I'll admit it -- I'm not a "words" guy. I can write (I'm told by editors and teachers). And I read a lot (I found out in Grade 1). But I couldn't be bothered to pick up an Atlantic for a 25,000 word Langewiesche masterpiece. The New Yorker's three column grids of solid text scare me. My current favourite magazine is the New York Times when they talk about Toronto. But as our esteemed editor Marco would tell you, he'd read the article, and I'd say, "Nice fucking drop cap."

I've read Joan Didion and I liked it. I understood her, the essence of the time and place she commits to paper in The White Album. I've read the articles, read the interviews, had the drug-induced debates (I think).

But that picture up top, I got it. That is everything Joan Didion has ever wanted to say in one expression, one gasp, two weary eyes.

Joan Didion is also the winning picture in the magazine portrait category of the annual Pictures of the Year International. Keep checking back as they're still in the middle of a three-part selection process.

Dig around the site. Here's hurricane Katrina. (Second place, magazine spot news)

Here's friendly fire in Baghdad. (First place, newspaper spot news)

Youth gang violence. (Second place, newspaper spot news)

It disappoints me that my small, but daily, rounds of the blogosphere don't turn up more talk about the art we run alongside our thousands of published words. If ever, it's only when there's been a photoshop snafu, or a picture of questionable taste (obviously link here).

When a monumental event happens, it's not memorialized by a columnist or writer. It's that photo of the plane crashing into the side of the twin towers. It's the Challenger imploding on a sky blue backdrop. It's Tiananmen Square, 1989 -- I don't even have to finish the sentence.

Do all the reading you want, all the newspapers, magazines, lefty blogs -- there's still something to be said for the picture. Which, hopefully, speaks for itself.

Posted by at 12:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The last time I remember being aware of Philippino politics was when they were kicking that slimy soap opera star of a president, Estrada, out of office for being incredibly corrupt. Before that I remember there being some sort of dictator with alot of shoes and before that I think they were an American colony which explains why the hotdog is such a important part of Philippino cuisine.

If you haven't heard, the Philippines is again in turmoil. Still suffering from last week's horrific mudslide which killed an estimated 1,800 people, last friday, president Gloria Arroyo signed a proclamation declaring a state of emergency in response to what she is calling a thwarted coup attempt. The proclamation gives the national police the right to take "necessary and appropriate actions and measures to suppress and prevent acts of terrorism and lawless violence."

This prompted saturday's raid on the Manila offices of The Daily Tribune because of its alleged "concerted effort and systematic conspiracy with known elements out to bring down the duly constituted government since May 2004." The police didn't shut down the paper but took " page proofs of the paper's Feb. 25 issue and photographs and copies of the reports faxed and e-mailed by its reporters." The next day armed guards stood outside the office while rumours circulated that the staff would be arrested. You can read about it in the staff's own words here.

According to INQ7.net, a Philippino news site, "the Philippine National Police yesterday said it would take over any media organization that would not follow "standards set by the government" during the state of national emergency.

A government team will examine the editorial contents of newspapers and the news or views aired by broadcast stations to see if these conform to the standards, according to PNP Director General Arturo Lomibao."

This got me thinking about what kind of powers the Canadian government has if it was ever to declare a state of emergency. Apparently this has happened three times under the old War Measures Act. During WWI, WWII and the FLQ crisis normal laws didn't apply in Canada and people could be arrested without charge and deported--many were. Also in the act is a line allowing the Prime Minister, " Censorship and the control and suppression of publications, writings, maps, plans, photographs, communications and means of communication."

Fortunately this draconian act was replaced, in 1988, by the Emergencies Act which says that it cannot be used "for the purpose of censoring, suppressing or controlling the publication or communication of any information regardless of its form or characteristics"--a complete 360.

Anyways, here's a few lines from today's Tribune editorial about the raid:

If somebody takes offense, it is not our problem.

Therefore, we don't have to solve it.

The catch is that the "offended" just feels guilty about what we say.

That, also, is not our problem.

The truth hurts, doesn't it?

And now you want to close us down.

Be our guests but please close the doors and the windows on your way out.

We don't have all day to clean up your own mess.

Posted by at 08:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The Toronto Star's Mitch Potter landed in Afghanistan earlier this month - followed a few days ago by photographer Rick Madonik - where he is embedded with Canadian troops. Although the stories he's produced so far have provided much-needed insight about the region, no one seems to have raised any flags about the fact that he's an embedded reporter.

The embedding of reporters with U.S. troops in Iraq rightly raised questions about just how impartial journalists can be when they are indebted to soldiers for their safety and whether their placement with troops might limit the types of stories they produce or have access to. Shouldn't this also be a concern when it comes to Canadian troops?

I suppose it remains to be seen whether we will hear any negative stories about our troops - there are bound to be instances of that in a warzone - alongside the glowing tributes.

Of course, it makes sense for a reporter to be in the company of those who can offer him some protection, especially in such a dangerous region. Also, Potter's extensive experience with providing balanced stories from hotspots are surely in his favour.

However, a dose of skepticism is healthy whenever a reporter's independence is in question.

Posted by at 02:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I was so thrilled (so what if I'm nerdy) to discover this website:

http://www.crayonpeople.com/

I think you should all check it out, it's really interesting--a website devoted to multicultural issues and events.

Among other things mentioned there, there is an Exhibition of Contemporary Palestinian Art that is opening in New York City on March 14!!! Yes, I know that many of us are far away from visiting New York City these days, but I think it's great to hear about. This museum is a great way to bring awareness to the Palestinian culture--they have such exquisite artwork and designs! Wow! The site even shows some pictures of their displays. Hope you enjoy! Oh, and this site also has an article on how "Will Smith builds links with Bollywood!" It's a cute article.

Posted by at 04:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I believe thoughts are free. This means that neither repression nor imprisonment can extinguish free thoughts.
-Munyonzwe Hamalengwa

The title of this entry has been borrowed from an essay Albert Einstein wrote in 1940, but let's begin with a passage from another one written six years later by America's most famous immigrant, entitled The Negro Question.

"In the United States everyone feels assured of his worth as an individual. No one humbles himself before another person or class.... There is, however, a somber point in the social outlook of Americans. Their sense of equality and human dignity is mainly limited to men of white skins. Even among these there are prejudices of which I as a Jew am clearly conscious; but they are unimportant in comparison with the attitude of the 'Whites' toward their fellow-citizens of darker complexion, particularly toward Negroes. The more I feel an American, the more the situation pains me. I can escape the feeling of complicity in it only by speaking out." Everybody will, of course, experience prejudice at one time or another because nobody can belong to all groups all the time. Through no fault of our own, however, nobody in this class will ever be arrested for DWB; an offense that, back in the summer of 2002, the Toronto Star's analysis of the police department's statistics seemed to indicate happens with alarming regularity.

I've heard some people say they prefer the term African Liberation Month to Black History Month or that it's typical that it's confined to the shortest month of the year. I've seen Morgan Freeman tell 60 Minutes that he isn't interested in having his people's history confined to a single month: black history is american history. Earlier this month I heard George Bush the elder eulogize Coretta Scott King and pay himself an underhanded compliment by asserting that America had come a long way thanks to her efforts. Meanwhile his wife sat in the wings, the same woman who called the destruction of neighbourhoods by Hurricane Katrina a blessing because the newly homeless then housed in Houston's Astrodome were much better off. And for anybody who thinks Canada is free of this scourge I'll refer you to Joseph Mensah's Black Canadians: History, Experiences, Social Conditions.

The twentieth century philosopher Simone de Beauvoir penned some cogent observations for this twenty-first century debate. Although existential in nature, and therefore applicable to all human beings, they are curiously pertinent to this topic. "When an individual is kept in a situation of inferiority, the fact is he does become inferior." And then: "Society cares for the individual only so far as he is profitable." We've seen the word nigger move from Dick Gregory's autobiography (a must read) to hip-hop artists using it in every other song. Coming from men like Gregory or the late Richard Pryor it was a revolutionary weapon because it maintained its air of taboo. In 2006 it's a sales pitch. Did I miss a memo or something?
American anti-racist activist and journalist Tim Wise published an article at the end of January outlining our present difficulty. "To white folks, racism is seen mostly as individual and interpersonal--as with the uttering of a prejudicial remark or bigoted slur. For blacks, it is that too, but typically more: namely, it is the pattern and practices of policies and social institutions, which have the effect of perputuating deeply embedded structural inequalities between people on the basis of race. To blacks, and most folks of color, racism is systemic. To whites, it is purely personal." Racism, therefore, is little more than the result of conditioning.

American writer James Baldwin once remarked that "Education is indoctrination if you're white--subjugation if you're black." Although Ryerson required that we all take a course in covering diversity last year, it seems a bit much to expect that a single course in third-year university can rectify all those years of indoctrination by the media and prepatory schooling. The fact that this subject didn't come up until the end of February I think speaks to Wise's theory. We don't have to be active members of the KKK to be racists; we need only be disinterested in the plight of others.

Posted by at 06:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Posted by at 10:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Yesterday, I was watching a re-run of the February 13th episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The butt of that particular day's joke was vice-president Dick Cheney and his unfortunate shooting incident. I admit it, I laughed. A lot. You would too. If you've by some miracle managed to miss all the coverage, you can read a brief transcript of The Daily Show, and several other late night programs here.
But why am I writing about this on a review of journalism blog? In an article for Mississippi State University's The Reflector, Jed Pressgrove wrote, "Journalism seems to be one of the more contradictory professions in the world. It wouldn't surprise me if some of you despise all news outlets because of your observation of professional journalists. Lately, they have ignored objectivity, fairness and accuracy."
The article pointed to the massive coverage of the Cheney incident as evidence that journalists are becoming subjective. The author said that at the Southeast Journalism Conference, a speaker had ignored his question about the ethics of the incident's coverage, and had said that it was overblown because it was interesting. Ok, so this is an American example, but when it comes to blowing news out of proportion, Canadian journalists aren't that far behind. So what can we do to salvage our so-called objectivity?
Well, Pressgrove asks us to question our moves in the business. "Objectivity and pensiveness are more essential than feeding off the public's obsession with the private lives of public officials."
This brings us to an important question - do we give readers and audiences the news they ought to know about, or the news they want to know about? In the end, will we sacrifice our objectivity for profit? Or am I being too cynical?

Posted by at 09:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I was surprised hear the recent news of Maisonneuve's impending makeover. The award-winning publication will be relaunching as a Montreal city magazine in September, a "more financially viable model," according to a letter from "the Maisonneuve team" to readers (registration required). There's a mockup of what appears to be the potential first cover of the relaunched magazine. It has the familiar Maisonneuve logo, the familiar Maisonneuve arty illustration--and cover lines right out of Toronto Life.

I've always had mixed feelings about Maisonneuve. The magazine's monthly themes and story concepts have always been unique and interesting, but often the eclecticness would feel like too much--at times it felt like Maisonneuve was too disorganized and had no real vision beyond a few quasi-pretentious writers writing about whatever the hell they wanted. Great for the writers, maybe, but not so much me as a reader. With a more focussed city mandate, Maisonneuve will have more of an identity and the potential to be weightier journalistically--unless it fully embraces the Toronto Life-style "best restaurants in the city"-type editorial that seems to be on its way, judging from the upcoming cover. "Montreal is arguably one of the most unique cities in the world—Maisonneuve will not be an ordinary city magazine," say the Maisonneuve team in their letter. I guess we'll have to wait and see. As much as Maisonneuve has always confused the hell out of me, it'll be sad to see the magazine lose its edge entirely because it needed to become more financially viable.

Posted by at 05:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Posted by at 08:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is all I know right now:

Calgary's Western Standard and Jewish Free Press and The University of PEI's student paper, The Cadre, all decided to print The Cartoons.

Bad idea? No duh.

This effectively pissed off a whole lotta Canadian Muslims. And, according to CTV, this is the reason that Torontonian Muslims are getting their own paper.

The Islamic Free Press will be distributed biweekly in Toronto.

Who can say what kind of journalism/cartoons this paper will print? But at least it'll be more fodder for the Review.

Speaking of the Review...The Summer 2006 Masthead is throwing their fundraising party this Thursday, Feb. 23 at the El Mocambo.
Expect bands, booze and prizes.
Expect to pay $10 at the door.
Expect us to keep begging until you come.

Posted by at 06:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Is anyone bored of the media's obssessive coverage of the Ipperwash inquiry? I know I am. Watching Mike Harris testify made me feel sorry for him. Truth is he probably said that infamous line, but it doesn't translate into kill Dudley George. I don't think you should define a person by one comment. Haven't we all said inapproriate things in the heat of the moment?

What will all this prove besides the fact that the media have a hate-on for Harris.

Posted by at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I've been following the Danish cartoon scandal with particular interest. I spent last spring studying at the Danish School of Journalism, where I participated in a program that focused on journalism and stereotypes. During one course dedicated to the study of stereotypes in the media, much of the discussion was about how Muslims are portrayed in Danish and European media. During these discussions, the Canadian students in the program were often derided as being "too politically correct."

In addition to following the story in the Canadian media, I've been keeping up with what's been written about the story in Denmark. Unfortunately, I can't read much Danish but the English-weekly The Copenhagen Post and translated articles from Jyllands-Posten, the newspaper that first printed the cartoons, give a sense of the Danish perspective on the issue. Take a look.

Posted by at 09:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Isn't it a bit of stretch to have a daily pictorial representation of the world adequately summed up in five photographs?

As a main page element under the Features frame of the The Globe and Mail's website, Day in pictures is a slideshow of "images from the past 24 hours." While I'm aware the general attention span for absorbing online content is quite short (nine seconds-- just like a goldfish, according to BBC News), so looking at it that way, posting more than five photos would be useless.

And with today's unimpressive selection, I wouldn't blame anyone for not sticking around. Kanye West and Carla Collins occupying almost half the available space that could provide more stimulating worldly photos with real visual appeal? Come on. I know entertainment-related photos can't be avoided, but still. It's not just the celebrity appeal. While I'm no photography expert by any means, I've found that all five were relatively lifeless.

I like the concept, but if a news day is going to be condensed in picture format, I don't think selecting five boring photos is the way to do it.

Posted by at 11:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This may be a few days past its topical prime, but watching the treatment of Wayne Gretzky at the hands of the news media in the past couple of weeks hasn't made me feel too great about the profession. It's not that I believe the Wayner should stand above the law or be immune from any legitimate charges of illegal activity - it's more that I believe the media shouldn't be so damn lazy.

For days now, the New Jersey police have explicitly said that Gretzky, and his wife, are not named in any charges and aren't expected to be. A few days ago, the police alerted the media of a wiretapped conversation between Gretz and Rick Tocchet (the guy who actually has been charged) that indicated the Great One found out about the gambling ring at about the same time as the rest of us did. And yet at every Team Canada press conference since then, Gretzky still has to answer questions about what is, for him, a non-story.

I know we don't look to sports media to uphold the highest standards and that everyone like to see top athletes and celebrities fall from grace, but in this case I think the media is obligated to adhere to the facts, which in this case seem to indicate that Gretzky wasn't involved.

As Wayne goes to bed every night on a mattress stuffed with cash, next to his model-actress wife, I weep for him.

Posted by at 01:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Let's communicate.

It turns out that there's only a 50 per cent chance that you can properly interpret the intended tone of an email message. Apparently, though, people think they've made correct interpretations over 90 per cent of the time. You see:

People often think the tone or emotion in their messages is obvious because they 'hear' the tone they intend in their head as they write.

Now, let's get back to lazy practices in journalism.

In trying to make things "convenient," technology has introduced a lethargy in society that pervades all aspects of the workforce. This is increasingly obvious in journalism, as articles are being published with less in-depth reporting and even outright fabrication. Poynter's Dr. Ink has it right; lazy journalists are not taking their role seriously, and are in fact taking themselves for granted (emphasis mine):

the privilege to sit in the newsroom on our scrawny white asses, avoid eye contact with our editors, promise to "get to that assignment" when we have a chance, and (these days) slip out for a venti double mocha nonfat latte -- in short, the privilege to sidestep any challenge to our deeply ingrained right to mediocrity. No, we shall not be moved. 'Cause we own the place.

Combine the original misinterpretation with a cup of lazy practices, stir in a computer and Internet connection, and mix well in an office cubicle.

The result is a dangerous conconction in which reporters email people a question list or search for facts on the Internet instead of meeting in person, or at least telephoning. The danger here is that language is lost in quotation, tone is completely misinterpreted, information is factually inaccurate, and the public is woefully misled.

Do your audience two favours. When you're reporting a story, actually speak to someone. When someone calls you, don't ignore them. You're hurting a lot more than just one story; you're cracking the foundation of journalism. You don't have the privilege to sidestep any challenge to our deeply ingrained right to mediocrity. Not today.

We don't own the news any more.

Posted by at 06:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'm old. Lord, am I old. But when I was younger, I partied. Lord, did I party. Only, my idea of a party wasn't a slick Richmond St. club with over-dressed people drinking top-shelf-liquor and listening to ridiculously uninspired top 40 hip-hop trying to pick up / be picked up / drink their faces off. No, my idea of a party was going to a dirty run down out-of-the-way warehouse, wearing a bucket hat, t-shirt, phat pants, and listening to some DJ's spin some effin-hard beats. Just two turntables, a mixer, and a whole lotta luv.

That's what Tribe Magazine started off reporting... the underground electronic music scene in TO since the early nineties. Reporting about parties thrown as a labour of love each and every weekend. Taking pictures of the energy, enthusiasm, the insane happiness that took place all night till the sun rose. Charting up and coming local DJ's. Reviewing mixtapes of the best house, trance, breakbeat, drum and bass that demonstrated a surprising number of talented local DJ's and MC's. Journalism for the contemporary underground beat culture that all too briefly shone as a beacon of goodness and fun. It was a music scene that was, in fact, about peace. Love. Unity. Respect. And great, great music. Just a compact group of people, infinitely welcoming of strangers, escaping from the drudgery of every day life in that dirty little sliver of paradise between midnight till 8am.

Ah, to long for the old days - that is, until the scene completely collapsed under thugs, drugs, greed, and the bloated egos of promotors and DJ's. And suddenly, Tribe didn't seem to have much of a purpose anymore. Sure, it still reviews events (now mostly these mega-hooched up uber-fests thrown at the Guvernment or the Docks or whatever.) It still features pics, and features profiles of talented DJ's. But PLUR is as gone as these once precious underground parties you had to hear about from word of mouth. The magazine itself has taken a second seat to the message board - a cliquey online community blithering about nothing in particular - only a fraction of it related to electronic music.

Right, I just sound like an old crank now. Whatever. All good things, as they say...

Posted by at 05:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There are good blogs, in terms of both reporting and writing. And I agree that if nothing else, blogs serve an important fuction as fact-checkers. I'm glad people have opinions and are willing to share them with everyone else for free. But I'm not like you. I don't read blogs (except for this one). Let me tell you why:

There are too many. I can barely keep up with all the newspapers and magazines I try to read regularly. Add to that my chronic addiction to pop music and oh yeah, school and work and it's just too hard to make time for it all.

I prefer packaged news, rather than the disparate and disconnected nature of blogs. I like my News, City, Arts, and Sports pages to come together. I like the effect of reading different reporters and columnists all in one place; it creates a personality that is bigger than any individual writer.

And I don't like reading off a computer screen. It hurts my eyes.

P.S. Someone should come up with a way word to differentiate personal, Livejournal-style blogs from semi-professionalized, news-based blogs. Because in truth, I do read a lot of online diaries (written by friends). It's my way of fulfilling a desire for gossip and voyeurism without resorting to celebrity rags.

Posted by at 12:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On February 15, 2006, The Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) will celebrate its 125th birthday. It was incorporated by Royal Assent to an Act of Parliament back in 1881. Four years later, CPR had built the first cross country rail link, uniting Canadians as never before and opening up the West for settlement.

Today, the CPR is thriving, shipping commodities like grain, automobiles, and agricultural equipment over its 14,000 mile continent-wide rail network. It posted record earnings of $543 million in 2005-a 32% increase over the previous year.

Happy Birthday, Canadian Pacific Railway. And thank you for all your contributions to the fabric of this great nation.

Posted by at 10:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A friend sent me this rant. (She must have noticed I haven't blogged in a while.) Like any good journalist, I'm terrible with numbers. (I edited it a bit because she's a mathie, and so she's not so hot with sentences.)

I was watching Global News last night, and they compared the TTC's cash fare to transit fares in other metropolitan cities. (The reporter noted that the fares had been converted to American dollars.)

Toronto was $2.50
Chicago $2.30
New York $2.30

They also compared the Metropass prices for all three regions, and it was clear that New York and Chicago had cheaper prices than Toronto.

What bugged me was that they didn't explain the numbers. Both New York and Chicago have populations much greater than Toronto, a logical reason as to why their cash fares are cheaper. Journalists are supposed to uncover truth, but the reporter neglected to put the numbers in context. Instead, the message seemed to be: If New York and Chicago can sustain a transit system with less fare, we should be able to do it too!

Perhaps I'm just a bit too picky with numbers. Shame on me for being a mathematician.

Posted by at 02:11 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I don't know if anyone read my last blog (or, for that matter, if anyone cares) but here's an update: I just received yet another phone call from the International Jerusalem Post. That's right, phone call #3. Nevermind the fact that phone calls #1 and #2 ended with "I'm not interested" and "Please stop sending me free issues."

This time around it was Gabriel calling, again all the way from Jerusalem. Gabriel (originally from Canada) informed me that the weather's currently very nice Israel, and proceeded to ask me if I feel safe walking along Yonge Street these days. I told him I feel a little scared because of the recent shootings, and then I asked him how safe he feels walking around the streets of Jerusalem. I feel very safe walking around Jerusalem, Gabriel told me, even in the bad parts, even at night. Well, what a twisted world we're living in right now.

Anyway, I filled Gabriel in on my situation and directed him to our website to read my blog entry from a few weeks ago. I know that he's reading it as I write this because he called me back (from Israel) to tell me so. We laughed. Good times...

The bright side and the moral of this story is I have effectively turned my stalker into my friend. Gabe and I are on a first-name basis now, and he's offered to be my insider source in Israel. I'm officially beyond annoyed (like I said last time) and now I think this whole "the Post is stalking me" business is just plain funny. I thought I'd share the humour with all of you because sometimes the best thing to do when ridiculous things happen that are out of your control is to laugh.

Posted by at 06:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I'd like to take a moment and talk about the the craft. The craft of procrastination of course. It's in all of us, to some extent, and nobody knows that bettter than an aspiring writer. Sure, it keeps us from the task at hand, but its not all bad. For instance, I'm in better shape because I procrastinate. Instead of writing, I run. Often for long stretches of time. I've also become quite handy in the kitchen. I made a particularly tasty stir-fried beef and snow pea dish last week. Other things I've learned from my procrastinating ways? Two screen savers are better than one; cd's are best organized alphabetically by artist, not album title; and ironing is best done when shirts are still slightly damp from the wash...

... Now, where was I?

Posted by at 08:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Aren't human beings creatures of habit? I thought this was well known. That's not to say that we should avoid change, because change can definitely be good but holy cow Globe and Mail! I thought my bookmarked link had morphed itself!

Gone are the soothing fall colours that used to grace the page. Also gone is the class with which I thought the old website distinguished itself from all the rest. I'm in shock, the horror! Angus, Kenny, you guys were great online instructors in second year, but I have to say I'm not thrilled about this.

I thought it was a joke when I first checked out the new site. To be perfectly honest I was so surprised I didn't even give it much of a once-over. I'm ashamed of that, I'm not usually so closed-minded. So I've come back today to give it another look.

Overwhelmed. Am I looking at a glorified message board with all of those comment bubbles stuck to stories? I'm all for audience participation online, but those are a bit distracting. Although it's kind of nice not to have to scroll down to the middle of the page to see my favourite "day in pictures" feature (and thank goodness that's still there, I think a small part of me would have died without it), at the same time I used that as an excuse to check out the other stories, in case I was in such glee over the pictures I checked them out and ran off without giving much else a second glance. I'm an example of what a journalism student shouldn't be, I know, but hear me out; I get my news from all over the place. That's another story.

Maybe it's an attempt to encourage people to buy the physical paper, or at least purchase online subscriber access. It just might work, the site seems a bit frustrating to me right now. In time I'll get used to it, just as I got used to the other. I wasn't such a huge fan of the old site because it almost seemed like it didn't have much on it, so perhaps the reason I'm feeling overwhelmed is due to the fact I feel like I went from one extreme to the other overnight.

And maybe I'm just crazy. How's that for a conclusion?

*ducks to avoid flying, rotten fruit*

Posted by at 01:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

MSN News has a section titled Unusual News. I'd never seen it before, but came into it after I clicked to read a story about the groundhog and his outcome for the rest of the season (early spring). I laughed as I read over the headlines and scanned the stories.

Here are a few good ones from today

Karate experts hired to control marauding parrots in New Zealand
WELLINGTON, N.Z. (AP) - Organizers of a vintage car rally in New Zealand have hired karate experts to protect vehicles from marauding native parrots, a news report said Friday.

Leaping crocodile slams into car in northern Australia
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - This was an auto accident with a difference. A two-metre-long saltwater crocodile leapt out of a roadside culvert and slammed into the side of a passing car, authorities said Thursday.

Songbirds in Vienna not killed by bird flu, experts say, but drunken flying
VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Experts who conducted tests on 40 songbirds found dead in Vienna say they didn't die of bird flu as initially feared, but slammed into windows after becoming intoxicated from eating fermented berries.

Australian company sells gift-wrapped lobsters for Valentine's Day
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - An Australian seafood company is making seafood sexy by selling gift-wrapped lobsters as a Valentine's Day present for culinarily challenged romantics.

Posted by at 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I was listening to a discussion on CBC this morning on the publication of Muhammed cartoons in a Danish newspaper. Members of the Muslim community are outraged because Islam forbids the illustration of the prophet. The cartoons included an image of Muhammed wearing a turban shaped as a bomb with a burning fuse.

The CBC panel consisted of members of the Muslim community. Some thought it was disrespectful while one thought it was mere satire, reasoning that the world makes fun of Catholics all the time so why isn't it okay? This is true. Making fun of Catholics seems to be okay with the P.C. set.

Isn't it after all a political cartoonist's jobs to push the limits?

Posted by at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The avian flu is breaking out, and in more ways than one. I mean, we're all going to die some day, but the thought of an international epidemic that could potentially kill millions has the world at large in a frenzy. And if the world's in a fenzy, well, you can only wonder what state the media is in. (Let's leave the question of "Does the media feed the frenzy?" to an ethics debate)

A year ago, avian flu was the biggest story the MSM wasn't talking about, frequently buried in the international briefs or health pages. But now, as the deadly influenza strain makes its way across the Pacific, it's also made our magazine covers and newspaper fronts.

And so just how do you visualize the menacing, evil bringer of death? Apparently it's a giant chicken with an evil eye, according to the Walrus. (Ryerson's student paper the Eyeopener went with the same giant chicken a year ago, but has since removed it from its online edition in embarassment.)

Or how about Time Asia's apocalyptic headline -- paired with regular chickens that look like ... regular chickens.

Kudos for finally giving this story its due, folks, but let's be serious here -- giant chickens, regular chickens or chicken eggs (chicken eggs!?) aren't doing justice to the story. I know, if only it were giant tiger flu.

And, no, I don't have an answer. The New York Times is close with their abstract take of the bird motif, but it still doesn't convey to me that this thing will be the death of me.

So, dear readers, I've got to put it to you: How would you package the avian flu?

Conversely, feel free to defend the goddamn chicken, but I sure ain't.

Posted by at 03:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)