Don't blink or you'll miss the mob of two petite women saying, "Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East that likes gays! Down with Hamas!" for a total of 10 seconds. Oooooh, scary JDL harassment!

As for me, I would have walked away out of boredom if they hadn't gone all Basiji on me. I kept my distance and they came after me... twice.

Oh, and I'm not a member of the JDL, but I am a Zionist. Booga-booga!

Alef Betty: "Modern Hebrew Arts"

Hebrew Alphabet Posters. Very cool.

(Via Design Sponge.)

Does anyone care if they can't blame the white man for it?

(Emphasis mine.)

"Michaëlle Jean has been drawing attention in Africa for declaring that slavery still exists, and on Friday she visited a dungeon with a dark past to illustrate her point...

"Jean’s sentiments are echoed in a new report by the Human Rights Watch organization, which describes as slavery the common Senegalese practice of religious schools sending children out to beg for money, often beating them when they don’t come back with enough...

"An estimated 27 million people today live in modern-day slavery as unpaid labourers, forced sex workers, and exploited children, and some suggest there are more slaves in the world now than at any point in human history..."

[Jean said,] “Whether we are of European descent, and probably related to those who committed that crime of slavery and slave trade, or whether we are of African descent, we all belong to that history.”

Wait a minute. Did Jean really paint all white people with the slavery brush? My white ancestors didn't own any slaves. And how dare she suggest that black Africans had nothing to do with the slave trade? It's a fact that blacks sold other blacks into slavery.

And don't give me that "probably" garbage, lady. The majority of Americans did not own slaves. How many Civil War graves in the U.S. are filled with the bodies of dead white men who ended slavery in that country?

Welcome to the new Canada

"Vaisakhi parade organizers say Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh and B.C. Liberal MLA Dave Hayer are not invited to attend the annual Surrey event on Saturday -- and if the two politicians show up, they will need to be responsible for their own safety...

"Mr. Bains noted on the radio show that all the floats in Saturday's parade will carry the flag of Khalistan, and display photos of 'Sikh martyrs.' Mr. Dosanjh, a moderate who has distanced himself from such fundamentalist views, said he has no plans to go to the parade. Mr. Hayer also vowed to file a police complaint."

More here.

Remember when we used to believe that people left their old hatreds and animosities behind at the airport in their old country and donned a fresh, new Canadian perspective ("everyone wants the same thing", "they're just like us") when they landed here?

Whaddaya mean, you're not that old?

"Mideast War 'Imminent'"

"A war between Israel and Hezbollah that could spread across the Middle East is 'imminent,' King Abdullah of Jordan has told the United States.

"The King, who is in Washington for U.S. President Barack Obama's nuclear summit, gave his warning after Israel claimed Syria had handed over Scud missiles to the Lebanon-based organization...

"An aide to Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime Minister, said the pace of Hezbollah's rearmament and Syria's role in it was causing growing alarm in the Jewish state."

Article here.

Brian Mulroney woos the Saudis

Jonathan Kay writes in the National Post:

"Wouldn't you know it, but this week, a delegation of prominent Canadians happened to be in Saudi Arabia, led by no less a heavy-hitter than former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney...

"On Friday, Mulroney decided to put his lyrical love for Saudi Arabia in the form of a Globe & Mail op-ed...

"Wow - it sounds like Canada and Saudia Arabia are almost identical. Except for that niggling detail about Saudi Arabia being a rigid theocracy, which forbids Jews from its holy places, has been al-Qaeda's leading bankroller, and which treats women - including at least one of our citizens - like cattle in a pen."

Read it all.

Mulroney's editorial in the Globe and Mail: "Saudis, our friends and business partners"

An excerpt:

"Saudis know that Canada possesses not only vast natural resources, but also an outstanding investment climate and an open-minded, diverse, well-educated and motivated population...

"Our different histories, cultures and systems of government can generate contrasting points of view, but we should be able to address them in a manner that does not jeopardize or undermine the underlying strengths of our partnerships.

"Saudi Arabia’s influence on global issues, such as peace and security, will continue to grow in importance. When we share common objectives on these issues, there will be even greater scope for a political and commercial partnership with Saudi Arabia.

"Clearly, Saudi Arabia and Canada can go forward – together."

I don't share any common objectives with the Saudis, do you?

Rob Ford: he can do it

"In the race to be mayor, George Smitherman’s camp says it has always had its eye on Rob Ford. According to the newest poll, so do 27% of Torontonians.

"An online mayoral-preference survey of 418 people placed Mr. Ford second to Mr. Smitherman, who earned 34% of support. It is a drop of 10 points for Mr. Smitherman from an early poll in January, before Mr. Ford entered the race...

"Mr. Ford said today he was not surprised by the numbers because he is seeing a 'ton of support everywhere I go.'

“'People are fed up with this tax-and-spend policy at City Hall,' Mr. Ford said, councillor for Etobicoke North. 'They’ve seen what I’ve done in Rexdale. Ten years ago, Rexdale was a mess and now it’s clean and safe. If I can do that in Rexdale, I can do that in the city of Toronto.'”

More here.

And best of all, as Blazing Cat Fur points out, he's not a communist!

Peppermint Pink

Another busy, sneezy day (allergy season has arrived). Will try to post later.

"Just hire the best person for the job"

National Post editorial:

"The hypocrisy of employment equity has always been that it replaced an alleged systemic discrimination — hard to see or quantify — with overt discrimination against mostly white, able-bodied men. Its goal should simply have been to eradicate instances of discrimination where they were found — to ensure everyone in the federal civil service had equal opportunity to find employment and advance regardless of their outward characteristics.

"Instead, employment equity targets were based on the premise that discrimination was rife against women, visible minorities, First Nations people and the disabled, and the only way to overcome those biases was to replace them with another against the allegedly dominant group until the discriminated persons had achieved artificial levels of representation in the federal workforce...

"Indeed the culture of victimhood is so entrenched in Ottawa that in 2005, Public Works Canada publicly announced that it would cease to hire able-bodied, white males for a time."

Read it all.

My prediction: they'll change the rules for hiring minorities as soon as white people are a recognized minority group.

So now it's right-wing if you don't want your drive-time to and from work to be doubled

Streets in the Old City of Toronto are "special". You might look at a road and think, hey, four lanes, what's to complain about? But the two outer lanes are used for parking, which leaves two lanes for driving.

Bike lanes take away from car lanes: it's not as if the city has widened the roads and moved the sidewalks over to make more room.

In the wintertime, parked cars and mounds of snow encroach on drivers' road space. When there's no snow, now there are bicycle lanes to contend with, on top of the many road closures, detours and slow-downs caused by construction and road maintenance.

I think it's true that the more strident, hectoring, lefty types are the ones behind this push to make life harder for people who drive. They play the moral superiority card to get their way and punish others for not obeying them. They're saving the planet and we're destroying it; they're right and we're wrong; so if their bike lanes make our commutes longer and worse, well, we deserve to suffer for our sins against Mother Gaia.

During a drive that should take 20 minutes at most and can now take up to an hour due to bike lanes along our route, we might see a handful of bicyclists at most.

Bicycle lanes are not serving the majority of commuters: they are pandering to a vocal minority.

"The car vs. bike debate has little to do with transportation. This electoral wedge item is really just an emblem of every other ideological divide in the city: Rich vs. poor. Uptown vs. downtown. Right vs. left.

"It's about the environment. The role of government. And somewhere under all those issues, there are practical concerns about commuting.

"'Cycling should be a non-ideological, dare I say common-sense, issue that spans the political spectrum. It should transcend left-right ideological divides. But in reality, it doesn't,' said Myer Siemiatycki, a politics professor at Ryerson University.

"'Some of it has to do with if your mindset is locked into the idea that the city is a place of business and efficiency,' he said. A right-wing point of view, municipally, means 'putting the needs of business and development and growth first,' he said. 'The left seems to have more concern, generically, for quality of life, the recognition of diverse and different needs and lifestyles.'"

Of course it's in The Star.

Got that? The left is more caring and diverse. The right is capitalist and... capitalist.

Welcome to the future

"Mayor David Miller is using the TTC’s public announcement system to urge riders to pressure the province to restore $4 billion in funding for Toronto’s Transit City light rail lines.

"Some commuters were startled Thursday to hear the mayor’s voice come across the public address system on the subway, urging them to contact their MPP.

"Although it’s the first time the mayor has recorded a political message himself, the TTC’s public address system has been used for political ends in the past when it ran messages thanking the province for its support of transit."

More here.

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