Month: April 2007

There’s a new yet lightly publicized feature at the Web site of The New York Times. I first learned about it from David Knox of the Akron (Ohio) Beacon Journal so I’ll let him describe it:

 There's a very interesting new hypertext feature in the New York Times. Double-clicking any word or phrase in a story triggers a popup with one or more dictionary and/or encyclopedia references.
 The Times rolled this out without any fanfare I know of. The only indication is an easy-to-miss sentence tacked on the bottom.
 Apparently the reference lookup hasn't been implemented across the board. I don't see it in style, home or technology features. But it's in every news story I checked — including an AP piece on the pet food recall.
 I'm impressed.

I’m impressed, too, although it doesn’t seem to be as slick as its programmers are aiming at (ergo, the soft launch, I suspect). I’m using IE 6x on WinXP Pro and have Google Desktop installed. With that Google product up and running, you can left-click on anything you highlight or select and then let Google search on the phrase or word selected. Now, back on my Macs, there is no equivalent to Google Desktop (though there are lots of Widgets and Add-ins for Safari and Foxfire Firefox that accomplish many of the same things) so this NY Times thing looks kinda cool.

On the election buses or on the Prime Minister’s plane, it is difficult to miss Michelle Muntean — she has tremendous energy, she’s always the most positive person in the group, and she is tremendously friendly.

She is also on the public payroll. She receives a salary from the public purse to make Stephen Harper look good. She applies his makeup so that he looks good on TV (full disclosure: I wear makeup, too, most of the time before I go on TV but most of the time I put it on myself!); she arranges his hair; she helps choose ties and suits.

And she’s also a self-described psychic. Has the Prime Minister or his wife ever asked Muntean to look into their future? Absolutely not, says the PM’s director of communications Sandra Buckler.

Prime Minister Harper said in the House of Commons today that when Senator Dan Hays (Liberal-Alberta) retires this summer (seven years before he has to), Bert Brown will be appointed to take his place. Brown was one of those “elected” by Albertans.

Here’s the transcript from Question Period in the House today:

Mr. Kevin Sorenson (Crowfoot, CPC) :
Mr. Speaker, as part of our campaign promise for democratic reform, our Conservative government put forward Bill C-43, which establishes the national process for consulting Canadians on their preferences for Senate appointment through election.

We have recently learned that Senator Dan Hays, who holds the seat from Alberta, will be retiring from the Senate after it rises for the summer.

Could our Prime Minister today advise the House, advise Canadians and Albertans on how he will be filling this vacancy?

Right Hon. Stephen Harper :
First of all, Mr. Speaker, let me just take the opportunity to congratulate Senator Hays on his long public service, including his role as Leader of the Opposition and Speaker of the Senate.

We do have Bill C-43 tabled. On the other hand, the province of Alberta did some time ago hold a popular consultation for the filling of a Senate vacancy.

When that seat comes due, I will recommend to the Governor General the appointment of Mr. Bert Brown.

Yesterday, on CTV’s Question Period, co-host Jane Taber interviewed Laurie Greenslade. Greenslade is the mother of Private David Greenslade (right)Private Greenslade was among the six Canadians killed in Afghanistan on Easter Sunday when a bomb blew up underneath their armoured vehicle. Here is the transcript of that interview:

Taber: A week ago on Easter Sunday, Canada suffered its biggest troop loss since the Korean War when a roadside bomb killed six of our soldiers in Afghanistan. One of those soldiers was 20 year old David Greenslade from Saint John, New Brunswick. He was the only child of Laurie and Donny Greenslade, and his mom, Laurie, joins us this afternoon. Mrs. Greenslade, first of all, I just want to say our sincere condolences to you and your family and also to your father, David Lester. I know that the grandfather was very close to his grandson as well.

Laurie Greenslade: Yes.

Taber: How did you find out about David’s death?

Greenslade: Well, I was on the computer upstairs and I looked out and I saw three vehicles and they stopped near the bottom of our driveway. And I saw, the door opened and people in green came out and I screamed to my husband, and then as I came downstairs to the front door, they were carrying a parcel and I thought well maybe it's an Easter care package, something they do for all the families, and then as they came closer they said are you Lauryn Greenslade and I knew it wasn't good. So we invited them in and they told us, as fast as they could get the words out, you know.

Taber: It must have been very difficult for you and your husband.

Greenslade: Yes, yes.

Taber: When was the last time that you saw him? Obviously you saw David off when he went over to Afghanistan. How long ago was that?

Greenslade: January 29th. We went up for the day. My father and David’s step grandmother came too, and we had a good time talking with the boys and got to meet Kevin Kennedy (right), another soldier that was killed. They were going on vacation and they're quite close.

Taber: I understand they were good friends. Both 20 years old, both very good friends but off to Thailand or whatever on leave, they were planning a trip.

Greenslade: Australia and Thailand, yeah, yeah. I was glad I met him because I had the opportunity when we went to Trenton to speak with Kevin’s mom and dad, and share that last day. They weren't there, so I have a picture of David and Kevin hugging each other and passed a photo on to them.

Taber: Oh, that must have been great comfort for them, they're from Newfoundland, a family from Newfoundland.

Greenslade: Yes.

Taber: And when did you last speak with David?

Greenslade: Wednesday night before. And he called the house. It was lucky that he called us at home. Usually he'll call me at work because it's 8.5 hours difference and that means my husband doesn't get to enjoy the conversation, but he called at night and said it was very quiet and just asked us how we're doing and said are you worrying? And I said no, not at all. I said you're covered in prayer, Dave, don't you think anything about us. I didn't want him to have any concern for us. Just concentrate on what they were doing.

Taber: How would you want Canadians to remember your son?

Greenslade: That he was very a enthusiastic person. The army was his passion. He wanted to give 110 percent whatever he did. He was very devoted to his friends, very devoted to the soldiers, and to his country.

Taber: And when you talk about his friends —  I understand that when you were in Trenton [at the repatriation ceremony], you were able to have a chance to speak with the Chief of the Defence Staff, Rick Hillier.

Greenslade: Yes, yes.

Taber: Tell us about that conversation.

Greenslade: Oh, it was excellent. I walked up to him, of course I recognized him and had touched his shoulder and said excuse me, and introduced myself. And I said my son had one last request, he was offered the opportunity to name who would bring his body back if he happened to pass away, and I said he's named these two boys there. Three of them had gone through reserves together and regular forces, knew each other very, very well, very close, and I've asked different people if they can bring them back and they've said no. And I said I will never want anything more in my whole life than to have this given to us. So he said okay, and somebody took out a note pad, and I spelled out their names, and he said it is done. And I was shocked and I grabbed his hand and I said you promise? And he said I promise. And then I was just on cloud 9. I said it's done, yeah.

Taber: So those two boys are going to come home for…

Greenslade: Oh, they're in the plane and they'll be home tomorrow sometime. And they'll be pallbearers at his funeral.

Taber: Your strength is absolutely remarkable and your attitude…

Greenslade: God's strength.

Taber: Is that what's been getting you through because…

Greenslade: For sure, yeah.

Taber: …as a mother, I have a 19 year old and I just cannot grapple with what you must be dealing with right now. What did you think when David said he wanted to be a career soldier?

Greenslade: You know, I thought it was a great goal, he was serving his country. There's always the fear. David said to me, mom, get used to it, I'm going to be army all the way the rest of my life, I love it. So you support him. You can't talk him out of it, you support him, and he appreciated that we supported him.

Taber: Supported him all the way. And this attitude is, your supportive attitude, too, I think has given you the strength to talk about the mission because there has been a lot of criticism, as you know, in political circles about this mission and about people coming home in 2009, the mission being over. What do you say to that?

Greenslade: Just say support the men and women that are over there. This is their choice to be there, nobody made them go. They love it. They want to be there with their friends. David said he'd never forgive himself if anything happened to his buddies and he wasn't there too to help. So I would say support them even if you're not for the mission, that's the best thing you can do.

Taber: Laurie Greenslade, I want to thank you very much for your time this afternoon.

Greenslade: Thank you. Thank you.

 

 

Steve Staples (left), a military analysts and director of The Rideau Institute, sent this letter to the leaders of the Opposition parties, urging them to force a debate in the House of Commons on Afghanistan:

Dear Leaders, 

I write to you on an urgent matter. This week, Canada lost eight more soldiers in Afghanistan.

While our soldiers place their lives in harm’s way on a daily basis, carrying out their duty to our country, Canadians at home have been subjected to a disruptive political shell game about whether there will be an election. This incessant positioning diverts much-needed attention from the more important issue of our flagging military mission in Afghanistan.

As you prepare for Parliament’s resumption next week, I urge you to make a commitment that at the first Opposition Day allotted to your party, you will table a motion expressing grave concerns about the current Canadian mission in Afghanistan and calling on the government of Canada to refocus our efforts to diplomatic and peacebuilding efforts in that country. 

If the government fails to redirect the mission toward these new priorities, then Canada should end its military operations in Afghanistan at the termination of its current commitment in February, 2009.

There is a growing consensus among policy experts that the military mission has reached its limits, and that a new diplomatic approach is required. This new consensus was expressed by Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute fellow Brian Flemming in the pages of The Globe and Mail this week, when he wrote that:

In the end, as in most postmodern insurgencies, victory or defeat will be decided at a negotiating table where the “scumbags” will be present. Instead of mocking this possibility, as some have done, Canada’s leaders must accept the probability that only skillful political negotiation will provide an honourable way to extricate forces from a place where many great empires have tasted defeat.

As Canada’s opposition party leaders, you have all expressed concern with the mission as it currently stands. Your Opposition Day motion is an appropriate way to express your concern.

I cannot think of a more critical and urgent issue upon which Mr. Harper should be asked to focus the attention of the government.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Steven Staples
Director

 

My favourite librarian (well, one of my favourites, at the very least) discovers this gem:

•  LibriVox: Free audiobooks from the public domain

This “totally volunteer, open source, free content, public domain project” aims to “make all public domain books available as free audio books.” Search or browse the existing catalog, and/or volunteer to record additional books for the project. It also offers podcasts.