tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463446237885868065Wed, 28 Aug 2024 04:56:54 +0000US politicsEconomicsCanadian politicsEnvironmentFilmGeneralWar on TerrorHealth careScienceStupidityIraqTelevisionSportsAfghanistanRussiaBooksReligionO CanadaTechnologyAuto industryAir TravelIranIsraeli-Palestinian conflictCubaHurricanesLebanonNorth KoreaSane ramblings on politics, current events and anything else that rankles my ass.http://aquietcornerofsanity.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Desmond)Blogger286125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463446237885868065.post-6485292513764962516Wed, 20 Jan 2010 03:13:00 +00002010-01-20T01:30:22.891-04:00Health careUS politicsSo something has happened to once again jar me out of my blogging slumber. Bear with me, because this isn't going to be pretty.There was a special election held in the state of Massachusetts this evening, to decide who would take over for the now-deceased Senator Edward Kennedy. Due to the Democratic candidate's inability to tell a Red Sock from a Yankee, and her general lack of campaigning http://aquietcornerofsanity.blogspot.com/2010/01/thanks-massachusetts.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Desmond)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463446237885868065.post-3148966135875422039Fri, 01 May 2009 01:30:00 +00002009-04-30T22:55:06.611-03:00War on TerrorOkay, I'm back, but just temporarily. There are many subjects I'd like to comment on, from the economy, to the performance of the Obama administration thus far, to the BSG finale, but there's one thing above all that has awoken me from my blogging slumber and compelled me to say something.The decision by the Obama administration to release memos showing the extent of the Bush torture regime (and http://aquietcornerofsanity.blogspot.com/2009/04/why-we-dont-torture.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Desmond)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463446237885868065.post-2105677560381131902Fri, 27 Feb 2009 01:25:00 +00002009-02-26T21:37:24.634-04:00GeneralAs you may have guessed, I'm taking something of an extended timeout from blogging. Several factors have contributed to this, not least among them a new job and the stresses and lack of free time associated with it. But I've also become somewhat mentally exhausted with politics and current events (not to mention the dreary economic situation), and have lacked motivation to blog lately. I'll http://aquietcornerofsanity.blogspot.com/2009/02/taking-breather.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Desmond)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463446237885868065.post-6657572460456094054Sun, 04 Jan 2009 02:28:00 +00002009-01-04T16:01:15.919-04:00Israeli-Palestinian conflictI don't really have much to say about Israel and Gaza, only that I think we've all seen this movie before. Israel will pound the shit out of some Hamas fuckheads, but in the process, kill a lot of innocent people, embittering Palestinians even more strongly against Israel, and giving Hamas and the other extremists their next wave of suicide bomber recruits. The UN and most countries not called http://aquietcornerofsanity.blogspot.com/2009/01/same-old-sad-story.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Desmond)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463446237885868065.post-1782639283397050553Sun, 04 Jan 2009 01:36:00 +00002009-01-03T22:27:55.431-04:00EconomicsAs we head into the new year, there's a lot of anxiety over where the economy is headed. According to most economists, Canada is probably facing only a mild recession, with a recovery possibly beginning within six months. Historically, bull markets after recessions lead the actual economic recovery by roughly that length of time. Investors speculate on future economic performance, not what has http://aquietcornerofsanity.blogspot.com/2008/12/better-than-standing-still-but-rot-runs.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Desmond)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463446237885868065.post-6490537274120759012Tue, 30 Dec 2008 22:26:00 +00002008-12-30T18:36:17.032-04:00GeneralThis story makes me smile:Like other real life super-heroes, Master Legend is not an orphan from a distant dying sun or the mutated product of a gamma-ray experiment gone awry. He is not an eccentric billionaire moonlighting as a crime fighter. He is, as he puts it, "just a man hellbent on battling evil." Although Master Legend was one of the first to call himself a Real Life Superhero, in recenthttp://aquietcornerofsanity.blogspot.com/2008/12/this-looks-like-job-formaster-legend.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Desmond)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463446237885868065.post-8699887424345534550Tue, 16 Dec 2008 22:45:00 +00002008-12-16T18:56:51.045-04:00TelevisionUS politicsI haven't really been motivated to blog lately. Between work, family matters, and the general stress of the Christmas splurging season, I'm not left with much energy or time to rant on the internet.During my time away from the keyboard, the Democratic governor of Illinois went down in flames, and turns out to have been a complete asshole and egomaniac. Or, as Dickipedia so aptly summarizes:The http://aquietcornerofsanity.blogspot.com/2008/12/holiday-blues-update.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Desmond)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463446237885868065.post-6151470519185944816Wed, 10 Dec 2008 00:17:00 +00002008-12-09T20:17:54.362-04:00GeneralWorld's tallest skyscraper, under construction in Dubai:Something about that building indicates low self-esteem on the part of the architects...(click the picture for more detail)http://aquietcornerofsanity.blogspot.com/2008/12/wtf-dubai.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Desmond)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463446237885868065.post-7661793378357472531Tue, 09 Dec 2008 23:45:00 +00002008-12-09T20:05:28.420-04:00Canadian politicsOkay, so Dion wasn't the very best party leader. But Ignatieff? Seriously? He's the best guy they've got?Look, I don't usually get worked up at the thought of elitist inteleckshuals sipping their lattes and scoffing at the common folk, but this guy pretty much embodies that stereotype. He's spent more of his life at Oxford and Harvard than in Canada. More to the point, he has only three years of http://aquietcornerofsanity.blogspot.com/2008/12/not-iggy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Desmond)7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463446237885868065.post-5159942443165996054Fri, 05 Dec 2008 00:57:00 +00002008-12-04T21:11:26.515-04:00Canadian politicsShe made the right move in proroguing Parliament. I know a lot of liberals and progressives out there will be disappointed that Harper has lived to fight another day (and really, that fight might come immediately after January 26), but in the long run, it's for the best.Harper overreached. He knows that, and he and his party are chastened. They are still a minority government, and they need to http://aquietcornerofsanity.blogspot.com/2008/12/i-agree-with-governor-general.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Desmond)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463446237885868065.post-3458708626197227064Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:10:00 +00002008-12-02T17:19:23.507-04:00IraqUS politicsLost amidst everything else that has been going on, the US and Iraqi governments have quietly agreed to a withdrawal timetable, a timetable that includes the withdrawal of most combat troops by mid-2009. Bush is still in office, mind you. The same Bush who repeatedly warned us that such a thing would amount to surrendering to terror, a warning that was endlessly regurgitated by all the usual http://aquietcornerofsanity.blogspot.com/2008/12/so-anyway-maybe-you-guys-were-right.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Desmond)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463446237885868065.post-3109466692664229167Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:40:00 +00002008-12-02T17:28:56.642-04:00Canadian politicsThings are moving quite quickly. The opposition parties have come to an agreement on power-sharing, and are going ahead with plans to topple the Harper government. The NDP will have claim to 6 cabinet seats out of 25, while Dion would be PM temporarily until May, when the Liberals choose a new leader. For their part, the Bloc have pledged to support this government for 2 1/2 years (not http://aquietcornerofsanity.blogspot.com/2008/12/here-we-go.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Desmond)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463446237885868065.post-963209442268366818Tue, 02 Dec 2008 00:57:00 +00002008-12-01T21:17:23.350-04:00EconomicsThe National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), today:The National Bureau of Economic Research said Monday that the U.S. has been in arecession since December 2007, making official what most Americans have alreadybelieved about the state of the economy .The NBER is a private group ofleading economists charged with dating the start and end of economic downturns.It typically takes a long time http://aquietcornerofsanity.blogspot.com/2008/12/bush-boom.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Desmond)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463446237885868065.post-4252121556700868745Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:58:00 +00002008-11-30T16:21:26.282-04:00Canadian politicsEconomicsI may have been a bit premature in announcing the end of our political quagmire, as the Tory capitulation on public funding subsidies will not appease the opposition. Obviously, that cannot be seen as the fundamental issue here, otherwise Harper will use it as a bludgeon later on, and be the stronger for it. Instead, the Liberals and NDP will press forward with coalition talks and keep focusing http://aquietcornerofsanity.blogspot.com/2008/11/need-for-stimulus.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Desmond)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463446237885868065.post-8956371104981973846Sat, 29 Nov 2008 17:29:00 +00002008-11-29T20:35:23.693-04:00Canadian politicsThe Liberals and NDP are threatening to bring down the Harper government and form a coalition, ostensibly due to inaction on an economic stimulus package, but it might also have something to do with a Tory plan to end a government subsidy paid to the parties for every vote they earn (with the Liberals with in debt, and the Conservatives possessing a formidable fundraising machine, this is a http://aquietcornerofsanity.blogspot.com/2008/11/i-wish-grown-ups-were-in-charge.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Desmond)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463446237885868065.post-8624509813115800111Sat, 29 Nov 2008 17:21:00 +00002008-11-29T13:29:23.372-04:00TelevisionNew promo:I can't wait! :)This is very cool as well. Scifi's posting clues right up until Jan. 16, when Season 4.5 premieres. I hate it that the show's ending, but at least it will have a proper ending. And there is still more Battlestar to come: The PlanCapricahttp://aquietcornerofsanity.blogspot.com/2008/11/battlestars-coming.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Desmond)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463446237885868065.post-6316956463221429470Mon, 24 Nov 2008 02:00:00 +00002008-11-23T23:04:44.530-04:00SportsNew England looked very good today. Cassel just did something that even Brady has yet to achieve: two consecutive 400+ yard games. Miami looked utterly outclassed, especially towards the end when their discipline seemed to break down (though Matt Light will likely be suspended for his part in that fracas). If Cassel keeps this up, and keeps finding Moss in the end zone, this team suddenly looks http://aquietcornerofsanity.blogspot.com/2008/11/thats-more-like-it-pats-beat-fins-48-28.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Desmond)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463446237885868065.post-1045012737671091639Sun, 23 Nov 2008 18:45:00 +00002008-11-23T23:09:45.674-04:00US politicsMost of Obama's cabinet appointments announced thus far have been centrist Democrats, some of whom have endorsed things like the Iraq war, "harsh interrogation methods" (if not necessarily waterboarding), and other excesses of the Bush administration. One very important post, Secretary of Defense, may even stay unchanged, if Obama decides to keep Robert Gates, albeit temporarily.Predictably, thishttp://aquietcornerofsanity.blogspot.com/2008/11/liberal-disappointment-with-obama.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Desmond)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463446237885868065.post-2523222668227586904Sat, 22 Nov 2008 21:43:00 +00002008-11-22T17:48:03.459-04:00ScienceCheck out this video of a meteor impact in Alberta:Awesome. Meanwhile, all we get in Nova Scotia is 30cm of snow. In fucking November. Not that I'm asking for us to get hit with meteors. But it would be more fun.http://aquietcornerofsanity.blogspot.com/2008/11/we-get-blizzard-they-get-plummeting.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Desmond)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463446237885868065.post-7908051073806539245Fri, 21 Nov 2008 02:56:00 +00002008-11-23T14:44:23.686-04:00Auto industryEconomicsI am of the opinion that while the executives at GM, Ford and Chrysler are total jackasses and short-sighted morons, it's quite necessary that some type of bailout take place.In more normal times, the answer may be different. Chapter 11 bankruptcy would be a credible option. Unfortunately, these are not normal times. Chapter 11 is simply not a realistic option right now. GM is literally on its http://aquietcornerofsanity.blogspot.com/2008/11/no-good-options-for-detroit.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Desmond)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463446237885868065.post-110113815121356670Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:27:00 +00002008-11-18T22:40:16.276-04:00US politicsToday, Senate Democrats voted to give Lieberman a slap on the wrist, stripping him of his positions on a couple environmental subcommittees, but letting him keep his far more important chairmanship of the Homeland Security committee, which has important oversight responsibilities.And it was a pretty decisive vote, 43-12. It's times like these that you really have to wonder what is up with the http://aquietcornerofsanity.blogspot.com/2008/11/what-is-wrong-with-senate-democrats.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Desmond)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463446237885868065.post-9014888803048909463Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:06:00 +00002008-11-18T17:24:45.949-04:00FilmI'm not dead! Just been uninterested in blogging. Post election depression or something...Anyway, the new Bond movie.First, let me say that I thought Casino Royale was awesome. It was a great reboot for the series, and gave it a much-needed dose of gritty realism. On top of that, Daniel Craig is the best Bond since Connery.So it was with great anticipation that I went to see Quantum of Solace. http://aquietcornerofsanity.blogspot.com/2008/11/quantum-of-solace.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Desmond)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463446237885868065.post-2182297077634071677Thu, 13 Nov 2008 23:06:00 +00002008-11-13T19:41:49.128-04:00EconomicsTurns out that Paulson is essentially making it up as he goes:The Treasury Department on Wednesday officially abandoned the original strategy behind its $700 billion effort to rescue the financial system, as administration officials acknowledged that banks and financial institutions were as unwilling as ever to lend to consumers.But with a little more than two months left before President Bush http://aquietcornerofsanity.blogspot.com/2008/11/so-whats-going-on-with-that-bailout.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Desmond)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463446237885868065.post-70162065780160416Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:35:00 +00002008-11-13T14:32:55.651-04:00EconomicsUS politicsThis clip is interesting for two reasons.First, the part 1:15 in, where Lauer is talking to one of Palin's daughters, and she says that yes, she missed a lot of school, and that "it's really hard". Gotta feel bad for the little ones, even if their mother is a power-hungry narcissist who doesn't realize that her 15 minutes are up. Second, Bush's awkward silence starting around 1:39 where he jokes http://aquietcornerofsanity.blogspot.com/2008/11/wednesday-night-rambling.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Desmond)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3463446237885868065.post-1367961590909279271Tue, 11 Nov 2008 20:29:00 +00002008-11-12T01:09:19.168-04:00US politicsFor all the hooplah over Obama's massive voter registration drive and GOTV operation, it is surprising to discover that turnout was up only slightly over 2004. In that year, turnout was 60.6%. This year it was between 60.7% and 61.7%, an increase of only 0.1 - 1.1 percentage points. So is this the same old story of perennially lazy young voters not showing up at the polls? Not entirely. Youth http://aquietcornerofsanity.blogspot.com/2008/11/huge-turnout-not-so-much.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Desmond)0