Three for the Road Feb. 5, 2010

Here we go, Three for The Road- three stories, issues or events to think about heading into the weekend:

HOW ABOUT THIS CANADIAN COALITION?

Jane Taber over at the Globe and Mail has an interesting piece in her Ottawa Notebook about recent EKOS poll numbers. Pollster Frank Graves indicates to her that Canadians appetite for a Liberal-NDP coalition is more accepting now than it was in late 2008 when we were faced with the three-headed hydra power grab by the Liberals, NDP and Bloc so soon after another federal election we were subjected to.

A coalition which would result in Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff as prime minister is much more palatable than seeing Stephan Dion as PM, it says here.

Is a Liberal-NDP coalition more acceptable now?

TORONTO’S MAYORAL RACE STABLE GROWS

Toronto’s next mayoral race has some interesting contenders but there really is only one stud candidate- George Smitherman. Familiar City Hall faces such as Joe Pantalone and George Mammoliti are there as well among a slate of 24 registered candidates.

The one candidate I wish had waited another four years before running is Adam Giambrone. He is ambitious and smart but needs another four years to add to his resumé so he can really be a solid candidate. In four years he could showcase a series of accomplishments with the TTC that have begun under his watch as TTC chair.

Who do you like?

SUPERBOWL XLIV (that is # 44)

Sunday is the big day and what a match up for Super Bowl XLIV, the Indianapolis Colts vs. New Orleans Saints. Two high-powered offences with defences that do just enough to help their teams wins. At one point this season both these teams were undefeated for long stretches and flirted with undefeated seasons.

Who’s going to win? With the Colts you have quarterback Peyton Manning who is in the middle of hall of fame career and becoming one of the all-time great QBs in league history. With the Saints you have gunslinger Drew Brees at QB at the helm of the league’s most potent offence.

Manning is at his peak skill-wise and will march his Colts to victory. If the Saints defence could barely contain Brett Favre in the NCF final, they cannot stop Manning.

My heart says the Saints though- New Orleans which is still recovering from Hurricane Katrina needs a boost whichever they can get it, so…………….. Let’s Go Saints!

Who’s your pick for Super Bowl glory?

We’ve hit two years – Happy Birthday On Deadline!

On Deadline celebrates its 2nd birthday today.

Two years and almost 200 posts later and we are still kicking.

This blog started on a whim two years ago today and was strictly meant to give me an “online presence”… little did I know it would become not just an obsession some days but also something I hate on others.

The push and pull of creating not just anything for the blog but something of quality has been an interesting exercise. I never wanted it to be an asinine collection of links and videos nor just a place where I rant. My ultimate goal from post to post is to give a reader some sober second thought on a subject or get them motivated to make a positive change. Sometimes I succeeded, sometimes I failed but the posts, readers and views kept coming.

Over the last year The Good Revolution found us worthy enough to be contributors to them  and the fundraising efforts we supported, from Two Write Love On Her Arms to the World Food Programme, proved to me the quality of you, the On Deadline readers. You are all worth whatever menial struggle I have to overcome to click away at the keyboard.

My thanks to you for ensuring this blog and my efforts are worthwhile.

On Deadline readers you simply rock.

Vince Versace

• MOST POPULAR POSTS OVER THE LAST YEAR:

1. My blog post about the frustrations in trying to find the Terry Fox Memorial in St. John’s, NFLD and my eventual disappointment in what I found was the most popular over the last year here at On Deadline. Though it was penned this past October it has screamed up to the top on the most viewed and referral charts. Feels good to know that a personal hero of mine is so popular and that others found the memorial not worthy of this amazing Canadian.

2. Sex does sell and it does equal visits to your blog. My sexy Canadian politicians post from last year still brings eye balls trolling for sexy pictures of sexy politicians. What disappointment these folks must have felt when they found G-rated photos of some attractive Canadian politicians and then nothing else.

MY FAVOURITE POSTS OF THE YEAR:

This year I introduced a category called Writer Talk where I looked at the craft of writing, the joys of reading and all the frustrations that came with them. My post called Pushing an Elephant Up A Mountain was my favourite. Judging by the discussions, responses and messages from other fellow writers, hacks and wordsmiths, it struck a chord. My other two favourites were about my last, late night walk in Tokyo and Amanda Lindhout being freed.

• TOP SEARCH ENGINE TERMS:

These following three terms brought the most people to On Deadline: terry fox, rubdy dhalla, voodoo.

Thanks again and on to Year Three!

Dear Haiti donations skeptic, ante up or shut up

These are the people of Haiti who need your help. (photo:thehindu.com)

There is a fine line between wanting to know where your money will go, when you give to any charity or relief efforts like those underway in Haiti, and just being a lazy, contrarian, pain-in-the-ass.

As more corporations, companies and organizations begin to ramp up donation collection efforts, whether through texting to a number on your cell phone, to donating online or via phone, the skeptics are starting to come out of the woodwork.

Ask questions, be inquisitive with a person who takes your donation but don’t be “that guy” in the bus or at work who thinks corruption will eat your dollars away.

If you are that worried that your donation will not actually land on the ground in Haiti and help someone, get your sorry butt on a plane, head to Haiti and get to work helping the Haitians and international community helping out there.

Realize that a text donation goes on your bill, once that bill is paid, your carrier will then send those funds to Haitian relief efforts. We are talking about the reconstruction of a major city and a country, so the funds are not just needed for now but six months down the line to years from now.

There were an estimated 400,000 orphans in Haiti BEFORE the quake, imagine how many there are now. We, and I mean WE, the global community, need to help our Haitian brothers and sisters care for them, these children without families are now our responsibility too, from Canada and the United States to China and Australia.

There are mass graves. Doctors conducting emergency operations in open fields. There are still the living under the rubble yet to be found. There are people dying from a lack of water and food. There is a lack of security.

Simply put, there are families and people who need help. Don’t cop-out or be lazy and decide not to donate money because of some so-called fears of corruption in charities.

Donate to a reputable organization. Donate to a number or website associated to a telethon, check Canada For Haiti or Hope for Haiti Now.

Lastly, if you wish to not donate, do so with some grace, keep it to yourself and leave those who wish to do so alone.

Just hope, that if a massive catastrophe ever strikes you or your family that there will not be donation skeptics stepping up to belittle any help that you may need.

Haiti earthquake – nation facts

As international recovery and aid efforts continue to gear up and mobilize to help the people of Haiti, here are some facts about the little, poor island nation and some of its challenges:

HISTORY:

The native Taino Amerindians – who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when it was discovered by Columbus in 1492 – were almost annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola. In 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island, which later became Haiti.

The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean but only through the heavy importation of African slaves and much environmental degradation.

The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has been plagued by political violence for most of its history.

Columbus arrives in Haiti in 1492.

After an armed rebellion led to the forced resignation and exile of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in February 2004, an interim government took office to organize new elections under the auspices of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti. Continued violence and technical delays prompted repeated postponements, but Haiti finally did inaugurate a democratically elected president and parliament in May of 2006.

- courtesy of  The CIA World Factbook

WHY THE EARTHQUAKE HIT SO HARD:

The Jan. 12, magnitude 7.0 earthquake which hit Haiti has claimed between an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 lives. A shoddy state of infrastructure which already existed there was decimated by the earthquake.

It was a shallow earthquake (about 10 kilometers below the surface), which is in the most destructive category; it was only 15 kms from the centre of Port-au-Prince, which is within the ‘near field’ of energy release; and it struck a densely populated area with extremely poor construction, reports a Newswise release.

The Haitian presidential palace in the nation's capital of Port-au-Prince, post and pre-quake. courtesy thaindian.com

“Although the city is practically on the fault that ruptured, the area had not experienced a severe earthquake for more than 100 years, so people had very little ‘earthquake consciousness’ which would translate into requiring earthquake-resistant design,” says Pedro de Alba, University of New Hampshire professor of civil engineering in a Newswise statement.

De Alba adds that reconstruction will be challenging given the great poverty of the majority of the population and the urgent need to provide shelter.

“Unfortunately, it is not only housing that will need a large investment, but also lifeline systems, as shown by near total failure of the water supply at this critical time.”

Haiti earthquake tragedy – how you can help

Injured Haitians sit along a road the day after 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (AP Photo/Jorge Cruz)

Come on world, let’s step up and help.

By now if you have not heard about the devastating earthquake that rocked Haiti, the poorest nation in the Americas, we’d like to know what rock you live under.

An already hardscrabble nation before the quake, now has lost an estimated 100,000 people, its fragile infrastructure decimated and the few threads of a social support network which existed there torn to bits.

I can’t help but think about the orphanages crushed in this earthquake. During a train ride this past fall to Montreal I met a woman who had been to Haiti a few times to first adopt a child and then to try and better the lot of children living in these orphanages.

This fellow VIA Rail passenger described in great detail the crumbling and shoddy building these children looking for new homes were living in. She described how tough and rough the streets were there and how much Haiti resembled a Third World Country forgotten by all of us.

When I heard of the quake, my thoughts immediately went to those children, simple young souls with no families awaiting new ones. I then wondered how much more unfair an already unfair life had become for them. My heart sank.

Speaking of heart’s sinking, here is Michaelle Jean, Canada’s Haitian-born  governor-general making a heartfelt plea for her Haiti. Safe to say she speaks for all us in Canada:

The world has mobilized to no one’s surprise and now the challenge is access and making sure the help gets to where it is needed. If you still doubt if even one dollar or article of clothing donated by you won’t help, watch this video:

Links You Should Know:

CANADIAN RED CROSS : www.redcross.ca

AMERICAN RED CROSS: www.redcross.org

UNICEF: www.unicef.org

DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS: www.msf.ca

SALVATION ARMY: www.salvationarmy.ca

WORLD VISION CANADA: www.worldvision.ca

Friends and relatives in Canada seeking information on Canadian citizens believed to be in the affected area should contact Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada at 1-800-387-3124.

The Biggest Perogie – Stephen Harper

Canada’s prime minister has made a joke of our country’s parliamentary process and I hope some of you are taking the time to notice.

If the drabness of everyday politics bores you think of Parliament Hill as the setting for a new dynamic reality show called The Biggest Perogie. Which Canadian politician demonstrates the incredible combination of contempt for democracy and is capable of shooting themselves in the foot upon command…drum roll please…your winner- Stephen Harper.

In this space when Parliament was last prorogued we supported it. We were not happy with the pathetic ploy of the Liberals, NDP and Bloc Quebecois to seize power. We did not think the flux that move would have created would have benefited our country as we headed into a dark recession. Harper requested the pause button be hit and we supported it. However, this time around, Harper is abusing Parliament and democracy. How he convinced Governor General Michelle Jean to sign off on this is beyond me.

There is no need to have to shut down the House of Commons to”recalibrate” government and refocus it. What a crock. Harper is trying to save his hide and protect his government from scrutiny. While Canada was getting hammered on its environmental footprint and plans and as we headed into our holidays, he chose to prorogue the government. There is simply no other way to read the situation. He wants to hide.

We are in a Catch-22 as voters in this country. We do not like Harper and the Conservatives enough to give them a majority government but we did re-elect them regardless. Was it because it was a lack of options? Yes, the thought of Stephane Dion as PM during the recession is stomach turning. Jack Layton and his NDP banter seems to have lost its way and the Green Party..well they are green.

The saddest thought is that the party leader in our last election who was the most stately and capable to run our country was Gilles Duceppe. That is how bad it is for us, the leader of a separatist party has the best leader pedigree.

We do not want another election but our opposition party leaders need to galvanize the populus and build their credibility. They need to so we can have better choices come next election and vote The Biggest Perogie off of Parliament Hill.

Red Snow, a Michael Slade gold medal thriller

The suspense and action builds in Red Snow, Michael Slade’s 2010 Winter Olympics crime thriller, like a Super G skier careening down an Olympic ski run.

As master villain Mephisto’s sadistic plan unfolds in Whistler readers can almost feel the villainous cold intentions creep in thanks to Slade’s detailed writing.

Red Snow is a gripping read because as Mephisto’s plan targets his arch nemesis, the members of Special X- the Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s super sleuth hunters of psychotic killers, it happens lockstep with the ultimate goal of turning the world on its head with the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics around the corner.

Tasked with not only making the winter Olympics safe but also to stop Mephisto, before dead bodies stack up higher than the roadside snow banks of British Columbia’s deep interior, is Robert DeClercq, RCMP Chief Superintendent. In facing his old foe DeClercq will be challenged not just tactically but personally to ensure Mephisto is stopped.

As the hunters become the hunted and the noose of Mephisto’s plan begins to tighten around the idyllic Whistler backdrop, even first-time crime thriller readers will find Red Snow a fast-paced suspenseful read. Make no mistake; though the book’s backdrop is one of Canada’s jewel winter getaways, Slade manages to brilliantly thread historical accounts, such as those of explorers in lush South American rainforests, to bring further context to Mephisto’s mind and a trip into his heart of darkness.

Author Michael Slade takes you into the dark shadows of a villain's mind.

Among the eeriest aspects of Red Snow are Slade’s descriptions of the security challenges facing an Olympics stretched out over hundreds of kilometres in British Columbia, from Vancouver to B.C.’s North Shore mountains to Whistler itself. With the world’s winter Olympic community soon to arrive in B.C. readers get a better picture of the mountainous security shield that is required.

Red Snow is as much a classic good versus evil bloodletting as it is a blow-by-blow boxing match between how far a twisted mind will go to exact revenge, while striking at the world and how deep resourceful good people can reach under dire circumstances against the clock.

A decade in review…has it been 10 years already?

As the decade nears its end you have likely seen at least a handful of  lists reviewing the first decade since we survived Y2K- remember that impending technological Armageddon?

The lists range from Top 10 newsmakers to Top 10 wardrobe malfunctions. Leave it to us to get nostalgic and come up with a list of our own.

Our list takes a quick look at what we consider to be among the most important events, advances or people over the last ten years. It is not a definitive list nor is it ranked in any order but it was an interesting ten years to reminisce about. What did we miss?

• SEPTEMBER 11, 2001

Where were you when the Twin Towers went down and the term 9/11 was emblazoned in our everyday speech and memories? The one global event during the last decade which arguably united the world in awe, astonishment and utter disbelief.

The world’s lone superpower, the United States of America, suffered massive terrorist blows on its own soil that day. Two commercial airliners were smashed into the World Trade Centre towers, another into the Pentagon and yet another into a field.

The results of that day can even be seen in this Top 10 list. How America and its allies reacted has either made the world a safer place or more dangerous one, depending what you believe. Tightened airport security, increased racism and intolerance of Muslims, thousands of innocent civilians killed in their homelands…

• APPLE

Steve Jobs’ empire and battle for your desktop loyalty went to another level over the last ten years. From the iPhone, to the iPod Touch or Titanium PowerBook G4 series, Apple cranked up not just its cool factor but its practicality as well.

PC lovers who would never consider an Apple computer began taking long glances at its products. Apple’s performance record and user-friendly systems helped push its marketplace momentum even harder. Now, the little white ear buds are no longer a status symbol but commonplace on city streets and transit. The iPod Nano kept getting so small that by the end of the next decade, it will likely fit on the tip of your finger.

• Internet & Social Networking

Quick, update your Facebook status and say you are reading an interesting decade in review here at On Deadline. In fact, once you do that, Tweet it on Twitter to your 1,000 followers you could not pick out of a lineup. If you would not mind, please Digg this as well and say your StumbleUpon of this post is worthy to announce on the Internet. Want to impress a prospective employer?- put up a link of this post on LinkedIn and….you get what we are getting at.

At the beginning of the decade internet use was hardly the time waster and distraction it has become now. Yes, the internet is a wonderful resource, bringing so many of us together, however, its exponential growth gave birth to social networking and the sites mentioned above. Now, you must have an online footprint of some kind to mingle and exchange information with friends and strangers. The footprints you left before in your everyday life just do not matter as much anymore.

• GOOGLE

The search engine that became a word. Google. The Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary added the word Google as a verb on July 8, 2006. How often do you find yourself saying, “I have to remember to Google that” or “Just Google it”.

Yahoo exists and Microsoft has Bing but there is only one grand champion and it is Google. The variety and depth of the search engine and the innovation it has been leading the market with, from Google Map to Google Earth, pushed this frontrunner into new endeavours such as cellphones and Google Latitude.

Where Google goes over the next decade is anyone’s guess but one thing is likely, you will likely Google it to see where it is at.

• IRAQ and AFGHANISTAN

What is there to say about the United States ability to saddle itself with not just one but two modern-day Vietnams? These two wars currently underway only strengthen the George Bernard Shaw quote, “We learn from history that we learn nothing from history” or the better yet, that of  George Santayana, “Those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

9/11 was the trigger point for these two costly military actions which have cost 5,290 American military lives, 134 Canadian soldier lives in Afghanistan, hundreds in total among other allied forces and close to 90,000 Iraqi and Afghani citizen lives. After 9/11, some kind of retribution felt justified but now, how to get of wars which really had no “exit strategies”? How to make sure the lives lost and ruined were for nothing? What does victory look like? What will peace ever look like in these regions?

The death reports of troops lost hardly register anymore but we cannot forget to support our troops, whether from Canada or abroad.

• PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

Mr. Hope and Change himself will likely make this same list when the next decade is done.

The mammoth challenges President Barack Obama faces are the envy of no one. Two wars, a floundering economy even before the recent recession, racial divide, health care reform, a Nobel Peace Prize even before his first year is done…and restoring worldwide faith and hope in the United States of America, once the shinning democratic light and a leader we all need, are mighty weights on his shoulders.

Think back to his campaign and how he galvanized so many people. The prospect of the first black president in the USA captured many imaginations. He embodied hope, with every wave of a hand and eloquent word. He alone began the restoration of hope in his mighty nation.

Workplaces came to a standstill the day of his inauguration and we once again had another “where were you when” moment.

Wrapping up this Top 10 list are:

• Global Warming Debate: Pardon the pun but this debate sure did heat up as the decade rolled forward. Al Gore’s Inconvenient Truth ignited the debate further, opening some eyes and closing ranks elsewhere.
• 2005 Hurricane Katrina: The devastation that ravaged New Orleans and surrounding areas was awful to witness. However, the inability of then President George Bush and his administration to adequately respond and help those in their own backyard was even more shocking.
• 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami: This natural disaster claimed 230,000 lives in 11 countries and struck on Dec. 26 while most of us were still enjoying time with our families and revelling in holiday cheer. It seemed like the whole world wanted to jump on a plane and help in the aftermath.
• 2004 Mars rover mission: When the Spirit rover landed on Mars on January 4, 2004 and images of the Red Planet were beamed back, the world did stop to marvel, even if for a day. Space had once again made the front page, reminding us that exploration is an inherent human trait and that “boldly going where no man has gone before” is not just Hollywood fantasy but reality.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all On Deadline readers, both new and old.

No matter your faith, the common principles of the holiday season hold true for all, spread peace, love and cheer wherever you are.

All the best to you and your respective families and friends.

Happy Ho Hos,

Vince Versace

The Saturday Six – Dec. 19, 2009

Today’s Saturday Six is all climate change related in light of the recent climate change talks in Copenhagen.

Was what will become known as the Copenhagen Accord enough to actually make change? Will it be simply regarded as window dressing if never binding? Or, as some would argue, is it  pointless since there really is no manmade climate change underway anyway? That is all up to you decide dear readers.

1.  The COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference

The conference website which delivers the hard facts and news from the conference where you can build your opinions upon.

2. A very brief rundown of the “Copenhagen Accord” via the Toronto Star.

How one of Toronto’s crusading daily papers reports on the deal.

3. How Britain’s Guardian paper broke down the Copenhagen talks and delivered crucial information to its readers.

A great newspaper website to draw information from- Guardian readers were well equipped to make up their own minds.

4. Breathing Earth

A fun and interesting real time simulation of our breathing planet.

5. David Suzuki Foundation

Here is how the revered David Suzuki Foundation looks at climate change skeptics.

6. Climate Crisis

A solid home base to start exploring climate change and Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth etc.