WWGJD?

Our modem's officially given up the ghost, so while we await our free replacement this place might get a bit dusty. Bear with me. Between a lack of Internet access and a burgeoning cold, I suspect this space may move at considerably less then its namesake speed for the next week or so.

However, others are not nearly as lethargic: overnight, 19 Québec priests have moved light years ahead of their colleagues:

Quebec priests challenge same-sex stand

Church has been wrong about political, social and sexual issues before, letter says

TU THANH HA

MONTREAL -- In an unusual public dissent with their leaders, 19 Quebec Roman Catholic priests published yesterday an open letter taking issue with the church's opposition to both same-sex marriage and the ordination of active gays into the priesthood.

Does the church "have the last word on the mysteries of political, social, family and sexual life?" the 980-word letter asks. "In these matters, the official teaching of the Church has shown itself more than once to be wrong."

One of the authors, Father Claude Lefebvre of the Saint-Étienne parish in Montreal, said the letter stemmed from a discussion group of Quebec priests who felt uneasy about the church's official discourse.

The complete Globe & Mail article is right here (will launch a new browser window).

...

S.D. House Approves Abortion Ban Bill

Friday February 24, 2006 8:31 PM

By CHET BROKAW

Associated Press Writer

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) - The Legislature on Friday approved a ban on nearly all abortions in South Dakota, setting up a direct legal assault on Roe v. Wade.

Republican Gov. Mike Rounds said he was inclined to sign the bill, which would make it a crime for doctors to perform an abortion unless it was necessary to save the woman's life. The measure would make no exception in cases of rape or incest.

I don't remember the last time a simple newspaper article drove me to dry heaves in the men's room. I don't even know what to say, I'm stunned fucking speechless. Words completely fail me. Grad School Avenger had some choice words on the subject and Twisty -- bless her take-no-prisoners heart -- let rip with a righteous firestorm of bilious fury.

As for me, I kind of just want to cry. I suppose I could vent: I could spend all day ripping through this vile edict, but it wouldn't make me feel any better. I mean, what does this say about South Dakotans? They elected a legislature that

A) debated this perverse, hateful bill;
B) passed it.

And look what they're trying to protect: a mass of cells, a fucking zygote, a booger-sized piece of gelatinous biomatter. The condescension inherent in this law -- that women are incapable of consenting to an abortion -- is fucking medieval. I just... what do you say to something like this?! I can't dig deep enough for invective, the foulest stuff I'm coming up with sounds like a goddamn understatement.

I was wrong. "Screaming" in text is helping.

Hey, here's a novel idea: let's do something. After 9/11, Canada welcomed hundreds of American refugees. Ordinary people, terrified beyond measure, trapped in airplanes which had, in an instant, become symbols of raw hate and fiery death, were allowed to rest here. Remember the scenes from Gander? 6,500 Americans received a neighbour's welcome; clothed, fed and sheltered without a moment's hesitation simply because they needed help and those smiling Newfoundlanders were capable of offering it.

In the spirit of Gander, I'm offering my couch and unlimited hot soup to any South Dakotan woman who's seeing the familiar landscape of her home transformed into a nightmarish mirrorworld where her very humanity is in dispute.

Oxygen... fading...

If more symphonies were thus conducted - with minotaurs set alight by a flock of burning crows - I imagine that interest in the medium would skyrocket.
- Tycho Brahe (II)


Our modem is pooched, so expect my updates to be sporadic for the next week or so. Given that I'm currently posting from work, I'll keep this brief.

From the "gimme gimme" files:

Can you imagine world without data compression? And where you never have to back anything up?

US inventor Michael Thomas, owner of Colossal Storage, hopes to achieve exactly that. He says he's the first person to solve non-contact optical spintronics which will in turn utlimately result in the creation of 3.5-inch discs with a million times the capacity of any hard drive - 1.2 petabytes of storage, to be exact.

To put that into perspective, mega is 1,024 times kilo, giga is 1,024 times mega, tera is 1,024 times giga and peta is 1,024 times tera.

Complete article is yonder.

Faced with this story, Pacanukeha responded:

I wonder if

a) that guy
or
b) IBM

were lying when they said they invented the idea of using spintronics for storage.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spintronics

After re-reading the piece and digging a bit, I think it's a case of sloppy journalism and/or hasty editing of the article, instead of out-and-out mendacity. Regardless, the Wikipedia entry is a good read.

Don't be evil.Offer void where prohibited. Conditions apply.

The Globe & Mail (along with pretty much every other paper in the country) is running the latest in the Internet-company-as-collaborator "scandal" that's been developing over the last few months.

(I use scare quotes 'cause there's nothing scandalous about corporations prioritizing profitability over human rights. The organizing principle of the corporation is to generate profits -- period.)

If you want to read the complete article, you'll get a little more context and an utterly specious argument from Liu Zhengrong, deputy chief of the Chinese government's Internet-affairs bureau -- but you've got the money quotes right here:

WASHINGTON -- Internet giants Yahoo, Microsoft, Google and Cisco were accused yesterday at congressional hearings of greedily collaborating with China's efforts to control Internet access and to track down dissidents.

"Your abhorrent actions in China are a disgrace," said Tom Lantos, a Democrat from California. As senior executives from the four Internet companies visibly squirmed, Mr. Lantos -- the only Holocaust survivor in the House of Representatives -- reminded them that International Business Machines had helped count Jews for the Nazis.

"IBM complied with lawful orders [in 1930s Germany]. . . . Was that shameful?" he asked, and then challenged each of the four companies to declare that they had done nothing "to be ashamed of" in China.

Yahoo, in particular has been singled out for co-operating with Chinese police, handing over information that led to the identification and imprisonment of at least two dissidents.

Kudoes to Rep. Lantos for not pulling his punches and going right for the jugular. The comparisons are apt and it's about time someone with the influence and power to be heard drew these kinds of parallels.

Environment ≠ space.

Last Thursday, C. launched her book (Girlhood: Redefining the Limits) and I was lucky enough to be there, watching the dense group of attendees gel into a gathering, transforming from a collection of individuals into a social group. It was a warm, cheery event, in stark contrast to the wintery hell screaming its way through the streets outside.

Although I'm graced by -- and bask in -- C.'s awesomeness every day, it's a special pleasure to watch her receive the accolades and adulation of her peers, students and mentors. Baby, I'm proud of you.

* * *

We've been rearranging the furniture lately, trying to be more economical in our usage of space. Part of this process has involved letting go of artifacts from the past (AKA "junk"). I found this lantern at a garage sale around eight or nine years ago and picked it up for a buck.

It's just decorative, but I liked the colour and it was odd enough to be interesting. However, at some point it shifted states from "conversation piece" to "dust magnet", so now it's in the Sally Anne pile.

Since it's been a recognizable barnacle of mine for almost a decade, I thought it was worth cataloguing for posterity's sake.

Continuing our ongoing mission to watch every creature feature that hits our local video store, C. & I rented The Cave last week. The premise is simple enough: sexy spelunkers search sombre, silent shadows for fantastic fame & fortune, find ferocious critters creating carnage and chaos.

Yeah, that's how the alliterati roll.

Anyway, the movie defied expectations and really delivered on its promise: the caverns (filmed on location in eastern Europe) are stunning, the threats posed by the subterranean environment feel genuine, the acting is up to par for the genre and the monsters are appropriately creepy. Featuring improvised weapons (instead of multi-barreled rocket-launching flamethrowers) and an almost-plausible rationale for the creatures, The Cave also reveals its ambition: it may be a B-grade monster flick, but it strives for some respectability.

With a nod to Pitch Black, The Thing and Alien, The Cave is a self-aware, satisfying romp. Four thumbs up.

Fuck yes.

I hope that by now, my boundless -- and perhaps even slightly unhealthy -- adoration for Twisty Faster has become obvious. Along with Steenblogen and Bitch PhD (and, on a good day, Tycho Brahe), Twisty rocks the righteous rant like nobody's business.

Exhibit A: "Human Rights Post # 176":

Punishing women for getting pregnant is bloodsport in Dudeville. If you’re a teenager you get kicked out of school. If you’re working you get laid off. If you were raped your brothers kill you. If you’re a drug addict you get thrown in jail. If your kid has low birth weight you’re charged with neglect. If you get murdered your fetus gets more column inches than you do. Even if you’re a properly married Jesus-American lady, you get the stink-eye when you have a glass of Chardonnay at dinner, and you’re forced to wear unbelievably ugly clothes with bows on’em.

Preach on, sister.

* * *

And lo, but what is this? Interesting news coming out of the Olympics? Get the fuck outta town.

US and Canadian skiers get smart armour

A futuristic flexible material that instantly hardens into armour upon impact will protect US and Canadian skiers from injury on the slalom runs at this year's Winter Olympics.

Chekkitout.

Took the words right out of my mouth.

This week's been a little crazy, so today all you get is a copied-and-pasted blurb from Mediascout which pretty well sums up my reaction to Ezra Levant's hypocritical stance regarding the roles and responsibilities of news media:

A NEW WESTERN STANDARD FOR PRESS FREEDOM?

by Joe Boughner
February 16, 2006

The critical eyes of the media have turned upon themselves in recent weeks. The publication of several caricatures of the prophet Muhammad in papers across the Western world prompted much debate about the role of the free press and the natural limits on those freedoms in the name of tolerance, respect and editorial credibility. In publishing the images in his Western Standard magazine, publisher Ezra Levant furthered that debate. Other publications published the images in defence of press freedom; Levant said he believed the media is responsible for telling the whole story and printing the images is part of that. For all the advances he made in the free press debate, however, Levant set himself and his cause back a few steps with his defence of the most recent controversy to come from his magazine. In justifying the printing of an anonymous quote suggesting Ralph Klein’s wife (a Métis) would go back to being “just another Indian” when the premier left office, Levant dismissed his critics saying it was just another case of “shoot the messenger.” Levant said Klein and his wife had every right to be upset with the unnamed “friend’ who made the comment, but that the Western Standard was just reporting what was said.

To reduce the role of the press to simply that of messenger is, at best, irresponsible. The media are responsible for what they print—both legally and ethically. The fact that the quote came from an anonymous source only makes Levant’s case weaker. What newsworthy element is added by having an anonymous source make a disparaging comment about the premier’s wife? Without passing judgement on the decision one way or the other, Levant’s case for printing the caricatures was in and of itself valid—a similar justification will likely be used if anyone questions the printing of more photos from Abu Ghraib despite the questionable news value (new photos don't necessarily represent evidence of new abuses). But his decision to absolve himself of responsibility for the “Indian” quote is an affront to the very freedom first cited in defence of the controversial cartoons. Press freedom exists so journalists can responsibly go in search of truth and challenge the status quo—not so anonymous sources can make inappropriate comments.

Classy.

Amidst all the chest-thumping that's accompanied this year's Olympic games, it's pretty cool to see some good old-fashioned sportsmanship take center stage. I've always liked Norwegians.

Kickin' ass and taking names from beyond.

So often, funerals for famous and/or historically-relevant figures are nothing more than forums for hackneyed sentimentality, wistful remembrances and mindlessly optimistic reconstructions of the deceased.

Not so at Coretta Scott King's memorial:

A DAY of eulogising Coretta Scott King turned into in-person rebuke of President George Bush, with civil rights and political leaders assailing White House policies as evidence that the dream of social and racial equality pursued by Mrs King and her slain husband, the Reverend Martin Luther King, is far from reality.

(...)

[former president Jimmy] Carter said: "It was difficult for them personally - with the civil liberties of both husband and wife violated as they became the target of secret government wiretapping, other surveillance, and as you know, harassment from the FBI."

Oh, touché Jimmy. While part of me's a little uncomfortable at the opportunistic nature of some of the comments, I somehow think that Mrs. King would've approved. Her family certainly did and by all accounts they were close-knit, in love as in activism.

The entire article is available on the Sydney Morning Herald's website.

On the whole, a mixed bag.

Happy Valentine's Day -- enjoy the planet while it lasts:

Iran crosses 'red line' in nuclear stand-off

Iran has started to inject uranium feedstock gas into centrifuges at its Natanz nuclear facility, crossing an internationally agreed "red line" on the path to producing the material for atomic weapons.

A senior diplomat from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that researchers at the republic's pilot enrichment plant in central Iran had taken the crucial step, signalling a major escalation in the long-running face-off between Tehran and the West.

Complete UK Times article here.

* * *

On the other hand, maybe there's hope for the species yet: the lovely, brilliant, debonair, excruciatingly talented Sir Ian McKellan had these choice words for the Berlin Film Festival press corps:

"It is very, very, very difficult for an American actor who wants a film career to be open about his sexuality," the gay British actor said.

"And even more difficult for a woman if she's lesbian. It's very distressing to me that that should be the case."

The entire BBC piece is right here.

Since he came out in 1988, Sir Ian has never missed an opportunity to speak out on gay-rights issues (witness his dressing-down of Blair's Labour government for their "appaling" policies), and as a result I always get a little shiver of anticipation when someone presents him with an award. I'm especially happy that he explicitly raised the gender flag, which so few gay men are willing to do. Homophobia -- like racism, classism and all those other icky -isms -- is always gendered, but somehow it's easy to disappear women from the equation. Kudoes to Sir Ian for remembering what words like "context" and "solidarity" actually mean.

It's buying in.

"You got peanut butter on my wiki!"

"No, your wiki's in my peanut butter!"

(in unison) "It's Peanut Butter wiki!"

I -- like all right-thinking people -- am enamoured of the wiki, conceptually. As a means of organizing data, I think it holds vast potential. That's why I was eager to try out Peanut Butter Wiki: a free, easy-to-use wiki with up to 10 Mb of online storage.

Before I continue lauding PBwiki, a caveat:

* * *

Start Disclaimer

Although the above statements regarding Peanut Butter wiki (and those that follow this disclaimer) reflect my honest assessment of the product, I am writing this in response to the following offer, sent to me by The PBwiki Team:

Here's how it works: Between now and February 15, 2006, we'll double your storage space if you write about PBwiki and link to http://www.pbwiki.com. This can be on a blog, an email newsletter, or anything else online. (Please don't spam anyone.)

(...)


please write honestly about what you use PBwiki for, and what you like and don't like. We are always improving PBwiki and want to get honest feedback from our users.

So, as you can see, I'm marketing this because there's something in it for me. However, I really do think PBwiki is pretty cool. Anyway...

End Disclaimer

* * *

Although I use PBwiki for entertainment purposes, it's got a hundred applications, like family genealogies, to-do lists, collaborative research projects, online novels, a FAQ for a homebrewed project, repository for a meticulously-organized media collection... the possibilities are endless.

Considering it's both free and ridiculously easy to use (they're not kidding when they say it takes seconds to get started), deciding whether or not to try it out should be a no-brainer. You've really got nothing to lose.

Cuz agreeing with conservatives makes people itch.

L. Ian MacDonald, a freelance writer with a semi-regular small-c conservative column in the Montréal Gazette, had a few interesting points to make the other day. In an article entitled "Tory B team back in charge," MacDonald, a big-c Conservative supporter, highlights just how badly the Tories dropped the ball last week:

The Conservatives, who looked so competent during the campaign, have looked incompetent during their first week in office. In order to get the message out, there first has to be a message. The absence of a message is even worse than being off message.

The full text of the article is here (will launch a new browser window).

Between Harper's controversial cabinet picks and his refusal to accept that his life is now public property, the Tory leader has demonstrated just how ill-prepared he was for his new job.

While I'd be much happier seeing Smilin' Jack sitting at the PM's desk, we have to make do with what we've got (at least for now) and I'm willing to give Harper a chance. The least he could do is meet me halfway.

* * *

This is so fucking awesome I'm speechless. From the artists' statement:

Rotterdam-based photographer Ari Versluis and stylist Ellie Uyttenbroek have worked together since October 1994. Inspired by a shared interest in the striking dress codes of various social groups, they have systematically documented numerous identities over the last 8 years. Rotterdam's heterogeneous, multicultural street scene remains a major source of inspiration for Ari Versluis and Ellie Uyttenbroek, although since 1998 they have also worked in cities abroad.

They call their series Exactitudes: a contraction of exact and attitude. By registering their subjects in an identical framework, with similar poses and a strictly observed dress code, Versluis and Uyttenbroek provide an almost scientific, anthropological record of people's attempts to distinguish themselves from others by assuming a group identity. The apparent contradiction between individuality and uniformity is, however, taken to such extremes in their arresting objective-looking photographic viewpoint and stylistic analysis that the artistic aspect clearly dominates the purely documentary element.

Check it out. No, seriously -- check it out.

Getcher geek on.

So Dave Chappelle loves WoW, huh? Thanks to game+girl=advance for the link. From the GameSpot article:

"You know what I've been playing a lot of?" the comedian reportedly asked the crowd. "World of Warcraft!" When a few cheers broke out, he reportedly responded, "I knew I had some geek brothers and sisters up in here!"

* * *

The Internet Speculative Fiction Database? Why wasn't I informed sooner?!

Serendipity.

Flipping through the channels last week, C. and I caught an old Spielberg movie called Duel -- know it? Neither did we.

We quickly got sucked in to the story about a nebbish of a travelling salesman who unwittingly becomes the target of a murderous truck driver. Alone on a nameless desert highway, the protagonist struggles not only to stay alive, but to wrap his head around the sheer madness of his predicament. It's a taut, slow-burn suspense flick based on a short story by Richard Matheson -- coincidentally, an author I just recently discovered and who served as inspiration to a young Stephen King.

(if I may digress a moment, Matheson's 1954 novella I Am Legend is an excellent piece of horror writing, a brilliant character study and -- perhaps most importantly for all you blogophiles-on-the-go -- a quick read.)

The made-for-TV Duel was a young Spielberg's first feature and showcases many of the trademark camera angles, techniques and themes he would develop more fully in the decades to come. If you come across this on TV late one night, stop channel-surfing and check it out.

Pragmatism isn't a dirty word.

The National Post is carrying an article on the government's plan to patrol the Canadian Arctic more regularly, asserting its jurisdiction in the area and implicitly reminding other nations of their obligations under international law:

Canada's military is embarking on its largest affirmation of Arctic sovereignty, with five armed patrols snowmobiling 4,500 kilometres to converge in the High Arctic -- where the soldiers are inviting the Governor-General to meet them.

Scheduled to begin next month, the sovereignty mission over the Arctic islands and sea ice of the Northwest Passage is codenamed Operation Nunalivut, which means "land that is ours" in Inuktitut, the Inuit language.

The five patrols will pass through or near some of the Arctic areas that have been under increasing international dispute.

(...)

"It will be challenging, but it is feasible," said Major Chris Bergeron, commander of the 1CRPG.

"The patrols will meet each other in the middle of nowhere on the ice so we can prove to the entire world that we can deploy Rangers anywhere and they can meet and can react to any major air disaster or any operation they request of us," said Maj. Bergeron.

Along with the sovereignty mission and the exercise of linking small, autonomous patrols into larger groups, the operation will also document the existing infrastructure of the north -- old wartime airfields, abandoned weather stations and civilian and military exploration outposts.

I first mentioned my (astounding!) support for the Conservatives' plan two weeks ago and if anything, I'm even more enthusiastic now. While a small group of snowmobilers doesn't sound like much, it's a damn sight better than the nothing we're doing now. More importantly, my hopes regarding the involvement of local aboriginal peoples seems to have been answered, at least for now:

Each patrol will consist of about 10 members, two regular force soldiers and eight Canadian Rangers, a largely aboriginal reserve unit based in the north.

While I trust Harper and his cronies about as far as I can drop-kick them, I do think this is an important issue and I'm glad that someone's finally addressing it in a more-or-less concrete way.

It's Lego, in point of fact.

Someone, somewhere, has way too much fucking time on their hands -- and we love them for it.

AUUUUGGGHH.

Eschewing its role as responsible news outlet, Macleans is running this whole "video-games-kill-people" story with zero editorial comment:

TORONTO (CP) - Police have seized a street-racing video game found on the front seat of a luxury car involved in a fatal crash as potential evidence.

Police say they will pass the copy of Need for Speed to prosecutors in the case of two 18-year-olds accused in a horrific crash that killed a taxi driver. The teens are accused of racing two Mercedes Benzes down a Toronto street before the crash.

The whole article can be found here, but frankly it's hardly worth your time. Want the Coles' Notes version?

A. Kids are unthinking empty vessels.
B. Video games are the tools of Satan and all his little wizards.
Ergo,
C. Kids who play video games inevitably commit felonies.

To which Pacanukeha responds: "I wonder if they will pass along as evidence the owner's manual and all Mercedes Benz marketing materials touting the performance and safety of the vehicles."

I could go off on a rant about the sheer lunacy of this logic and the intentional vapidity of each and every single news story which embraces it, but instead I'll let you read Steenblogen's mini-essay on moral panics and technophobia, then draw your own conclusions.

Christmas just keeps on going!

Sistah dropped a bunch of PS2 games in our lap when we saw her over Christmas and I've been mucking about with them ever since, experimenting with releases I wouldn't have had a chance to try otherwise.

Case in point: American Idol. Though I blew through the game in under an hour, claiming the coveted title of sole survivor American idol for my sassy little avatar, I actually had a pretty good time. The singing is handled by rapidly tapping out specific button sequences and messing up is almost as much fun as succeeding, as your stylized homunculus
stammers and warbles off-key, butchering ballads and destroying ditties.

Plus, the game designers managed to nail the judges' vacant stares perfectly -- the likenesses really are incredible.

* * *

Disney's Treasure Planet is a little more involved, following the story of the movie closely enough to make me feel like I really don't have to rent it. An old-fashioned platformer, the game's got a light, whimsical feel that's a nice change from, say, God Of War. Featuring plenty of wacky hijinks, furious button-mashing, double-jumps and good old-fashioned chauvinism, Treasure Planet is a mixed bag of treats which, taken with a grain of salt, provided me with a good six hours of shits & giggles.

Thanks sistah!

Winter my ass.

Another mild weekend... what a weird winter. While I take advantage of the sun to go run some errands, why don't you go read Grad School Avenger's poignant parsing of passing in probably the pissiest place on the planet.

I am an like a tiny alliterative god.

Seriously, go read it. It's good.

Intermezzo.

What with money being so tight this past fall, C. and I postponed a couple of celebratory outings we'd planned. Last night we started to make up for that by going to the Mesquìte, a local restaurant specializing in that particularly delicious style of Texan barbecue from which it draws its name.

With a warm atmosphere, decent service, intimate seating and an absolutely delicious menu, this place had become a local favourite of ours last year. The slow-cooked pulled pork is fantastic and C. swears she'd walk a hundred miles for their mesquìte baked black beans. Throw in a few rounds of piña coladas, top it off with a plate of Mississippi mud brownies and you've got the makings of a great meal.

Getting to enjoy the whole spread in the company of my favourite person -- toasting her bloody conquest of the second of three comprehensive exams -- just made it a perfect evening.

Like, ew.

Every Tuesday I drive to Ottawa and spend the afternoon in Carleton University's library while C. gets down, professorial-style. She's done around 1730 and, in anticipation of an evening drive back home, I always grab a quadruplo at the campus Starbucks. Every week I'm left swearing blue oaths and wondering what in the name of the nine hells possesses people to consume the vile dreck this mercenary chain tries to pass off as espresso.

The bouquet is clumsy and ill-mannered, my tongue-tip recoils at the acrid, unpolished sonata and by the time I'm immersed in the experience I'm already bitterly regretting it. That shit is nasty.

Surely there must be a more palatable vector for the rejuvenating caffiene which sustains me on the drive home?

Cleaning house.

Yeah, so I took a short vacation from this place -- sue me. Better yet, check out Steenblogen for an explanation. As usual, she sums things up better than I could.

* * *

So John "The Bomb" Gomery released the second (and final) half of his report today. Interestingly enough, while most of his criticism was directed at elected officials, the majority of his recommendations seem to concern bureaucrats:

He recommended opening up deputy minister jobs to competition, bringing in private-sector candidates to compete for jobs that have traditionally be filled by public servants picked in "private discussions" between the Clerk and the Privy Council and the prime minister.

Taking the selection out of the hands of the prime minister should give deputy ministers more "independence" and less deferential to political direction, he said.

Fair enough. It's not like he's suggesting a privatization of the public sector and besides, opening up these positions to competition and levelling the playing field might dispel some of the mandarinic (it is too a word) miasma that infests the cloistered halls of federal bureaucracy.

On a related note, the release of the report has allowed Stephen Harper an opportunity to show off some of his finely-honed political skills. For instance, covering his ass:

Prime minister-designate Stephen Harper said most of Judge Gomery's recommendations were already covered in his promised Federal Accountability Act, which will be his first priority when sworn in next week.

Mr. Harper wouldn't, however, commit to implementing those that weren't in his plan. "Justice Gomery's recommendations will help shape the future direction of a more accountable government for all Canadians," he said

.

All quotes are lifted from the National Post's article (will launch a new window).