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Wednesday Link-Off: The Shut Down that Never Ends

kim-cloutier-wacoal13-01It seems to be a quiet week in the world this week. I’ve been trying to dig up links but there isn’t much to link to but we still have the best links on the interweb. For now, let’s start the links with Lowdown Blog favourite Kim Cloutier.

While there seems to be some dissent between the Tea Party and more progressive GOP congressmen, the Democrats can’t capitalize because of a new rule the GOP enacted just before the shut down. (Gawker)

Along the same lines of my recent et geekera column, the NYT just realized that the news media is biased too. (New York Times)

It’s sad but American high school athletes getting preferential treatment from the legal system and getting away with rape is more common that we care to admit. (Kansas City Star)

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F1 Japanese Grand Prix: Two Stops or Three?

This is Sebastian Vettel’s World Championship. The rest of the drivers are just making up the numbers. Of the 21 other drivers on the grid this season, only five have more wins in their careers than Vettel has wins this season. In fact, after winning this weekend’s race at Suzuka, Vettel’s season wins total matched the career win total of his teammate, Mark Webber. I think this fella might be a decent driver.

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The History of Canadian Thanksgiving (Infographic)

It’s going to be a quiet day on the blog today because it’s a holiday up here in Canada. Today is our Thanksgiving. Unlike America which has Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November, in Canada, it’s the second Monday in October.  In fact, Thanksgiving in Canada has been in April, May, June and November before being an October holiday.

So to celebrate a day off in the fall, let’s bring back a classic infographic with this look at the history of Canadian Thanksgiving.

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Sunday Link-Off: Should’ve Voted For Kodos

lauren-cohan-maxim13-06Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day in Canada. I have to admit that Thanksgiving is my favourite holiday. You have this great spread with comparatively few family visits. Sure, there’s still family visits but not as many as Christmas.

Even better, The Walking Dead is back today. Wait, I’m not sure that’s a good thing after last season’s finale. Oh well. At least the show still has Lauren Cohen on it.

A poll says that 40% of Americans say that the rollout of the Affordable Care Act’s health care marketplace hasn’t gone well. That same poll says that 7% of respondents attempted to use the marketplace. In other words, the media is creating the message. (Washington Post)

And while Obamacare is suffering a shaky rollout, the GOP have lost any opportunity to capitalize by continuing the lost cause that is the government shut down. (The Guardian)

An examination by The Economist shows that while politicians said that becoming protectionist would harm the global economy following the Great Recession, many went protectionist with their economies. (The Economist)

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Entertainment Link-Off: Slice and Dice

alexa vegaThe blood thirsty action hero Machete is back in Machete Kills! While the film is known for its rather ridiculous gory action, there is also no shortage of eye candy either. You can also catch Alexa Vega all grown up from the Spy Kids days in this film. 

After the jump, Coach Taylor doesn’t want more FNL, some S.H,I.E.L.D. related stuff, Quentin Tarantino explains why he liked The Lone Ranger and watch Harrison Ford and Benedict Cumberbatch struggle with Star Wars related questions.  Continue reading →

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The Best of Text From Dog

Dogs try to talk to us but they aren’t necessarily the best at articulating it in a way we can easily understand (unless you’re Lassie, who can easily indicate where Timmy got himself stuck again). But what if your dog could text you? It would probably be a little bit like Tumblr’s Text From Dog.

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F1 Power Rankings: Japanese Grand Prix

We’ve reached the final quarter of the 2013 Formula One World Championship but the season is almost over. Sebastian Vettel has a 77 point lead over Fernando Alonso with five races remaining. Sure, it’s unlikely that he’ll clinch this weekend but it’s certainly a matter of when, not if, Seb will win the crown. But there are still races to run and powers to rank.

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Wednesday Link-Off: Define “Essential”

alice-panikian-lasenza13-04It’s nice to start off the week with two racing recap posts. I quite enjoy writing those. By the way, have you checked out Freshly Pressed today? My latest gaming column from et geekera got picked up there.

Anyway, between motorsports stories, it’s time for us to do the links. Let’s start with Canadian model Alice Panikian.

Can you really consider John Boehner the leader of the GOP in Congress when you consider that he can’t seem to keep anyone in line. (The Hill)

Congress sure has a weird idea of what’s considered essential. The Congressional gym is considered essential and is still open. (Think Progress)

It’s not just America that is having political intrigue with money. It cost the Ontario government $1.1 billion to cancel a gas power plant project in Oakville and Mississauga. How the hell does that happen? (Toronto Sun)

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IndyCar – GP of Houston: And This Changes Everything

indycar-2013-houston-dixon-victoryHelio Castroneves came into the doubleheader weekend at Houston with a one-race points lead over Scott Dixon for the 2013 IndyCar Championship. In the span of only a few laps on Saturday, the championship battle got considerably closer. Then, on Sunday, the championship battle was turned completely on its head. However, it wasn’t all good news for Ganassi Racing after a last lap crash on Sunday.

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F1 Korean Grand Prix: If a Tree Falls in a Forest…

While it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Sebastian Vettel took the pole and stormed away to the victory. However, while no one may have seen the Korean Grand Prix in person, it was still a very interesting race where all sorts of odd happenings occurred.

Off track, while there hasn’t been much movement in the driver market, we do have a new 2014 schedule, a new Concorde Agreement and a new concern over how much the drivers weigh and its affect on the driver market.

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