Al Jazeera correspondent Veronica Pedrosa, whose family was forced into exile by the Philippines’ Marcos regime, confronts Imelda about her past.

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Early this morning, Jack Layton, leader of the New Democratic Party and the Official Opposition in Canada, died of cancer. Whatever your politics, there is no denying Jack Layton loved Canada and worked tirelessly to make it a better place. On August 20, less than two days before his death, he addressed a letter to the whole country, including others with cancer.

http://www.ndp.ca/letter-to-canadians-from-jack-layton

I’ve posted some excerpts. Clicking on anything will link you to the whole letter.

Canada will miss you, Jack.

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view of Oslo from Holmenkollen

I’ve been thinking about Norway since I first heard the news of the bombing yesterday in Oslo, then the shootings at the youth camp in Utoya. I’ve been reading accounts from the youth about their experiences, stories of rescue and terror. I’ve been watching the death toll climb, in horror. It’s difficult to imagine such heinous acts of violence taking place in a country as peaceful as Norway. It’s home to the Nobel Peace prize. The news stories coming out of Norway are usually about their sweep of medals at the Winter Olympics or the Nobel Peace prize, not about bombs or children getting gunned down.

Vigeland Sculpture Park, Oslo

Reading the news updates is both mesmerizing and appalling. I try to read a variety of news outlets to get the full story and avoid the article comments (most of them are baseless rants), but yesterday on the walk home I stopped at a pizza shop to watch the BBC news on TV because I don’t have one at home. At that time some of the major media fingers were pointing towards Islamic terrorist groups, but since then more information has come to light refuting those claims. Homegrown terrorism is no less disturbing, however, it may in fact be even more disturbing.

Like Canada, Norway is a northern country with a small population and a wealth of nature. It is not a country of conflict or political tension. In my continuing fascination with people of the north (my 2007 birthday trip was to Iceland), it also happens to be the country I chose for my birthday trip in 2008 and thus I have an affection for it. I turned 36 in Oslo. I couchsurfed in Oslo twice, and hired a car with my German friend, Berit, to travel west. If I’d had more time and I was alone, I would’ve driven all the way up to the Arctic Circle. Next time.

westward-bound

Myrdal

I’m going through my photos again (I’ve only uploaded a small batch from that trip) so I can think of Norway the way I remember it, not the way it looks in the news right now. The country will recover from this senseless tragedy, but for now there are many, many grieving families in Norway and my heart goes out to them.

Berit & Justi in western Norway

Vigeland Sculpture Park

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Calling all Canadians who also believe it is important to have a public broadcaster! Please sign the online petition and spread the word…

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I wish I had more time to write a proper review, but I’m working through a backlog of editing and will instead post the trailer as a placeholder for all the other things I want to write on the subjects of education, unions, government bureaucracy, and economic divisions. Check out the trailer and visit the official site below:

http://www.waitingforsuperman.com/

Even though I’ve got piles of editing to do, as soon as I found out earlier today that Waiting For Superman was playing at my neighbourhood repertory cinema, I knew I had to put everything aside to see it. It’s what I call a “linger film”, a movie that sticks in my brain long after I’ve watched it. I was completely engaged through all 102 minutes of the film (plus the credits), and the ending is every bit as dramatic as a fiction feature film. I guarantee Waiting For Superman will move you, even if you’re neither American (I’m not) nor familiar with the American public school system.

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This is a low-res camera (Canon A520), but you can just make out that there are two police officers with binoculars on top of the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. They have a tent set up, too. I missed a motorcade going by on Front Street, but it’s not as if I’d ever find out who’s in it, anyway.

The atmosphere is very strange downtown around The Fence. First of all, it’s become somewhat of a ghost town compared to the usual hustle and bustle. There was still a rush hour the last few days, but because there are fewer cars it is eerily quiet — taxi drivers told me they avoided the fence; there is noticeably less honking. There are fewer pedestrians and cyclists, fewer bike couriers, and a major police presence. And it’s not ordinary police presence, either: the officers are all wearing riot gear and watching everyone very carefully. It’s enough to make a person feel a little paranoid.

TD Bank even removed all their deposit envelopes from their downtown branches. Why? So nobody would be able to deposit anything — money wouldn’t be able to accumulate in the machines and nobody could possibly deposit any dangerous materials. I only know this because someone at work tried to make a deposit today at the TD Centre, and there were no envelopes in sight.

This morning the CEO announced that most of The Firm would be working from home tomorrow — HALLELUJAH! — which means I can actually sleep past 5am, but in the afternoon I have to pick up equipment for Saturday’s wedding. Which means I have to trek across town through the G20 Summit zone again. Barring any sort of naturally- or unnaturally-occurring disaster, I should be able to get there within the two hours I’ve set aside to reach the place before it closes, when normally it would take me half an hour, tops.

You know what? It makes last summer’s 40-day garbage strike look like a walk in the park.

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Maria Corazon “Cory” Sumulong Cojuangco Aquino
(January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009)

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via Torontoist on Twitter

When I was driving home later than usual from The Brides’ Project, I had to continue along Lakeshore because the police had blocked off the ramp to the Gardiner Expressway. Now I know why.

Check out the full Torontoist article or the Toronto Star for more photos and information.

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And secondly, The Corrigan Brothers offer up irrefutable evidence that there’s no one as Irish as the 44th President of the United States (JFK was the 35th):

Well, in any case, Obama will be adding some much-needed colour (green?) to the Big White House for at least the next four years. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of political satire emerges in the meantime.

The karaoke version is here if you want to know what the heck they’re singing.

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Source: ABC News online

Call me a cynic, but I hope nothing goes wrong with the polls.

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