Historicist: Life in Wartime
Elsewhere in the Ist-a-Verse
Members of the Westboro Baptist Church were no-shows for their expected protest against The Pastor Phelps Project—the SummerWorks play going down at the Cameron House—after being stopped at the US-Canadian border. Says the Post: "One [counter-protestor] carrying a sign reading 'God loves sodomites' suggested they had been scared off by Canada’s notoriously vicious 'drive-by shoutings.'"
The 29th quadrennial Olympiad kicks off in Beijing today with the first medalled event, the women's 10 metre Air Rifle, expected to be won by the Chinese hosts. The second event will be the men's Air Guitar, in which the United States is heavily favoured.
Lawyers for Abdullah Khadr, currently fighting extradition to the US on charges of buying weapons for Al-Qaeda and conspiracy to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan, say he should be released on bail. The lawyers say that Khadr "poses no risk to Canadians," but have thus far stopped short of calling him a "model citizen" or "national treasure."
Two window-rattling booms in Kincardine, 190 kilometres northwest of Toronto, remain a mystery, with experts ruling out meteorites, aircrafts, or earthquakes as possible causes. Scientists are currently searching for clues in a giant radioactive crater on the site recently occupied by the nearby Bruce nuclear power plant.
A virus is making the rounds on Facebook that purports to be an e-mail from a friend asking the recipient to download a video plug-in and then infects anyone technologically backward enough to actually do it. The virus' effects are reported to be slightly less annoying than most actual Facebook applications.
Finally, nothing to do with Toronto, but an excellent Bladerunner-esqe headline from the National Post: "Did cloned puppies blow alleged kidnapper's cover?"
Photo of yesterday's anti-protest-protest by Miles Storey/Torontoist.
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Ha yes! Westboro got 86'd by Border Services! w00t.
"first event, the women's 10 metre Air Rifle, expected to be won by the Chinese hosts."
uhm except that there's already been a few of soccer games - including one the Canadian Women's Team won!
If windows rattle in Kincardine, I'd worry because of the nuclear reactors nearby. Perhaps it's the start of a China Syndrome?
well done Stockwell Day for clamping down on oppressive religious nutbars.
ooh that felt weird...
@redleaf, just changed that sentence to say "first medalled event."
It's funny - while I was on my way there, the idea that Stockwell Day might be protesting the play with the Phelps-ites was jokingly brought up.
Have to say, though I think the border folks did their jobs, it's a wee bit disappointing that there was no confrontation.
I received a Facebook "virus" wall post with a hilarious combination of literacy and technical language:
"hello Blaise, wow.. you could be tht naughty i didnt knw :D
have a luk urself...
[malicious link removed]
(click open or run when prompted)"
Love the instructions at the end, from my momentarily illiterate friend.
@jaja007
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I should imagine that since Phelps' views about gays probably square with those of Day, that Day would be quite conflicted and have relegated the deed to the Deputy Minister.
We need not worry, though because an election is coming up soon and Day's days are numbered.
Putin seems to be trying to upstage the Chinese by invading The South Ossetia region of Georgia during the Olympic's opening ceremony. Typical.
The Cons only pay attention to you if they want your vote.
In a country that allows monstrosities like the Human Rights Commissions, I've grown to expect the chill effect being cast on controversial speech.