Tag Archives: globe and mail

COMMENT OF THE DAY: How to make the Liberal convention the hottest ticket in town!

Posted by gruesomegreg on

From: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/liberals-work-to-fill-seats-at-leadership-showcase-amid-low-advance-ticket-sales/article10809970/

The Liberal Party of Canada has booked the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for a big I-can’t-believe-it’s-not-a-leadership-convention(!!!) tomorrow, but it seems there are plenty of great sections still available.  According to The Globe and Mail, just over 200 tickets have been sold at the 1,500-seat venue for the not-so-big event.  But hey, the much-hyped Jays season is finally underway, the Leafs might actually be playoff-bound, and I heard Rock of Ages is back in town…  or was that The Book of Mormon?

Either way, there’s still a multitude of entertainment options tomorrow that’ll offer you more bang for your buck than six Liberal candidates’ speeches and a tribute to Bob Rae.  But it’s not too late for the LPC to make a last-minute addition—or five—to the bill:

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Man, if this was an official party announcement, I’d be buying my ticket in a heartbeat.  I mean, that door prize alone has to be worth about a billion dollars! ;)

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The Globe and Mail: Actively exposing perverts… in its own office!

Posted by gruesomegreg on

So, apparently there was a figure skating competition this weekend.  I can’t say I noticed.  But overshadowing the ISU World Figure Skating Championship, in which Canadian skater Kaetlyn Osmond finished eighth, was the fact that The Globe and Mail put her picture on the front page.  Since when was figure skating front page news!?  That said, it seems the Globe wasn’t trying to entice readers to pick up the paper for its figure-skating coverage, but was living by the old adage that sex sells, with this gratuitous crotch shot of the 17-year-old skater:

OK, so I don’t know exactly how long a figure-skating short program is, but I do suspect it lasted long enough for the photographer to take several other shots of Osmond’s routine.  The paper likely had a bevy of photos it could’ve ran from Osmond’s performance, but it went with the one in which she’s raising her leg, triple-salchow style.  Although for what it’s worth, the skater’s not offended.  As per the Toronto Star, she told a local morning show “I don’t mind the picture that much. It’s part of my program. Our skirts go flying all the time, so we’re used to it. We don’t find it that offensive.”

Know who does find it offensive?  The Globe and Mail’s pubic, erm, public editor, who publicly undressed her fellow editors and offered a revealing look at the processes behind the paper in her column this afternoon.  “In my view, the editors need to stop and think about these shots whether in skating, diving or gymnastics,” Sylvia Stead states. “The strength of these photos is that they show strong bodies in motion, but you should ask yourself if you would want yourself pictured this way.”  Hmm, would we want to see an overweight, middle-aged desk jockey doing a leg-lift in a tutu?  Think of the children, Globe and Mail editors!

Stead concludes “Greater care needs to be taken on the front page than on any other because it is essentially the front door.”  Unless your photo editor runs a shot of an athlete’s rear end, that is. ;)

COMMENT OF THE DAY: C’mon man, could we not expect a family show from the creator of Family Guy?

Posted by gruesomegreg on

From: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/awards-and-festivals/film-awards/seth-macfarlane-keeps-up-the-oscar-trend-of-terrible-hosts/article9017861/

Though he may not have employed any crude references to a young girl’s genitals, Seth MacFarlane has nevertheless caught a lotta heat for his Oscars hosting gig from such respected publications as The Globe and Mail.  Then again, did anyone expect The Globe to heap praise and adulation upon the creator of a cartoon show for adults?  A couple commenters are suggesting that the national newspaper’s hatchet job was possibly premeditated:

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Meanwhile, I’m sure the coverage at the Sun was more along the lines of “Duuuude, Seth rocks!  Hey, did you hear about Rob Ford getting money from that lefty pinko communist?”  I don’t even need to visit their site to foresee this. ;)

COMMENT OF THE DAY: What would you pay-ay-ay for the Globe and Mail?

Posted by gruesomegreg on

From: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/help/globe-unlimited/an-enhanced-and-enriched-experience-for-globe-subscribers/article4612315/

So, the Globe and Mail has decided to follow in the footsteps of such respected newspapers as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal by implementing a paywall for its online content.  Cue the comments about how the Globe isn’t a respected newspaper like the Times or the WSJ.  (No really, scroll down for it!)  As Editor-in-Chief John Stackhouse so eloquently puts it, “globeandmail.com will remain free for most of our users – those who want to survey our home pages and section fronts for business, life, commentary, arts and sports, sample 10 stories a month, etc.”  So, if you want to look at the front page without diving into any of the articles, or you can constrain your news-reading to one article every three days, you’re good.  Otherwise, that will be 20 bucks a month please, unless you subscribe to the paper.  While I suppose that might cost less than a premium porn-site package, it’s probably more than you pay for TekSavvy:

(For what it’s worth, if WordPress ever implements a paywall in response to the lack of clicks on the ad banners here, I’m switching to Blogspot. :P )

Alberta beef’s contaminated and it’s making me sad…

Posted by gruesomegreg on

Coming from Calgary, the two things I miss the most are cheap gas and great steak.  Well okay, not so much the former; say what you want about the TTC, but it’s the most efficient transit system I’ve taken in this country.  On the other hand, I can’t say the beef here beats what I used to eat back in Cowtown.  (It probably doesn’t help that my building bans barbeques, and I don’t really know how to cook a steak in the first place, but nevertheless…)  Sure, some Alberta beef is shipped to supermarkets across the country–it actually constitutes 35 per cent of cow products consumed in Canada–but now, it seems a great deal of it is contaminated, so it’s probably just as well I’m not buying top Alberta sirloin–or the less-than-top-cuts sold at Costco, anyways.

Mind you, with such a wide-ranging health-hazard list, coupled with a general warning to be better safe than sorry, nobody really wants to shake hands with beef these days.  In fact, my new favourite downtown cheesesteak palace has a hand-written sign in its window saying “We don’t use Excel Foods (don’t be scared!)” in an attempt to reassure customers.  Not sure if it’s working, but Microsoft spreadsheets aren’t to blame here.  It’s XL Foods, a meat plant in small-town Brooks, AB, that’s brought the country to its knees, and even has some goofball at the Globe and Mail suggesting we might reconsider our meat consumption.  Not me, that’s for sure.  I’m a meatatarian; beef, bacon–on that note, I’m kinda bummed that the only Wendy’s in the downtown core is closed for renovations, but it seems they picked a pretty decent time to do so.

Rumour has it the outbreak, which has led to Alberta beef being banned at the US border, was caused because meatpackers didn’t notice there were cow patties in the ground beef.  (I guess it sorta all blends in, eh?)  Meanwhile, Ruth Ellen Brosseau blames government cutbacks, while several Quebeckers in the comment section are convinced that it’s all part of some great conspiracy for Alberta to cut down on its péréquation payments by wiping them off the face of the earth.  (No, really!)

Now, because I clearly have a death wish, I ate at McDonald’s today.  I had one of their so-called Angus burgers, which really doesn’t taste any different from their other burgers, cept it’s slightly more expensive.  I can gladly report that I did not collapse in a fit of gastroenteritis, but then again, McDonald’s doesn’t use real beef in their burgers, right?  (Well, actually it says here that they do.  100 per cent Canadian beef, in fact.  Uh-oh…)  In any case, they say you can kill E coli by cooking meat thoroughly, and making sure it’s not pink in the centre, so I don’t really see what the big deal is–unless you like your steak rare, in which case, you probably deserve to die, anyways. :P

Plagiarism: It’s not just for kids anymore…

Posted by gruesomegreg on

Yesterday, I mentioned plagiarism in reference to the latest scandal at the University of Alberta, perhaps giving the impression that it wasn’t the most serious professional misconduct that occurred at the Ewe of Eh.  But let’s be honest, ripping off someone else word-for-word without attribution is no laughing matter, whether it’s the dean of a major university or a columnist for a major newspaper—heck, any newspaper, for that matter.  That said, any rants or opinions expressed here are my own, and where I quote something from another source, I make sure to attribute it properly, and even leave a link.  But it appears my standards are higher than the Globe and Mail’s, at least as far as columnist Margaret Wente is concerned…

One week ago, the Media Culpa blog exposed Wente in an in-depth posting that laid out how a column she wrote—in 2009, mind you—was almost entirely stolen from other sources.  This isn’t the first time blogger Carol Wainio has taken Wente to task, either, but it certainly happens to be the most extensive raking over the coals one could possibly present.  The posting gathered steam on the internet, leading to a memo from the Globe’s Editor-in-Chief, John Stackhouse, which minced no words in stating: “The journalism in this instance did not meet the standards of The Globe and Mail in terms of sourcing, use of quotation marks and reasonable credit for the work of others. Even in the spirit of column writing, which allows for some latitude in attribution and expression, this work was not in accordance with our code of conduct and is unacceptable.”  So, that should seal the deal, right?

Wrong.  Wente’s column written today seems to gloss over the issue, stating “My aim was to be conversational and readable, and to present the gist of his work – not to pass off other people’s words or ideas as my own.”  Except that her conversation seemed to use the exact same words as other sources, but okay.  Wente continues, “Journalistic practice around quotations and attribution has become far more cautious in the past few years, and mine has, too. If I were writing that column again today, I would quote and attribute more carefully.”  I can’t say I was aware of any major changes within the last three years (though I suppose the New York Times might be at least partially responsible), but if standards were really that tight at the Globe and Mail, wouldn’t Wente have received more than some non-disclosed “appropriate action,” ie a suspension, or even dismissal?

Anyways, just to reiterate, this blog has higher standards for attribution than one of Canada’s major newspapers.  Whether you choose to see it as a credible source of information is entirely up to you. ;)

On the plus side, at least he didn’t plagiarize anybody…

Posted by gruesomegreg on

Even as a native Calgarian, I will readily admit that the University of Alberta, located in Edmonton, is the best post-secondary institute in the province.  That said, its reputation has been taking a beating recently, due to the lack of morals of some people in top positions—and perhaps a lack of discretion from those in charge of hiring them.  (To say nothing of a recent on-campus shooting, either…)

Some 15 months after its dean of medicine resigned when it came to light that he stole his graduation speech from a Stanford prof, another department chair—in this case, the head of psychiatry—has also tendered his resignation.  In fact, Claudio Soares hadn’t even assumed his position before it was revealed that his licence to practice in Ontario, where he was formerly a psych prof at McMaster, has been suspended, and a notification had been issued across the country that he was “not to be left alone with female patients,” as per the Globe and Mail.  It seems that Soares soared to new heights with a patient between 2007 and 2009—when he was the director of the Women’s Health Concerns Clinic, no less.

As per McMaster’s website, which still lists Soares amongst the Active Faculty, the Women’s Health Concerns Clinic “provides assessment, consultation and treatment for women who are experiencing mood problems related to the menstrual cycle, childbearing or menopause.”  Although the site doesn’t elaborate on the clinic’s methods, it’s safe to say The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario didn’t approve of Dr. Soares’ treatment plans, which allegedly included 18 months of intercourse with one patient.

Which makes me wonder, who hired this guy to head up the department without a thorough background check, in the first place?

Football players wanted for positions in Mayor’s office–Irish need not apply?

Posted by gruesomegreg on

When I went to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown last summer, I was amused by a few 19th-century job postings that said something along the lines of “Shortstop wanted for baseball team, full-salaried position with Johnson’s Rock Quarry to be provided—Irish need not apply.”  Oddly enough, the day after I witnessed a couple young Irishmen get chewed out on the subway by some crazy old lady, The Globe and Mail publishes a piece revealing that Mayor Rob Ford has hired a couple “special assistants” for his office who pull double duty as coaches of his Rexdale Raiders youth football teams.  One of these assistants, a certain Andrew Gillis, was the starting QB at the U of T last year, no less.

Furthermore, the names of Chris Fickel and Isaac Shirokoff appeared on recruitment flyers and Facebook posts for the Raiders, along with contact information—numbers linked to taxpayer-funded cell phones, according to the Globe.  Methinks that giving public-sector jobs to coach your football team is the antithesis of stopping the gravy train, no?

Of course, this comes hot on the heels of the legal hearing that could find Ford guilty of conflict-of-interest for using City of Toronto letterhead to solicit donations for his football foundation—and the revelation that he left an Executive Council meeting several hours early so that he could coach his high-school team.  Hey man, I love football as much as Rob Ford, but while I may have called in sick on the Monday after the Super Bowl a couple times (to be fair, I was feeling sick to my stomach), I would never let the gridiron jeopardize my job, especially if I was the Mayor of This CityTM.  (If anything happens, though, I’d imagine that all this publicity would be good for recruiting, heh heh.)

COMMENT OF THE DAY: Well I’ve been working real hard just to try to get a BJ… (Amusing typo is amusing!)

Posted by gruesomegreg on

From: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/elections/caqs-legault-kids-in-quebec-should-work-harder-like-asians/article4480487/

A is the first letter of the alphabet, lest we forget.  When it’s omitted from expressions such as “to get ahead,” well, that changes the meaning of one’s sentence entirely.  Case in point:

Now, if Popcorn was really a player, he’d have posted “I get lotsa head by hardly working,” though I do admire his candor and honesty here.

COMMENT OF THE DAY: A sad day for ear-lovers everywhere…

Posted by gruesomegreg on

From: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-hot-button/bullied-teen-gets-40000-of-plastic-surgery-to-stop-taunts/article4450612/

The internet is abuzz over a 14-year-old girl who had $40-grand worth of plastic surgery after being bullied at school.  Though her ears were the source of her discontent, it seems that a kind-hearted plastic surgeon decided to “fix” her nose and chin in the process.  Now, said girl is happy—until she starts getting called “plastic face” when she goes back to school in September.  Meanwhile, a young ear fetishist somewhere out there is crying crocodile tears into his pillow tonight…

(I dunno, but I’m pretty sure that if a 14-year-old was offered the opportunity to f**k her, as they so eloquently put it, I don’t think he’d turn it down because she had big ears.  I mean, it’s not like you stick it in there—unless maybe you’re an ear fetishist.)