Great Ezra Levant Interview

Ezra at his best on a CBC radio interview. If you want to understand the Canadian and Provincial Human Rights Commissions farce clearly, listen to this. Scroll to Part 2.

via: Ezra Levant

Boondoggle Building Off to a Bad Start

The unecessary, expensive, ugly blight on the waterfront, otherwise known Vancouver Convention Centre has been flooded. (CBC)

A water leak at Vancouver's new convention centre has flooded two levels of the mammoth building, damaging the flooring and forcing 1,000 delegates of a Public Service Alliance of Canada convention out onto the street.

The PSAC convention was supposed to be just the second event at the new convention centre, but just before the annual meeting kicked off Monday morning, the delegates got an unwelcome surprise.

(...)

The Vancouver Convention Centre was opened earlier this month at a cost of nearly $900 million, and is slated to be the main international press centre and broadcast facility during the upcoming 2010 Winter Games in February.

Good thing it was only the PSAC who were inconvenienced, since they spend their lives doing that to us. Probably a few bureaucrats in there that signed off on this monster.

Self Importance at the CBC

I'm not surprised at all to find out that the CBC has been blowing tax payer funded money on luxuries.

CBC's ritzy retreats

CBC's top executives spent more than $60,000 over six months holding meetings in luxury hotels and resorts and expensing such items as sparkling wine and limousine rides.

Documents released under Access to Information show the CBC spent at least $61,500 on nine meetings between January and June 2006.

The meetings were held according to CBC/Radio-Canada guidelines, CBC spokesman Marco Dube wrote in an e-mail. When face-to-face meetings are required, "off-site meetings are usually better to avoid disruptions."

Stays in expensive resorts topped the bill. More than $21,600 was spent sending 21 CBC and Radio-Canada human resources managers and senior executives to the ritzy Chateau Beauvallon in Mont-Tremblant, Que., for two days. The limo costs alone for one vice-president amounted to $1,009.94.

The sense of entitlement is ingrained in these people. They need a wake up call.

Hat tip: Pat who says: Another reason to hate the CBC.

Here's the Deal: Pay Even More Money for Something You Don't Watch

York University professor Wayne Rowland thinks CBC should forget about running revenue generating commercials and popular shows. What's the catch?

If the CBC is to survive the shock-doctrine opportunism of federal Conservatives bent on either privatization or elimination of the public broadcaster, it needs to once and for all come to terms with the festering albatross that is commercial sponsorship on its television network.

(...)

Crunching the numbers in the most recent CBC annual report, it looks as though roughly a third of television's operating expenses are covered by ad revenue of just over $300 million. So, if CBC TV were to go advertising-free cold turkey, as it were, it would have to find internal savings of something like 30 per cent.

Without access to the corporate accounts one can only speculate on where that might come from, but a shortened broadcast schedule would lower plant costs, and dropping professional sports would take a big bite out of production costs.

Yeah, that's right. Drop hockey, the only thing anybody watches the CBC for.

But maybe cold turkey is not the only answer. Why should it be assumed that Canadians, who take such pride in that other defining institution, medicare, would not be willing to ante up a few more dollars a year to support an ad-free CBC TV service?

A few months ago French President Nicolas Sarkozy did away with prime-time advertising on the country's public television network: the annual cost per capita went from $65 to $77. In Britain, taxpayers fork out $124 a year for the cultural cornucopia that is the BBC. Canadians pay a measly $34 each for the CBC. Raise that by about $5 and we've covered the advertising shortfall.

If we can salvage CBC TV as a centre for innovative, uniquely Canadian programs of exceptional quality, then CBC Radio will have a secure future as well.

Sure, make it completely unwatchable and expect taxpayers to fork over more. This professor is so out of touch he doesn't want any regular people to have a say, not even as ratings. (Without commercials, who cares how many people are watching?)

It's even more outrageous from a political point of view, as the CBC has been the propaganda arm of the Liberal Party my entire life. Why should I be forced to pay for its upkeep? It's like the TASS News Agency from the old Soviet Union.

Also, it annoys me that they keep talking about CBC quality programming, as if it's a given. What quality programing have we seen so far? Perhaps on the radio, which I don't listen to, because I can't find any clear online outlet or podcasts. I do listen to NPR in that capacity everyday.

Hat tip: Pat

A Trillion to the IMF? Who the Hell Are the IMF? Did Anybody Vote for This?

A trillion dollars has been allocated by the G20 countries to the IMF. (Trillion is definitely the new billion.) Can somebody tell me what it means?

The G20 nations will inject $1 trillion into the world economy in an effort to curb the global financial crisis, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced Thursday as the group's summit concluded.

(...)

The package includes $500 billion for the IMF, plus $250 billion special drawing rights from the reserve currency for member countries of the IMF and $250 billion to boost trade, Brown said.

Canadian officials have said that Canada will be providing an additional $10 billion US for emergency IMF assistance and is putting $200 million into the trade fund.

Brown said the summit represented a "day the world came together to fight back against the recession."

"Today the largest countries in the world have agreed to a global plan for recovery and reform," he said. "I think the new world order is emerging and with it the foundations of a new and progressive era of international co-operation."

We've been beaten into the ground with bailouts and stimulus, that it is hard to grasp what this means. Billions and trillions are being advocated at a dizzying pace lately, with no accountability. Now this. Who is the IMF? (OK, I have minimal knowledge.) Why is Canada sending $10 billion there? Can we have an appropriations committee? No? Well, I give up then.

It makes me feel like how I felt with hedge funds and derivatives. You're trusting that these experts know what they're doing. Turns out they didn't know what they were doing. The IMF is some giant monolith and I have no faith that they know what they're doing. At least national pork projects are overseen by Canadians, and used in Canada. Adding another layer with an international group seems beyond ridiculous.

Hat tip: Pat

CBC Supporters Don't Want to Pledge Their Own Money

There is a petition going around the "Save the CBC."

The CBC is asking for temporary loans amounting to just $6 per Canadian, or less than 2 pennies a day for each of us. We can make this happen, so let's pull out all the stops to deliver a massive petition to Parliament and Save the CBC!

Petition to Prime Minister Stephen Harper: The CBC and Radio Canada are a national treasure, and play a vital role in our culture. We urgently call on you to grant the CBC's request for a bridge loan to cover its budget shortfall this year, and commit your government to supporting our public broadcasters.

Why don't they have a pledge drive like PBS and pony up some of their own dough while they're at it? I like how they mention that the money is only $6 per Canadian, but nowhere do they ask these loyal CBC fans to pay themselves. If it means enough to people, they will pay.

Boring Old Canada

As I could hear CBC Newsworld in the background with a lead story on ski helmets, I was scanning the top news headline in the Montreal Gazette and it was this:

Ski helmet standards on the way

For God's sakes.

Model the CBC After NPR

Jeffery Dvorkin in the Globe and Mail has a proposal for CBC, that makes the most sense. (read)

U.S. public broadcasting still receives some congressional funding, but at a much lower rate than the CBC gets. U.S. federal funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting averages less than 11 per cent of a public radio station's operating budget and just 30 per cent for television stations. More than half of the money comes from listeners and viewers, and the rest from donations from foundations and philanthropic organizations.

NPR listeners feel they have a direct stake in the operation precisely because their donations are so important. They are active participants and engaged in how the stations should run and what should be on the air.

The power of U.S. public broadcasting is based in its local context and connection to their communities. Canadians may mock the pledge drives, but they are an accurate, effective and vital contact between the stations and the communities that support them. A few years ago, NPR, working with member stations, decided that the pledge drives needed to be more like the most interesting programs. Redesigned and reinvigorated, the drives have become "must-listen" parts of the public radio offering.

Absolutely. In my opinion, NPR's product is far superior to CBC. I do 99% of my radio listening from online podcasts. I can't find anything on the CBC website, whereas NPR have a variety sites and plenty of programs, with interesting guests.

Let them do pledge drives. If people like the product, they will survive.

Trash the Ceeb

Lorne Gunter gets on a roll in this column for the National Post. Tear it all down

Would you favour hundreds of millions of your hard-earned dollars going to subsidize Crossroads Television System (CTS), the Christian service with stations in Ontario and Alberta? Or how about al-Jazeera, the English-language Arab station that now has a place in Canada's channel line-up? Neither is anymore overtly biased than the CBC is to the advancement and defence of its causes. So where is the justification in denying those stations subsidies while lavishing nearly one-third of Ottawa's cultural budget on a service that captures less than 8% of Canadian television viewers and just about the same number of radio listeners?

But that is looking at the question from the wrong end. Rather, I should have asked the following: If the proselytizing on CTS and al-Jazeera TV can survive without largesse from the public treasury, why shouldn't the CBC have to do the same?

(...)

For a long time the CBC has justified its huge annual federal gift because it sees itself as the vehicle through which Canadians tell one another their stories. If this pompous self-image were ever true (and I'm doubtful), it cannot possibly be true now with only one in 12 Canadians actually watching.

CBC TV no longer carries the two most distinctly Canadian sports events of the year -- the Grey Cup and the Brier -- and the world has not ended, the country's identity has not eroded. Its hockey coverage, arts programming and original drama and comedy could all be picked up by cable and digital services and no one would notice.

There is simply no way to argue that it is worth $1-billion to all Canadians to keep the CBC alive. The few people who like its programming may insist it is worth it, but why should their preferences be kept afloat by taxing the 11 of 12 Canadians whose viewing and listening habits aren't being subsidized?

As President Obabma said: "A crisis can be a great opportunity." Here's definately the case. With country in severe economic decline it makes less and less sense for average people to support the massive subsidies to the CBC.

Wouldn't it be nice to see subsidy bums like Jian Gameshi, Rick Mercer and George Stroumboulopoulos be forced to get real jobs?

Some Specifics Are Needed Here!

The man who decapitated the passenger on the Greyhound was found not guilty by reason of insanity. I find it upsetting when you read about what they are now going to do with him, and it is very short on specifics. From the CBC: Greyhound bus killer will be locked up a long time: mental illness expert

Vincent Li will not be walking free any time soon, says an expert on issues involving mental illness.

(...)

"He will be assigned a forensic community mental health worker — very often a registered psychiatric nurse — and he will be followed up by that … worker and a psychiatrist for the rest of his days, like permanent parole, if you wish," she said.

(...)

If Li were ever freed, he would be reincarcerated at the first sign he was unstable or not taking his medication, said Osted.

How can they be so vague about this? I want assurances that he'll be locked up at least as long as a convicted murderer. It's not good enough to say he won't be free "anytime soon." Or if we set him free, and he starts acting funny, we'll lock him back up.

In my opinion, this man should be hanged. Maybe it technically isn't his fault, but I see no use of keeping him alive. That won't happen, but can we at least guarantee that he'll be locked up forever? I don't care what the Psychiatrists say. They change their mind on diagnosis’s all the time. Keep this danger away from the public forever.

Star Begins "Save the CBC" Propaganda Campaign

I would laugh at this solemn Star report about the CBC, but it will probably work:

The CBC is facing major cost-saving measures "that would change the very nature of our service to Canadians" as it copes with its deepening financial crisis, the national broadcaster's president said yesterday.

(...)

"More American programs on CBC-TV and commercials on CBC Radio won't help to define it as Canada's national public broadcaster," ACTRA's Waddell told the Star.

Oh! The horror! The horror! American programs! More commercials! How can we define our Canadianess?

(Slap!) Get a hold or yourselves. If Air Farce, Little Mosque on the Prairie and the Beachcombers are the glue that holds this country together we're in a lot of trouble. Isn't that a little embarrassing? These are lousy shows folks.

(I'm still searching for that person, under the age of 65 who genuinely thinks Air Farce was funny. But I digress.)

I watch some of the news programs, but they can compete with everybody else.

It's hilarious that the American programs will make it more profitable. You know, because more people will watch it.

I don't get how government funding for the CBC gets popular support. They certainly don't have a popular viewership, except for hockey.

Hat tip: Strack Attack who rants:

"I HATE the fact all these f*ckers, CBC, Actor's Union, etc... not only take our tax dollars for granted but they demand it."

UPDATE: The New York Times reports that CanWest is pretty much bust.

CBC In Trouble: Not Much Sympathy from the Tories

Well, here's a little fun respite from Bailout Fatigue. The CBC are experiencing a huge revenue shortfall, and unfortunately for them, Uncle Stephen isn't going to write them a cheque to make up for it:

OTTAWA — The Conservative government has no plans to "insulate" the CBC from the sharp decline in advertising revenue that has forced companies across the media industry to lay off workers and cut costs, a spokesman for the prime minister said Wednesday.

The comments suggest the public broadcaster could come up empty in its efforts to lobby the government for a bridge loan to cover a deeper-than-anticipated drop in ad revenue.

"The CBC cannot be insulated from all market realities," said Kory Teneycke, chief spokesman for Prime Minister Stephen Harper. "Nobody likes to see this, but broadcasters have to adapt to lower ad revenues. No one broadcaster is immune from that."

Amen. The source of this article is from CanWest, which is now a penny stock and barely has a pulse. How can we save one and let another die?

Harper would never say it but, he has to be having a private chuckle over this. CBC have been no friend of his.

Hat tip: Strack Attack

UPDATE: Strack also provided a link for the Globe survey asking: Should the federal government provide more funding for the CBC?

Unfortunately, the left leaning Globe readers favour it by 57%. If they had this survey at the National Post, the results would be different.

Obama Protectionist? Who Would Have Thought?

Last year, especially when campaigning for the Democratic nomination, Barack Obama talked openly about re-negotiating NAFTA, and setting up trade barriers for foreign goods. Now that he appears to be doing this, Canadians are acting shocked. Originally, I was for McCain because he said he would honour NAFTA and even came up to Ottawa to make a speech about it and reassure people. It didn't make a difference though, as Obama is far more popular. It just shows what a popularity contest the whole thing is. People don't care about the issues, even if it affects them.

Armed with his new $800 billion dollar pork package, the US will have a "made in America" clause for steel that goes into new works. The Canadian steel industry is worried:

Industry Minister Tony Clement also did not hide his unease.

"We're always concerned when there are protectionist pressures in the United States," he told CBC News.

"The U.S. Congress is a place where you get manifestations of protectionist pressures, there's no doubt about that," he added.

"At the same time, the United States has treaty obligations that they have signed on to — NAFTA is one, the World Trade Organization is another — and we expect the United States to live up to its treaty obligations of open and fair trade."

Canadian steel producers and builders say they have "grave, grave concerns" about the bill.

This is absurd on many different levels. If the Canadian steel industry starts losing revenue because of this, we will no doubt prop it up with our own pork. (If we don't already.)

Protectionism is one of those populist issues that people can't get their head around. In the US they fear that the steel mills will close and people will lose jobs. The problem is, there are twenty times more people employed constructing things out of steel than making raw steel. Getting cheaper steel from abroad helps the economy much more.

What does it matter anyway? These are make work projects and they don't care about costs and profits.

Hat tip: Strack Attack

Newfoundland Can't Be Weaned Off Welfare

Newfoundland, for the first time ever has been declared a "have" province thanks to oil revenue. But they're still whining for transfer payments:

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Danny Williams is calling on opposition parties to show Prime Minister Stephen Harper the door, following a federal budget he described as callous.

Williams said the fine print in changes to the federal equalization program, contained in the budget that Finance Minister Jim Flaherty delivered in Parliament Tuesday, have left him no choice but to rekindle his notorious battle with the governing Conservatives.

"It's a good indication of the punitive, vindictive, nasty side of this prime minister," Williams said. "The indication over the next three years is a pretty crippling effect."

Talk about entitlement. Since that province joined Confederation we've been shoveling them money hand over fist. So slow this down a little when they have a little of their own revenue, and they scream that we're taking away their money.

I throw my hands up in despair about this crazy country of ours.

Big Deficits Projected for Canada

The federal government will run a $34-billion deficit in the coming fiscal year, and a $30-billion deficit in the following year, a senior government official said.

The size of the deficit is largely attributable to the Conservative government's decision to include billions in stimulus spending beginning in this year's budget. That includes immediate spending on infrastructure and help for Canadians hit hardest by the economic downturn.

With a minority government, I believe Harper had no choice. That said, it still feels like a punch in the stomach. My pessimistic side believes this will be another 20-30 year run with deficits.

Canada's debt-to-GDP ratio was 23.4 per cent in 2007, and that is forecast to rise to 28 per cent in 2010. Even with that increase, Canada will still maintain the position it has held as having the lowest debt-to-GDP ratio in the G8, the official said.

It really felt like it was within our grasp to get out of debt altogether. Oh well, maybe the next generation can do something about it.

"Nuke the Fridge" the New "Jump the Shark"

I see the Razzie awards are out and Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull is nominated for Worst prequel, remake, rip-off or sequel.

When I was 12, Raiders of the Lost Ark came out and forever after nothing has compared to the movie experience I had then. I was completely blown away.

The sequels pretty much sucked, but I had to watch them.

So I had to give Crystal Skull at try. Early in the movie, Indy hides in a refrigerator on a nuke test site in Nevada. The atomic bomb goes off, and Indy is blown a few miles up and out, and lands inside the intact fridge in the middle of the desert. No damage. He opens the door, walks out a bit woozy, dusts himself off and moves on.

At this point I said f-ck this and my wife and I agreed to turn it off. I simply couldn't go on. We have had jokes about it ever since.

'There's nothing on tv, do you want to try watching the Indiana Jones movie again?"

"No way, not after that f-cking fridge thing."

Well it turns out we weren't the only ones. I'm delighted to find out that the term "Nuke the Fridge" has now become a popular term like "Jump the Shark."

Nuke the fridge is a colloquialism used to refer to the moment in a film series that is so incredible that it lessens the excitement of subsequent scenes that rely on more understated action or suspense, and it becomes apparent that a certain installment is not as good as previous installments, due to ridiculous or low quality storylines, events or characters.

The term comes from the film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, in which, near the start of the movie, Harrison Ford's character survives a nuclear detonation by climbing into a kitchen fridge, which is then blown hundreds of feet through the sky whilst the town disintegrates. He then emerges from the fridge with no apparent injury. Later in the movie, the audience is expected to fear for his safety in a normal fistfight.

Fans of the Indiana Jones series found the absurdity of this event in the film to be the best example of the lower quality of this installment in the series, and thus coined the phrase, "nuke the fridge".

BC Hippy Hunger Strikes for Khadr

And he speaks to the CBC about it:

My take: I decided to protest against the unfair and illegal treatment and detention of Omar Khadr, who was a young soldier that, regardless of which 'side' he was involved with, should have been granted a minimum of protection from the Canadian authorities.

Nationalism certainly is dead when a "side" is dismissed as an arbitrary thing.

No word yet if he's abstaining from smoking dope.

UPDATE: They link to his Facebook page, check this out:

Contact Info
Office: Cold but sweet VW Van
Location:Whatever one my wheels decide to venture on

No, I didn't make that up.

Deep Freeze in Canada

It was terrible today in Vancouver. It got down to +6C (43F) this afternoon. I even had to put on my windbreaker when I went to the store. Not sandal weather that's for sure. Life is tough.

How are things in the rest of Canada?

Leave Omar Khadr in Guantanamo

Of all the things in the world, I can't understand why terrorist, grenade lobber and "Canadian" Omar Khadr is the poster boy for unlawful imprisonment. Damaged goods Senator Romeo Dallaire wants to make a personal appeal to president-elect Obama to set him free, CBC reports.

Dallaire said Obama should put a stay of proceedings on the trials of Guantanamo detainees, then begin talks with the Canadian government to work out a process to return the Toronto-born Khadr home for rehabilitation and re-integration.
...

At a news conference, Dallaire said he has received no help from the Canadian government in his attempts to aid Khadr, and suggested Prime Minister Stephen Harper's lack of action in the case was "unstatesmanlike."

Bring him back to his terrorist family? They are open supporters of terrorism and Al Qaeda! They had personal contacts with bin Laden! Canadian troops are fighting these people!

Daniel Pipes has an extensive chronology of the Khadr family and their support of bin Laden, jihad, Al Qaeda and terrorism. (Full article)

Or watch this 60 Minutes piece about our innocent little child and his openly jihad, and suicide bombing supporting family. (video)

I don't get it. It gives pause that the kid was 15, but I knew making bombs and throwing grenades were wrong at that age. I don't know why we are making such an effort to bring this turd back.

Why is releasing this guy such a popular cause? Is the CBC and other Canadian media so blind with Anti-Americanism that they champion this guy? That's my guess. It's insane.

Iggy's Shaky Start

I just saw Iggy on CBC. He was asked if he had any suggestions for Harper's budget, to which he replied: "It's his budget, not mine."

Uh, ok...

I'm becoming convinced that he really doesn't know what the hell he's doing. No doubt Liberals are getting nervous that this guy might not have the goods.

Are they and the Coalition daring to vote this budget down? As I mentioned a week ago, his spin-doctor Warren Kinsella said on his website: "Personally, I’m all for toppling ‘em right now."

An election? The Separatist Coalition again? Are they nuts?

UPDATE: The Globe and Mail tries to sum up what Iggy means. Notice there is no actual quotations on what he "says"?