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- Boris Johnson: The Olympics are coming home to Britain
- Canadians seeing changes to police culture
- The Kinks - Sunny Afternoon
- Can't Beet It
- The innocents of Georgia
Boris Johnson: The Olympics are coming home to Britain
Posted by Michael Klassen on August 24, 2008 in Zeitgeist
Expect to hear a lot more from London's new mayor Boris Johnson in the days ahead as London gears up for its own summer Olympic games in 2012. Click the above image to listen to Boris' speech today after the game's end, and his longing for past competitions involving the carrying and slaughter of oxen as sport.
Tagged: boris johnson, london 2012, olympic games
Canadians seeing changes to police culture
Posted by Michael Klassen on August 19, 2008 in Zeitgeist
What is happening to policing in Western Canada? The story appears to be an evolving one, but change is clearly happening. Why it is happening now is difficult to surmise.
In Southwest British Columbia the police chiefs of 3 major cities have all stepped down under a cloud of controversy.
First, there was Vancouver police chief Jamie Graham, who retired in August of last year. According to Georgia Straight editor Charlie Smith, who often commented on Graham's leadership, the former RCMP officer shaped the VPD into a quasi-paramilitary force, with rigid internal loyalty and an impatience for due process on internal investigations. This might have been an exaggeration, but problems like the Stanley Park Six assaults, and Graham's own careless "good day at the firing range..." target left on the City Manager's desk were evidence of a macho environment.
Then there was the sudden dismissal by the City of West Vancouver of their own police chief, Scott Armstrong. This was followed by Victoria suspending their own police chief Paul Battershill, for reasons that were never made public by their police board. Ultimately Battershill resigned.
Couple these changes at the top with the upheaval happening in Canada's RCMP. Not only did their Commissioner resign, but there seems to be a quiet effort within the national force to now penalize Mounties who break the law.
Vancouver has a new police chief, Jim Chu, who has definitely adopted a new tone for the VPD. It's a welcome change and a credit to Vancouver's mayor and the police board that they hired the right person for the job.
As for the changes at the top of Canada's police ranks and the assertion of authority by political leaders over their police departments, it appears to be happening more often. I'm just not sure why.
Tagged: police, rcmp, top cops
The Kinks - Sunny Afternoon
Posted by Michael Klassen on August 18, 2008 in Zeitgeist
Vancouver has had more than a few sunny afternoons lately, so I thought I'd share a favourite tune. The Kinks brilliant Sunny Afternooon hardly looks like it was shot in The Bahamas with all the snowy surroundings and winter dress. The song is featured on the great Face to Face LP, and began one of the greatest (under-celebrated) creative period of any band. Allmusic.com deservedly gives 5 out of 5 stars to nearly every record below.
- Face to Face (1966)
- Something Else by the Kinks (1967)
- The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (1968)
- Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) (1969)
- Lola vs Powerman And The Moneygoround (1970)
The Kinks almost mysteriously disappeared from the North American pop scene during this pivotal period, only charting again in 1970 with Lola. These records have been available on import, but nearly impossible to find in mainstream record stores for a generation. I have many of the songs on vinyl, but would love a properly re-mastered digital collection of these great records.
The singles Victoria and Waterloo Sunset are about as perfect as rock music gets. Too bad they don't get the play their contemporaries, such as the The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, do to this day.
Can't Beet It
Posted by Michael Klassen on August 13, 2008 in Zeitgeist
Some beets pulled from our garden, and cooked for dinner tonight. Yum.
Tagged: gardening
The innocents of Georgia
Posted by Michael Klassen on August 13, 2008 in Zeitgeist
As we enjoy a lovely bit of summer on the west coast, interspersed with high-definition Olympic coverage in the comfort of our living rooms, I draw your attention to the aggression in Georgia. The New York Times reports that Russian hackers preceded the military's battle plans with a DDOS (denial of service internet attack).
The pictures coming out of Georgia that indicate that Russia is doing anything but, as they call it, "peacekeeping."
Very chilling stuff, and the destruction and loss of life is completely unnecessary. Many speculate that Russia is attacking Georgia to send a message to the USA, and to bolster national pride (we still have that hegemonic mojo!) back home.
STORY UPDATES:
How Misha messed up (Globe and Mail)
Gwynne Dyer: No Cold War return over Georgia (Georgia Straight)
Interesting insights into this story makes it seem like a disgraceful bit of pique by Georgia's President Mikhail Saakashvili.
The above photo was sourced from a slideshow posted at Reuters.com.
