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It's the break for lunch. Blair became passionate during the second session of the morning — emphatically defending the course of action that he took. Perhaps one of the key lines, and the one that provides insight into his perspective, is this:
Sometimes it's important not to ask the March 2003 question but to ask the 2010 question.
Blair forcefully believes that, whatever the process, the result of the action he took was right. That if, right now, Saddam Hussein and his sons were still holding on to power in Iraq, the world would be in a much worse situation, and significantly more fragile. Another key moment was his assessment of what it all boiled down to — his personal judgement:
In the end, this is what it is: this isn't about a lie or a conspiracy or a deceit, it is a decision and a decision I had to take . . . It's a judgement. I had to take the decision.
Sir Roderic Lyne raised a laugh as he responded, sardonically: "You made that, I think, very clear." The rest of the morning's session covered the 2002 dossier, which Blair dismissed as being hyped up far more than when it was actually launched (when it was seen as being rather cautious and dull, he says).
He was challenged by Sir Lawrence Freedman over the phrase "beyond doubt", which Blair used in reference to his belief in the intelligence and featured in the foreword of the dossier. There is an interesting exchange:
Blair: I did believe it. I did believe it frankly beyond doubt.
Freedman: Beyond your doubt. But beyond anyone's doubt?
Blair: Look . . . if I'd said it was clear rather than beyond doubt it would have the same impact.
And so it comes down to semantics, and the oft-employed "belief". On the 45-minute claim, he admitted it would have been better to correct it in retrospect. But Blair has an extraordinary ability to shrug away critical or awkward moments — as though the panel keep missing the point.
Then the questioning moved on to the diplomatic process — the conversations with Hans Blix on weapons inspections and an attempt by the panel to establish a clear order of events.
Blair's treatment of the panel is fascinating in itself — he uses endless disarming techniques, deferentially calling them by their full titles and using their names as he speaks, as though they are having a one-on-one conversation. He often comments on their questions being "fair" and "right" in their direction, but then also tries to hold them back so they don't miss the truly "important" points in the process.
There's no doubt: he is controlling the narrative so far.
Follow the New Statesman team on Twitter.


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Artwork: Zebra Sarasa Clip Ballpoint and Zebra Pen Metallic Brush Pen in a Hahnemühle 1584 notebook.
In 2017, I did a series of step-outs and step-by-step landscapes, which included many for birds and animals as well as plants.
Among the very first was my step-out for the hummingbird, which this drawing is based on.
Hahnemühle 1584 at:
- Opus in Canada
- Wet Paint Artists' Materials & Framing
- Paul's Photo – California, U.S.
- Looking Glass Photo – California, U.S.


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PESHAWAR -- Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) authorities and sports enthusiasts are celebrating the conclusion of the Malam Jabba International Alpine Ski Cup as the latest indication of the return of peace and security to the region.
The Malam Jabba Ski Resort, on the Karakoram mountain range in Swat District, was created in the 1990s with assistance from the Austrian government.
At the height of the Taliban's illegal control of the area from 2007-2009, militants attacked the recreation facility, burning down a hotel and the 800-metre-long chairlift.
Soon after the Pakistani military launched the counter-insurgency Operation Zarb-e-Azb in June 2014, the KP government decided to rebuild the resort. It awarded a contract in September 2014 to a private firm to build two hotels, a chairlift, cable car, and snow-boarding and ski slopes.
Bringing tourism back to Swat
The international skiing competition became possible "because of our efforts ... to improve security and bring tourism back to the region", KP Minister of Sports and Tourism Mehmood Khan told Pakistan Forward.
"The situation is indicative of how peace efforts have borne fruit in the shape of an international ski festival in Malam Jabba after 11 years," he said.
Fifty male and ten female skiers from Pakistan and various countries participated in the Malam Jabba International Alpine Ski Cup January 26-February 3, which is proof of peace, Khan said.
"We are extremely happy over the event in our terror-hit area," he said. "It is the greatest testament to and endorsement of the work done by the Pakistan Army and the government to boost security and tourism in the province."
The International Ski Federation approved 16 international races for Pakistan that will run through March 2017 after expressing satisfaction over the law-and-order situation, Khan said.
This was the first time that skiers from 12 countries took part in official races on the natural slopes of Malam Jabba and Naltar ski resorts, Pakistan Ski Federation spokesperson Obaid Abbasi said.
Return of glory
"Glory has returned to the historic ski resort of Malam Jabba, where a skiing competition took place after a multi-year hiatus owing to the security situation," said Imran Khan, chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the ruling party in KP.
"The event has become possible because of concentrated effort by the KP government on the security situation in the province and on restoration of international tourism," he said in a statement.
It is highly encouraging that active tourism involving sports and mountain climbing is returning to the region, he said.
The presence of skiers from many countries and of a globally recognised tournament delighted the local population too.
The event was a slap in the face of the Taliban, who banned sports when they terrorised Swat, Muhammad Sajjad, 20, a Swat student, said.
"It is very joyful that international skiers competed in the event," he told Pakistan Forward. "The people passed days on the slopes enjoying quality performances by globally acclaimed skiers."
Medal winners 'impressed' by Malam Jabba
Skiers from Ukraine took the bulk of the 64 medals awarded in the competition.
"The event was full of thrills and entertainment," said Ivan Kovbasnyuk of Ukraine, who took first place in the Men's Giant Slalom I category.
Kovbasnyuk praised local hospitality and the quality of the Malam Jabba slopes. "We would love to come here again and again," he told Pakistan forward.
"We are impressed by the peaceful environment," said Ukrainian skier Vasyl Telychuk, who took third place.
Law and order had been a concern for the players "but we saw here complete calm and security", he added.
Ukrainians Tetyana Tikun and Anastasiia Gorbunova took first and second place in the Women's Giant Slalom I category, while Pakistani Ifrah Wali took third.
"We are thankful to security forces for the restoration of peace," Wali told Pakistan Forward.
"It has opened the door for international sports in the country," she said, adding that Pakistan has immense potential for skiing but requires more events to produce more female competitors.
The scenic beauty of Malam Jabba was inspiring, said Fatma, a skier from Afghanistan.
"It is really a dazzling site with green forest surrounding it," she told Pakistan Forward, also noting the local hospitality.
A new era for Pakistani sports
Pakistani Olympian Muhammad Karim took third place in Giant Slalom I race at the Chief of Air Staff Karakorum International Cup, held at the same time in Naltar, Gilgit-Baltistan.
"It is a source of encouragement for us that the international contestants have started coming here," he told Pakistan Forward. "It will lead to the promotion of ski sports in Pakistan, which has rich slopes."
KP Chief Minister Pervez Khattak expressed hope that the competitions will reignite the tourism industry in the province.
"It will herald a new era and help revive international sports in the country," he said in a statement.
"We are also thankful to multi-national firms for investing in different tourist spots in the province and for helping the people watch quality sports," he said.


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Maroon 5's Adam Levine went shirtless at the Super Bowl yesterday, and viewers were quick to draw comparisons to the controversy around Janet Jackson's performance over a decade ago.
During the band's performance at the Super Bowl yesterday, Levine pulled off multiple garments and was eventually shirtless on stage.
Few people seemed offended, a completely different reaction than what Janet Jackson got at the 2004 Super Bowl Halftime Show.
That year, Jackson briefly and accidentally showed part of one breast during her performance. Justin Timberlake, who performed with Jackson, was supposed to remove part of her top and reveal her bra underneath, but part of the bra accidentally ripped off, according to her publicist.
Related: This year's Super Bowl will be the first to feature male cheerleaders
The CBS broadcast immediately switched to an aerial view, and her breast appeared on television for less than a second.
The ensuing controversy, though, lasted much longer. The event made Janet Jackson the most searched term in internet history.
Michael Powell, the Chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), was called before the Senate and said that the incident represented "a new low for prime time television."
NFL Vice President Joe Browne said that his organization was "extremely disappointed" in the performance.
Even First Lady Laura Bush weighed in, saying, "What it represented was a kind of television viewing that we don't want little children to see."
CBS was fined $550,000 by the FCC, although a court later overturned that fine, and Jackson was forced to issue an apology video.
Levine in 2019, on the other hand, intentionally revealed his entire chest for much longer than a fraction of a second, and some people people are pointing out the sexism in the double standard around nudity.
Why is it okay to see Adam Levine'a boobs and not Janet Jackson's?
Asking for a friend.
— Aisha Tyler (@aishatyler) February 4, 2019
Janet Jackson when she saw Adam Levine take off his shirt #SuperBowl pic.twitter.com/ubmXpoT3im
— Travis Keys (@travkeys) February 4, 2019
now I have to explain to my children that adam levine has nipples
— ziwe (@ziwe) February 4, 2019
so… @adamlevine can strut around shirtless but my girl janet has to issue an appology??? #SuperBowlLIII @JanetJackson
— oops I didn't again… (@Jaredlikescoffe) February 4, 2019
Of course, the difference is that Jackson is a woman and Levine is a man. Mainstream culture has determined that if something is too sexually exciting, then it's obscene, and it's straight male sexuality that determines what's sexually exciting.
Straight men don't get excited to see another man shirtless – straight women's and queer people's sexualities aren't considered real or important enough to take into consideration – so Levin isn't too sexual for kids to see.
Women's breasts, on the other hand, have been labeled as obscene since the before the beginning of television, because they cause straight men to have impure thoughts.


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The World Games 2017 has been a success
The World Games 2017 in Wroclaw, Poland, took place 20–30 July. Altogether 240 000 people present in Wroclaw saw over 3200 athletes compete in 31 different sports. The athletes from 111 countries enjoyed the warm hospitality of the city and the top class venues that allowed them to perform at the best possible level. Roller Skater Fabriana Arias (COL) was the most successful athlete collecting five medals altogether, three of which were gold. Arina Averina (RUS) took three gold medals and one bronze in Gymnastics. All in all, Russia finished as number one on the medal table with 28 gold, 21 silver, and 14 bronze medals. Germany and Italy were the next ones on the list.
Production companies ISB and ATM produced 400 hours of content of the Games, which were broadcast in 130 countries world-wide. In addition, the Games were shown 24/7 around the world on the Olympic Channel. According to the IWGA President José Perurena, regarding TV coverage, these were the best Games ever! He told this in a Press Briefing on-site.
861 accredited media representatives from 50 countries covered The World Games from Wroclaw. They had good working conditions in the Main Media Centre, as well as at the Sub Media Centres at all of the 24 competition venues. The media, in addition to the athletes and officials, praised the 1600 volunteers that had arrived to Wroclaw from 59 countries to help and assist the participants. When the storm hit Wroclaw on the first week of the Games, it was the volunteers who saved the venues together with the staff from the Wroclaw Organising Committee.
President Jose Perurena said after the Games: "I am very pleased with The World Games 2017. The organisers have done an amazing job: the venues were of very high standard, the competitions smooth and fair, the volunteers helpful and friendly and we had a world-wide TV coverage like never before, produced by the ISB and the ATM. We have received a lot of positive feedback from the international federations, journalists, spectators and officials. However, the most important thing for me is that the athletes were happy with the Games."
During the Closing Ceremony on 30 July, the IWGA flag was handed over to the Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, where the 11th edition of The World Games will be held in 2021.


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Decoding the creative process at Mini's A/D/O space in New York
Universal Design Studio realises an ever-evolving installation titled 'On Loop' inside the Brooklyn spot
For the month of October – known locally in New York City by the name 'Archtober' because of its month-long itinerary of architecture and design events – the design hub and creative space A/D/O by Mini is hosting a dynamic installation by the British design studio, Universal, which aims to decode and articulate the iterative design process.
By no means an easy feat, the installation, which has been titled 'On Loop', highlights the cumulative nature of progress, while experimenting with the cyclic ideas of co-creation. Touching on elements of collective behavioual systems of Swarm Intelligence and Hive Mindsets in the creative process, the installation is structured like an assembly-line that turns back on itself, while riffing off the surrealist game, 'Exquisite Corpse', which layers individual marks on top of each other to create an accidental outcome that in turn serves as the foundation for new creations.
To this end, 'On Loop' is an ever-evolving installation that feeds off the contributions of visitors who are encouraged to participate in a continuing series of looping and iterative drawing exercises. The evolving series of designs will be formed of traces and marks left over the course of the month, with the rules of engagement altering in response to trial and error to explore the balance of instruction vs. free will. At key points during the 31 days, collections of so-called completed designs will be exhibited amidst the installation structure, thus helping passers-by and participants to take stock of the results.
'The proposal that Universal presented really aligned closely with our overall mission at A/D/O by Mini,' explains A/D/O's global managing director, Nate Pinsley. 'To explore the future of design through research that very often includes trial and error.'
Collaboration is such a key part of Universal's design process that it has also thrown open the door to a series of bookable events that applies the iterative experiment to various fields of design. From clay on loop sessions, run by BKLYN Clay to a food workshop run by designer Laila Gohar and a drawing and sound session lead by artist Juan Miguel Marin, the events prove just how universal the theory can be. §
- Information
'On Loop' is on view until 31 October. a-d-o.com
- Address
29 Norman Avenue
Brooklyn NY 11222
View Google Maps


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Don't have a Savology account? Click here to join or if you already have an account click here to take advantage of this super deal!
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text:
Federal Contractor Misconduct Database (FCMD)
United States v. Mazon, et. al. (Fraud)
On March 17, 2005, Jeff Alex Mazon, a former employee of Kellogg, Brown & Root (KBR), and Ali Hijazi, the managing partner of Kuwaiti company LaNouvelle General Trading and Contracting Company, were indicted on charges of devising a scheme to defraud the United States of more than $3.5 million related to the awarding of a subcontract to LaNouvelle to supply fuel tankers for military operations in Kuwait. The indictment alleged that on or about February 2, 2003, Mazon, a negotiator for subcontractors, solicited bids by e-mail from potential subcontractors. The cost of the subcontract was estimated by KBR at $685,080. The indictment alleged that Mazon inflated the bid he received from Hijazi to ensure that LaNouvelle would be overpaid. In March 2009, after two trials ended with deadlocked juries, the U.S. Justice Department withdrew all fraud charges against Mazon and instead accepted a misdemeanor plea agreement under which Mazon pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of making a false written statement.
- Misconduct Type
- Government Contract Fraud
- Enforcement Agency
- Defense – Army
- Contracting Party
- Defense - Army
- Court Type
- Criminal
- Disposition
- Pleaded Guilty
- Date of Indictment
- 3/17/2005
|Contractors Involved
|Further Information
|Plea Agreement
|DOJ Press Release (guilty plea)
|DOJ Press Release (indictment)


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Friday, August 31, 2007
Scraping bottom in Saskatchewan
A tot of priggish pecksniffery, anyone?
Here. And, oh yes, here.
The latter deconstructed here. And here.
Anyone going to take on the "NDP is encouraging underaged drinking!!!!1111!!" alarum?
Good grief. Is this all they've got? Never mind that poll back in April, then--Lorne Calvert's in no trouble at all. Sure a lot of growling and yapping coming from that neck of the woods, though.
Peace, violence and activism
Of course it was peaceful: and Salutin wasn't arguing for violence. But he noted that we lose our edge when we reassure the public that we really aren't any threat to the established order. We need what he calls "a sense of implacable determination that takes [us] beyond any desire to seem respectable."
Well put. Binary thinking makes us choose between peace or violence, and categorize all protests as one or the other, but there are other positions. Gandhi's implacable non-violence led to many deaths. As Salutin points out, it's "relentless determination" that counts, that brings about change, that makes all the difference. And he raises the case of Mohawk activist Shawn Brant.
The column was evidently written before Brant's release from jail after two months, under strict, and some might argue onerous, bail terms. He may not participate, for example, in any demonstrations or protests: bail conditions, it seems, trump Charter rights. But Salutin (and Brant's spouse Sue Collis) makes the point that Brant's actions, in-your-face though they have been, were less disruptive than the anti-Harris labour-led Days of Protest, and no one jailed the labour leaders. Why did he spend two months in jail, effectively for acts of civil disobedience?
I'd say there was an implacability in his expression; he cut his opponents no moral slack. He didn't threaten, but he didn't try to mollify, either.
In its heydey, the labour movement had this kind of single-minded, almost stoic conviction. Its main weapon, the strike, was non-violent but aroused feelings comparable to those during war, toward scabs or bosses. In that frame of mind, there is no need felt to placate the other side and none at all for respectibility. What would you want it for?
I think a society benefits from this kind of challenge. It clarifies choices and discourages endless avoidance. Sue Collis writes that, after the Mohawk blockades in June, polls showed "71 per cent of Canadians wanting actions on land claims and 41 per cent of Ontarians prepared to acknowledge rail blockades as justified." There's also a social loss when fierceness and passion vanish almost entirely from movements such as labour and the environment.
I think Salutin is spot on, and I say this as a former labour leader who, at least on occasion, played the respectability game as the labour institution currently demands. Ken Georgetti, President of the Canadian Labour Congress, calls himself a "CEO," for crying out loud, and wears the suits to match. We all fuss too much, I think, about public opinion, keeping the public on our side, causing minimum disruption to the public--as though being successful in any of this has moved our cause forward one centimetre.
I don't necessarily hold a brief for Shawn Brant. As a wise co-activist once said to me, "The labour movement is no place for heroes," and the same goes for any social activist movement. I shall leave internal Mohawk politics to the Mohawks--there are, I suspect, countless wheels within wheels there--but Brant does strike this outsider as somewhat of a loner. Be that as it may, however, his actions (like those of John Clarke of OCAP fame) force us all to re-evaluate what we're doing.
One could hear the audible sighs of relief from all quarters after the coast-to-coast protests during National Aboriginal Day passed without "incident." I may even have made some of those noises myself. Once again, Native activists had performed on stage for the masses, entertained us all for a day, and quietly left the stage without an encore, with muffled applause. Suppose they had, in the true spirit of audience participation, mingled with us, forced us to "dialogue" with in-your-face drill-sergeant histrionics, and not only made us listen--but made us talk? Might that have helped us to understand a little more, even want to do something (or explain why we don't), about the landless Lubicon, one-third of whose members have TB? The mind-numbing poverty and hopelessness on reserves? Indian Affairs policy, which veers wildly between paternalism and neglect? Racist crap like this?
Instead we all clapped politely and made our way to the exits and the rest of our lives. Another day of peaceful protest. Thank you, First Nations. And thank you, labour movement, environmental movement, anti-war movement, for not really upsetting us or inconveniencing us or challenging us in any way. You behaved yourselves. And so you'll have our support and even our respect, and your decorum will be noted in news stories, columns and editorials. Just don't go trying to change anything.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Victor Rabinovitch has to go
The photograph above is of Dresden during WWII after Bomber Command got through with it. Here is what Arthur "Bomber" Harris, commander-in-chief of Bomber Command, had to say about the massive allied bombing initiative:
[The aim] was the destruction of German cities; the killing of German workers; and the disruption of civilized life throughout Germany. It should be emphasized that the destruction of houses, public utilities, transport and lives; the creation of a refugee problem on an unprecedented scale; and the breakdown of morale both at home and at the battle fronts by fear of extended and intensified bombing, are accepted and intended aims of our bombing policy. They are not by-products of attempts to hit factories.
And here are the words on display at the National War Museum (I count only 66, not 67, incidentally) that have some lobbyists upset:
The value and morality of the strategic bomber offensive against Germany remains bitterly contested. Bomber Command's aim was to crush civilian morale and force Germany to surrender by destroying its cities and industrial installations. Although Bomber Command and American attacks left 600,000 Germans dead and more than five million homeless, the raids resulted in only small reductions of German war production until late in the war.
As historian Randall Hansen suggests, a new plaque could be made that contains even more information, such as the fact that precision bombing was available at the time, and indeed contributed to ending the war through the destruction of oil targets. But if the veterans don't like such changes to the existing panel, he says, perhaps Harris' statement might be substituted for it.
Letter-writers had their say today as well:
The exhibit should simply state the facts: "Bombing of civilian targets in Germany left 600,000 civilians dead and more than five million homeless."
Let's just rename the museum, which now has the horrendous three-letter word "war" displayed so prominently. I suggest the more modern "Support Our Troops" and redesigning the building as a massive yellow ribbon. [Globe and Mail, August 30, behind subscriber wall]
The current controversy, certainly, may give the wrong impression of what the practice of history is all about. History is a series of accounts, not a truth dug out of something called "the past" like a dinosaur skeleton. There are many "pasts" and many "truths." But history is also a discipline, and one vital aspect of that discipline is empirical adequacy: statements don't get made, to put it crudely, unless you can back them up. The odd thing about this controversy, however, is that the "67-word" statement at issue is not being criticized so much for factual inaccuracy as for its alleged "disrespect."But since when has the question of respect been part of the historical enterprise? In the words of Margaret MacMillan, one of the historians hired to go over the exhibit, "A museum is not a war memorial."
Which brings us to the Museum's president, Victor Rabinovitch, and his craven response to the lobbyists.
On the one hand we have this:
We are not seeking to whitewash history. We are not becoming historical revisionists....
The fundamental objective is to ensure that the panel text has proper context to it and that it has properly and fully represented the historical record in a brief and summary fashion.
Every public museum engages not only with the public but engages with specialized interest groups. That's normal. Do those groups dictate what the museum says? Not if it's a good museum, not if it's credible.
Sound good? What he really meant, it seems, is this:
The Canadian War Museum has bowed to pressure from veterans and agreed to change a controversial exhibit critical of Allied bombing of German cities in World War Two.
Now this isn't the first time that Rabinovitch has "bowed to pressure." Those with reasonably long memories might recall that, immediately after 9/11, he cancelled a scheduled exhibition by Arab-Canadian artists at the National Gallery. This pusillanimous bit of racism could not stand: he was finally directed by then Prime Minister Jean Chrétien to restore the exhibit. Senator Marcel Prud'homme had some choice words to say at the time about Rabinovitch's shocking decision. He noted that the entire House of Commons rose to applaud M. Chrétien's reversal of that decision, except one man--why, it was Stockwell Day, it turns out, and he's still crazy after all these years. (Rabinovitch, as it turns out, may have had the last laugh.)
Nothing less than the integrity of our national museums is at stake here. Their contents simply cannot be dictated by lobby groups, however sincere or offended or political those groups happen to be. They cannot be dictated by current world events or the danger of hurt feelings or who has the ear of the president. What is needed at the helm is leadership: a CEO who can guarantee the integrity of the process by which exhibitions are assembled and shown, and by which Canada is represented. Rabinovitch has now, on two occasions, shown a simply stunning lack of professional judgement and courage. The current exhibit should stay--and he should go.
UPDATE: (August 31) Pample the Moose provides some historians' responses. One cites a media blog that sums up the matter perfectly, in my opinion: "The Wikipedification of the War Museum."
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Scratch a conservative...
Mark my words - the moment is approaching when a bandana [sic] prowling these police protected barricades will end up in the crosshairs of someone's high powered rifle.
And Happy National Aboriginal Day to you too.
Meanwhile, to offset to some mild degree the destruction of some grape vines by anti-occupation protesters on the West Bank (did the settlers actually plant those vines?), here are a few reports to tickle the hearts of the pro-occupation set (you know, the ones who refer to Palestine as Judea and Samaria):
Settlers attack Palestinian olive harvesters, kill one
Gazans reclaim destroyed farmland
Policy of Destruction: House Demolition and Destruction of Agricultural Land in the Gaza Strip
Question of the Violation of Human Rights in the Occupied Arab Territories, Including Palestine
Thousands Displaced by Israeli Demolitions in Gaza
And don't forget to check out the story behind the picture above (click on it).
Ontario election: multicultural flip-flops
Let's review. The McGuinty Liberals are out of the gate as firm supporters of a public school system--except for the Catholics. The Greens want to abolish the separate school system and have one public system for all, and they have United Nations backing as well as popular support for this move. The NDP is exactly nowhere on the question, offering this tepid nonsense:
NDP critic Peter Tabuns said the New Democrats also support maintaining the status quo in public education, but with one key proviso.
"We need to put money back into the system to deal with the fundamental problems that teachers and students are dealing with," Tabuns said.This was the party, remember, that strongly supported full funding for the Catholic Separate School system in the 1980s.
And the Conservatives? Why, let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred schools contend, as some grumpy old Tory somewhere once mumbled.
What on earth has happened to that good old multiculturalism debate? You know, the one where the sides have lined up for years: the Right opposed, the Left in favour (supposedly), pushing its charming vision of a brightly-coloured mosaic of peoples, faiths and languages? All the players have switched sides here, and this onlooker, for one, is getting a little curious, not to mention confused.
Of course, it never has been as simple as that. As a progressive, not to mention a student of anthropology, I've had my own problems with official multiculturalism, and I'm not alone. But Liberals created the policy, affirmed it and promoted it. Conservatives have supported cultural integration, but of the kind where "they" simply become "us." Just let it all happen naturally, I say--culture isn't a thing, it's what people do. "Canadian culture" is a living braid of many different world-views, traditions and practices. It changes all the time--it's not a sea that eventually swallows immigrants, nor is it a collection of pretty little boxes containing cuisines, folk-dances, exotic religious rituals and costumes.
But I digress. Back to the Ontario election campaign. What is emerging on the cultural front? Liberals, stout defenders of those little boxes, suddenly want one system for all (well, two), and start talking sensibly about public education. (To give McGuinty credit, he earlier dealt in Solomonic fashion with the "Shariah law" non-issue by completely secularizing the Ontario Arbitration Act.) And Conservatives, who once talked about "Canadian values," and saluted the good burghers of Hérouxville as cultural heroes, now want to fund a whole bunch of different school systems on the taxpayers' nickel--identity politics at its absolute worst.
This is a wedge issue, all right, but what an odd turn of events: the Liberals promoting educational integration and the Conservatives pandering to the ethnic vote. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around?
Calling all constitutional lawyers [updated]
Section 3 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms states:
Every citizen of Canada has the right to vote in an election of members of the House of Commons or of a legislative assembly and to be qualified for membership therein.
A member of the House legally represents the constituents of his or her riding. It isn't merely high-handed of the Harper regime to appoint someone else--a political partisan of the regime--to carry out these tasks. It may actually be illegal. These questions, asked over at Galloping Beaver, are pertinent:
1. Does Smith get paid and who pays her?
2. Does Smith have access to caucus?
3. Does Smith have access to cabinet ministers ahead of the duly elected member of parliament?
To which we might add a couple more:
4. Does Smith perform her role for all constituents, or only Conservatives?
5. Does this appointment interfere with the sitting MP's performance of his duties?
Under (4), if her doors are open to all as appears to be the case, she would seem to be supplanting the sitting MP. Under (5), there may be a question of Parliamentary privilege at issue.
Legal opinions from Constitutional scholars are probably being crafted as I write this, but it would be good to have some commentary here on the subject from those with constitutional expertise. As the other bloggers have noted, there's a lot at stake here--even if not a single Blogging Tory has seen fit to comment.
UPDATE: (August 26) Call me stuffy, old-fashioned and prudish (none of which I happen to be), but am I the only progressive getting a little squeamish about the "naked mayor" pics of Sharon Smith floating around the blogosphere in connection with this story? Are they necessary to our argument? Remember that they were not intended for anyone but her partner and herself: they were stolen and circulated, to her no doubt considerable personal humiliation.
This has nothing to do with politics. Privacy is a right, folks, and we'd be the first to yell and stamp our feet if that sort of thing was done by some Blogging Tory to one of us. This all seems a little too much like pulling some kid's pants down in the schoolyard and running away. Verb. sap.
UPPERDATE: (August 27) Well, not really. Not a peep out of the media about this, except three interviews on local CBC. Only one new blogger, and Garth Turner, bless 'im. It's enough to make someone buy a roll of tinfoil, stat. No story here? Good grief.
In the meantime, listen to Duff Conacher of Democracy Watch on the apparent violations of the House of Commons ethics rules by Conservative MP Dick Harris. The latter's self-justification can be heard here. And here's Nathan Cullen: "pretty poisonous politics." (h/t Frank Frink via Unrepentant Old Hippie)
UPPERDATE: (August 27) Looks like Skeena-Bulkley Valley may not be the only place where the Cons have installed a "liaison." Nice catch over at POGGE? (still waiting for a primary link). Meanwhile, some new bloggers have piled on, and the media may be doing something on the story in their own sweet time.
UPPERDATE: (August 28) Frank Frink of Creative Revolution has updates. Is there a pattern developing here? The substitution appears to have already happened to Vancouver North MP Catherine Bell.
UPPERDATE: (August 29) The blogswarm continues--and, mirabile dictu, there are some signs of life from the media. And a good letter to the editor.
UPPERDATE: (August 29) Three more blogs enter the fray. Kuri, of Thought Interrupted by Typos, is right on: we bloggers left the media in the dust on this one.
UPPERDATE: (August 29) And still more. And more and more. And here is Nathan Cullen. And a post from Alison that I'd missed yesterday, confirming the pattern that's emerging. And an open letter to the comatose Blogging Tories. Nice to have one major media story, though.
UPPERDATE: (August 29) A fine bit of snarkery from the Canadian Cynic. Canada's New Government: "Nice riding you got there. Be a shame if anything happened to it." And another small newspaper picks up the trail. (H/t Creative Revolution)
UPPERDATE: (August 29) At last! There's a CP wire story--seems the Tories are now "vigorously backpedalling." Lovely. (H/t the indefatigable Frank Frink of Creative Revolution) So what's going to happen to all of those other "liaisons" now?
And thanks for the h/t, Impolitical, but the chief credit here, I think, is to Blogging a Dead Horse and to Frank Frink for riding this beast into the ground.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
The carriage of justice arrives--48 years late
UPDATE: Good commentary here: how the Charter of Rights played a role in the acquittal.
Monday, August 27, 2007
And a little child shall lead them
In India, a three-year old child, Raj Kumar, has been charged with leading a riot. No, not in a daycare centre--relax, Arnie--but in the streets of Bihar province. He was also accused of throwing stones and firing on troops. His family, however, claims that he has an alibi--he was at his grandmother's house. Oh, sure he was. A likely story. (H/t Reason Online.)
DawgNews has learned that the Sûreté du Québec is now hiring enfants provocateurs.
Saturday, August 25, 2007
Upside-down world
The article is long, and the book from which the article is distilled is no doubt much longer, so let me home in on one set of examples provided by the author as illustrations of Left-fostered social decline, with accompanying commentary. But, to preface that, readers will note that an almost pathological condition frequently found on the starboard side of the values-spectrum (from which flows the politics) is projection. As I have noted before, not a few conservatives live in a mirror-world in which the Left is racist, the Left is anti-Semitic, women oppress men and Blacks oppress whites and workers oppress bosses--or so they argue. I never thought, however, that I would see the day that selfish individualism was laid at the door of the Left, with the bizarre, almost surrealistically conjoined claim that collectivism, or at least liberalism (not the same thing, of course) is to blame.
Anthony raises a number of terrible incidents in which innocents in the UK have been brutalized and some murdered while onlookers did nothing. But what conclusion does he draw from this? Why, it's multiculturalism, or bleeding-heart sympathy for miscreants, or too much passive reliance on the state, or Black culture (it's hard to know, and in fairness I probably ought to read the book, because the article wanders all over the place and simply fails to cohere).
So here are some of the lessons this disillusioned liberal, who has been mugged by "reality," offers us:
Evidence both statistical and anecdotal suggests that in a 'community of communities' there is not enough social glue to create a sense of shared responsibility. Studies show that bystanders are less likely to come to the aid of someone of a different ethnicity from their own. The girl I saw stabbed was of Asian appearance. Her attackers were Afro-Caribbean. And nearly all the onlookers were, for want of a better phrase, white. Difference is all very well but it is with sameness, a common humanity, that we most pressingly need to reconnect.
And this:
In the 10 years between 1995 and 2005, serious woundings rose by 50 per cent in England and Wales. And it is estimated that up to 70 per cent of violent crime goes unreported.
But when it came down to it, the girl was stabbed because her assailants felt able to do it. The ringleader was inhibited neither by the community nor her peer group. In the first instance, the community turned away, and in the second, her peer group joined in the assault. These were problems of attitude that were not simplistic functions of environment.
In truth, I find it rather hard to argue with Anthony about the underlying social malaise here. Yes, there obviously needs to be a reconnection to a common humanity. Certainly the perpetrators of the crimes he describes were "inhibited neither by the community nor [their] peer group." But why certain conservatives would take comfort in such analysis--check out the SDA thread for the usual smug commentary and belches of self-satisfaction--is a mystery to me.
The author attempts to racialize the incidents he describes, although not all of those incidents appear to be interracial. Such indifference, or fear, in fact, is far from unknown in situations where race cannot be so easily, and conveniently, highlighted. What prevents us from realizing our "common humanity" and showing a little bit of what us leftists like to call "social responsibility?" Actually, the answer is rather simple: a selfish, atomistic individualism, fostered by the far Right, in which the "I'm all right, Jack" attitude is held up as a pristine virtue, and empathy for the less fortunate is seen as a weakness.
Who, for goodness sake, in her put-on, plummy, revoltingly priggish manner of speaking, famously informed us that "There is no such thing as society"? Here's the quote in context:
They are casting their problems at society. And, you know, there's no such thing as society. There are individual men and women and there are families. And no government can do anything except through people, and people must look after themselves first. It is our duty to look after ourselves and then, also, to look after our neighbours.
Please note the time-frame here. The UK, by 1995, has suffered a decade and a half of radically conservative government, and under it the kind of irresponsible nonsense just quoted, spouted forth by Maggie Thatcher and her panting acolytes, and put into policy and practice with a flinty-hearted vengeance. And now, suddenly, we are being told that those who took this guff seriously, who looked out for themselves first, who didn't get involved in matters that did not concern their immediate individual interests, are the bad guys--and it's all the Left's fault?
Here is the comment of a smirking bystander, who had just witnessed the brutalizing of a young girl and done nothing, after the author remonstrated with him:
Don't have a go at me, you pompous prick. Why should I get involved? It had nothing to do with me.
Is there any more fitting apotheosis of Thatcher's dream than that? For indeed it came to pass that Andrew Anthony's dystopic Britain was given its form and substance in the crucible of Thatcher's dog-eat-dog conservatism. It was a Britain where the social was disparaged at every turn, and where crass selfishness was extolled, leaving its festering mark. It is no surprise, then, that even today it is a Britain where society exists, all right, but in a critically weakened state. And Anthony's flailing should, perhaps, be taken as a symptom of just how badly things have gone wrong.
Montebello: an invitation to be heard
Meanwhile, a few choice quotes that stand out from the week's events:
When protesters are yelling at undercover police officers to "put down the rock!", something's clearly amiss. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Lord Kitchener's Own
In this case, [the SQ officers] didn't defuse conflict, they provoked conflict. Martin Courcy, conflict management expertThey won't be winning any Oscars for their performance. Senior Sûreté du Québec officer.
I'm sure the RCMP will get to the bottom of this. In fact, I'm sure they've been there all along. Caroline Fram, commenter at the Globe and Mail
The SQ officer was carrying the rock to blend in. No, wait, a protester gave him the rock to throw. [paraphrase of SQ spokesperson Marcel Savard's two stories]
Readers are invited to submit their own.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Les policiers Keystone: leur conférence de presse
Remember that rock, carried by one of the "anarchists?" Why, says spokesperson Inspector Marcel Savard, it was given to the officer by a demonstrator who wanted him to throw it--but of course he would never do such a thing. I wish someone had asked him about the beer bottle.
The three officers, he said, were on the lookout for lawbreakers, and it was just by accident that they bumped up against the peaceful group of demonstrators where their cover was blown. Such infiltrators, said Savard, unncecessarily, always run the risk of being unmasked.
The SQ, he said, would be reviewing its procedures ["La Sûreté du Québec est à revoir ses procédures"]. I just bet they will. New instructions: "When we want to provoke a riot, let's be sure not to use strapping, well-groomed young men with police boots. Getting caught makes us look really bad. Maybe we can hire some pierced, long-haired, weedy types as special constables."
As I say--I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Anyone?
[BigCityLib has just posted on this as well.]
UPDATE: (August 24) The YouTube video cameraperson, Paul Manley, has surfaced. He was disturbed by what he saw, and wants an inquiry. H/t Bene Diction.
UPDATE: (August 25) Inspector Savard just can't seem to make up his mind. First, the officer with the rock was given that rock by an "extremist." But now the officer was carrying it to blend in. Which is it, M. l'Inspecteur? And you never did say anything about that beer bottle--was it a gift from an "extremist" too?
Was it a beer bottle? Readers, you decide: blow-up here. Was it a "projectile?" Here's a description of a clash between riot police and protesters elsewhere in Montebello on August 20:
Dozens more tear gas canisters exploded as the crowd began retreating east toward the village. In response, protesters in gas masks, goggles, and balaclavas hurled rocks, tomatoes, and stone-filled bottles at the police, who blocked Highway 148 and an adjacent cemetery.
Day of the Dinosaurs
Go back and have another look at the infamous YouTube video. Who is being peaceful? Who is being violent? Who is insisting on peaceful protest--and who is carrying a rock?
I might have my own differences with Canadian Labour Congress President Ken Georgetti on occasion, but he's right on the money this time, asking a lot of the right questions and demanding answers. So should we all.
Day isn't very happy with Georgetti, asking aloud whether he knew that the protests would turn violent. Given what the rest of the country now knows, perhaps that question might be better asked of Day himself, who would appear to be in a position to have had distant early warning directly from the instigators. Is he worried what a public inquiry might turn up--about his own office?
Questions for the Montebello Inquiry
If the Sûreté is telling the truth, its ineptness was staggering. Sending agents posing as violent anarchists into a crowd of middle-aged unionists seems straight out of a film parody of police tactics. But could the force really have been so comically inept? Or were the infiltrators there, as Mr. [Dave] Coles [the CEP union President] has alleged, to stir up trouble so police could move in?
Neither scenario is appealing. But if it is the latter, this is a scandal on the level of the Mounties' pepper-spraying of protesters at the 1997 APEC summit. And given that the RCMP was working alongside the Sûreté at Montebello, it must also be asked whether it was complicit in this plan.
Whatever the strategy, the summit will be remembered for police behaving badly while demonstrators remained peaceful. Now, a full investigation is needed to determine just how bad this really was.
Now, from the Citizen editorial:
A violent confrontation would have served only the demonstrators' ends. The police would have been negligent if they hadn't had some kind of plan to watch the protesters from within. Someone like Mr. Coles knows that just about every anti-globalization protest has seen real demonstrators trying to provoke the police. Rock-throwers hide behind Raging Granny types and teenagers flashing peace signs--if the riot police want to get at the dangerous protesters, they're guaranteed to be filmed and photographed pushing their way through the meek ones. Better if the police have an officer or two behind the protesters' lines who can identify troublemakers later, or step in immediately if the situation gets seriously out of hand.
If the officers were just supposed to keep an eye on things and then accidentally found themselves standing with a mere few dozen demonstrators and looking like the most militant types around, they should have put down their rocks and gone back to the command post. Truly, there was nothing to see, or to be gained, by sticking around in disguise.
Still, democracy and the right to dissent are safe if our police forces' undercover operations are run as ineptly as this one was.
Mr. Coles, Maude Barlow and the rest need to find victories where they can, but if this was a win, it was a small one indeed.
I have never been a fan of bloggers' dismissive "MSM" shorthand, but if all newspapers were as singularly inept as the Ottawa Citizen, I might have joined those ranks. While the Globe rightly calls for an inquiry, the Citizen tries to make the whole thing look like the protesters' fault. The police were just doing their duty, but weren't very good at it. And their very ineptness is a democratic safeguard.
Here's one observer who isn't laughing. Whatever the police were up to, the Keystone Kops explanation is plainly insufficient, and doesn't make me rest any easier. Certainly those of us following this story enjoyed watching the mask, both metaphorical and literal, gradually slide off this week. Police denials, following a lengthy silence, were obviously hedged. Pictures of two of the "anarchists" were all over the place, and it was only a matter of time before the truth was discovered. But that truth, partial though it is at the moment, has uncovered a genuine threat to democracy. If the only thing keeping our fragile freedoms alive is police incompetence, then I, for one, fear for the future.
Now, in any case, we get more police hedging. To quote from the Sûreté du Québec press release yesterday, their officers "avaient le mandat de repérer et d'identifier les manifestants non pacifiques pour ainsi éviter les débordements" ["had the duty to spot and identify non-peaceful demonstrators to keep things from boiling over"]. "[Les agents étaient] repérés par les manifestants au moment où ils ont refusé de lancer des projectiles" ["The officers were spotted by the demonstrators when they refused to throw their projectiles"]. That last bit was too much even for the Citizen, which found this a "questionable claim."
It is important, for those of us who believe in the right to public dissent in Canada, to take the Citizen editorial very seriously. We shall see echoes of that nonsense on the starboard side of the blogosphere, as those who ridiculed the original claims of the protesters scramble to do damage control. The best way of picking this nonsense apart, and to get at the truth of the matter, is to ask questions--lots of questions. One of my commenters, Nbob, starts us off nicely with the first two in this list:
1) Until the SQ statement, were there any reports of "projectiles" being thrown in the area at the time?
2) If some were, was an SQ incident report filed, and is it now available?
3) Was anyone except an undercover SQ officer* spotted with a "projectile?" (The SQ was doing its own video surveillance, h/t Gazetteer. Will this recording be kept?)
4) Were the "anarchists" urging violence, as members of the crowd alleged?
5) Were they "taunting union members" as stated in the Globe and Mail's front-page story today?
6) If the "anarchists" were spotted by protesters because they didn't throw "projectiles," and their job was to maintain order as the SQ claims, does this mean that others were throwing things? Were any arrests made? If not, why not?
7) Why was a peaceful crowd of demonstrators targeted by the SQ? Were they not in the so-called "Green Zone?"
8) Was the RCMP involved or complicit in this action?
9) Was there police involvement at Montebello in some other clashes that took place? Were those clashes initiated by agents provocateurs?
10) How high up the chain of command was the decision made to use the "anarchists" in this fashion? Were the tactics allegedly employed (provocation to violence, carrying a rock, taunting the union folks who were trying to keep order) approved at that level?
11) Is this SOP for the SQ and RCMP? Is there a paper trail?
We won't get this kind of questioning from the ideologically hidebound Ottawa Citizen, of course. Its agenda is all too clear. But perhaps more professional journalists--and, ultimately, an inquiry of the kind called for by the Globe--will get to the bottom of it all. In the meantime, readers are invited to pose additional questions of their own, or to provide information that can be compiled here.
*The YouTube video showed one undercover officer with a rock in his hand. Is this the same officer shown here, with a beer bottle in his back pocket? H/t CUPE, and Mark (comments 6 and 7) at Stageleft's place. Close-up of beer bottle here. Better one here, h/t Joe Blakesley. Note the "SQ" written on one undercover's forearm in Joe's Flickr gallery.
[Footnote UPDATE August 24] Commenter "riles" notes that the beer-bottle officer is not the same one who carried the rock. The commenter also draws our attention to splashes of yellow paint on the three infiltrators, visible on the YouTube video--the first time, to my knowledge, that this possible identifying sign has been caught by anyone.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Flushed with success
"Gentlemen, get the thing straight once and for all — the policeman isn't there to create disorder, the policeman is there to preserve disorder." —Mayor Richard Daley, Chicago, 1968
Cop spotted in Montebello, protesters allege
The man, followed to a police line by a number of protesters after allegedly shoving one of them, was wearing riot gear, a police ID badge and Vibram-soled boots identical to those worn by police officers. He was also carrying what looked like a standard-issue pistol, pepper-spray and a pair of handcuffs, witnesses said.
"We just knew he had to be a cop," said labour leader Dave Coales. "He stood out like a sore thumb. Nobody knew him. And he wouldn't take off his mask."
"He might have been a protester pretending to be a cop pretending to be a protester pretending to be a cop," said D'Arcy Jerrom, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Stephen Harper. "He certainly wasn't given direction by the PMO."
According to several protesters, the man passed easily through a police cordon, and into a cemetery. Police apparently did not place him under arrest. The two police forces refused to release his name, stating that this is never done unless charges are laid. Asked if it was standard operating procedure not to arrest and charge a threatening individual deliberately penetrating a police line, Flic and Bunker each refused comment, citing security concerns.
Retired Ottawa police officer and security consultant Doug Kirkwood questioned the allegation. "Police dressing up as police and hanging around the protest movement? That seems a little far-fetched to me. I hope it isn't true.""Now we have proof positive that this sort of thing is going on," said Maude Georgetti, one of the Montebello protest leaders. "In fact, this fellow and others like him have been coming to our planning meetings all along, banging on their shields and asking a lot of questions. One of them even arrived on horseback. It just didn't feel right."
Protest organizers have vowed to pursue the matter with an official complaint.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
APEC Enquiry II, anyone? [updated]
Judge Hughes, we may be needing you again.
The following is a news and progressive blog round-up of the growing Montebello "agents provocateurs" scandal. Were police caught, er, flat-footed?
Red Tory
Art Threat
Exile Infoshop
Brian's Thoughts
Exposé Skateboard Magazine
Pacific Tribune
Canadian Cynic
Cent Papiers (boot shot)
CUPE (boot shot)
O'Neil Brooke
Cathy from Canada
Bene Diction
Rusty Idols
Larry Hubich
Galloping Beaver
Climate and Capitalism
Big City Lib
Welcome to 1984
Your Dirty Answer
A Canadian Lefty in Occupied Land
This Canadian
Unrepentant Old Hippie
Vanity Press
Getting It Right
Far and Wide
The Last Minute Blog (good hi-res pic of one of the "protesters")
Les Enragés.org
Voice of Grant
Drinking Liberally in New Milford
Matthew Good
Skippy the Bush Kangaroo
Paulitics (interesting boot analysis)
This Can't Be Right
Kate Hermelin (good flikr photos, with commentary)
YaYaCanada (comprehensive photo essay of the Montebello events)
Daily Kos
AOL Newsbloggers
Ottawa Sun
Harper Index
Ottawa Indymedia
National Post (if you can believe it)
Yoni Goldstein, National Post
Toronto Star
CBC As It Happens (interview with David Coles)
Maclean's (columnist Kady O'Malley calls for an enquiry)
If you freeze the YouTube video at 2:22, you will see a side face shot of one of the provocateurs, momentarily unmasked. That picture should be given wide circulation (I don't have screen capture software--anyone?). As has been noted, had the three masked fellows been arrested, there would be no story. Instead, they were not, even though these "dangerous anarchists" edged right up to, and penetrated, police lines--and the RCMP and Sûreté du Québec have suddenly become coy:
Neither the RCMP nor the Surete du Quebec would comment on the video or even discuss generally whether they ever use the tactic of employing agents provocateurs. "I cannot answer your question because I don't have the information,'' said Const. Kane Kramer, a spokesman for the RCMP at the summit.
Sometimes silence does indeed speak volumes.
UPDATE: (August 22) Dave Coles, President of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union (and hero of the moment on the infamous YouTube clip), will be holding a press conference today at 1:00 at the Chateau Laurier, to unveil proof that the three "anarchists" were members of the Sûreté du Québec. Stay tuned.
UPPERDATE: (August 22) My old buddy and sparring partner, former police officer Doug Kirkland, weighs in.
UPPERDATE: (August 22) CTV's David Akin, who attended the CEP press conference about the agents provocateurs, reports. The money quote: "They won't be winning any Oscars for their performance" --senior Sûreté du Québec officer. Meanwhile, Caroline Fram, a commenter over at the Globe & Mail, has my vote for best quote of the day: "I'm sure the RCMP will get to the bottom of this. In fact, I'm sure they've been there all along."
UPPERDATE: (August 22) Who were those masked men? A hat-tip to Dana for this:
and also for this, a second "protester" who shoved David Coles at one point:
And a higher-resolution shot thanks to CUPE:
And here's another high-resolution shot, h/t Last Minute Blog, photo by Kate Hermelin, apparently of the same fellow:
And another h/t to Michael Cowley-Owen, StraightGoods.ca webmaster, for this clear shot of the first man (more pics and coverage in StraightGoods here):
Perhaps a little wide-circulation, people, to help identify these guys?
UPPERDATE: (August 22) A former police officer makes some interesting comments over at Dust My Broom about the provocateurs' body language on the YouTube video.
UPPERDATE: (August 23) Stageleft has the last word on the boots angle.
UPPERDATE: (August 23) The Sûreté du Québec confesses. H/t Stageleft.
UPPESTDATE: (August 24) And finally--the agents provocateurs' identities revealed? :)
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Terry Glavin's hysteria
Try to follow the logic. It's a little sketchy, but here it is: Maude Barlow and her fellow progressives oppose the so-called "Security and Prosperity Partnership (SPP)," because talks are talking place among senior politicians, bureaucrats and corporate leaders out of sight of the public, and because this likely heralds a new phase of what has been called deep integration. Bulk water exports from Canada to the US are on the table, despite official denials; unrestricted and unaccountable information exchange amongst security agencies, which has already led to the rendition of Maher Arar and the stupid (thankfully temporary) refusal to allow a mild-mannered labour relations professor to teach at Carleton University, will be heightened; Canada's environment and sovereignty, already threatened by NAFTA, will be under even more pressure.
But some far-right America Firsters are also against the SPP. They think it will lead to unrestricted immigration, amongst other things, and world gummint, probably run by the Jooooos, if not the Illuminati, which will impose socialism, race-mixing and God knows what else, sending the patriots off to the hills (if they aren't there already) to chow down on C-rations and pick off ZOG agents at their leisure. Yee-haw!
Now, because there happens, for whatever wacky reasons, to be an alignment of concern about the SPP--not an alignment of views, mind you--it is all too obvious, to Glavin at least, that there is some kind of sinister ideological convergence. So, in his classic fashion, he links to an earlier post connecting the left with--well, what else, he's hipped on the subject--radical Islam. See, it all fits together--Maude Barlow, terrorism, Pat Boone, the John Birch Society, anti-Semitism, environmentalism...a "subtle pattern," as Glavin puts it. Subtle indeed.
The odd thing about this foolish fantasizing is that it has all the earmarks of the very wingnut theorizing that he complains about in his post. Somehow the same people who go to the wall fighting homophobia, sexism, racism, and (let's call a spade a spade) American imperialism, are really in bed with fascists and Islamists and anti-Semites and terrorists and homophobes and woman-enslavers....not to mention turtles and Teamsters. It's, well, a conspiracy.
We defeated the MAI and the FTAA--so far--simply by exposing those multi-legged white grubs to the bright light of day. There are more grubby deals in the offing, though, and the SPP is just the latest of them. Progressives will continue to research, write, publicize and protest, thank goodness--more power to them. And those living in their closed delusional universes will continue to spin bizarre paranoid theories: "It's the One Worlders! No, it's the Islamic-socialist axis! It's the Jews! No, it's the Council of Canadians!" Terry Glavin and Pat Boone, in fact, have far more in common than either of them might imagine.
UPDATE: (August 22) Just caught this comment by Glavin about the policing of dissent at Montebello: "Pick a fight with a riot squad, you deserve to get your ass kicked, I reckon."
Friday, August 17, 2007
Bits 'n' pieces
Item: Jason Cherniak comes clean on MMP
Although they might not admit it in public, the reality is that the NDP supports MMP because it will give them more elected politicians. Am I allowed to suggest that MMP is a bad idea for precisely the same reason?
As I said at his place, of course he is. Refreshing honesty, in fact, which might explain the Liberal troop surge against MMP going on at the moment.
I wonder whether you think it is right to have a referendum of the population on electoral reform, when at least 90% of them know even less about political systems than me. [Comment]
And, of course, he is absolutely right. But let's not stop there. I know a bit, but not much, about economics, maybe a little more on foreign affairs, not a great deal about Aboriginal issues, and very little about the federal-provincial relations thing. But I know more about this stuff than a lot of other people do. Why should we have general elections when so many people know even less about these matters than I? Democracy, as I never tire of pointing out, is far too precious to waste on just anyone.
Alas, Jason didn't stick to his admirable candour for long:
For the record, the number of NDP MPPs is not so much my reason for opposing MMP as it is a symptom of MMP that highlights my more principled concerns with it.
Darn. I kind of liked the guy when he went off-message for a moment.
Item: book panned, authors banned
A couple of American academics have run into a buzz-saw before their book, The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy, has even gone on sale. As reported by CommonDreams, some of their fellow academics have reacted swiftly to diss the book and shut down discussion:
The subject will certainly prompt furious debate, though not at the Center for the Humanities at the Graduate Center at the City University of New York, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, a Jewish cultural center in Washington and three organizations in Chicago. They have all turned down or canceled events with the authors, mentioning unease with the controversy or the format.
As a sometime literary critic myself, I was most impressed with the critical methodology employed by Aoibheann Sweeney, director of the Center for the Humanities at City University of New York. "I looked at the introduction," she said, "and I didn't feel that the book was saying things differently enough [from an article written previously by the two authors]."
(H/t Carson's Post)
Item: Protest TV at Montebello
This intrigued me. Politics is always theatre, but now it's TV. After a peaceful demonstration at the APEC summit in Vancouver was crushed by thuggish RCMP officers in 1997, the judge who later investigated the matter, Ted Hughes, stated that protesters have a right to be seen and heard in Canada, and that visiting leaders shouldn't be immune to lawful protest. So the Montebello demonstrators will be held in a couple of those infamous "free speech zones," but the summit leaders can watch them on closed-circuit television.
Alan Borovoy of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association thinks that having the zones next to the hotel is "progress," but in fact the holding pens (as protester Jaggi Singh rightly calls them) are more than a kilometre away. Nevertheless, he's nailed it: as reported, he understands the concerns of protesters who want to "generate an atmosphere of political tension and disapproval." That, after all, is what protest is really about: not something somewhere else that one watches on TV. How effective is dissent if it's sequestered in special areas patrolled by police, and mediated through a glass screen?
Item: But on a lighter note...
Since we shouldn't spend our Friday fussing about our mutual funds, Hurricane Dean and the listening devices planted in our houses by the Alberta Energy and Utilities Board, here's a cheery little story about spreading peace in the Middle East. Enjoy!
(H/t Dymaxion World)
UPDATE (August 18): Agence France-Presse points out the "virtual" nature of the planned Montebello protest. For some reason this reminds me of Jean Baudrillard on the first Gulf War.


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In a previous post, I put together a list of 10 questions for DevOps team managers to use as a point of reference when interviewing potential DevOps engineers. Each question included an in-depth explanation and follow-up questions, so in case you were, or are now, a candidate, that list could help you prepare for interviews.
To help candidates even further, I've prepared this cheat sheet for those preparing for an interview for a DevOps position. Each organization and team is different of course, using different technologies and methodologies, but coupled with research on the organization you are interviewing at, these tips can be quite the resource.
What have you been doing over the last 1-2 years?
This is probably one of the best opportunities to let the potential employer know that you are a good fit for the role. You should practice answering this question, and make sure that your answer includes the proper terms of the industry, and that you know what they mean.
Make sure to provide information about your drive for automating things (explain why and give examples). Mention the tools you've used and be prepared to explain why you chose them. It is also a good idea to use this question to bring some of your personality traits to light: let them know that you took responsibility of something, mention how you excelled in one area or another, ideas you had, organizational changes you advocated, etc.
How do you deploy software?
At this point, you're expected to go into the details of your deployment pipeline. It's okay if the pipeline is not automated, but for each step, it's a good idea to describe what is happening, what is good about it, and what are its weak spots, along with suggestions for improvement.
A bonus is to weigh in the benefits of each of these improvements along with the cost (in time and risk) of implementing them, and to propose an effective roadmap for this critical part of work.
In certain parts of the interview, it is good to mention your use of source control, and why you are using it like that and not in another way. In general, it is very important to be able to answer "why" questions. Most of the time they are more important than the "what" questions.
Lastly, talk about your infrastructure changes, and how those are performed (hint: infrastructure as code).
How have you handled failed deployments?
First of all, it is important to demonstrate that you are not afraid of failures, that you understand that they are a part of the process , and that failures need to be taken into account by reducing the time it takes to fail a component and having sound rollback processes in place in advance.
Talk about how much of this failure handling is done manually and how much is automated. It also shows professional maturity to have (and mention) a sound lesson learning function in your organization.
Lastly, don't forget to mention the plan moving forward, when is it decided, and how the systems that are in place are conducive to that goal.
If something breaks in production, how do you know about it?
Talk monitoring, monitoring and more monitoring. Both applicative (are my users able to login? how long do my pages take to load? are there exceptions in my logs?) and resource usage/capacity.
If your environment is dynamic, talk about how your monitoring infrastructure is automatically modified to reflect your monitored environments. Do not forget to talk about escalations and customer communications.
What happens when you type "mv *" in a directory with three subdirectories: a, b, and c?
The answer is that the directories "a" and "b" are moved into "c". The talking points are shell expansion, and understanding that "mv" can take any number of arguments, the last of which is the target.
The significance of this question is not in knowing the specific answer to it, but knowing enough about shells to not say silly things.
Without using Docker, can you see the processes running inside a container from the outside?
Yes! This is an opening for you to demonstrate your understanding of containerization fundamentals. 'Docker-containerd-shim' is the parent process of a process running inside a container, so it can be used for digging from the host OS, using simple 'ps' commands.
Docker is not a virtualization technology, but rather uses Linux building blocks such as groups and namespaces to provide isolation. As such, processes do not run on a separate (Guest) OS.
More useful information can be found in Jérôme Petazzoni's talk on slideshare, or in his DockerCon EU 2015 talk on YouTube
Describe the Linux boot process.
Needless to say, this question is aimed at gauging your system understanding and Linux expertise. I will not go into the whole explanation, but you can check out this resource for reference:
How does "traceroute" work?
This, in a sense, is a very tricky question. More often than not, it does not require knowing the actual answer (although that would be a big plus), but it does require being able to talk about, and discard (for not making sense) any potentially erroneous ideas to what the answer might be.
Traceroute sends multiple packets to the destination, with ever-increasing TTL (starting with 1), and listens for the incoming "time exceeded" responses coming in from all the intermediary routers.
More useful information on this is available here: http://users.cs.cf.ac.uk/Dave.Marshall/Internet/node77.html
Do you consider seven to be a high load average?
A question aimed at gauging your understanding of the basics of system performance monitoring. "Load" numbers are always relative to the number of CPU cores on the machine. So a plain "7" is meaningless. Could be low or high if the host has more than, or fewer than, 7 processor cores.
Even then it does not directly mean much, and is indicative of the number of processes that are waiting for resources (these could be disk, network, cpu, etc.)
Do a FizzBuzz coding test.
It goes without saying, but I'll add this anyway – it's important your answer is correct:
- Make sure your answer actually finds all the numbers along the way
- Make sure it stops at the right moment
- Make sure there are no glaring syntax errors
- Make sure to catch all cases (a common mistake is that the "buzz" condition is never verified when "fizz" condition is met.)
It's equally important how you behave while trying to solve this test. If you are blanking-out, try not to disrespect the question (this has happened to many candidates of ours before), complain or otherwise behave in a negative manner. Nobody wants to work with someone who can't take a little adversity.
In summary
If you're wondering why these questions are asked in the first case, I recommend referring to the previous article listing the questions. Suffice to say, organizations are finding it increasingly challenging to find talent and these questions are meant to separate the wheat from the chaff.
The fact that there is great demand for DevOps talent is the good news. The bad news is that there are many fantastic engineers out there competing for the same positions. So use this cheat sheet, prepare yourself, do your research.
As I mentioned in the previous article, I have conducted many, many DevOps engineer interviews. Each one has been different than the other. But what has made a difference between good candidates and excellent candidates is how solid their foundation was, and how sound their reasoning was for each question.
Lastly, and this probably goes without saying, we hire people who we would like to work with so being nice also helps 🙂


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Boulder Hill (parts lot)
The Boulder Hill Playset is from the 1987 series of M.A.S.K. vehicles and playsets. The listing is for the parts as shown and not a complete Boulder Hill playset. Parts included:
1 Buddy Hawks Penetrator Mask
1 half white section of a gas pump
1 Anti- Gravity Howitzer gun / handle


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Falcons WR Calvin Ridley reportedly will miss London game with personal matter
The Atlanta Falcons reportedly will be without one of their best playmakers in Sunday's "home" game against the New York Jets in London.
Wide receiver Calvin Ridley is expected to miss the game while dealing with a personal matter, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Falcons' WR Calvin Ridley is not making the trip to London due to a personal matter and he is out for Sunday's game against the Jets.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 7, 2021
Ridley, 26, leads the team in catches (27) and receiving yards (255) and has one TD grab this season. He was not at Thursday's practice, according to various reports.
BetMGM currently lists the Falcons as 3-point favorites over the Jets, with a total of 45.5 expected points. Fantasy managers with Ridley on their roster will need to make their lineup changes early; this game kicks off at 9:30 a.m. ET.
The Falcons were already short-handed at receiver prior to this news. Russell Gage suffered an ankle injury against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2 and has missed the two games since, with Olamide Zaccheaus taking his place. Gage also was not at practice Wednesday or Thursday.
Cordarrelle Patterson had a breakout game in Sunday's loss to the Washington Football Team, with five catches for 82 yards and three TDs, along with six rushes for 34 yards. In a hybrid role this season, Patterson ranks second on the team in catches (18) and receiving yards (235) and leads Atlanta with four receiving TDs. He also has added 27 rushes for 119 yards and the team's lone rushing TD of the season.
But the lack of WR depth is concerning. The other three wideouts on the roster — Christian Blake, Tajae Sharpe and Frank Darby — have combined for five catches for 37 yards. The Falcons also have three wideouts on their practice squad.
There's also the hope that rookie tight end Kyle Pitts can step up. The No. 4 overall pick has 15 catches for 189 yards on 26 targets but has yet to reach the end zone. Last week, he hauled in only four of the nine passes thrown his way for 50 yards.
As Yahoo Sports' Jay Busbee wrote, we already don't send our best teams to the NFL's International Series. Now the 1-3 Falcons must try to beat the Jets without one of their best playmakers.


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Share this article in two social networks to see the guide for entering cheats. And live a commet. The comment should contain information about what you want to get in the game and why do you like this game.


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Below is our DIY itinerary of our Siem Reap – Phnom Penh – Ho Chi Minh trip earlier this month. Folks planning a similar route might find it useful.
Day 0
- Fly in to Siem Reap, Cambodia
- Check in at The Cashew Nut Guest House
Our flight was delayed but our friendly tuk-tuk driver, Thoy Kay, waited patiently for us until nearly midnight. We highly recommend Kay; here's his contact info:
Thoy Kay
+855 (97) 5319-500
thoysokay [at] yahoo [dot] com
Day 1
- Angkor Archaeological Park
- Angkor Thom
- Banteay Srei
- Angkor Archaelogical Park
- Ta Prohm
- Angkor Wat
- Buffet dinner and Apsara show at Koulen II Restaurant
Since we only had one full day in Siem Reap, we hit only the "best of the best" temples as recommended by Alan, the owner/manager of The Cashew Nut. One day was enough; any longer and we would've been templed out. Our guide-slash-photographer was Len Sokky.
Day 2
- Bus ride to Phnom Penh, Cambodia
- Check in at Velkommen Guesthouse
We planned to explore Siem Reap in the morning but we overslept, tired from climbing all over rocks the previous day. We rode the Giant Ibis bus from Siem Reap to Phnom Penh. We would've had more time in Siem Reap had we taken an overnight bus, but we wanted to sleep in a proper bed and be able to freshen up and take a bath in the morning, so we took an afternoon bus.
Day 3
- Self-guided walking tour
- Sisowath Quay
- Wat Ounalom
- Royal Palace
- Cambodia-Vietnam Friendship Monument
- Independence Monument
- Wat Botum
- Bus ride to Ho Chi Minh (Saigon), Vietnam
- Check in at Vy Khanh Guesthouse
We rode the Mekong Express bus from Phnom Penh to Ho Chi Minh. I don't believe there are overnight buses plying this route.
Day 4
- Self-guided walking tour
- People's Committee
- Opera House
- Basilica of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception
- Central Post Office
- Reunification Palace
- Fly out


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Mr. Williams – Freshman Seminar
Mr. Williams is a new Freshman Seminar teacher here at Hug High School. He teaches in C-07A/B and has been teaching for over a decade. Originally, he taught in Las Vegas, but chose to go to Hug. Initially, he wanted a math teacher position, but accepted the Freshman Seminar. He has lived in Reno, Vegas, San Diego, and Virginia.
Mr. Williams' class takes a more professional standpoint on the subject of Freshman Seminar. While other classes typically use the School Connect curriculum, his class is currently doing an organized business planning project, where they work together with their classmates to create a functioning multi-million dollar business complete with shipping, administration, and manufacturing floors. He has no family or pets at home, but doesn't seem like the kind of guy to need them anyway.
Mr. Williams doesn't enjoy flying, but likes being other places. He plans to continue his career teaching and will most likely stay at Hug.


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Ed Sheeran has been teasing fans with lyrics from his upcoming new album, as well as appearing to reveal its title.
Sheeran kicked off 2017 by announcing his returning and revealing that new music will be released at 5am tomorrow (Friday 6 January). Fans have been speculating as to whether it will be a new single or the surprise release of his entire new album. We'll found out at 5am.
Meanwhile he's taken to Twitter, appearing to confirm the rumours that it will indeed be titled '÷' as the follow up to '+' and 'x' – as well as sharing new lyrics.
So far, we have the lyrics "when I was six years old I broke my leg," and "the club isn't the best place to find a lover," with more teasers expected to follow.
— Ed Sheeran (@edsheeran) January 5, 2017
The club isn't the best place to find a lover… pic.twitter.com/SKmXJQZilu
— Ed Sheeran (@edsheeran) January 4, 2017
When I was six years old I broke my leg… pic.twitter.com/IDIoHf5h8b
— Ed Sheeran (@edsheeran) January 3, 2017
Hello 2017… pic.twitter.com/1UyjpgoFbo
— Ed Sheeran (@edsheeran) January 1, 2017
The singer announced his extended break from social media in December 2015, stating that he wanted to focus on recording and "travel the world and see everything I missed".
Sheeran said that he was "taking a break from my phone, emails and all social media for a while" because he had started "seeing the world through a screen and not my eyes". "The third album is on its way and is the best thing I have made thus far. See you all next autumn, and thank you for being amazing," he added.
In October, betting was suspended on Ed Sheeran headlining Glastonbury 2017. Jessica Bridge of Ladbrokes said: "It looks like Ed's cameo in the latest Bridget Jones film was the clue all along. Punters have piled into his odds at a rate of knots and we're left with no option but to close the betting for the time being."


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Created by the Center for Women's Entrepreneurial Leadership (CWEL) at Babson College, the #1 school for entrepreneurship in the world, the Women Innovating Now (WIN) Lab provides women entrepreneurs with an inspiring community and a rigorous, experiential process that catalyzes innovative thinking and enables them to successfully scale and transform businesses.
WIN Lab is a different kind of venture accelerator, one that broadens the possibilities for women entrepreneurs capable of making a dynamic economic impact. Throughout the five month experience, "WINners"—iterate their businesses, test concepts, and scale their ventures. You also get:
5 months of business curriculum, including Babson faculty and world-renowned pedagogy
One-on-one coaching for at least 1.5 hours each month
Strategic help from Mastermind Experts who have decades of experience in the C-Suite and on boards of global companies
Access to experts in a variety of industries and subject matter though office hours and workshop sessions
Milestones to hold you accountable to the goals you establish on day one
A cohort of women entrepreneurs who are experiencing the entrepreneurial journey with you
To learn more, visit our Frequently Asked Questions page here.
Scroll down to learn about what we look for in our applicants.
Power as SheO
The WIN Lab is dedicated to catalyzing women founders who are passionate, committed, and want to build scalable ventures! These women will form part of a diverse cohort that will build their business as they accelerate their entrepreneurial journey as peers. Their potential and drive may speak louder than their business concept. We look at the entrepreneur and their potential, not only their traction to date.
Think Big Ventures
WIN is industry agnostic and curates cohorts that include products and services from all sectors. The accelerator is looking for well-vetted, scalable ideas, with a clear secret sauce and strong positioning in the market.
Timing is Everything
WIN seeks businesses that are in at least beta stage with a functioning prototype, a strong go-to-market strategy, and are positioned to scale. This will enable them to best leverage Lab resources. We are open to candidates that are later stage if they have a clear idea on how they will leverage the WIN experience.
Community Fit
Applicants should be ready to join and contribute to an entrepreneurial community. We are looking for founders that are willing to fully engage by committing time and energy to the program and their peers. WIN Lab provides its entrepreneurs with an immense amount of expertise, coaching, and resources, and we ask for commitment and contribution in return. Participants (WINners) are required to show up to weekly sessions, meet monthly milestones, provide feedback to their fellow founders, and operate with openness and transparency during the program.
Research shows that start-ups with co-founders are more likely to achieve early success and scalability. We seek founders that are part of strong, women-led, teams with co-founders and/or employees that are committed to venture growth (founder agreements must be submitted before entering the Lab). Solo founders that are actively seeking team members or have a strong organizational plan in place are encouraged to apply.
Interested in the WIN Lab but looking to find out more? Join us for info and content sessions in Boston and Miami where you can get a more detailed look at the program and meet some of the leaders behind the Lab.
Click on the images below to RSVP through Eventbrite.


text: Host Brad Kearns returns to the series of Interval shows covering content in the Primal Endurance book. Here we review Chapter 7 on strength training, detailing the Primal Essential Movements, Maximum Sustained Power workouts, and the ideal strategies and guidelines to follow for endurance athletes. Specifically, avoiding the "blended" workouts that are too long, not intense enough, and deliver an unnecessary cardio effect that you are already good with; secondly, making brief explosive efforts that are functional and using many muscle groups


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The Importance Of Technology In Our Each day Lives
It's arduous to imagine how much the world has modified in the final 30 years ago. GTS draws over 1,500 attendees from throughout Georgia that features CEOs, CIOs, CTOs, technology entrepreneurs. Technology is a divine gift that has been given to humanity for the aim of its development in quite a lot of ways. Music technology professors Rob Harari and Carlos Alomar create experimental music with college students in Stevens' music technology lab.
You buy technology that enables a portion of that process to double its productivity to 20 models a day. A lot has happened in training this past 12 months in the improvement of cloud based mostly studying and Google Apps. The technology used has to function inside that framework in a sensible manner.
She works as a small business cellular apps builders In this article, she talks in regards to the different ways wherein small companies can …


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Someone has to tell the peanut gallery that foreign policy has to work outside the U.S. That's why we call it "foreign policy".
A foreign policy customized to appeal to the prejudices of 51% of American voters will be a horrible failure if it doesn't work in the rest of the world. That's "the global test".
Foreign policy is about foreigners. I don't know how to say it more simply than that.
But as O'Neill, Diulio, Clarke, General Shinseki, Genral McPeak, and General Clark and a dozen others have told us, for the Bush administration votes are everything, and reality is nothing.


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Two plays hit North Coast stages this week reminding us that when our morals are called into play we must answer accordingly, and if we are not careful, we learn our lessons too late. A modernized version of King Lear is up next at North Coast Repertory Theatre bringing Shakespeare's epic tale of unchecked ambition, deceit, war and madness to audiences Thursday, Jan. 18 at 8 p.m. and continuing Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. through Feb. 10. ($16, $14 seniors/students). Director Tyler Egerer says, "This is a play about the figurative and literal blindness to the corrupting influence of power. Shakespeare, for me, is about experimenting and telling the same story with different results. We've changed the setting, mixed up the talent and modernized characters without abandoning the original feel and themes of the work."
Meanwhile, the Arcata Arts Institute, in collaboration with Dell'Arte International, presents a student-written play about one survivor's story of the Holocaust with the backdrop of current events in Run, Hide, Repeat; A Game of Cat and Mouse, playing Thursday and Friday, Jan. 18-19 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 20 at 2 p.m. (with talk back) at the AHS Fine Arts Center ($10, $8 senior, $5 child). Combining live theater, animation, shadow puppets, masks and original music, the performance draws parallels to recent events and asks us all to consider: "Where do we go from here?"


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Passenger arrested after making threat in Boston, officials say
Delta jet evacuated, swept for bombs
BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- A man was arrested Thursday after he told a flight attendant on a Delta Air Lines plane preparing to take off from Boston's Logan International Airport that he had "top secret" information and that "people could be killed," officials said.
The incident does not appear to be related to terrorism, a government source said.
The incident occurred at 1:15 p.m. EST after the jet had been pulled back from Gate 34, where boarding had just been completed. The plane, Delta Express Flight 2533, was to fly to Orlando, Florida.
Within two minutes, state police entered the plane and escorted the man off, said Phil Orlandella, director of media relations at Logan.
The 118 passengers and five crew members aboard Flight 2533 were also taken off the plane, Orlandella said.
The man, identified as Richard Lambertsen, 49, of Cocoa, Florida, repeated his words to officials questioning him, and he was charged with interfering with a flight crew, sources said.
Once the passengers had left the plane, the Boeing 737 was moved to a remote runway where it and the passengers' luggage were searched by state police and dogs for possible explosives. None was found, Orlandella said.
"It was not a bomb threat, he did not have a weapon, he did not say he had a weapon, he did not say he was going to blow up a plane or anything," Orlandella said. "But the nature of the wording was enough for them to decide to take the action they did."
Asked whether the passenger made any threats, he said, "Right now, yes, we are characterizing it as a threat."
Officials from the FBI, Federal Aviation Administration and other agencies were notified, he said. "I think the situation was handled by the book."
The flight -- minus Lambertsen -- took off from Logan at 3:30 p.m., nearly three hours after its 12:40 p.m. scheduled takeoff.
Both planes that crashed into the World Trade Center September 11 took off from Logan.
Feds take control of airport security
Staff shortage prompts terminal shutdown in Boston
Embattled security firm out at Boston airport
Report: SUVs pose danger
Title IX minority pushes enforcement
Robert Blake goes to court
Judge orders man's mouth taped shut
Chicago Mayor Daley wins fifth term
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