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January 30, 2005

Iraqis put North Americans to shame

Despite the bombs, rockets and mortars Iraqis turned out to vote. According to initial numbers from Iraqi election officials 72% of eligible voters made it to the polls for that countries first free election in more than fifty years. To... More...

Posted by maxthecat at 09:09 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | Printer-friendly version
Filed in: Politics / World

January 29, 2005

Earth to Star: Do less navel-gazing

The Toronto Star has long believed that it is the New York Times of Canada. That's fair enough - there are lots of similarities: each is a local newspaper in the largest media market in their countries, each has a... More...

Posted by maxthecat at 07:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | Printer-friendly version
Filed in: The Media

January 26, 2005

Strippers, Pizza and Sgro

Tracking the troubles former Immigration Minister Judy Sgro has caused for Paul Martin's Liberal government in Ottawa requires a scorecard just to keep up. Every day, there is at least one new development about her or her accuser. Here's the... More...

Posted by maxthecat at 12:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | Printer-friendly version
Filed in: Politics / Canada Politics / Ontario

January 24, 2005

Proposed Toronto may be in for trouble

The proposed waterfront aquarium, announced with great fanfare a few weeks ago, will be a money-loser according to an article in today's Toronto Star. According to the paper, which spoke to experts in developing aquariums across North America, the aquarium... More...

Posted by maxthecat at 09:40 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack | Printer-friendly version
Filed in: Politics / Ontario

January 20, 2005

US Presidential Inauguration - by the numbers

Here are some fact and figures about today's inauguration and George W. Bush. 9 - the number of official inaugural balls. 12.5 minutes - Length of the inaugural fireworks display featuring a "rainbow of color" over the White House. 58... More...

Posted by maxthecat at 10:16 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | Printer-friendly version
Filed in: Politics / United States

January 19, 2005

It's going to get worse for Sgro

Judy Sgro says she wants to clear her name. So, immediately in the wake of the Pizza Guy's allegations of pizzas for visas, she fled to Florida and is not taking questions from the media. That probably isn't the most... More...

Posted by maxthecat at 10:16 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | Printer-friendly version
Filed in: Politics / Canada

January 14, 2005

A bad breath bomb?

The New Scientist reports that the US Air Force looked into some rather interesting chemical weapons. The military looked into creating a chemical that would result in "severe and lasting" halitosis (bad breath) as well as a weapon that would... More...

Posted by maxthecat at 12:41 PM | TrackBack | Printer-friendly version
Filed in: Science and Technology

Sgro to finally resign

The Toronto Star is reporting this morning that Immigration Minister Judy Sgro will announce her resignation today. Ms. Sgro has been in trouble for months over corruption in her Ministry and her immigration assistance to a Romanian stripper. But it... More...

Posted by maxthecat at 09:18 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack | Printer-friendly version
Filed in: Politics / Canada

January 10, 2005

CBS News fires four over 'Rathergate'

In response to a panel report that condemned CBS News for its sloppy reporting and overzealous defense of its sloppy reporting, the network has decided to fire four of those implicated in a story about George W. Bush's Air National... More...

Posted by maxthecat at 02:50 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | Printer-friendly version
Filed in: The Media

A Jerry Springer Moment

Call a television executive at home and threaten him - it's the Christian thing to do... at least in Britain. The BBC has had to hire private security guards to protect two of its top executives after a Christian group... More...

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Filed in: The Media

January 8, 2005

Media circle the wagons

Both the Globe and Mail and the National Post have (obliquely) countenanced the Toronto Star's decision to publish a list of Canadians whom the newspaper felt it was "grimly probable" had died in the Asia Tsunami. In editorials this week... More...

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Filed in: The Media

January 5, 2005

This is a great idea

While the Toronto Star was pulling publicity stunts in today's edition, the National Post was offering a constructive suggestion. In its editorial the Post suggests governments use mobile phones to put out the word about potential emergency situations like the... More...

Posted by maxthecat at 01:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | Printer-friendly version
Filed in: Science and Technology

What public good was served?

Privacy law handcuffs government It is now grimly probable that the tsunami disaster in Asia 10 days ago has claimed the lives of some 150 Canadian tourists in Thailand. Today the Star is publishing the best information available to Ottawa... More...

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Filed in: The Media

January 4, 2005

PM's PR play

Remember the days after Prime Minister Paul Martin declared he was "mad as hell" about the sponsorship scandal? The government's reputation was suffering as a result of its slow and inadequate response to AdScam. The Prime Minister was getting was... More...

Posted by maxthecat at 09:03 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack | Printer-friendly version
Filed in: Politics / Canada