Maurin Quina Likes To Drink

2004-06-04T20:02:00.000-04:00

Bilderberg: The ultimate conspiracy theory

The Bilderberg group, an elite coterie of Western thinkers and power-brokers, has been accused of fixing the fate of the world behind closed doors. As the organisation marks its 50th anniversary, rumours are more rife than ever.

MQ

2004-06-03T21:36:00.000-04:00

Not Withstanding

Stephan Harper is beginning to show histrue colours:

Stephen Harper continued to be haunted by his position on controversial issues, including gay marriage and abortion Thursday, saying he would allow free votes on either issue in Parliament and wouldn't rule out using the notwithstanding clause to prohibit gay marriage...Mr. Harper reiterated his statements from earlier this week; that he would allow a free vote [based on a private members' bill] in Parliament on the definition of marriage. He also said, as he said on Wednesday, that the Tories would withdraw the Supreme Court reference on same-sex unions and that he believed the court would respect the government's decision. "We're going to withdraw the Supreme Court reference and I believe, if Parliament acts in its clear constitutional authority to establish a statute on marriage that's clear in the constitution I believe the courts will defer to Parliament's judgment." But while he didn't rule out using it, he seemed to say the notwithstanding clause would be a last resort.

Equal Marriage is a human rights issue. I have a problem with anyone who feels some members of society have greater rights than others. It seems Mr. Harper does not.

MQ

2004-06-03T14:06:00.000-04:00

Hidden Agenda

"...Stephen Harper's effort to portray his Conservatives as socially moderate came under fresh attack today, as he revealed he would allow a free vote on abortion if an MP introduced a private member's bill...Harper had said a government led by him would not table legislation on the potentially explosive issue. But he had not commented on the prospect of such legislation getting in through the back door via a private bill...Harper's willingness to allow the abortion controversy to live another day is fresh fodder for critics who say the party has a hidden, hard-line agenda...On Wednesday, Harper said he would not allow government-backed abortion legislation "in this term," but he refused to rule out such action in a future mandate..."

Scratch beneath the shiny new coat of paint, and you have the same ol' Reform Party.

MQ

2004-06-03T10:48:00.000-04:00

Tenet Resigns

Holy Shit.

MQ

2004-06-03T08:55:00.000-04:00

Bush Gets a Lawyer

Hey, what do you need a lawyer for if you've got nothing to hide?

Via CBSNews:

"...President Bush has consulted an outside lawyer in case he needs to retain him in the grand jury investigation of who leaked the name of a covert CIA operative last year, the White House said Wednesday.There was no indication that Bush is a target of the leak investigation, but the president has decided that in the event he needs an attorney's advice, "he would retain him," White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan said...She deflected questions about whether Bush had been asked to appear before a grand jury in the case...The probe is aiming to pin down the source of the leak that identified Valerie Plame, wife of former ambassador Joe Wilson, as an undercover CIA agent...Wilson charges that Plame's cover was blown as payback for his challenge to President Bush's claim in last year's State of the Union address that Saddam Hussein was actively shopping for uranium to build a bomb..."

MQ

A note to readers: I've noticed a couple of visitors have arrived to this site by searching google for the CBS news piece. A better bet is to search Google News (http://www.news.google.com). Over 4500 news sources. Doing a regular google search won't get you up to date info.

MQ

2004-06-03T08:49:00.000-04:00

"...We Have a Distributor! Fahrenheit 9/11 Opens June 25!..."

Here we go....

"...We finally have a distributor in America! Actually, two of them! Lions Gate and IFC Films have agreed to aggressively distribute "Fahrenheit 9/11" in theaters all across the country beginning on Friday, June 25th. They will open it on a record number of screens for a documentary...And, as an added bonus, Lions Gate is a Canadian company. Once again, the Canadians to the rescue! It was also a Canadian company, Salter Street Films, that produced "Bowling for Columbine." I know, it's kinda sad we have to keep depending on our good neighbors to stand by us so we can bring our work to our fellow Americans. But maybe this is the year we give them their Stanley Cup back..."

Trailer here.

Go get 'em Big Mike.

MQ

2004-06-03T06:25:00.000-04:00

Chalabi's Revenge?

Via TalkingPointsMemo:

One Bush administration official said that in addition to harboring suspicions that Chalabi had been leaking sensitive U.S. information to Iran both before and after the U.S. invasion of Iraq, some U.S. officials also believe that Chalabi had collected and maintained files of potentially damaging information on U.S. officials with whom he had or was going to interact for the purpose of influencing them.

MQ

2004-06-01T15:58:00.000-04:00

Free Vote on Abortion: Harper

Mr. Harper said his health critic's comments were Mr. Merrifield's opinion, and did not reflect the Conservative Party platform. While the party's platform has not yet been fully released, Mr. Harper's position on abortion is that he would not bring forward any changes to the law. However, if a backbencher pressed the issue, he would allow a free vote.

I have a question for Mr. Harper: "What is your position, as the potential PM of Canada, on a woman's right to an abortion?" Can a reporter please ask that question?

MQ

2004-06-01T12:27:00.000-04:00

Police Thug Charged

A punch caught on amateur videotape has led to an assault charge against a rookie Toronto police constable, but a lawyer involved in the case says more action should be taken.

MQ

2004-06-01T09:18:00.000-04:00

Conservatives Coming After Abortion

Give them enough rope....

The Conservative Party's health critic is advocating a dramatic shift in abortion regulations by calling for third-party counselling for women who are considering terminating their pregnancies.In an interview yesterday, Rob Merrifield said independent counselling would be ''valuable'' for women contemplating abortion because ''people who take part in it may only be seeing one side of it. His comments throw the polarizing issue into the federal election and contrast with Conservative Leader Stephen Harper's attempts to run a tightly controlled, disciplined campaign.

Hear that sound? That's the air coming out of the Conservative balloon. This is the turning point in the election - mark my words.

MQ

2004-06-01T08:40:00.000-04:00

The Expanding Blogosphere

Political blogs--online journals featuring commentary, often highly opinionated--have rapidly become a presence in the campaign landscape. Now some established news organizations are hiring established bloggers or creating their own. How much impact does this instant punditry have on mainstream political reporting?

MQ

2004-05-31T08:30:00.000-04:00

A Saddam Souvenir

"He really liked showing it off," says a recent visitor to the White House who has seen the gun. "He was really proud of it."

MQ

2004-05-31T08:28:00.000-04:00

Christians, Jews & Bush's reelection strategy

Courting the pro-Israel vote, President Bush addresses powerful pro-Israel lobby while his staff meets secretly with theocratic Christians.

MQ

2004-05-31T08:23:00.000-04:00

Cheney Paper Trail

From TIME:

Vice President Dick Cheney was a guest on NBC's Meet the Press last September when host Tim Russert brought up Halliburton. Citing the company's role in rebuilding Iraq as well as Cheney's prior service as Halliburton's CEO, Russert asked, "Were you involved in any way in the awarding of those contracts?" Cheney's reply: "Of course not, Tim ... And as Vice President, I have absolutely no influence of, involvement of, knowledge of in any way, shape or form of contracts led by the [Army] Corps of Engineers or anybody else in the Federal Government."

Both he and the company say they have no ongoing connections. But TIME has obtained an internal Pentagon e-mail sent by an Army Corps of Engineers official—whose name was blacked out by the Pentagon—that raises questions about Cheney's arm's-length policy toward his old employer. Dated March 5, 2003, the e-mail says "action" on a multibillion-dollar Halliburton contract was "coordinated" with Cheney's office. The e-mail says Douglas Feith, a high-ranking Pentagon hawk, got the "authority to execute RIO," or Restore Iraqi Oil, from his boss, who is Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz. RIO is one of several large contracts the U.S. awarded to Halliburton last year.

The e-mail says Feith approved arrangements for the contract "contingent on informing WH [White House] tomorrow. We anticipate no issues since action has been coordinated w VP's [Vice President's] office." Three days later, the Army Corps of Engineers gave Halliburton the contract, without seeking other bids. TIME located the e-mail among documents provided by Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group.

MQ

2004-05-28T06:59:00.000-04:00

Casting for the Da Vinci Code and Superman

Nice little update (via Dark Horizons) on the actors in line for 2 plum roles:

"The DaVinci Code"

The Montreal Gazette reports that George Clooney, Russell Crowe, Tom Hanks and Hugh Jackman are all in the running to star in a film adaptation of the runaway best-seller by Dan Brown. The team behind "A Beautiful Mind", Ron Howard, producer Brian Grazer, and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman have reunited for the project. Ron Howard is expected to get to work on this once "Cinderella Man" wraps up.

"Superman"

Teen Hollywood reports that Jake Gyllenhaal is reportedly the hot favorite to take over the role of Superman on the big screen. Hollywood insiders claim Ashton Kutcher and Brendan Fraser were both considered to take to the skies as Clark Kent's alter-ego but now the actor, who almost landed the role of Spider-Man opposite his girlfriend Kirsten Dunst, is set to take the role. Meanwhile, Beyonce Knowles and Keira Knightley are being considered as the new Lois Lane in Charlie's Angels director McG's new Superman film.

MQ

2004-05-27T22:57:00.000-04:00

Big Brother...

...is watching...

MQ

2004-05-27T18:35:00.000-04:00

Conservatives to end bilingualism?

"...Scott Reid, an Ottawa area MP and the Conservative candidate for the riding of Lanark-Frontenac-Lennox and Addington, was quoted in the Moncton Times and Herald News as saying he supports removing Ottawa's obligation to offer bilingual services across much of Canada and that the senior civil servants no longer should be required to speak both of the country's official languages...The Liberals jumped all over the article earlier in the day, saying that the Conservative Party "shows us its true colours in regards to bilingualism by bringing to light the old reform policy of offering bilingual services solely in isolated areas in Ontario and New Brunswick..."

MQ

2004-05-27T18:19:00.000-04:00

Liberated, huh?

Via Atrios, we get a glimpse at the wonderful Islamic state that awaits the citizens of Iraq. Back to the 13th century we go.

I don't know who I hate more - the fundamentalists that attacking this country or the fundamentalists that will take over.

MQ

2004-05-27T12:29:00.000-04:00

Layton, Harper and Martin on Same Sex Marriage

To me, views on same-sex marriage is a barometer on the overall tolerance of a candidate and their party. Take a look at the findings of Canadians for Equal Marriage:

Prime Minister Paul Martin rates a B- for "his support for permitting same-sex couples to marry and ... by voting against the Alliance motion to entrench an opposite-sex definition of marriage."

"However, he expanded the Supreme Court reference to ask whether the opposite-sex restriction on marriage is unconstitutional," the Web site says.

"Martin seems to be struggling with this issue. He has not said that he personally thinks it's the right thing to do, despite repeated calls to do just that. Instead he has couched his support by saying he will uphold the Charter and rely on the courts to say whether or not the Charter requires equal marriage."

The Liberal Party received a mediocre 64 per cent over-all grade, largely due to same-sex foes like Scarborough-Southwest incumbent Tom Wappel.

Conservative Leader Stephen Harper earns an F — and a "defeat" stamp on his page — because he "actively and vigorously opposes equal marriage."

"He sent a letter to every church, synagogue, mosque and other house of worship to whip up their opposition to equal marriage. He has done everything in his power to make this into a wedge issue."

The Conservative Party earned a miserable 4 per cent over-all grade. In contrast, NDP Leader Jack Layton earns an A+ and his party 100 per cent.

"Layton unabashedly supports equal marriage. He has stated that he will not allow a free vote. Layton is a longstanding champion of equality for lesbian, gay, bi and trans (gender) people."

The Bloc Québécois, Gilles Duceppe's party, received an 84 per cent over-all mark and he earned an A for "a solid supporter of equal marriage and of equality for lesbian, gay, bi and trans people generally."

Stephen Harper gets an F.

MQ

2004-05-27T12:18:00.000-04:00

Symbols

Whatever this war means to Americans - whether it be freedom, fighting terrorism or destroying WMDs - there is little question about what this war means to Iraqis - and the rest of the Muslim world.

Symbols are powerful things.

MQ

2004-05-27T10:16:00.000-04:00

Who is Stephen Harper? Part 1

I'm not sure if Canadians really have any idea who they are voting for when they cast a ballot Stephen Harper and the KKKanadian Alliance. So, in the interest of educating our great nation, I'll be posting a few interesting tid bits in the coming days and weeks.

The first - Stephen Harper and the CBC:

via Liberal.ca

"...While the recently leaked Conservative Party platform makes no mention of CBC funding, the Canadian Alliance had a long-standing policy favouring the privatization of most aspects of the CBC, with a capital infusion to be achieved through a public share offering. The only protection they offered was that they would
limit foreign ownership in the new, privatized CBC...The Reform Party platform of 1997 targeted CBC-TV as one of three Crown Corporations to be privatized, and the Canadian Alliance platform of 2000 said the CBC was a target for expenditure reduction...During the recent Conservative leadership race, all three candidates - Stephen Harper, Tony Clement and Belinda Stronach - pledged to review the future of the CBC, but at a minimum they committed to reducing its government funding and return it to its mandate...This policy direction is in contrast with that of the late Progressive Conservative Party, which has - since the CBC first began broadcasting in 1936 - been a supporter of public broadcasting in Canada...The Alliance-Conservative position on the CBC is another example of the takeover of the PC Party and the elimination of traditional Tory values from the new Alliance-Conservative Party..."

Mr. Harper seems to like US style tax structures, US style health care and US style immigration policies. Why not US style news? Fox Canada anyone?

MQ

2004-05-26T20:04:00.000-04:00

A Liar...

...and a drunk.

MQ

(Admit it...you thought I was talking about Dubya.)

2004-05-26T14:42:00.000-04:00

Perle: Iraq a "grave error."

Not sure why this isn't getting wider play.

"One of the ideological architects of the Iraq war has criticized the U.S.-led occupation of the country as "a grave error." Richard Perle, until recently a powerful adviser to U.S. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, described U.S. policy in post-war Iraq as a failure." I would be the first to acknowledge we allowed the liberation (of Iraq) to subside into an occupation. And I think that was a grave error, and in some ways a continuing error," said Perle, former chair of the influential Defence Policy Board, which advises the Pentagon."

MQ

2004-05-26T14:19:00.000-04:00

Terror Alert

Somebody find these motherfuckers.

Fast.

MQ

2004-05-26T12:52:00.000-04:00

Bloggers Forcing Change

Bloggers' scrutiny is making its mark on traditional journalism.

MQ

2004-05-26T08:44:00.000-04:00

Attack Coming?

While Bush fights an unnecessary war, the real enemy is getting ready to strike again:

U.S. counterterrorism and law enforcement officials had said Tuesday that new intelligence indicates that a group of terrorists already deployed inside the United States is preparing to launch a major attack this summer. This information was described by a senior counterterrorism official on condition of anonymity as extremely credible and backed by an unusually high level of corroboration...The intelligence does not include a time, place or method of attack but is among the most disturbing received by the government since the al-Qaida attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the senior counterterrorism official said..."There is clearly a steady drumbeat of information that they are going to attack and hit us hard," the official said...Beginning with Saturday's dedication of the new World War II Memorial in Washington, the summer presents a number of high-profile targets in the United States. They include the G-8 summit in Georgia next month that will attract top officials from some of America's closest allies, plus the Democratic National Convention in Boston in July and the Republican National Convention in August in New York City...The FBI and Homeland Security Department also are concerned about so-called soft targets such as shopping malls anywhere in the United States that offer a far less protected environment than a political convention hall...Of special concern, the counterterrorism official said, is the possibility that terrorists may possess and use a chemical, biological or radiological weapon that could cause much more damage and casualties than a conventional bomb.

Scary.

MQ

2004-05-24T11:22:00.000-04:00

A Primer on Chalabi

Kevin Drum does the work for us.

MQ

2004-05-24T11:21:00.000-04:00

Canada Says No to Homophobia

I love this country.

MQ

2004-05-23T19:25:00.000-04:00

"...They Screwed Up..."

Gen. Zinni on 60 Minutes:

"...There has been poor strategic thinking in this,” says Zinni. “There has been poor operational planning and execution on the ground. And to think that we are going to ‘stay the course,’ the course is headed over Niagara Falls. I think it's time to change course a little bit, or at least hold somebody responsible for putting you on this course. Because it's been a failure..."

“I think there was dereliction in insufficient forces being put on the ground and fully understanding the military dimensions of the plan. I think there was dereliction in lack of planning,” says Zinni. “The president is owed the finest strategic thinking. He is owed the finest operational planning. He is owed the finest tactical execution on the ground. … He got the latter. He didn’t get the first two.”

“Well, it starts with at the top. If you're the secretary of defense and you're responsible for that. If you're responsible for that planning and that execution on the ground. If you've assumed responsibility for the other elements, non-military, non-security, political, economic, social and everything else, then you bear responsibility,” says Zinni. “Certainly those in your ranks that foisted this strategy on us that is flawed. Certainly they ought to be gone and replaced.”

MQ

2004-05-23T12:27:00.000-04:00

Fahrenheit 9/11 Heats Up

Michael Moore wins the top prize at Cannes.

MQ

2004-05-22T16:04:00.000-04:00

June 28th, 2004

Election Time.

Get ready - this is gonna get dirty.

MQ

2004-05-22T15:10:00.000-04:00

The Science of Eating and Weight

Via Harvard Magazine:

The obesity epidemic arrived with astonishing speed. After tens of thousands of generations of human evolution, flab has become widespread only in the past 50 years, and waistlines have ballooned exponentially in the last two decades. In 1980, 46 percent of U.S. adults were overweight; by 2000, the figure was 64.5 percent: nearly a 1 percent annual increase in the ranks of the fat. At this rate, by 2040, 100 percent of American adults will be overweight and "it may happen more quickly," says John Foreyt of Baylor College of Medicine, who spoke at a conference organized by Gifford's Oldways group in 2003. Foreyt noted that, 20 years ago, he rarely saw 300-pound patients; now they are common. Childhood obesity, also once rare, has mushroomed: 15 percent of children between ages six and 19 are now overweight, and even 10 percent of those between two and five. "This may be the first generation of children who will die before their parents..."

MQ

2004-05-22T10:32:00.000-04:00

Bill's Blessing

Bill Gates likes Blogs.

MQ

2004-05-22T10:27:00.000-04:00

The New Strategy

Iran tricked us.

The Defense Intelligence Agency has concluded that a U.S.-funded arm of Ahmed Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress has been used for years by Iranian intelligence to pass disinformation to the United States and to collect highly sensitive American secrets, according to intelligence sources.

"Iranian intelligence has been manipulating the United States through Chalabi by furnishing through his Information Collection Program information to provoke the United States into getting rid of Saddam Hussein," said an intelligence source Friday

Is it me, or does this sound like a bit of a stretch? I'm not saying that Chalabi didn't pass information to Iran. What I am saying is that we shouldn't allow the Bush Administration to blame the Iraq War on Iranian manipulation.

MQ

2004-05-20T11:17:00.000-04:00

Never Ending

The stories of abuse are never ending...

"...A military intelligence analyst who recently completed duty at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq said Wednesday that the 16-year-old son of a detainee there was abused by U.S. soldiers to break his father's resistance to interrogators...The analyst said the teenager was stripped naked, thrown in the back of an open truck, driven around in the cold night air, splattered with mud and then presented to his father at Abu Ghraib, the prison at the center of the scandal over abuse of Iraqi detainees...Upon seeing his frail and frightened son, the prisoner broke down and cried and told interrogators he would tell them whatever they wanted, the analyst said...He said he overheard colleagues in the military intelligence battalion laughing as a soldier in the unit described watching MPs use two detainees as "practice dummies," first knocking one prisoner unconscious with a blow and then doing the same to the other..."

MQ

2004-05-19T12:24:00.000-04:00

Female Soldiers Raped

Just wondering when the media was going to get around to reporting this.

"...The US serviceman waited outside the latrine and hit the woman on the back of the head as she exited, knocking her unconscious. He tied her hands with cord, blindfolded her, cut her clothes off with a knife, stuffed her underwear in her mouth and then raped her. When she regained consciousness and began to resist, he threatened to rape her with the knife instead. He hit her in the head again, this time forcefully between the eyes, again causing her to lose consciousness. When she came to she was transported to another facility where she was interrogated for three hours. She received no medical treatment for her head injuries. She was left in isolation for an extended period, and her requests for religious counsel were denied...Sound like the latest exposé from Abu Ghraib? Guess again. It's just one of the more than 100 incidents of rape, sexual assault and other forms of sexual misconduct reported in the past 18 months by U.S. women soldiers currently serving in Iraq and Afghanistan who have been sexually assaulted by fellow U.S. soldiers..."

MQ

2004-05-19T08:50:00.000-04:00

The Jesus Landing Pad

The email you weren't meant to see:

"...Not for our eyes were the notes that showed White House staffers taking two-hour meetings with Christian fundamentalists...a group whose representative in Israel believed herself to have been attacked by witchcraft unleashed by proximity to a volume of Harry Potter. Most of all, apparently, we're not supposed to know the National Security Council's top Middle East aide consults with apocalyptic Christians eager to ensure American policy on Israel conforms with their sectarian doomsday scenarios..."

"...The e-mailed meeting summary reveals NSC Near East and North African Affairs director Elliott Abrams sitting down with the Apostolic Congress and massaging their theological concerns. Claiming to be "the Christian Voice in the Nation's Capital," the members vociferously oppose the idea of a Palestinian state. They fear an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza might enable just that, and they object on the grounds that all of Old Testament Israel belongs to the Jews. Until Israel is intact and David's temple rebuilt, they believe, Christ won't come back to earth. Abrams attempted to assuage their concerns by stating that "the Gaza Strip had no significant Biblical influence such as Joseph's tomb or Rachel's tomb and therefore is a piece of land that can be sacrificed for the cause of peace."

"Three weeks after the confab, President George W. Bush reversed long-standing U.S. policy, endorsing Israeli sovereignty over parts of the West Bank in exchange for Israel's disengagement from the Gaza Strip..."

Let me get this straight.

We have the leader of the free world making geo-political decisions based on Bible prophecy.

Doesn't anyone see a slight problem with this?

MQ

2004-05-18T16:12:00.000-04:00

Reuters, NBC Staff Abused by U.S. Troops

Via Drudge:

U.S. forces beat three Iraqis working for Reuters and subjected them to sexual and religious taunts and humiliation during their detention last January in a military camp near Falluja, the three said Tuesday.

The three first told Reuters of the ordeal after their release but only decided to make it public when the U.S. military said there was no evidence they had been abused, and following the exposure of similar mistreatment of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad.

An Iraqi journalist working for U.S. network NBC, who was arrested with the Reuters staff, also said he had been beaten and mistreated, NBC said Tuesday.

Two of the three Reuters staff said they had been forced to insert a finger into their anus and then lick it, and were forced to put shoes in their mouths, particularly humiliating in Arab culture.

All three said they were forced to make demeaning gestures as soldiers laughed, taunted them and took photographs. They said they did not want to give details publicly earlier because of the degrading nature of the abuse.

The soldiers told them they would be taken to the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, deprived them of sleep, placed bags over their heads, kicked and hit them and forced them to remain in stress positions for long periods.

MQ

2004-05-07T12:06:00.000-04:00

In A Better Place

Lost my grandmother on Wednesday.

Devastated. She was a saint.

Have begun to find perspective....and maybe God.

MQ

2004-05-05T01:39:00.000-04:00

Disney Blocks "Fahrenheit 911"

Via Drudge:

The Walt Disney Company is blocking its Miramax division from distributing a new documentary by Michael Moore that harshly criticizes President Bush, executives at both Disney and Miramax said Tuesday...The film, "Fahrenheit 911," links Mr. Bush and prominent Saudis — including the family of Osama bin Laden — and criticizes Mr. Bush's actions before and after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Looks like Bush has Eisner in his pocket.

MQ

2004-05-03T00:49:00.000-04:00

Sad

3%.

Jesus H. Christ.

This could be the lowest I've ever seen.

Hey Bobby...what were you thinking? I mean...you're a legend. You're doing this shit.

Somebody put this man in a room with Quentin Tarantino shut the door and don't let 'em out until we see a script.

MQ

2004-04-30T09:16:00.000-04:00

Controlling the Media

You have to be kidding me:

According to Poynter Online, the Sinclair Broadcast Group -- which reaches about a quarter of the U.S. population -- "has ordered its ABC-affiliated stations not to carry tomorrow's Nightline, which will air the names and photos of soldiers who have been killed in combat in Iraq." ...Says Sinclair General Counsel Barry Faber : "We find it to be contrary to the public interest."...Sinclair executives are major financial backers of President Bush's political campaigns.

We are now in 1984.

MQ

2004-04-30T08:53:00.000-04:00

Torture

I'm speechless.

(via Drudge)

More...and more...

MQ

2004-04-29T12:39:00.000-04:00

Stern: Closet Blogger?

Apparently Howard Stern writes a secret blog.

MQ

2004-04-29T12:20:00.000-04:00

The Meeting

Today's the big day.

President Cheney and his monkey meet with the 9/11 committee. I understand that shortly before the session started Bush requested that he be allowed to bring his "special blanket" for support.

MQ

UPDATE: My sources tell me that half way through the meeting Bush announced that Omarosa from the Apprentice was the newest member of the "Axis of evil." He then started giggling uncontrollably until President Cheney had to slap him.

More soon...

UPDATE #2: Bush has started crying...unsure why...he was talking one moment, than suddenly stopped...stared at a committee member and yelled, ..."Hey! Are you writing this down....You're not allowed to write this down!...." He then turned to Cheney and yelled "...Daddy...tell them to stop writing this down!....." He then proceed to wail.

2004-04-28T12:06:00.000-04:00

Fuck Quentin Tarantino

You know when you go to the movies and before the show you see this commercial about movie piracy? With the stunt man or a set assistant telling you how movie piracy hurts the little guy as much as the big studios. You know those guys?

Fuck them.

Fuck them, the studios, the actors, the directors, the writers --- fuck them all.

These ass-hats have been making a killing off selling multiple (and misleading) versions of DVD's. The first day of Kill Bill's DVD release made $40 million - $40 million!!. And you know what? If you bought it - you got suckered. Cause the DVD sucks. Tarantino and his crew are going to sell 6 different versions of the film(s) in various releases - each with the "extras" you thought you were going to get with the 40 bucks you put down for this one. Add to that the 15 bucks you paid to see the movie in the first place - and you begin to see the bigger picture.

They're greedy motherfuckers.

And - I ain't gonna play this game no more.

Nope.

I'm getting me a "china town" copy. In fact, this is what I should do. I should find me one of those DVD burners (and some "software"), rent a copy from Blockbuster for 3.99 and save myself a shit load of money. Hey - I should do that for every movie I see....

Hey Quentin - your movies are great - but you're trying to fuck your fans.

And "...Maurin Quina don't like to be fucked by anyone except Mrs. Quina..."

MQ

2004-04-28T08:55:00.000-04:00

Nortel Rocked By Terminations

CEO Dunn "terminated for cause"; 2 others turfed.

I hope you're not holding Nortel this morning.

MQ

UPDATE - The Star has more: Cutting earnings in half; 31% drop in premarket. Put on your seat belts people.

2004-04-27T11:41:00.000-04:00

"...Kill all Muslims..."

This is unbelievable.

Rather than being fired, this schmuck is being defended by his station.

MQ

2004-04-27T11:34:00.000-04:00

Bill O'Reilly vs. Canada

The NY Times has the run down on a recent skirmish between Bill O'Reilly of Fox News and John Doyle of the Globe and Mail.

I think its time to get Tie Domi involved.

MQ

2004-04-27T09:16:00.000-04:00

Tarantino and ..... Sophia Coppola?

Gawker has a couple of tidbits...here and here.

MQ

2004-04-27T08:58:00.000-04:00

Harpers "Hidden" Agenda

Clark keeps coming:

"Joe Clark drove a wedge deeper into the newly united Conservative Party yesterday, drawing support from several members of his old Tory party in accusing Conservative Leader Stephen Harper of harbouring a "hidden" agenda...Unbowed by the controversy, the two-time leader of the old Progressive Conservatives warned Canadians that Mr. Harper has plans to overhaul the country's social, environmental and aboriginal policies...The new leader's plans for government "are pretty well hidden," Mr. Clark told reporters outside the House of Commons..."

Perhaps worse than the criticism of Harper is the CA response. If there was any doubt that this is the Reform Party in disguise, this should end it:

"Some Conservatives said Mr. Clark's views are significant because they demonstrate the party has not yet coalesced. They also said House Leader John Reynolds should not have referred to Mr. Clark as a traitor and a bitter old man..."I didn't appreciate John Reynolds' comments," said Bruck Easton, a party member and former Progressive Conservative Party president. "That's just not helpful."..He was joined in his criticisms by Conservative MP Rick Borotsik, who said the criticisms show the party lacks generosity, and that Mr. Clark's supporters are the type of conservatives the party needs to attract."

So much for diversity of ideas.

MQ

2004-04-26T14:58:00.000-04:00

Move On's Latest

Pretty good if you ask me.

MQ

2004-04-26T11:47:00.000-04:00

The Canadian Republicans

Joe Clark, the last remaining member of the Old Guard of Ottawa says exactly what we are all thinking: Stephen Harper, and the new Canadian Alliance, is "dangerous" for Canada.

"Mr. Clark said yesterday that the Liberal Prime Minister would make a better leader for the country than Conservative Stephen Harper - but that neither one is a great choice..."What I know of Stephen Harper and what I know of Paul Martin, I have to believe Paul Martin would be less dangerous to the country," Mr. Clark told The Globe and Mail...The senior Liberal added: "Joe Clark says what we've known all along, that the Conservative Party is really an Alliance takeover,"...That refrain is expected to be a major theme of the Liberal campaign; some cabinet ministers have even taken to referring to the Conservative Party as Canadian Republicans...Mr. Harper, on the other hand, has shown "dangerous" tendencies, Mr. Clark said, accusing the new party of deliberately holding up a private member's bill to protect gays and lesbians against hate crimes..."I would be extremely worried about Mr. Harper. I personally would prefer to go with the devil we know," he told CTV's Question Period yesterday."

Wow.

MQ

UPDATE: Looks like most of us agree.

2004-04-26T11:37:00.000-04:00

Dirty Cops

14 charges.

The old "..a few rotten apples..." routine just won't cut it this time.

MQ

2004-04-23T16:03:00.000-04:00

About Time

Black College Women Take Aim at Rappers:

Maybe it was the credit card that rap superstar Nelly swiped through a woman's backside in a recent video. Here at Spelman, the most famous black women's college in the country, a feud has erupted over images of women in rap videos, sparking a petition drive and phone campaigns...Nelly planned to visit Spelman earlier this month for a charity event enlisting students for a bone marrow registry. But the rapper canceled the appearance after hearing that a protest was in the works because of his videos - especially "Tip Drill," the one with the credit card, which also shows men throwing money between women's legs and women simulating sex acts with each other.

Look - don't get me wrong. I'm a fan of rap and hip/hop. I listen to the raunchiest shit out there and don't really care. And - you know my position on censorship, so that's not the issue. What is at issue is the utter lack of cultural diversity within the urban entertainment community. Images of "bitches" and "gangstas" have become the primary iconic symbols of inner city youth. They serve as perhaps the ONLY role model for youth - especially urban black youth - showing them how to act, how to dress and how to behave. There really is nothing else. BET serves as the community's main socializing mechanism - The Gangsta Learning Channel in a sense. I'm glad people are beginning to see that this is a problem.

MQ

2004-04-23T09:19:00.000-04:00

Mike Seaver - Jesus Freak

What the fuck is this?

MQ

2004-04-23T09:16:00.000-04:00

SARS in China

Shit. Its back.

MQ

2004-04-22T12:35:00.000-04:00

"...You're Fired!..."

Hey lady - are you nuts? This is America.

You can't take photographs in America....

Sheesh.

MQ

2004-04-22T12:30:00.000-04:00

A Tale of Two Soldiers

As he normally does, Kevin Drum over at Political Animal makes things abundantly clear:

Bush: "..[I] do not volunteer for overseas..."

Kerry: "...I request duty in Vietnam..."

Any questions?

MQ

2004-04-22T08:42:00.000-04:00

Mark Cuban vs The Donald

When zillionaires attack...(via Gawker).

Ouch.

MQ

2004-04-22T08:36:00.000-04:00

Fahrenheit 911

The latest on Michael Moore's new documentary. Looks like it'll premiere at Cannes - with Tarantino as a judge!

MQ

2004-04-21T16:10:00.000-04:00

Tenet does...

...his best Bush impression.

Not bad.

MQ

2004-04-21T11:42:00.000-04:00

Toronto's Top Cops

Oh yeah....this gives me confidence in the boys in blue:

"Up to six Toronto police officers will be charged in a widening probe of alleged gambling debts owed to organized crime figures, the Star has learned. Senior investigators are also looking into suspicions that several bars in Toronto and a business north of the city were used to launder drug money. It's all part of a massive police corruption investigation that will lead to charges by the end of next month, sources said. It is not yet clear which Toronto officers may face charges. In another development, a second official with the powerful police union, Mike McCormack — son of former police chief Bill McCormack — is under investigation, the sources said. The union official, serving his first term following last fall's election, is the second of the retired chief's sons to be named in the investigation."

This comes as absolutely no surprise to me.

MQ

2004-04-20T09:03:00.000-04:00

Oil for Votes

Atrios would like to bring to our attention a "wee difference..."

MQ

2004-04-20T08:56:00.000-04:00

Kwame Doing Just Fine

Don't worry...he's living it up:

At The Apprentice's after-party, Kwame was reportedly offered a cushy position managing one of the portfolios of Mark Cuban, billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks, according to Extra and StarMagazine.com.

The Internet mogul reportedly waited for hours to gain the runner-up's ear and spring the job offer on him.

"I'm deciding, and we're going to be talking," Kwame told Extra. "I mean, I'm just flattered that he waited around for me."

As if any more proof were needed that Kwame is this year's answer to Clay Aiken, Star reports that he has been personally invited to accompany On the Record's Greta Van Susteren to the White House correspondents dinner on May 1.

And a little on the others:

Sam, the season's most eccentric firee, continued to display a flair for the bizarre by offering Donald a suitcase stuffed with $250,000 in exchange for a job. The Donald accepted the suitcase on air, but has yet to issue an edict as to whether Sam is hired or merely out of a lot of money.

And then there's the women everyone loves to hate: Omarosa Manigault-Stallworth. While Donald hinted that Omarosa may make an appearance in season two of The Apprentice, reports indicate that the show's villain isn't one of the mogul's favorites.

According to Us Weekly, Omarosa begged for a gig as one of the judges at Donald's Miss USA pageant in Los Angeles on Apr. 12--but to no avail.

"There was no way we were going to make her a judge," a pageant source told Us. "Mr. Trump is annoyed."

Donald has reportedly put an offer on the table for last blonde standing, Amy Henry--a job managing the sales team at Trump World Tower.

"He offered me a job and called on two occasions to make sure I was still interested," Amy told Us Weekly. She had yet to accept the position.

Finally, Larry King is having an Apprentice Reunion show this Wednesday night...and yes, Omarosa will be there.

MQ

2004-04-19T13:26:00.000-04:00

An Honest Assessment

Outside of "not being Bush", I really see nothing inspiring about John Kerry's personality or policies.

I'm hoping this will change....soon.

MQ

UPDATE: It looks like there are others who agree. Among likely voters, its 50-44 in favor of Dubya. Time to pick a running mate, John. Someone who has some personality. I'd go with Edwards - but what do I know.

2004-04-17T14:51:00.000-04:00

Entertain Yourselves....

Finishing up a paper....so blogging will be light.

In the mean time, check out Atrios, TPM, and Political Animal.

MQ

2004-04-15T12:18:00.000-04:00

Blogs Canada

I didn't even know this existed....too cool!

MQ

2004-04-14T12:44:00.000-04:00

Moron

"The minister of a church in far southwest Virginia has died after being bitten by a snake during church services...Authorities say the Reverend Dwayne Long of Rose Hill was bitten by a rattlesnake Sunday afternoon and refused to seek medical treatment. He died early Monday at his home...Lee County Sheriff Gary Parsons says Long was a minister at a Pentecostal church where members practice serpent-handling. Parsons says Long was holding a rattlesnake during an Easter service when the snake bit him on the back of a finger. He says the congregation prayed for the minister, but no one -- including Long -- sought medical treatment...The sheriff says he doubts any charges will be filed, because, in his words, "it's their belief."

When asked by reporters for comment, God replied, "...hey don't look at me. No one told that stupid motherfucker to play with a rattlesnake..."

Indeed.

MQ

2004-04-14T11:26:00.000-04:00

The Slow Death of Howard Stern

Headlining Salon.com today....

MQ

UPDATE: a related article...

2004-04-14T09:57:00.000-04:00

Life Imitates Art...or in this case SNL

Oliver Wills just had deja vu.

MQ

2004-04-14T09:45:00.000-04:00

Underoos!

Remember these?

(scroll down)

MQ

2004-04-14T08:32:00.000-04:00

Pathetic

....and we all know it. I'm not even going to bother debating it with you. Say whatever you want about "staying on course" and "staying strong," - you and I both know the display last night was down right sad.

That, my friends, was the leader of the free world.

Pass me the prozac.

MQ

2004-04-13T15:54:00.000-04:00

13 Questions

"Some help for the starstruck media covering tonight's White House press conference..."

MQ

2004-04-13T15:51:00.000-04:00

Just Fabulous!

Its really hard to believe this guy doesn't support gay marriage...

MQ

MORE - "...well...hellooooow..."

2004-04-13T13:36:00.000-04:00

Dropping the Gloves

Howard Stern is going on the offensive.

MQ

2004-04-13T12:02:00.000-04:00

God's Country

Planning a vacation? Why not visit Nebraska?

"The report released Friday found that six out of 10 of adults in the county were overweight, including 23.6 percent who were considered obese...About 27 percent of Douglas County adults have suffered from depression for two or more years. The national average is nearly 24 percent...The chlamydia rate for the county was 34 percent above the national average, and its gonorrhea rate was 50 percent above the national average, the report said..."

Screw Disneyland...

MQ

2004-04-13T11:55:00.000-04:00

Questions for Tonight

Over at Corrente, the taking suggestions ...

(in the comments section)

MQ

2004-04-13T11:46:00.000-04:00

Movie Piracy

You know that collection of mp3s you have? Imagine instead of music, they were pristine copies of movies like Kill Bill 2 or Spiderman 2? Pretty cool, huh?

Not to the North American film industry, which is finally coming the realization that they're just about to experience a meltdown.

MQ

2004-04-13T09:03:00.000-04:00

Drudge is.....?

An interesting e-mail exchange between a reporter and a reader somehow moves to the topic of Matt Drudge and his...well....I'll let you read it.

MQ

2004-04-13T08:52:00.000-04:00

Dear God....

Thank you for Ed Belfour.

MQ

2004-04-13T08:50:00.000-04:00

Facing the Nation

Looks like Bush has realized that, with chaos in Iraq and a credibility meltdown at home, he'd better come home from vacation and...like...you know...say something maybe?

Don't expect too much from tonight's press conference - TBOGG reminds us what happened the last time Bush stepped up to the plate.

MQ

2004-04-12T16:09:00.000-04:00

Virus....or worse

I've been hit with some sort of Spyware or Virus thats pretty much shut down my internet access. At first, the thing kept re-directing any address I typed in to another search page. Then, it started doing it automatically. Now - it attaches a prefix to any URL I type in - preventing me from going anywhere except this one webpage.

Latest problem - can't access any page or the internet at all...its attached some sort of firewall.

If anyone has any idea what the fuck this thing is, give me shout at mqtimes@hotmail.com. Until this thing is fixed, blogging will be light.

MQ

PS - I've already tried Spybot, Adware and my virus checker - no luck.

2004-04-12T16:04:00.000-04:00

Dream Job

Josh Marshall at TPM is looking for an intern.

MQ

2004-04-12T14:35:00.000-04:00

Ghostly Figure on Shroud

The mystery will not go away. This from Discovery.com:

"The ghostly image of a man's face has emerged on the back side of the Turin Shroud, the piece of linen long believed to have been wrapped around Jesus's body after the crucifixion, according to new digital imaging processing techniques...The discovery adds new complexity to one of the most controversial relics in Christendom, venerated by many Catholics as the proof that Christ was resurrected from the grave and dismissed by some scientists as a brilliant medieval fake."

More...(with an image.)

MQ

2004-04-12T08:37:00.000-04:00

"Bin Ladin Determined To Strike in US"

Here is the "PDB". You be the judge.

MQ

2004-04-12T08:32:00.000-04:00

"Sub-Human"

This from the Telegraph:

Senior British commanders have condemned American military tactics in Iraq as heavy-handed and disproportionate.

One senior Army officer told The Telegraph that America's aggressive methods were causing friction among allied commanders and that there was a growing sense of "unease and frustration" among the British high command.

The officer, who agreed to the interview on the condition of anonymity, said that part of the problem was that American troops viewed Iraqis as untermenschen - the Nazi expression for "sub-humans".

Speaking from his base in southern Iraq, the officer said: "My view and the view of the British chain of command is that the Americans' use of violence is not proportionate and is over-responsive to the threat they are facing. They don't see the Iraqi people the way we see them. They view them as untermenschen. They are not concerned about the Iraqi loss of life in the way the British are. Their attitude towards the Iraqis is tragic, it's awful.

MQ

2004-04-10T11:20:00.000-04:00

PDB Explosion

As much as Condi tried to downplay the now infamous "PDB", it looks like the story is growing like a virus.

President Bush's August 2001 briefing on terrorism threats, described largely as a historical document, included information from three months earlier that al-Qaida was trying to send operatives into the United States for an explosives attack, according to several people who have seen the memo.

The so-called presidential daily briefing, or PDB, delivered to Bush on Aug. 6, 2001 - a month before the Sept. 11 attacks - said there were various reports that Osama bin Laden had wanted to strike inside the United States as early as 1997 and continuing into the spring of 2001, the sources told The Associated Press.

The same month as that briefing of Bush, U.S. intelligence officials received two uncorroborated reports suggesting terrorists might use airplanes, including one that suggested al-Qaida operatives were considering flying a plane into a U.S. embassy, current and former government officials said.

Those August 2001 reports - among thousands of varied and uncorroborated threats received by the government each month - weren't deemed credible enough to tell the president or his national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, the officials said. Neither involved the eventual Sept. 11 plot.

The sources who read the presidential memo would only speak on condition of anonymity because the White House has not yet declassified the highly sensitive document, entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike Inside the United States."

More...

2004-04-10T11:07:00.000-04:00

Quentin & Uma

So he said many different things on many different subjects with no trouble. And yet he found himself stumped when it came to talking about Uma Thurman, the star of the two Kill Bill movies as well as of Pulp Fiction, and the question of how it is that she operates as his muse, which is what he often calls her: "my muse.''

"I don't know,'' he said, a hand poised to pull on his long Tarantino chin. "It's just this cool connection that happened while we were doing Pulp Fiction. I mean, von Sternberg had Marlene Dietrich, Hitchcock had Ingrid Bergman, Andre Techine had Catherine Deneuve. It's a special bond that I'm proud to have, and hopefully, one day, people will reference me and Uma like they do the others. But the thing about it is, it just kind of is, and there are certain things I don't really want to understand subtexturally. I just want it to be and do.''

More...

MQ

2004-04-09T23:21:00.000-04:00

He Was Told

Via Atrios, we find the New York Times confirming what we suspected from the start - Osama was coming and he was going to use planes.

Bush was told....and he did fuck all. No - strike that.

He went on vacation.

MQ

2004-04-09T23:15:00.000-04:00

More Tarantino

Just in case you're like me and you can't get enough.

MQ

2004-04-09T18:15:00.000-04:00

God and Canada

An interesting poll over at the Globe and Mail. About a 50-50 split between those that believe and those that don't (or aren't sure...)

Wanna guess my vote?

MQ

2004-04-09T16:42:00.000-04:00

Kill Bill 3

More on the possibilities of a trilogy:

MQ

2004-04-09T15:12:00.000-04:00

President Pussy

"The question that's emerging out of all this is simple: Why does the president of the United States have to appear jointly with the vice president of the United States? I mean, can you imagine Clinton and Gore testifying before such a commission or the first George Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle? Why do they have to appear together?...It's raising some damaging questions about whether or not George Bush knows enough to testify on his own or whether he's dependent on Vice President Cheney."

- CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider

I guess I'm not the only one asking why the president needs to appear in front of the 9/11 committee with Dick "The Godfather" Cheney. I mean - what is he afraid of? He lets Condi, Tenant, Powell and Armatige go out and take bullets for him, but won't stand there and take the heat himself.

In some way, it reminds me of the Sopranos. Tony allows Junior (and the world) think that he is the "boss," but in reality, its Big Tony that really runs the show.

MQ

2004-04-08T23:38:00.000-04:00

Muslim Moderation

There are voices of moderation and peace in the Muslim world. You just have to look hard enough.

MQ

2004-04-08T10:24:00.000-04:00

"...We will burn them alive..."

Japanese hostages taken in Iraq - breaking - via Drudge.

"Three of your sons have fallen into our hands. We offer you two choices: either pull out your forces, or we will burn them alive. We give you three days starting the day this tape is broadcast."

Jesus.

MQ

UPDATE: More....plus image.

2004-04-08T09:06:00.000-04:00

Condi Faces the World

Live video feed of Rice's testimony...

MQ

2004-04-07T22:06:00.000-04:00

War on.....Porn?

The culture war has found a new front - online pornography.....and Oliver Willis is pissed.

MQ

2004-04-07T20:08:00.000-04:00

Kill Bill Prequel?

Holy shit. This is too cool:

"Director Quentin Tarantino is planning an animated prequel to both the "Kill Bill" movies which will show the early times of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad...QT himself is expected to write and produce the film, whilst he also speculated that he could return to Kill Bill's world in 15 years' time to follow the daughter of Vivica Fox's character seeking revenge for the slaying of her mother in front of her. In the meantime the director is next set to direct the WW2 flick 'Inglorious Bastards'..."

More...

MQ

UPDATE: The new trailer...April 16th sucka....can you dig it?

2004-04-07T15:25:00.000-04:00

The "Armageddon" Plan

Via WashPost:

"An 'Armageddon' program designed to ensure that the federal government would continue to function in the aftermath of a nuclear war was put into place during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks...every federal agency shifted its control to an alternate headquarters outside Washington. President Bush's decision to fly to Nebraska that day instead of returning to the White House, which drew some criticism at the time, was part of that plan...Under the plan, if the United States were facing a nuclear attack, three teams of 50 federal officials would be sent from Washington to locations across the country -- each with a Cabinet member who was prepared to become president..."Every federal agency was ordered, on the morning of 9/11, to activate an alternative command post, an alternative headquarters outside of Washington, D.C., and to staff it as soon as possible." The former administration official also said he has participated in regular exercises over the past 20 years in which he has "gone off into caves in mountains in remote locations and spent days on end in miserable conditions, pretending that the rest of the world had blown up..."

More...

MQ